Sunday, November 2, 2014

The Maze Runner (James Dashner)

Title: The Maze Runner

Series: The Maze Runner Trilogy

Author: James Dashner

Released: 2009

Rating: 4.5/6

Basic Plot: If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.
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Slow Start
I don't mind if something starts off slow as long as there is a good payoff. So this book starting off slow was not the problem, it's just that at first every character appears like an asshole. Thomas is the reader's eyes and mouth so he's removed from that situation. But everyone else...I understand characters not being likable, but there comes a point when characters are TOO unlikable. For the first hundred or so pages I was beyond annoyed at the book and was wondering why I was continuing to read it. When Thomas first enters the maze was the point when the book started getting good for me.

The Mystery
Even though you get answers, there are even more questions put in front of you. You find out about the mysterious Creators but then new people come along and you're wondering if they're good or bad. Gally hates Thomas but he has a reason which ties into the Creators. By the end of the book you're much more aware of what's going on, even if you don't know all the answers.

Being Controlled
One thing that keeps happening is you finding out how the Creators control the Gladers (aka the people that live in the Glade which is in the center of the Maze). That the Creators can control memories and what happens in the Maze. That power becomes even more deadly near the end of the book. I can't wait to read the next book to figure out WHY the Creators are doing this. Hell, if memories can be Controlled, what's to say Theresa and Thomas weren't actually anything before the Maze.

Final Thoughts
While I started out loathing this book, now I can't wait to read the next book. Hopefully the series will continue to be good with a lot of twists and turns. I want to know the truth about WICKED and what happened to the world. I want to know why these kids were tortured for two years. What is going on? ARG!

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