Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Genre: YA Dystopian
Pages: 374

Summary



When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every mo...moreWhen Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My sister actually got this book for Christmas. Now she had a lot of books she wanted to read and this one wasn't at the top. And since I also wanted to read it, she saw no point in letting it collect dust and she was nice enough to let me read her Christmas gift before her.

For several seconds, Thomas felt like the world had frozen in place. A thick silence followed the thunderous rumble of the Door closing, and a veil of darkness seemed to cover the sky, as if even the sun had been frightened away by what lurked in the Maze.

I like the book a lot. It started out a little slow, in my opinion, as Thomas learns about his new surroundings. But it starts picking up around chapter five.

I love the concept of the book. Having a bunch of teenagers, boys at that, live in the middle of this giant maze that contains horrible creatures is a great idea.

The characters had all different personalities. They ranged from the slight immaturity of Chuck to the mean bullyness (don't think that's a word.) of Gally. Thomas, the main character, was somewhere in the middle. He was, at times, like any other teenage boy,(you know, the ones that laugh at the most immature things but can be kinda mean), and then he could seem somewhat distance and unlikeable.

My favorite character had to be Newt. He was like the voice of reason to the Gladers leader, Alby. Newt was funny and likable, and seemed like someone you tell your problems to.

I loved the feel of the book. At times you really hated the Creators and felt the desperation of the boys to get out of the Maze and back home.

The only thing I didn't think worked for the book was the telepathy between Thomas and Teresa. It just felt out of place. I mean, dozens of boys are trying to live and survive in a huge maze, then this two people come along and have telepathy.

Overall, the book was great and I'm definitely getting the next one, The Scorch Trials.