Rating: 
Summary: Not deserving of all the hype
Review: I really enjoyed Mr. Patterson's series featuring Alex Cross, so I was quite excited when I found this book at the library. I've been hearing about it since December (including the television and radio ads). According to the hype, this book was something truly scary, an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Then I read the book. Instead of being scared, I alternated between amusement and disbelief. Patterson starts off with a good premise: what would happen if a bunch of rogue scientists starting experimenting with cross-species genetics, grafting animal parts onto human tissue. He creates interesting characters in Frannie, Kit and Max--then ruins everything with an unbelievable and unlikely plot. A genetic construct like Max is indeed possible, but then Patterson lets the ball drop, favoring action over substance. According to the author's note, over thirty scientists and medical professionals read and aided in the manuscript. What did these professionals do? Patterson's science is pretty accurate as far as it goes (he throws in buzz-words like "cross-species genetics" and includes such set decoration items as glass pipets and laser spectrographs) but there's very little science in this story. Patterson could have gotten the necessary information from a good biotechnology textbook without wasting the time of those 30 biomedical professionals. If you want a really good (and scary) story of what genetics could make possible, try Nancy Kress' "Beggars" series (especially "Beggars in Spain") or her excellent short story collection, "Beaker's Dozen". Mr. Patterson should stick to mystery and leave the science to real science fiction writers.
Rating: 
Summary: An Absolutely Astonishing-Read!
Review: '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!
Rating:
Summary: Boring.
Review: This book is umpredictably dispointing. It's a completely non-sense thriler. By the way, Patterson is umpredictable himself: very good books mxed with bad ones.
Rating:
Summary: Breezy reading
Review: There aren't too many James Patterson novels I haven't read. This was one of them, so I picked it up expecting to be riveted by the story till the end. I like the theme of the novel; genetic experiments on humans should be a topic worthy of producing look-over-your-shoulder suspense. I certainly like Patterson's short chapters and quick character development. WHEN is a unique story that treats a sensitive, scary subject a bit differently than some other medical thrillers.
Then why was I disappointed? Perhaps because I found it difficult to "buy into" the actions of most of the characters. They didn't read like real people, and the mutants were stilted and saccharin. Patterson's trademark suspense shines through, but the climax is about 75 pages too long, in my opinion. The spectacular creations of the evil scientists are too readily accepted and too easily explained. Again, I really like the basic concept for this novel, but it failed to intrigue me on so many different levels; it took me a couple of weeks to finish this one because I repeatedly put it aside in favor of other reads.
I think this may be a decent read for someone unfamiliar with Patterson's trademark thrillers. If you devoured KISS THE GIRLS, THE MIDNIGHT CLUB or JACK & JILL, I doubt that you will be equally riveted by this one.
Rating: 
Summary: HE SHOULD TRY LEARNING HOW TO WRITE
Review: This book is absolutley one of the worst books that I have read, and I'm a compulsive reader. How this trash ever got published I haven't a clue!!! It is FILLED with MAJOR inconsistencies, he even forgot how the property around the compound was set up!! No wonder he has to advertise his books on TV to get people to buy them!!! What a complete waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: A Science Fiction..that's for sure
Review: Okay, so maybe I don't care for science fiction. And that's the reason for the 3-star. But overall, I stayed with this book because I wanted to know how it ended. So that makes three Patterson novels for me in less than a week. I could see myself either tiring of this writer's work or feeling the book simply wasn't right for me. Now grant it, the book might really float someone else's boat...but not mine. I'd say if you like science fiction, then this is a fairly good book. If you don't..then don't go there. Children with wings and flying all around, and things that you just find almost impossible to believe. It's time for me to move on and read someone else's work. Patterson is an excellent writer, but even excellent writers get carried away at times. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: a reach
Review: Okay maybe I don't like science fiction. Which is what this was to me. Kids that can fly....whatever. I know sometimes James Patterson goes out of the crime/mystery that's normal for him. i.e. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (which I loved), but this one was just too wierd for me. I was never sold on his world in this book. One good thing is that I read it really fast.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes Children can Fly when the Wind Blows
Review: The story starts with Max, a young girl, in desperate flight - literally and figuratively - from an evil group of men who want to capture her and possibly put her out of her misery, forever. She is a human-bird hybrid created in a high-tech genetic lab hidden in the wooded foothills. Max, it turns out, is not the only flying child created in this lab. She has a brother who also flies. They look like angels.In short order, Max is spotted by local vet, Frannie O'Neill, who, becomes intent upon finding and rescuing the desperate girl. She is helped in her quest by rogue FBI agent Kit Harrison, who has spent the past few years tracking the doctors and others involved in this evil conspiracy. The scientists and physicians who have created Max have violated every possible ethical norm and they are relentless in their pursuit of Max. What other evils have they been up to in the woods? I've been a fan of James Patterson's for a long time and, though I liked this book, it didn't keep me reading till dawn the way most of his other thrillers did. Still, I finished it in two days and enjoyed it, maybe not five stars worth, but I liked it a lot.
Rating:
Summary: The very worst!
Review: I have always been a James Patterson fan and thought his books were among the best. However, When The Wind Blows is by far the very worst disjointed book he has ever written. The story weaves back and forth so many times that the reader is left to wonder just where, and what, the story was about. I am being very generous in giving this book ONE STAR!
Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: James Patterson's "When the Wind Blows" was my first taste of this author's work, after having been recommended him by a number of people. It's reasonably well written, but the whole concept is somewhat predictable, much of it being a sort of B-grade "X-Files" outing, and the final outcome can more or less be guessed at from the second chapter or thereabouts. Patterson changes the perspective from which the story is told from time to time; sometimes writing in first person from the point of view of lead character and veterenarian Frannie O'Niell, then changing to first person from the point of view of Kit Harrison, then changing to third person. This doesn't particularly achieve anything and gives the story a rather disjointed feel. Overall the whole book comes across as a very predictable journey down the rather tired road of "all scientists are evil meddlers who don't know what they're doing". Amusing enough to read if you have the spare time, but if not then I would stick to the real X-Files series - at least they were able to entertain without having a half-hearted agenda to follow.
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