James Patterson is one of the most prolific modern authors. He has written and co-written dozens and dozens of novels, selling millions of copies around the world. The Maximum Ride books in order are some of his most popular young adult books.
The series follows a group of teenagers who are part-human and part-avian. The flock, as they call themselves, must reckon with the tumults of young love, corrupt governments, and the hardships of destiny.
About James Patterson
James Patterson publishes at an unbelievable pace with several new books each year. For that reason, it can be overwhelming to decide where to begin with his bibliography, but Maximum Ride is a completed young adult fantasy series. This makes it a great option for Patterson newcomers.
But if you want to learn more about everything Patterson has written, then you can read our article about all of his books.
Patterson is also known for his collaborations with other authors, and this series has both. The original series Patterson wrote on his own, but then there are two books in a spin-off sequel series. Those books were co-written with other authors.
Back in 2015 when Patterson published Maximum Ride Forever, the last book in the original series, he thought it was his last foray into this world. However, when he was walking in New York City one day he saw a young woman with a hawk on her shoulder. That moment inspired the sequels, the Hawk series, which follows the next generation.
The original series has sold more than 13 million copies around the world. It follows the flock and its leader, Maximum Ride, as they navigate being the product of a government experiment and having the fate of the world rest on their shoulders. The sequel books then take place in a post-apocalyptic world.
Maximum Ride Books in Order
It is important to read the Maximum Ride books in order of publication. This is because the books do build upon the previous ones.
What took place previously will be important for the dynamics of the flock, the threat they are facing, and the overall storyline. The publication order also matches the chronological order.
As well, Patterson previously wrote two books, Where the Wind Blows and The Lake House, which were the inspiration for the Maximum Ride books, but the worlds are not connected. The earlier books feature a character named Max and a cruel school, but that is where most of the similarities end according to Patterson.
- The Angel Experiment(2005)
- School’s Out Forever(2006)
- Saving the World & Other Extreme Sports(2007)
- The Final Warning(2008)
- Max(2009)
- Fang(2010)
- Angel(2011)
- Nevermore(2012)
- Maximum Ride Forever(2015)
Maximum Ride: Hawk Books in Order
After you have read the Maximum Ride books in order is when you should turn to the Hawk books. Since this is a spin-off sequel series following the next generation, it is best to read this duology after the original books.
While you can read this series on its own, there will be spoilers for the original books and references to previous events. For that reason, reading these books second provides the best reading experience.
The first book, Hawk, is written with Gabrielle Charbonnet, while City of the Dead is written with Mindy McGinnis.
- Hawk(2020)
- City of the Dead(2021)
A Summary of Maximum Ride Books in Order
Below you will find the summaries for the Maximum Ride books in order. It is important to read this series in publication order for the best experience. There will be spoilers in the summaries below, so if you haven’t read the books, proceed with caution.
1. The Angel Experiment
Maximum Ride has a flock with five other kids: Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel. They’re all ordinary kids, except for the fact that they have wings and can fly. Unfortunately, it’s less of a dream come true for them, and more of a living nightmare.
Angel, the youngest of the flock, has been kidnapped and taken back to the cruel school where they were experimented on. The flock travels to Death Valley, California to save her, but they quickly find themselves in another nightmare.
They must fight off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City in the ride of their lives. Along the way, Max discovers that her purpose is to save the world, but can she?
2. School’s Out Forever
Mostly human but partly avian, Max and her flock have been discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to school. But there is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max must decipher how and when she will need to save the world. She must also face her greatest enemy — a clone of herself.
3. Saving the World & Other Extreme Sports
The time has arrived for Max and her flock to face their enemy and discover their original purpose. They must defeat the takeover of Re-evolution, a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race…and terminate the rest.
Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat their enemies. But can they save the world when they are apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?
4. The Final Warning
Maximum Ride’s ability to fly is the result of a government experiment that got out of control. Max and the other five kids who share her ability have been asked to help a group of environmental scientists studying the causes of global warming. It seems like it will be the perfect combination of adventure, activism, and escaping the government forces who watch the flock like a hawk.
But even in Antarctica, Maximum Ride is an irresistible target in constant danger. That’s because whoever controls her powers could control the world…
5. Max
Someone or something is destroying ships and sea life off the coast of Hawaii. As a result, Max and her flock find themselves sucked into the Navy’s top-secret investigation of the catastrophe.
Their objective is to rescue Max’s activist mom from a wicker subterranean enemy. The hitch, however, is that they must dive deep into the dark waters where gruesome evil dwells… For Maximum Ride, who is most comfortable high in the skies, could there be anything more terrifying than being trapped in the great abyss?
6. Fang
Angel says that Fang will be the first to die, and Angel is never wrong. For Maximum Ride, living desperately on the run from evil forces sabotaging her quest to save the world is normal. But nothing has ever come as close to destroying her as this horrifying prediction.
Fang is Max’s best friend, her soul mate, her partner in the leadership of her flock of winged children. She cannot imagine a life without Fang.
Then a newly created winged boy is introduced to their flock: Dylan. It upends their world all over again. That’s because Dylan was raised in a lab like the others, but his purpose has only one reason: To be Max’s perfect other half.
Thus begins a battle of perfection versus passion that terrifies, twists, and turns. Meanwhile, the apocalypse nears.
7. Angel
The flock has survived by always having each other’s backs, no matter what. But now they’re up against a deadly force that’s racing across the globe and just when they need him most, Fang is gone. He is creating his own gang that will replace everyone, including Max.
Max is heartbroken about losing Fang, her soul mate and closest friend. But Dylan is willing to fight by her side and she can no longer deny the intensity between them. Max, Dylan, and the rest of the flock must soon join forces with Fang and his new gang for an explosive showdown in Paris…
8. Nevermore
Maximum Ride and her friends are ready to face the two greatest threats that humankind has ever known. They are combining forces in an attempt to destroy life as we know it once and for all. And this time, the enemy truly can’t be stopped.
The danger mounts just as Dylan finds his way into Max’s heart, but then Fang unexpectedly returns to the flock. An explosive confrontation between the boys turns into a battle for Max’s heart as the entire world hangs in the balance.
9. Maximum Ride Forever
Maximum Ride is boldly navigating a post-apocalyptic world. Her and her broken flock are roaming the earth and looking for answers about what happened.
Final thoughts
The Maximum Ride books in order are some of James Patterson’s most popular young adult fantasy books. The original series contains the hallmarks of the genre in the early 2000s and 2010s with young love, heartbreak, corrupt governments, and the fate of the world resting on young shoulders.
Originally, Nevermore was the final novel in the series with the final confrontation and battle taking place within its pages. However, Patterson returned to the world with a glimpse of life afterwards with Maximum Ride Forever, introducing the new post-apocalyptic world. Then he returned to the world once more with a spin-off series making this an enjoyable and completed series.
More Young Adult Resources
- All 17+ Wings of Fire Books in Order
- 2 Ways to Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- All 20+ Harry Potter Books in Order
- 2 Ways to Read the Warriors Books in Order
