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Maximum Ride: The Manga #1
Maximum Ride, Vol. 1
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “flock”—Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel—are just like ordinary kids—only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time... like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs.
Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare—this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb—now her betrayed and greatest enemy—that her purpose is save the world—but can she?
Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare—this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb—now her betrayed and greatest enemy—that her purpose is save the world—but can she?
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2009
1534 people are currently reading
25751 people want to read
About the author
NaRae Lee
32 books296 followersDiscovered by Yen Press Senior Editor JuYoun Lee, NaRae was able to make her U.S. debut working on a series that already had legions of devoted fans. It's a lot to live up to, but NaRae proved to be up to the challenge by delivering artwork that looks remarkably polished for a relative newbie to the world of international manga publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,531 reviews
February 9, 2009
I have to review this both in relation to the original, and by its own. Tough!
Anyway, the story is still amazing and captivating, so points there.
It's an American original manga that they hired a Korean to write. It is definitely MANGA and not GRAPHIC NOVEL, especially considering it was serialized first in Yen Magazine. However, it does read left to right.
I feel like a little bit of the internal feelings/thinking is lost in this version over the original, which is interesting because many Japanese manga have quite a bit of internal thought. The emphasis on this version of Maximum Ride is definitely fast-paced action sequences, which it does well.
The character designs are all very good, and distinctly Japanese-manga-y. I especially like Max and Iggy, who look older than I imagined and both got super sexy. Fang looks off to me, and Nudge looks like a ganguro girl, but whatever ^_^
Definitely a good adaptation in its own right, it loses some of the charm but keeps all the appeal of the original.
3 Quality, 5 Popularity
Anyway, the story is still amazing and captivating, so points there.
It's an American original manga that they hired a Korean to write. It is definitely MANGA and not GRAPHIC NOVEL, especially considering it was serialized first in Yen Magazine. However, it does read left to right.
I feel like a little bit of the internal feelings/thinking is lost in this version over the original, which is interesting because many Japanese manga have quite a bit of internal thought. The emphasis on this version of Maximum Ride is definitely fast-paced action sequences, which it does well.
The character designs are all very good, and distinctly Japanese-manga-y. I especially like Max and Iggy, who look older than I imagined and both got super sexy. Fang looks off to me, and Nudge looks like a ganguro girl, but whatever ^_^
Definitely a good adaptation in its own right, it loses some of the charm but keeps all the appeal of the original.
3 Quality, 5 Popularity
February 4, 2012
Ok, let me first say something: I picked up this book knowing nothing about it, and because I was desperate to read something new. And I absolutely loved it!
This is the manga version of the original book for Young Adults (mainly) by James Patterson, and it's very skillfully transformed into the new format. Excellent art, brilliant dialogue and characters so real you feel they might just jump off the page!
Before I go into a bit more detail, if you're thinking of buying this book then DO IT!! Buy it NOW! You won't be able to put it down, the plot keeps your on the edge of your seat the whole way through. I read it all in one sitting!
**WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!**
The main character, Max, is a great lead. She's super cool, and really appeals to a teenage reader. The story starts off with her dreaming about people chasing her, and in her dream she has wings. This part (if you have the same version as me) is done in colour, which is a great start to the book. After she wakes up, we're introduced to the rest of the gang; Gazzy, Angel, Fang, Nudge and Iggy, who all have various and wonderful talents.
The main twist in the plot (stop reading now if you haven't read it yet!) is the arrival of the Erasers, terrifying wolf-like creatures who are led by Jeb's son Ari. Their arrival is drawn over a double-page spread, which draws the reader directly into the suspense. After kidnapping Angel, they fly off and take her to the School, a place where Jeb freed the others from years ago.
I'm not going to go into much more detail about this plot, because it's fairly self-explainitory, Max and the others plan to rescure Angel and run into mysteries about the Erasers, Ari, their parents and Jeb himself along the way.
