My standards are not high when it comes to book trailers, but this one—it's for James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's Private, and a slightly longer version is currently popping up on Hulu—is particularly weird. The first bit feels straightforward (and looks relatively high-budget), but by the end of the spot I was waiting for the punchline. I have yet to see one of these trailers that I actually enjoy, but this sucker seems even more embarrassing than most.

Labels: Book trailers, James Patterson

Yen Press announced their plans last week to adapt the first three novels in James Patterson's Daniel X series into a manga/manhwa-style trade paperback. Yen's adaptation will feature artwork by Korean artist Seung-hui Kye, and (like Yen's adaptation of Patterson's Maximum Ride), will appear in their manga anthology Yen Plus for several months before being collected into a trade paperback in the summer of 2010.

Labels: James Patterson

Wow: According to the AP Wire, James Patterson has signed on to write seventeen(!!!) books for Hachette in the next three years--11 adult thrillers and 6 YA books.

I'm not much of a Patterson fan to begin with (I've only read his Maximum Ride books, which have always struck me as mildly entertaining but deeply stupid*), and I shudder to think how this new, break-neck release speed will be reflected in the quality of his work.

*Okay, mostly I hate the way he ends all of his chapters on dramatic pauses, most of which go nowhere. Seriously, there's about a thousand of 'em per book, and they all read like this:

End of Chapter 131:

...and then something hit the front door with a terrifying crash.

Beginning of Chapter 132:

It was the newspaper delivery. We split up the comics and went on with our breakfasts.

Labels: James Patterson, Upcoming Books

The Free Comic Book Day offering from the up-and-coming group Yen Press was a sneak preview of their manga-style adaptation of James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. I've been excited about this series for months. Patterson is a much better storyteller than he is a technical writer, so I thought a comic book version of his story would be ideal: he'd come up with the ideas, and somebody less irritating would interpret them!

Unfortunately, this new version has its own issues: the storytelling is just as streamlined and fun as I'd hoped it would be, but the character designs range from "minor letdown" to "outright creepy". The evil "Erasers" all look like Wolverine from the X-Men (seriously, Marvel could sue) and I originally thought Fang was a girl. But the biggest problem I had was the character design for eleven-year-old Nudge, who was portrayed with some serious (and amply displayed) cleavage. I took an informal poll--well, I showed the comic to the three people I've talked to today and asked them to guess the character's age--and their average guess was sixteen. I realize that we're talking about a series aimed largely at young male readers, but did they have to make a preteen so physically mature? Does it serve any plot purpose? Frankly, the whole thing gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Labels: James Patterson, manga, Yen Press

James Patterson’s Maximum Ride books are an action-adventure/science fiction series featuring a group of genetically engineered bird-human children. There are currently three books in the series*, and each one is more entertaining—and ridiculously farfetched—than the last.

By the third book in the series, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, Patterson’s heroine has endured a lot. She’s been tortured, betrayed, and captured (several times), she’s got a tracking chip in her arm and a mysterious voice in her head, and her “flock” of fellow bird-children is getting a little tired of life on the run. Unfortunately, things are about to get even worse: the kids discover that the scientists who created them are now planning to re-engineer a handful of people into a genetically enhanced master race… and destroy the rest of humanity!(!!!)

[Cue maniacal laughter.]

I recently gave the Maximum Ride books to a teenage friend of the family, and she absolutely loved them. It didn’t bother her at all that Patterson’s series is full of gaping plot holes, implausible characters, and ridiculous dialogue stolen straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. All she noticed was that the books were fast-paced, quip-filled, over-the-top fun—and let’s face it: sometimes we’re all in the market for a little mindless entertainment. So if you’re heading to the beach, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, or stuck in an airport, we encourage you to pick up this series, set your expectations on “Low”, and enjoy accordingly.

*The fourth book in the series, The Final Warning, comes out this month.

Labels: Book Reviews, James Patterson

James Patterson has described his Maximum Ride series as his favorite series, and possibly his best. We totally understand why these books are his favorites, as the first installment in the series, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, is an thrill-a-minute rollercoaster full of Buffy-esque quips and butt-kicking—but we shudder to think of the quality of his other novels if this is as good as his writing gets.

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride is the leader and oldest member of the "Flock", a group of six scientifically-engineered bird/human hybrids with the ability to fly. Max and her friends escaped from the lab that created them, but they live in constant fear of discovery. When Angel, the youngest member of the group, is kidnapped and sent back to the lab, the Flock is determined to rescue her, even if that means braving the “Erasers”: werewolf-like beings built to defend the lab and the evil scientists who run it.

Maximum Ride isn’t the best-written teen series on the planet. Patterson uses the same tired adjectives over and over (sometimes twice in the same paragraph!), and he’s way too fond of short, terse chapters. (A two-page chapter about a brutal fight might have had some dramatic impact... if previous two-page chapters hadn’t featured stuff like the characters eating breakfast.) Patterson’s writing style isn’t bad enough to totally ruin the series, but it detracts from some of his books’ over-the-top fun.

But picky readers shouldn’t give up on this series just yet: Patterson’s writing skills aren’t as remarkable as his storytelling ability, but the powers that be are planning to turn Maximum Ride into both an animated film and a manga*. These fast-paced, visually dynamic forms will emphasize Patterson’s strengths (amusing dialogue and suspenseful plot twists), and downplay his stylistic missteps. So if you’re in the market for an action-packed sci-fi/coming-of-age story, we suggest thinking of Patterson’s novels as promising first drafts. They might need a bit of polishing, but they've got what it takes to become seriously awesome entertainment.

*As we previously reported.

Labels: Book Reviews, James Patterson

But let's face it: the only news I REALLY want from Yen Press is an announcement of when they'll be releasing the rest of ICE Kunion's titles. (Must... read... Angel Diary....)

I suppose their other press releases are okay, too, though. Check out this one, particularly if you're a James Patterson fan:

"NEW YORK, NY (December 6, 2007) - Hachette Book Group USA announced today that its graphic novel imprint, Yen Press, has acquired world rights to a graphic edition of James Patterson's young adult series Maximum Ride. The #1 New York Times bestselling series about fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and her "flock" will be adapted into 30-page manga installments for monthly inclusion in Yen Press' new manga anthology, Yen Plus. The first episode in Patterson's first Maximum Ride title, The Angel Experiment, appears in the inaugural Yen Plus issue scheduled to release in summer 2008. Available through subscription and at major bookstores and comic book retailers across the country, each 460-page issue of Yen Plus will cost $8.99 at retail.

The thrilling non-stop action of the Maximum Ride series will be rendered in a "manga" style, with black & white and color illustrations that will appeal to teens, male and female alike. Select content from the monthly magazine will be featured on the Yen Press website, along with bonus features.

"Featuring Maximum Ride as a staple in the Yen Plus anthology, will, no doubt, increase manga readership and bring it to a completely new level," said Kurt Hassler, Co-Publishing Director of Yen Press. "We are thrilled that James has chosen to bring this dynamic property to the rapidly growing medium of manga."

"I am completely over the moon that Max's story will be told in manga editions," said Patterson. "I can’t imagine a more visual tale than this one. Truly, this is Max taken to the max."

Featuring approximately 12 separate storylines in each anthology, Yen Plus will serve as a vehicle in breaking out and building enthusiasm for new properties from around the world - such as Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova, already scheduled for the debut anthology.

James Patterson is one of the top-selling writers of all time, with over 140 million books sold. No other author has had more #1 New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son, who loves the Maximum Ride books. He says, "I want young Jack to know what his dad does at the office and, hopefully, to be proud." (Newsweek, April 30, 2007)."

Labels: James Patterson, manga