Book Review- The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title:  The Maze Runner 

 Author: James Dashner

Series:  The Maze Runner #1

Published: October 6th 2009 by Delacorte Press

Length: 379 pages

Warnings: violence, gore

Source: Library

Other info: There are two more in the series, The Scorch Trials, and the third to be published soon is called The Death Cure.

Summary : When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrols its corridors, to find out.

Review: Thomas wakes up in a lift, knowing only his name. And then there's boys surrounding him, some of which have been there for years. Here he's at the Glade, a safe camp in the middle of a maze. No-one knows what they're doing there or why there. Thomas joins the Runners, the group that  goes out to explore, to find a way out, and keep out of the way of Grievers, creatures a mix of animal and machine that you really don't want to spend the night with in the Maze. And to mix things up a bit, a girl, Teresa,arrives with a message that it'll be over soon. What will? Why are they there? And can they ever get out?

So pre-read, I liked the premises. I wasn't really sure how it would work, so I was interested as to how it would fit together.

It started off very quickly and the action always keeps coming at you, not really stopping. The arrival of Teresa wasn't something I expected, as it hadn't been mentioned in the summary. I don't feel bad about telling you now as it happens quite early on, and the plot doesn't move on without it.

The telepathic element wasn't expected either, but it worked for how it was used in this book. Teresa and Thomas' connection was   interesting, and one of the main things making me read on was to see how this connection a)worked and b) was relevant to the whole book. Both of which were explained and developed very well, which kept me going till the end.

When I say it starts quickly, I mean quickly. The lift in mentioned in the summary is literally the first page. We are thrown in without knowing what's going on. We learn things exactly as Thomas does, so the slang that is used by the boys is completely new to us. This brings us close to the him in a new different way as opposed to the first person narrative we are used to, which I quite like.

Despite none of the characters being anything like me, as we progress through the book   I grew very attached to them and their way of life.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a fast paced action story I can't wait to see more of.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website |