When the Wind Blows (Patterson novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founder | James Patterson |
| Products | Novel |
When the Wind Blows is a novel authored by James Patterson, followed by its sequel, The Lake House. This work also served as the foundation for the Maximum Ride series targeted at a teenage audience.
Synopsis
Frannie Devin O'Neill, a veterinarian residing in Bear Bluff, Colorado, has been widowed for three years. During an investigation connected to her deceased husband, FBI agent Kit Harrison rents a cabin located behind her residence. After a close friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Frannie encounters Max, a girl with wings. Together with Kit, they manage to capture Max, who reveals that she and her brother Matthew escaped from a clandestine laboratory known as the "School." Max guides them to this facility, where they discover additional winged children—Peter, Wendy, Icarus, and Oz.
Upon returning home, Frannie finds her veterinary clinic destroyed by fire. She uncovers that individuals linked to her late husband are involved with the School and that witnesses are being systematically silenced. The group is eventually seized by Harding Thomas, the School’s enforcer; however, Max manages to flee. They learn that the School’s objective was to create an advanced human species by abducting newborns for genetic experimentation. When the School organizes an auction for surviving test subjects, Kit and Frannie intervene to liberate the children, including Matthew. Max later arrives accompanied by media personnel; as the School’s leaders attempt to escape and perish in the process, their covert operations are exposed and the children are reunited with their families.
Characters
- Max: An eleven-year-old girl distinguished by white wings with silver-blue markings; sister of Matthew. She possesses exceptional intelligence with an IQ estimated between 149 and 180. Her experimental codename is "Tinkerbell."
- Dr. Frannie O'Neill: A widowed veterinarian who plays a pivotal role in discovering Max and unveiling the human experimentation conducted by the School connected to her late husband.
- Kit Harrison: An FBI agent coping with personal loss; he rents a cabin near Frannie’s veterinary practice while pursuing the investigation.
- Matthew: Max’s brother who shares similar wing markings; known by the codename 'Peter Pan.'
- Ozymandias: The second-born child and alpha male of the group; considered a potential leader if Max is incapacitated.
- Icarus: A blind child rescued from the School who uses chirping sounds to navigate his environment.
- Peter and Wendy: Four-year-old Chinese twins classified as "the young ones," both demonstrating high intelligence.
- Harding Thomas: The School’s enforcer responsible for recapturing escaped children through manipulation and brutality.
- Eve and Adam: Human experiments presumed dead but actually survived; Eve is Adam’s sister. Adam was adopted by Frannie’s friend Gillian but died prematurely despite prolonged life expectancy.
- Gillian Puris: Frannie’s closest friend with ties to the School; ultimately betrays them by attempting to sell the children before dying in a car accident.
- Dr. Peyser: Director of the School who manages an in-vitro clinic used as a front to abduct newborns for experimental purposes under deceptive conditions.
This business-oriented summary emphasizes core elements—the winged children as genetically engineered entities—and highlights market aspects involving secretive scientific projects fraught with ethical dilemmas. The storyline illustrates strategic challenges surrounding human experimentation and corporate concealment within this fictional enterprise.
Reboot
After completing this two-part series, Patterson introduced the Maximum Ride collection aimed at a teenage demographic, launching in 2005. This new series centers on avian-human hybrids, featuring characters that bear resemblance to those in the previous duology but is crafted for a younger readership. The narrative shifts focus toward science fiction adventure, moving away from the original's emphasis on deep characterization, suspenseful storytelling, and the moral complexities surrounding genetic manipulation.
In the foreword to the initial Maximum Ride installment, Patterson made it clear that this series operates within a distinct continuity, sharing only a few superficial elements such as the protagonist Max and the concept of the School. Despite this separation, several core motifs remain consistent; for instance, the depiction of genetic experiments being auctioned in When the Wind Blows mirrors a similar event during the climax of Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (2007). Furthermore, Max’s experiences with pregnancy and childbirth are portrayed in both The Lake House (2003) and Maximum Ride Forever (2015).