REVIEW: #50 The Maze Runner

Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes

Title: The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

ISBN: 0385737947

Pages: 384

Rating:

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

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 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.

Review:

This brilliant piece was recommended by many on Twitter. I debated for weeks whether or not to read it. (After all – I have so much I am supposed to be reading anyway!) Even so – when I saw it sitting there on the shelf at Target, I knew it was coming home with me. I quickly grabbed it when Forrest was in the electronics section looking at typical manly man stuff and I placed it in the cart. I like to tell myself he saw it sitting there even though he never mentioned it. After all, it wasn’t REALLY hidden.

Then the best thing happened. He had to go to the bathroom so he handed me his card to pay for our things. Yes! (Thank you, honey!) So – I didn’t get the chance to read it right away (and oh how that bugged me!)  But a few days ago, I finally decided I could no longer wait. I just had to read it. I had to find out if the hype was worth it. After all, someone did say it was one of the most brilliantly written books they had read in a long time. Is this true? (If you remember how I described the book in sentence #1 of this review, you’ll know the answer is yes. )

The Maze Runner is a new Dystopian novel that takes place sometime in the future (although the year is not clarified). Thomas, a young man of only 16-ish wakes up in a box with no recollection of how he got there. The only thing he knows about himself is his name. Suddenly he finds himself thrown into this small society of other boys who are working together to survive; each boy doing his share of chores. Some are in charge of cleaning, while some are in charge of butchering the animals for food. One job, in particular, strikes Thomas’ interest – and that job is considered a runner.

Thomas is eager to be considered a runner, as he feels it in his gut that he’s supposed to run the mazes, searching for an answer of why they are all there. Insulting the authority of those in power, and others who has been there longer, Thomas continues to walk a thin line between friend and enemy. Who is this guy? Why do some have the feeling they know him, and why are negative feelings associated with him?

As if things just aren’t weird enough, suddenly for the first time ever, a girl shows up in the box delivering a life-altering message. The boys (and girl) find themselves in a race against time to solve the puzzle so they can finally go home. Can this small society of memory-less young teens figure things out before it’s too late and they start violently dying, one by one?

The Maze Runner (from the very beginning) was incredibly addicting and suspenseful with bits of disgust and fear mixed in. What I absolutely loved about this novel is that it continually had me in a sense of relentless question. I wanted to figure the puzzle out as much as they did. I read The Maze Runner in a period of just a couple of days and am still thinking about it. First time reading work from author James Dashner (@JamesDashner on Twitter) and it is for certain that I will be reading more of his work in the future. I am anticipating the continuation in the Maze Runner trilogy with as much anticipation as I did in the Harry Potter series. (Yes, you hear me correctly!) When asking (or was it begging?) to the author via Twitter about the sequel:

A note from: @jamesdashner

Thanks for the nice tweets! Book 2 is coming I promise. Love your blog.

Other than making me smile, Dashner did what he does best – kept me in suspense! With persistent urging, I recommend you to pick up The Maze Runner and give it a try. You’re only bound to love it as much as I did!

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