When the Wind Blows

by James Patterson

1999

Status

Available

Publication

Vision (1999), Edition: First Edition, 432 pages

Description

Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. HTML:While grieving her husband's murder, a young Colorado veterinarian meets a troubled FBI agent and begins to uncover the world's most sinister secrets in this thriller from James Patterson. Frannie O'Neill is a young and talented veterinarian living in Colorado. Plagued by the mysterious murder of her husband, Frannie throws herself into her work, but it is not long before another bizarre murder occurs and Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent, arrives on her doorstep. Late one night, near the woods of her animal hospital, Frannie stumbles upon a strange, astonishing phenomenon that will change the course of her life forever: an eleven-year-old girl named Max. With breathtaking energy, Max leads Frannie and Kit to uncover one of the most diabolical and inhuman plots of modern science. Bold and compelling, When the Wind Blows is a story of suspense and passion as only James Patterson could tell it.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member booklover3258
First book I read by James Patterson and it won't be the last. Excellent story, nice short chapters so whizzed right though the book in no time. Ending was climatic so didnt want to put the book down until the very end.
LibraryThing member rklaeren
I love this book, one of my favorite's of James Patterson, hands down. The plot has just the right amount of science fiction meshed with Patterson's typical flair for the dramatic.
But... what is going on with the new children's series (Maximum Ride- the Angel Experiment) that borrows about half of
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its material from this book, and then ruins it? C'mon James...you can do better than that.

Also, has anyone else noticed some creepy similiarities between When the Wind Blows and the Sci-Fi show produced by James Cameron, Dark Angel. (starring Jessica Alba, as a transgenic super-girl named Max) I don't know which came first, but there are too many similiarities for mere coincidence.
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LibraryThing member ct.bergeron
Frannie O'Neill is a young and talented veterinarian living in Colorado. Plagued by the mysterious murder of her husband, David, a local doctor, Frannie throws herself into her work. It is not long before another bizarre murder occurs and Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent,
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arrives on her doorstep.
Late one night, near the woods of her animal hospital, Frannie stumbles upon a strange, astonishing phenomenon that will change the course of her life forever....

Her name is Max.

With breathtaking energy, eleven-year-old Max leads Frannie and Kit to uncover one of the most diabolical and inhuman plots of modern science.
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LibraryThing member JimBrewington
Fun page-turner; fantasy and mystery; little bumor but left me wanting more.
LibraryThing member The_Book_Queen
Wow is one of the first words that pop into my mind when I think of this book!

I have to start out with that fact that I do not usually read this genre of books. But then my grandmother read them and said they were really good and she suggested that I read them. I put it off for a few weeks and in
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that time my aunt got them from her and read them and also said that they were really good and I should read them. Well, by then I had nothing to read anyways, so I thought, why not?

I am SO glad that I picked up this book-- but let me tell you, it is very hard to put it back down! When you finish this, you will run out to find the next one, The Lake House, and when you finish that one.. well, if you are anything like me, you will be a little bit upset that he 'ended' it the way he did (I say 'ended'
because I really think he left it wide open and if he does not come back to this series soon, I will be mad!)

This book really makes you ask the question: 'How much do we really know about our government and what reseach they are doing- both in the public eye and not?" What if there really are labs out there, being hidden by the government, physicotic scientists, and really rich people, that have 'experiments' in them like Max and the others? I literally get shivers up and down my spine whenever I read this book or ask myself that!

I recommend this book to anyone who has previously read another James Patterson book or who just likes a good book with a solid plot that pulls you in and does not let go until the very end! When you open this book, you need to fasten your seatbelt and prepare for the ride of your life!
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LibraryThing member debavp
Excellent!! I started this on a long plane trip and could not put it down!
LibraryThing member Djupstrom
A book about flying kids and murder. It grabbed my attention and kept it. Who thinks of stuff like this?
LibraryThing member porchsitter55
Easy read, but sort of a goofy plot. A human child with wings? Scientific cross breeding? Hmmm. I prefer reading about the real world. This was the second James Patterson book I've read. I liked the first one much better (The Quickie). I found myself rolling my eyes occasionally while reading While
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The Wind Blows.
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LibraryThing member JeanneMarkert
Loved this book the 1st time I read it & love it more now. This is the 1st of the Maxium Ride series.
LibraryThing member rustbucket
Who knew wind currents could reveal a mortal in flight...both convincingly and delightfully. This compelling youngster-superior, vulnerable, and hunted-launched me to my feet. I became one of her fight for life and flght aides, to battle off the enemy. A story forever in a class of it's own- this
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explosive mystery adventure is much too large for the big screen to ever capture.
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LibraryThing member edspicer
I like the action in the story and teh sci-fi analogy of teh kids. I liked how the author describes the wings on Max and how she loves to fly. I dind't lie the part when the bad scientists mutated babies with animals and take put parts of the babies. I though that was really cruel, but I guess
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thats waht the bad guys do. AHS/KS
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LibraryThing member noneofthis
I read this years ago, and while I think the story was okay, I don't remember much about it. I think I read it eagerly enough? It just didn't inspire to me pick up any of the subsequent books.
LibraryThing member ladybug74
I wanted to try the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson and read that this book is related, but takes place before that series. I decided to try this one first and enjoyed it. I plan to start the Maximum ride series next to see what happened with Max and the other "bird children" after this book
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ended.
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LibraryThing member CommunityBookstop
When the Wind Blows is a new series by James Patterson which is the story of Max, and her friends who have special abilities. They are raised in ‘the school’, not a typical school by any stretch. The book opens with Frannie O’Neill and ‘Kit Harrison’. Frannie is dealing with her
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inn-patient animal clinic, and getting over the loss of her husband. ’Kit Harrison’ aka Tom Brennen who is trying to figure out what is going on with mysterious deaths in Colorado and crazy scientists. Soon Frannie meets Max but unaware of who she is or how she can fly. Most of the book is spent getting Max to trust them. Max has only ever dealt with people who lie, or harm others by ‘putting them to sleep’. Kit and Frannie never falter in their love for Max or the other children.