The book ends with a cliffhanger (I'm not saying what it is) which made me yell "Wait, say WHAT!!" ^_^'
I'm going to end my review with a simple list of why you should get this book: 1. Brilliant characters 2. Stunning art 3. An involving and fast-paced, action packed plotline!
Enjoy!
This is the manga version of the original book for Young Adults (mainly) by James Patterson, and it's very skillfully transformed into the new format. Excellent art, brilliant dialogue and characters so real you feel they might just jump off the page!
Before I go into a bit more detail, if you're thinking of buying this book then DO IT!! Buy it NOW! You won't be able to put it down, the plot keeps your on the edge of your seat the whole way through. I read it all in one sitting!
**WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!**
The main character, Max, is a great lead. She's super cool, and really appeals to a teenage reader. The story starts off with her dreaming about people chasing her, and in her dream she has wings. This part (if you have the same version as me) is done in colour, which is a great start to the book. After she wakes up, we're introduced to the rest of the gang; Gazzy, Angel, Fang, Nudge and Iggy, who all have various and wonderful talents.
The main twist in the plot (stop reading now if you haven't read it yet!) is the arrival of the Erasers, terrifying wolf-like creatures who are led by Jeb's son Ari. Their arrival is drawn over a double-page spread, which draws the reader directly into the suspense. After kidnapping Angel, they fly off and take her to the School, a place where Jeb freed the others from years ago.
I'm not going to go into much more detail about this plot, because it's fairly self-explainitory, Max and the others plan to rescure Angel and run into mysteries about the Erasers, Ari, their parents and Jeb himself along the way.
The book ends with a cliffhanger (I'm not saying what it is) which made me yell "Wait, say WHAT!!" ^_^'
I'm going to end my review with a simple list of why you should get this book: 1. Brilliant characters 2. Stunning art 3. An involving and fast-paced, action packed plotline!
Enjoy!
December 14, 2013
i did not get what was going on
April 22, 2020
Five out of five!
I love a good manga adaption. I read this years ago when it came out, but re-checking this manga out was a great way to de-stress from life in general!!
I love a good manga adaption. I read this years ago when it came out, but re-checking this manga out was a great way to de-stress from life in general!!
November 16, 2016
This is and adoption of a Japanese successful manga and It's like reading a comic style manga. The story seems intact and I liked characters. Not decided which one is my favorite though.
December 29, 2013
Wow. That's all I can say about this book.
I had put it on hod at the library and went over to pick it up along with the second book, since I couldn't get my hands on the chapter book yet, and man am I happy that I picked it up.
This series has everything - a refreshing cast of characters that are funny and adventurous and all those other things that other characters lack, and for once, they are realistic, not cliche like Bella and Edward and the whole crappy cast from Twilight is. The art is great to look at and I truly feel like I'm reading a manga book, not a cheap excuse for a manga like a few books I have read were like.
The theme of this series actually reminds me of my own book I'm writing because there are some similiar details, especially cause my main character also has wings. But enough about that.
I can now tell why this series is so popular. Looking forward to enjoy the rest of it
I had put it on hod at the library and went over to pick it up along with the second book, since I couldn't get my hands on the chapter book yet, and man am I happy that I picked it up.
This series has everything - a refreshing cast of characters that are funny and adventurous and all those other things that other characters lack, and for once, they are realistic, not cliche like Bella and Edward and the whole crappy cast from Twilight is. The art is great to look at and I truly feel like I'm reading a manga book, not a cheap excuse for a manga like a few books I have read were like.
The theme of this series actually reminds me of my own book I'm writing because there are some similiar details, especially cause my main character also has wings. But enough about that.
I can now tell why this series is so popular. Looking forward to enjoy the rest of it
December 26, 2016
okay, this is interesting.
March 22, 2019
This is an interesting adaption. I've read the whole maximum ride series of novels, this is my first time reading one of the graphic novels. The regular novels I think are better, there's more detail to the characters and plot, and they take more than one hour to read.
