'Maximum Ride' book-seven plot complicated

James Patterson’s newest release, “Angel,” book seven in the “Maximum Ride” series, brings readers a combination of complicated plot and depressing vibe.

“Maximum Ride” is a series about six children self-named, “the flock,” who after being trapped in a laboratory called, “The School,” live their lives away from society, hiding what is described as their 98-percent human, 2-percent bird appearance.

The flock, which consists of Iggy, Max, Fang, Nudge, Gasman and Angel, set off on an adventure to save the world, a daunting task regardless of their enhancements.

The first book, “The Angel Experiment,” explains the flock’s past and the beginning of their adventure, starting out with the youngest, Angel, being kidnapped by other genetically-enhanced creations called, Erasers, half-man, half-wolf.

After their semi-peaceful lives are disrupted, the flock spends the next three books on the run from their creators and the various experiments sent after them.

The series, itself, is divided into two mini-series, with the first three books called “The Fugitives” and the final four called “The Protectors.” In the second half of the series, beginning with Patterson’s fourth book, “The Final Warning,” the plot takes a more political view, with the mission of Max and the others fighting global warming and saving the planet humanitarian style.

It is this change in the books that causes readers to pause and really decide if they want to finish the series. Fans will be disappointed to find not only does the series take a more “Captain Planet” approach, but the adversaries are almost impossible to pinpoint. Unfortunately, the relationships only go from bad to worse.

“The Protectors” seems focused mainly on the troubled relationship between friends/teammates/soul mates, Max and Fang, the love life of their dog/bird named Total and six-year-old Angel, who seems obsessed with world domination.

Relationship troubles aside, the plot in the latter part of the series lack the excitement of Patterson’s previous books with more dialogue than progressive plot.

Patterson’s most recent release, “Angel,” combines teenage angst, lagging plots and brainwashing propaganda when the flock, now divided, faces off against the “Doomsday Group,” a cult of teenagers convinced that humans are the root of the world’s problems.

The craziness only gets better, as there is mention of Max and her perfect match, Dylan, introduced as a new character in previous book “Fang,” going off together and creating a new species.

Along with the random addition of Dylan, several other characters are added, each with powers that help save the planet.

Think X-Men meets Frankenstein. The new characters, led by Fang, do little more than add tension among the flock. Overall the series, while entertaining at first, has slowly become something unrecognizable in its ridiculous twists and turns.