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The Maze Runner

Book 1 in the series:The Maze Runner

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In "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner, readers are introduced to a mysterious world where teenage boys find themselves trapped in a place called The Glade with no memories of their past. The Glade is surrounded by high walls, and outside lies a dangerous maze filled with monsters. The protagonist, Thomas, navigates through this tension-filled and suspenseful story, trying to unravel the mysteries of the maze and the reason behind their presence in the Glade. Dashner's writing style keeps readers engaged and curious, with a plot that is both complex and intriguing.

Characters:

The characters are generally relatable, with Thomas being curious and proactive, while secondary characters like Minho and Newt stand out. However, Teresa lacks depth, primarily serving as a plot device.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by fast-paced action and suspenseful moments, though it suffers from a tendency to tell rather than show, leaving some emotional connections lacking. The use of slang adds a unique flavor but can be distracting.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot follows Thomas, who awakens in a mysterious place called the Glade, inhabited by boys with erased memories. As he adapts to this new life, he learns about the Maze surrounding them, the dangerous Grievers within it, and faces various challenges including the arrival of a girl who brings unexpected changes.

Setting:

The setting consists of the Glade, a community of boys surrounded by a shifting Maze, creating a dangerous environment that drives the survival narrative of the story.

Pacing:

The pacing of the book starts off slow while the world is being established, but it picks up significantly as the story progresses, maintaining a brisk and suspenseful rhythm.
Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He fell down at the sudden movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead desp...

Notes:

The Maze Runner is about a boy named Thomas who wakes up in an elevator with no memory of his past.
The Glade is a community of boys who have also lost their memories and live in a walled-off area surrounded by a dangerous Maze.
Thomas wants to become a Runner, someone who explores the Maze every day to find a way out, which has never been achieved before.
The Grievers are dangerous creatures that patrol the Maze at night, combining mechanical and organic features.
The arrival of the first girl in the Glade triggers a chain of events that leads to a major crisis among the boys.
The book introduces the concept of telepathy between Thomas and Teresa, the girl who arrives after him.
There is often tension between Thomas and the other boys due to their distrust of newcomers and the lack of communication about their pasts.
The story is filled with survival themes, as the boys must work together in a hostile environment to escape.
The ending leaves readers with many unanswered questions, creating anticipation for the sequel.
The book features unique language created by the characters, replacing traditional curses with slang terms like 'shuck' and 'klunk'.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Contains violence with characters being killed and some horror elements.

From The Publisher:

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.

Praise for the Maze Runner series:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series

A USA Today Bestseller

A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year

An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick

"[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost."-EW

"Wonderful action writing-fast-paced…but smart and well observed."-Newsday

"[A] nail-biting must-read."-Seventeen

"Breathless, cinematic action."-Publishers Weekly

"Heart pounding to the very last moment."-Kirkus Reviews

"Exclamation-worthy."-Romantic Times

[STAR] "James Dashner's illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series."-Shelf Awareness, Starred

"Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book."-Deseret News

Ratings (385)

Incredible (37)
Loved It (127)
Liked It (125)
It Was OK (68)
Did Not Like (25)
Hated It (3)

Reader Stats (608):

Read It (407)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (121)
Did Not Finish (7)
Not Interested (72)

5 comment(s)

It Was OK
2 months

What. The. Book. This book is CRAZY. Let me be clear: I do not think this is a well-written book, or even a good one really, but it is balls the wall and I have to respect that. I like it the way I like the movie

Cube (not to mention Cube 2 and Cube 3: Hypercube*). I know it isn't well written, with strange metaphors, bad dialogue, and really not good writing, but I LOVED IT ANYWAY. It is a cult classic. Well, maybe not, but it is a lot of fun. 50-something boys are trapped in a large courtyard surrounded by a maze; the oldest boy has been there for 2 years. Every 30 days a new boy is delivered via elevator, and every week the same elevator brings supplies. The boys have divided themselves into work teams to take full advantage of the structures in place, the livestock, and the plumbing/electric. Every day they send boys into the maze to run through it looking for an exit; every day those boys run back to the Glade and map out what they've found, if they survive the monsters in the maze.

For 2 years they don't find anything. Then Thomas shows up, (typically) not remembering his name but knowing something about the Glade is familiar and immediately wanting to get into the maze. Now, I did not really like Thomas. Or any of the characters. Mostly because they weren't developed well, they have bad dialogue, and they are totally overshadowed by the situation. The whole book is a giant puzzle from the first to the last word. It's the most fun I've had reading in a long time.

*If you have not seen these movies you need to stop reading right now and track them down.

 
It Was OK
5 months

Pretty good, not the best book I've read, but exciting and fresh.

 
Liked It
5 months

Good, and interesting, but a little too creepy

 
Incredible
7 months

I loved this book! Totally engaging. Love the characters and the world they lived in... can't wait to read more!

 
Loved It
1 year

I really liked this series. Thomas had to prove he was up to the task of being a runner and when he finally did, he changed how the entire community looked at the maze.

 

About the Author:

James Dashner is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order and The Fever Code, as well as the bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The…

 
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