| Taking a break from his phenomenally successful Alex Cross series, James Patterson's When the Wind Blows is as much child's fantasy as it is an adult nightmare. The novel moves away from the gritty Washington, D.C., setting of the Cross books and follows the daily life of Frannie O'Neill, a Colorado veterinarian. After the mysterious death of her husband several years before, Frannie retreated to an isolated life in her Colorado practice. But a series of bizarre events suddenly disrupts her lonely routine. On a personal level, she is shaken by her new tenant--Kit Harrison. Kit's too handsome and too friendly and he's a hunter (or so Frannie thinks). He's also recovering from a devastating personal tragedy, and, as Frannie eventually learns, he's really an FBI agent using his vacation to follow a crucial lead. But Kit isn't the one that's got Frannie concerned. As she says after stopping her Suburban one night to check out something on the side of the road: "What I saw was way beyond my abilities to imagine, beyond my comprehension, my system of belief, and maybe beyond my ability to communicate right now. The little girl's arms were folded back in a peculiar way, but when she lifted them--feathers fanned out." The girl is Max, and the mystery of her wings leads Frannie and Kit into a massive conspiracy involving secret genetic research and the scientific manipulation of the human species. Patterson, a former advertising executive who coined such catchy phrases as "Nupe it!," knows how to entertain. His chapters are always short (some only two pages), and his writing is clear and unobtrusive; the reading experience is brisk--akin to watching a summer blockbuster. The book is not as dark or as weighty as the tales of detective-psychologist Alex Cross, but while some fans may be disappointed by Patterson's migration from pure suspense fiction, his first-person narrator Frannie, has a quirky realism that keeps this flight of fancy mostly on stable ground. --Patrick O'Kelley |
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 When The Wind Blows will sweep you off your feet... |
| Review Date: January 11, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Kimberly A. Booser, USA |
| When The Wind Blows by James Patterson is a touching story about a group of children who are mistreated and misused for the benefit of another group of people. This group is using the children as test subjects by mutating cells of different animals and using host women to give birth to the children. These children are born mutated; some have wings, some have no faces, and some do not even survive. The ones that die, or are later "put to sleep" are stuffed away. One of the children in particular, Max, is a 12 year old girl with wings. She and her brother Matthew have taken the abuse from the horrible school for so many years, and are so fed up with it, that they decide to flee the school. This doesn't work to plan. On the other face of the story, a man named Tom Brennan, undercover for the FBI as Kit Harrison, is boarding an airplane to Colorado to investigate the recent news of several murders in and around the Bear Bluff, Colorado area that may possibly be linked. Behind the backs of his co-workers, Kit has been studying the talks of a corporation secretly trying to evolve humans by testing children, which is extremely illegal and distasteful in every way. Kit is told by his boss to go on vacation to Nantucket due to his diligent work ways, but he's actually off to investigate this case. Also there is Frannie O' Neal, a widow of Bear Bluff working as a veterinarian. Her husband, David, was killed a few years ago in a parking lot. The police never found a suspect or lead. She still wakes up sweating after having a dream of her trying to save her loved husband once again. These 3 characters will all meet in one way or another, which leads up to an epic ending full of laughter, surprise, suspense, and loads of entertainment. This book left me wanting more...in which I grabbed a copy of the sequel, The Lake House, to start reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed a James Patterson book, or to anyone who enjoys suspenseful, murder mystery, and adventure type books. |
Do you Love Animals and Children?
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| Review Date: December 15, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Flippers, |
| How about Animal Children? I was completely unprepared to read the second page of this book. I read the first 2 pages, I sat it down, thought about it, decided it was completely unplausible....then picked it back up and read 200 pages before putting it down again. By the end of the book you will have a whole different perspective on the human genome project. It is an easy, quick, fun read, but your brain will work overtime for days afterward. |
A Book You Can't Put Down.....Even to Eat...............
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| Review Date: December 5, 1999 |
| Reviewer: Jeanette Johnson, Hurst, Texas |
| This book was absolutely riveting. I've learned from reading Mr. Patterson's books that you only start reading them in the morning, on a Saturday or Sunday, and if you're smart, you don't have any pressing engagements. If you do, you'll do one of two things.............you'll call and cancel or you just won't show up. I've read the Alex Cross books and they are some of my favorites, but this book was SPECIAL. The concept of these winged children was so unique that it truly captured my heart. You actually become so involved with Max that as you move through the book you actually form an emotional attachment to her and then to the other children. It would make a wonderful movie, but the casting would be very difficult. The children really would have to be unknowns or they wouldn't be believable. Someone would always say well "she" was so different in "...........". I read about 4 to 5 books a week, most of the mystery genre, but James Patterson is my absolute favorite. Please, if the publisher reads this, we need a sequel to "Max"........and soon. Believe me...this is one novel that everyone should read. Keep it up Mr. Patterson, just write faster! |
An Absolutely Astonishing-Read!
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| Review Date: December 22, 1998 |
| Reviewer: , |
| `When The Wind Blows' has the strongest in-depth female characters written by anyone in years. Brilliant, touching, interesting, stunning, exciting, suspenseful, inventive, and thrilling are words that come to mind. I really couldn't put this one down, so luckily when I finished it at 4 AM Saturday morning, I didn't have to get up and go to work. My wife has since devoured it. I think some of the reviewers are children who don't like female lead characters or those who expected another slashing, raping, heavy breathing serial killer. All seven members of our writer's club who reviewed this book loved it. Only complaint was we wanted more. The scientific slant dealing with genetics and cloning and the dark government's interest remind me of my all time favorites: Crichton's `Sphere', Koontz's `Dark Rivers of the Heart', King's new `Bag of Bones', Steiger's new `Alien Rapture', and Preston's new `Cobra Event'. The character Kit Harrison, an FBI agent, was also quite well done but my favorite was Max. This is unlike previous Patterson works and I commend him for the effort at something new. This is a suspenseful thriller that never lets up and you will relish each and every page. YES BUY IT! |
It's called your "imagination" people...use it!
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| Review Date: November 19, 1999 |
| Reviewer: Lori Robbins, Knoxville, TN USA |
| I've never read a Patterson book before, but I sense from the hateful reviews Alex Cross fans are giving this book that his normal style must be much different...I could care less..I loved this book, couldn't turn the pages fast enough! What a break from reality...and what a mind-opener...people so arrogantly think something like this could never happen...I'd be willing to bet someone out there is getting the last laugh on that one. This book was exciting, beautiful, sad, scary and real all at the same time...sorry kids, cannot disagree more with the slams you are giving it. If I wanted to read about "realistic" crime and "normal" predictable people I would open up a USA Today or turn on CNN... |
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