There were some errors in the panels, I know that lots of graphic novels have errors but, none that I have really noticed enough to bother my reading experience. This book had a couple of errors that bothered me, the main one being on one of the last pages where Angel's face was drawn over the bars of her cage.
I won't be continuing the graphic novel adaption of this series, I saw the first volume at the library and decided to check it out.
There were some errors in the panels, I know that lots of graphic novels have errors but, none that I have really noticed enough to bother my reading experience. This book had a couple of errors that bothered me, the main one being on one of the last pages where Angel's face was drawn over the bars of her cage.
I won't be continuing the graphic novel adaption of this series, I saw the first volume at the library and decided to check it out.
August 15, 2016
I've wanted to read this for a while now. I was really excited about it and the cover is just gorgeous enough for me to go ahead and buy it. but unfortunately I was slightly disappointed. It was definitely interesting but not enough to hold my attention. while the artwork is great, the story isn’t all that captivating. I gave it an extra star for the artwork, the story is more like a 3 or maybe even 2.5.
I’m probably going to read the second volume (not soon) and then decide if I want to continue with the series or not.
I’m probably going to read the second volume (not soon) and then decide if I want to continue with the series or not.
September 6, 2015
A 4.5 star read!
This is my most favourite graphic novel to this date.
The illustrations were fantastic and beautiful. I was impressed by the artwork and overall enjoyed the story as I've already read the book before.
This is my most favourite graphic novel to this date.
The illustrations were fantastic and beautiful. I was impressed by the artwork and overall enjoyed the story as I've already read the book before.
August 16, 2020
The only reason I could give this 2 stars was because the artwork is pretty nice. The story itself, is pretty meh. The original version of the Maximum Ride story, 'When the Wind Blows' and 'Lake House' is much better written than the Maximum Ride series.
April 3, 2017
I wanted to try something new, and this was not the book for me. I didn't really like the comic look of it at all, it didn't let me imagine the story in my head.
September 17, 2023
My Physical TBR Book #24
This was so much more fast paced and easier to understand than the novel.
This was so much more fast paced and easier to understand than the novel.
November 25, 2020
I just made my son very happy by reading a book he borrowed, on his own initiative, from the school library lol
I read this series (the original books, not the graphic novels) many years ago. I enjoyed the first few books though not the later half. I thought this first instalment of the graphic novel did a very decent job. It was a very quick read (I finished a lot faster than I thought I would) and even as I truly enjoyed it, I did feel that it was missing quite a lot of stuff from the novel. Nevertheless, it's got all the important bits and that's really all you need in an adaptation.
I read this series (the original books, not the graphic novels) many years ago. I enjoyed the first few books though not the later half. I thought this first instalment of the graphic novel did a very decent job. It was a very quick read (I finished a lot faster than I thought I would) and even as I truly enjoyed it, I did feel that it was missing quite a lot of stuff from the novel. Nevertheless, it's got all the important bits and that's really all you need in an adaptation.
October 13, 2018
Wow soooooooo gooooooood max is such a smart and amazing young woman
February 28, 2023
these books feel like a fever dream
May 24, 2024
Absolutely adore the art, just...don't think too hard about how the timeline is supposed to work...
March 15, 2010
This was my first manga book and it will probably be my last (except for the Labyrinth ones, I'm still seriously considering getting those). First, can someone please tell me how 'manga' is pronounced? I keep saying it like the Italian word for 'eat.' I've also pronounced pilates like pee-lats because I'd never heard it pronounced before. Can someone help me out here?
The thing is, I don't know what's normal for manga and what isn't. It's not like reading a comic book/graphic novel. I like comics. I enjoy them. But this was just weird. For instance, is it normal to have a characters actions spelled out around them (like when a character was shaking, 'shake' was actually written around the character)? I just found that annoying.
