Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
November 29, 2010 in Children's & Young Adult, Dystopian, Reviews
Thomas is certain of only one thing, as he is pulled from the lift, and that is his name, everything else: ‘who’ he is; ‘what’ he is, and ‘where’ he is, is a complete mystery.
He soon learns he’s in The Glade with a number of other boys of around his age, but they’re not much help, as they refuse to reveal the answers which Thomas is desperate to know.
Scared and confused, Thomas must come to terms with his new life as quickly as possible, if he is to gain the trust of those around him, and discover just what is going on. Doing that is not going to be easy, as one of the boys claims know have seen him before (which is strange as none of the boys have memories of their lives before The Glade).
And less than 24 hours after Thomas’ arrival, lift returns to The Glade, with a second new resident, a girl.
A girl who appears to know Thomas, and who carries a mysterious message from those who control their new world. A message that means everything is about to change.
I remember this one getting a lot of ‘blog-time’ when the ARCs first started appearing in the lead up to its release date, and it went straight onto the wishlist, as I was intrigued by the premise, and despite one or two mixed reviews, most people seemed to really like it.
I was l little worried as I got the feeling from those reviews that you were just as confused at the end of the book as at the start, as we only get to know what Thomas knows, and to some extent (at least as it relates to the whole story the eventual trilogy will tell) that is true. But in terms of this book I was totally satisfied. More than enough information is discovered by Thomas to take us through this part of the overall story, and while at the end, we would appear to know a little more that Thomas himself, we still have everything to discover.
It gives me great hope that the second book in the series, The Scorch Trials, will be a strong entry in the three book series. Second books in a series often suffer from the fact they have to carry a story without revealing too much that needs to be kept for the conclusion, there’s not much risk of that, for The Maze Runner trilogy, as there is still so much to discover, and I’m quite sure James Dasher will continue to drip-feed the answers, keeping stuff back until it’s absolutely necessary to reveal it.
A cracking page-turner.
Buy: The Maze Runner by James Dashner from The Book Depository.
Kailana (37)
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Nikki-ann (9)
Good to hear it’s good! I’ve wondered if I should give this one a try. I might one day, though probably with a little more dystopian distance. I’m STILL burned out from all the dystopias I read last year!!
Amanda´s last blog post: Lovebirds Reading Swap
It’s more of an adventure at this stage of the story. The dystopian elements are there, but more in the background.
I wouldn’t expect too many questions to be answered in the second installment of this series. I can’t wait for the third book so that I can make some sense of this!
Mrs. DeRaps´s last blog post: Thankfully Reading Weekend- Wrap Up
No, I’ve heard as much.
Don’t think I would wont too much to be answered though, need to leave something for the third book!
For some reason I just have this weird feeling that I wouldn’t like this one…even though everyone that I trust has liked it :/ Isn’t that dumb? I own it…I need to just read it one of these days.
Chris´s last blog post: Giving Thanks
Not dumb at all! I think you’ll probably love it, if you wait for the right moment to read it.
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I have this one on the TBR shelves, but I’m saving it for my vacation read; it seems like a good one for the beach! Perhaps I’ll bring the second with me as well.
Trisha´s last blog post: Book Review- The Eumenides
It’s certainly a page turner, so will be perfect for a vacation read!
I had mixed feelings about the book because I loved the fast-pace and the story, but detested the slang. I’ve got the next book on hold at the library though because I really want to know what happens.
I didn’t mid the slang, and at least he had the sense to create his own and not use stuff that may be in use today, but will be dated by tomorrow!
The mixed reviews of this one have put me off reading this one .. I’ve had it since the summer and I just can’t seem to bring myself to read it!
Clover´s last blog post: REVIEW- The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Is this “Hunger Games” meets “Never Let Me Go”? My curiosity is definitely spiked!
Alex´s last blog post: Unnatural Death Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries 3 by Dorothy Sayers
Not sure why I’ve let this one languish on the shelf. Maybe too much hype? I’ll dig out from under the mountain of books.
Beth F´s last blog post: Review- A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon
This book is AMAZING. i was reading it every minute of the day. Best book i’ve read. and the sequel, The Scorch Trials is AMAZING too. Im really excited for the third one to come out!