Evoking elements of The Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, even what was good about the silly old Saturday morning show The Land of the Lost, James Dashner’s The Maze Runner isn’t completely original–it couldn’t be in the crowded field of young adult dystopias–but it’s a fun read that deserves the attention of those who love dystopian action fiction.
The protagonist is a teenager who startles awake to find that he is riding some kind of elevator. At the top, he finds himself surrounded by other teenage boys who seem more interested in taunting than helping a new arrival. It turns out that they are the inhabitants of a small clearing they call the Glade. The Gladers (as the residents call themselves–they have developed a whole new argot) have to grow and raise all of the food they eat, supplemented only by a few supplies that arrive, sometimes with a new resident, via the elevator. It’s a tough existence, and one that has created leaders and outsiders, fast friends and bitter rivals among the boys.
They’re trapped in the Glade, which is surrounded by sheer cliffs. During the day, the cliff walls shift via some hidden mechanism, and openings allow a way out of the Glade, but only access a shifting maze that seems to go nowhere. The elite among the boys, called Runners, spend their days dashing through these mazes trying to map them and find a way out. But even the attempt is perilous. The walls shift again at night, trapping anyone who isn’t back by nightfall, when Grievers, biomechanical horrors, come out and sting or destroy anyone who hasn’t returned to the Glade.
As Thomas, the protagonist, slowly emerges from an amnesiac fog he recalls snippets of memory, in particular that the boys are part of some kind of grand experiment. Dashner unspools a twisting plot rapidly after the opening setup, and readers will find it hard to guess what is coming next. The arrival of the next person to the Glade changes all the rules and raises the stakes for Thomas, his friends, and his rivals.
The Maze Runner is followed by The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure in a trilogy. There’s also a movie series under way, which I found good at capturing the details of the terrain, but perhaps less successful at capturing the story’s suspense or character development.
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I saw the book and had absolutely no desire to read this title. Then the movie came out and I rolled my eyes. Finally, we watched the movie as it was the only thing on and it was fantastic. Now, I can not wait to read the book. I was a little burnt out on all of the dystopia that has become cookie cutter with love triangles and hormonal teens saving the world. This was such a refreshing change from that!
Great review!
I have read the book as well, and enjoyed it, though I do think the series gets better with each book :)
I loved this book , and the trilogy is really good, the prequel however i did not like, didn’t really add anything to the trilogy, and i thought was a bit of a waste!
I saw the movie, it reminded me of Hunger Games.
I really wonder–don’t you?–why there is so very much dystopian fiction for Young Adults. I read “Maze Runner” and the next sequel, and gave it up as unredeemed sadism. What are these writers trying to tell their readers?
I loved this dystopian more than others because I feel it was unique. Without the focus of love, I feel it moved along smoothly as a rebellion (I prefer books with less love). The characters were wonderful, and I especially liked Newt and Brenda. Overall I was pleased. Also, this came out before Hunger Games :)
I just finished this book a few days ago. The first half was so slow and boring but thankfully it picked up toward the end.
I’ve seen the film and loved it – I watched it twice. I’m now reading the book which is pretty good. I’ll be blogging about it too when I’m finished reading it. At this point I’m not interested in reading the rest of the series. But, then I’m not finished reading the book yet.
Love this book and the series so much. I started reading it with my daughter. We ‘re in the middle of the third book and we’ve both seen the movie–which sadly was dissappointing, the books were so much better–I’d deffinitely recommend it to any YA Distopian lovers out there.
I have to say I was put off by the movie trailers, but you know what they say ‘never judge a book by its film’, I think Eragon was proof of that.
I love this book and how difficult it is to put down.