I also found the drawings really distracting, probably because they were really detracting from the plot, which was hard to follow because there were more drawings than plot-related words. I had a hard time catching onto the plot because I felt it was buried under the pictures. Every once in a while I'd grasp hold of it and like what I was reading but then I'd lose it again. It'd just get buried underneath all the busy artwork, which I don't even really like. I've always been kind of freaked out by manga-style drawings (way too angular) so that didn't help the book's cause any.
This was another BEA random grab that has taught me to be way more selective about the books I nab this time around. I just saw 'James Patterson' and pretty colors and yoink! Not again.
In all honesty, I can't tell if I liked the story. From what I've gathered of the plot it's not bad. It doesn't sound too much like my thing to read but I've heard good reviews of it. But I'll have to read the actual novels to really find out. So consider this review based purely on the manga aspect of it and not on James Patterson's work. It's safe to say I'm not a manga fan and I won't be picking it up again any time soon (unless it's Labyrinth, I might just suck it up for that). I'll leave this one to the real manga fans out there.
The thing is, I don't know what's normal for manga and what isn't. It's not like reading a comic book/graphic novel. I like comics. I enjoy them. But this was just weird. For instance, is it normal to have a characters actions spelled out around them (like when a character was shaking, 'shake' was actually written around the character)? I just found that annoying.
I also found the drawings really distracting, probably because they were really detracting from the plot, which was hard to follow because there were more drawings than plot-related words. I had a hard time catching onto the plot because I felt it was buried under the pictures. Every once in a while I'd grasp hold of it and like what I was reading but then I'd lose it again. It'd just get buried underneath all the busy artwork, which I don't even really like. I've always been kind of freaked out by manga-style drawings (way too angular) so that didn't help the book's cause any.
This was another BEA random grab that has taught me to be way more selective about the books I nab this time around. I just saw 'James Patterson' and pretty colors and yoink! Not again.
In all honesty, I can't tell if I liked the story. From what I've gathered of the plot it's not bad. It doesn't sound too much like my thing to read but I've heard good reviews of it. But I'll have to read the actual novels to really find out. So consider this review based purely on the manga aspect of it and not on James Patterson's work. It's safe to say I'm not a manga fan and I won't be picking it up again any time soon (unless it's Labyrinth, I might just suck it up for that). I'll leave this one to the real manga fans out there.
April 10, 2019
I read the book version of this manga about 20 years ago, before James Patterson was a big kahuna. I was still in high school, had never heard of dystopian lit, rarely read sci-fi, and found the idea pretty awesome. I haven't read the manga until now because it's just been on my radar but the length of the series intimidated me--such a big commitment.
I finally picked up the series for my son, who is resistant to reading anything new. When he refused to read them, I started on book 1. I read it in a day or two, completely absorbed. The story is fantastic, and the characters shine. I really enjoyed it, though there were definitely parts where I felt like things were missing that would be explained in the regular novel. But for an adaptation, it's one of the better ones I've read. I'm in for the long haul--next 8 books, here I come!
Also, I convinced my son that the books were great and he is now on book 3! :D
I finally picked up the series for my son, who is resistant to reading anything new. When he refused to read them, I started on book 1. I read it in a day or two, completely absorbed. The story is fantastic, and the characters shine. I really enjoyed it, though there were definitely parts where I felt like things were missing that would be explained in the regular novel. But for an adaptation, it's one of the better ones I've read. I'm in for the long haul--next 8 books, here I come!
Also, I convinced my son that the books were great and he is now on book 3! :D
April 17, 2017
the problem is that I don't like manga. this is my second attempt and nope, wasn't feeling it.
May 11, 2022
⚠️Warning ⚠️ bloody scenes,experimentation on children (mostly off screen or merely mentioned),some swearing and kidnapping.
Full review soon.
Full review soon.
July 29, 2020
Okay, so I'm not known for reading Mangas, but this book was really cool! :) I started reading it because I wanted to know how to draw the characters and now I'm reading the second book because it's fun to put a face and actions to the people and words.
May 7, 2024
Slay!!
December 17, 2019
As the first volume of the Manga series, I really enjoyed this book and love Maximum Ride. I look forward to finishing this series!