I really enjoyed this book, a bit slow in some areas but it picks up and in the end you find you want more, or atleast I did. I was sad that the story ended. I think Patterson did a great job making the chapters small incase you have to stop to do something. It was a really great story. I could feel myself cheering when the bad guys got theirs.
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LibraryThing member brittlandess
When the Wind Blows is a book which is some what similar to the Maximum Ride series which is based off of the idea of children with. This book starts with to kids, Max and Matthew, running away from a group which is lead by "Uncle" Thomas, someone who had previously befriended the two children. On
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the run from them, Max barely escapes the School while Matthew was recaptured. After escaping, Max flys, for the first time, and hides out in a forest in Colorado. The scene switches to introduce Frannie, a veteranarian who had lost her husband. It is described in her point of view as she saves a fawn from dying with its mother. Kit, a former FBI agent, comes to stay in a cabin Frannie is renting out. He is investing illegal experiments on humans like Max. At this point he does not know of Max.
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LibraryThing member BookWallah
Delightful and despicable – all at same time – those were my conflicting responses as I read “When the Wind Blows”. Meld these two plot elements: cute children with beautiful wings who really fly AND evil scientists doing genetic engineering, who experiment on humans and routinely “put to
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sleep” their failed specimens. Now for good measure shake in a handsome but rogue FBI agent and a pretty but disturbed vet, and you can guess where the plot goes from there. This is the typical Patterson with 2-3 page chapters for those with ADHD. Recommended beach read for those who like an occasional mindless action-filled romp.
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LibraryThing member Neverwithoutabook
Having never read any of James Patterson's works before, I decided to give this series a try as it only consists of two books, When the Wind Blows, followed by The Lake House. I understand it also ties into the Maximum Ride series written for young adults. Although I found the story interesting, I
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found the writing somewhat immature. I felt that aside from the violence, the book is ok for young adults to read. Neither the writing, or plot are very complicated. I felt that this was a storyline that could have been fleshed out so much more. That being said, the story was a quick read that mostly held my attention. It is a story developed from headlines concerning genetic manipulation and creating a "better" human. I found it enjoyable from the perspective of children who can fly, and who wouldn't want to be able to fly, but wish the science and development had been more in depth.
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LibraryThing member Heptonj
A very different kind of plot about bird-children who have had to grow up very fast to survive and eventually meet a veterinarian and an FBI agent who are willing to risk their lives for them. A very moving and unusual good read.
LibraryThing member egyarnetsky
Colorado veterinarian Frannie O’Neill is a tortured soul. Her husband, a successful doctor, was murdered in his prime and her efforts to find the truth were stymied.

She tried to drown her sorrows by helping animals, but her world was turned upside down by a bizarre series of events where she has
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to fight for her life. She is plunged into her husband’s past and into the middle of a diabolical plot of bioengineering.

It all started when she saw Max in the woods near her home. Frannie thought Max was simply a lost girl. That was until she saw her raise her arms and exposed beautiful white, silver and blue feathered wings… and then fly away.

Patterson's use of super-short chapters moves the tale from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, yet he does not sacrifice the characters in his breakneck writing. The characters are indeed complicated in that they are both horrorified and truly amazed by what they encounter in the story.

The novel is a scary preview into future where medicine can do miraculous things, but at a possibly high ethical and moral cost.
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LibraryThing member poonamsharma
Average. Finished in one day. But do not remember any high point in the book.
LibraryThing member mccark
Good story concept. Badly executed. Characters arent solid enough to be one dimensional - stick drawings only.
LibraryThing member lizster0023
This is my favorite book in the world!
LibraryThing member shsunon
On the pretense of taking a vacation, FBI agent Kit Harrison, continues to investigate a case on human genetic engineering.

The heroes of this thriller, Kit, Frannie, and Max are truly human; the antagonists, Uncle Thomas and his crew, are truly evil. There are several minor characters in each
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court.

The most formidable chapters of this book are the ones describing the "school" where human rejects and mistakes are left to die.

This mystery relies on daunting plot twists to carry it. The characters are superficial; I never felt involved with them. The book does a good job of presenting the negative side of genetic engineering and greed.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
With a clunky mix of science fiction and a myriad of other genres this foray in to different territory is not Patterson at his best. The plot is suited to a shorter novel, a lesson learned later is his stellar career, yet that won't make reading this any easier. There are no memorable action scenes
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and despite the unwieldy attempts at a romantic angle there is still enough of a hook to keep those pages turning. Patterson's art is still on display here, creating a story which sucks readers in, despite the flaws. It's something different and is territory explored further with The Lake House and the Maximum Ride series.
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LibraryThing member turtlesleap
Fast, simple reading about government conspiracies, medical experiments on children and romance in Colorado between a vet and an FBI agent. Good take along book for a long flight.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1998

Physical description

6.95 inches

ISBN

0446607657 / 9780446607650

Barcode

1600225

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