January 8, 2024
now i want to read the novels but it’s nice to read a super simplified version with gorgeous manga illustration for now
how many series am i reading right now? 3? 4? can’t be tamed out here
how many series am i reading right now? 3? 4? can’t be tamed out here
July 23, 2022
I loved these books as a kid. They are very accurate to the book and add just the right amount of extra realness, action and cuteness.
August 23, 2020
2 hours! That is how long it took me to read this one. I found this book YESTERDAY on my mom's bookshelf. I had her look at reviews to see if it was clean YESTERDAY ! And guess what! It is! Obviously because I read it. This book ripped my heart out, and then when I tried to recoup this book just didn't wait for me! I NEED TO GET THE NEXT ONE NOW!
AGE RECOMMENDATION: 11 and up.
PARENT NOTE: This book has some bad images. See all warnings below. If you don't know about this book please read it first before handing it to a child.
SWEARING: Lots. No F word but there is still bad ones in it.
CLEAN: Yes.
VIOLENCE: Some. Talks about experimenting on the youngest one.
IMAGES THAT COULD BE SCARY/OR ARE SCARY: Some. The only ones are of the monsters that are always finding them.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: 11 and up.
PARENT NOTE: This book has some bad images. See all warnings below. If you don't know about this book please read it first before handing it to a child.
SWEARING: Lots. No F word but there is still bad ones in it.
CLEAN: Yes.
VIOLENCE: Some. Talks about experimenting on the youngest one.
IMAGES THAT COULD BE SCARY/OR ARE SCARY: Some. The only ones are of the monsters that are always finding them.
September 26, 2023
I don’t typically read mangas but I really liked this one. I’d love to continue the series. This book is really entertaining I really enjoyed it.
January 5, 2014
I remember when I first picked up this manga, my interest was raised by the title. It's an unusual one, to be certain, and once I looked at the cover, I fell in love with the dynamic art style and beautiful coloration of the art. I remember flipping it open in the Barnes and Noble and reading through the first few pages before I realized I was actually reading the book already. It flew by, a light and easy read without too much thought and the most basic of content, especially as far as reading material goes.
Re-reading this manga again, perhaps that first basic decision to read it based on its superficial appeal was a herald of things to come. And yet as much as I can say that, I can also say that I enjoyed reading this manga.
But be forewarned: It's stripped to the barest of bones.
Being a book-to-manga conversion, which I found out a little while after having read the manga the first time, I would assume that's much of the reason for why this series is so threadbare on content. The art style is beautiful and enchanting, and I can't help but eat it up eagerly. But as far as plot, storyline, twists-and-turns, and most of the basics to any literature go, reading this manga is definitely like receiving the skeleton of a piece rather than anything close to a whole person.
This manga suffers from very little plot, very little character development or explanation, and keeps me reading simply because you can literally fly through this without taking a moment to think--at all! There's no brainpower needed to read this, because there's barely any content to read besides the most basic of storylines which is what we receive.
Now this does not mean that I don't enjoy the content or the concepts introduced therein, but I suspect, as I've mentioned, that this manga series is suffering from severe downsizing since it had been taken from book form to manga form. I will say this with an air of caution, however, because I have never read any of James Patterson's works before, and so I cannot say if there is more content to his actual book series than there is to this manga version. But it's a consideration to take into account. If you're a fan of James Patterson or this series, then I'm sure you'll find this a refreshing and beautifully illustrated version of the books.
Overall, I cannot say that this is a series that everyone will love. Possibly because of the minimal content, people might find this a boring read. In my case, I enjoyed the read. It's fast-paced and very easy to fly through these volumes, and some depth does seem to begin developing by the next volume, but it definitely might not be the right cup of tea for everyone. Still, because it's a quick and easy read, if you're looking for something light to breeze through, I would say to give this series a shot.
I'll be reading more of this series as I can find it in my library. So until the next time, enjoy your reading, everyone!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,531 reviews