The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Lady5857 · Post by **Lady5857** » 18 Jun 2015, 17:09

I first read "The Maze Runner" on a new authors site where I had to wait for each new installment as the were written. I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopic reads. I normally do not like mutan creatures preferring more human trials and challenges , but James Dashner kept me intrigued with his story by bringing the characters to life. I was not surprised that it made into a movie . The plot had a great beginning building interest to a end that left the reader satisfied .

MKRUGEL77 · Post by **MKRUGEL77** » 08 Jul 2015, 02:42

What a series! It's fast-pased, well thought out and completely unpredictable where the plot is concerned. This series was definitely one of my favourites so far. It completely baffled me! Well done James Dashner!

Iris137+Author · Post by **Iris137+Author** » 13 Jul 2015, 21:19

I finished the first book of the series about two months ago. I was enjoying the action and the mysteries of the dystopian community of boys, but I hadn't done my homework. I didn't realize it was the first of a series! So, naturally, I was expecting a nice, neat ending that closed all the loops and answered all the questions. Imagine my surprise (and dismay) at the cliffhanger ending! I deliberately haven't seen the movie yet because I always like to read the book first. Now they're making a sequel, so I have to hurry and read the second book in the series before the movie gets to Netflix. It's interesting to see the comment about the author's influence by Lord of the Flies. I connected the two stories in my mind very strongly, and I like the more positive POV in Maze Runner. Sci-fi doesn't have to be nihilistic to have value.

Crimsonsky 749 · Post by **Crimsonsky 749** » 15 Jul 2015, 21:03

I read The Maze Runner about a year ago and watched the movie a few months back. I have say is what draws my attention to a book is three things. The title, the cover and the summary which is quite obvious. This book caught my eye immediately and I rushed to go finish it and did just that. I was so enraptured by it I couldn't wait to read the next book in the series. Though I have to say that The Maze Runner for me, was the best book in the series by far. Maybe it's just me and my dislike for apocalypse centered books but I honestly think that with the setting of the first book in the Glade , the greivers that made me shiver when reading and the betrayal and tragedy at the end. (Though kind of predicable) The Maze Runner is definitely the best book in the series. PS. Sorry I'm kind of just writing what comes to mind.

philianeo · Post by **philianeo** » 30 Aug 2015, 04:08

The Maze Runner was a book I sincerely enjoyed. I first came across it in my school's comprehension class test. Immediately, I was drawn in. The beginning of the book really hooked me in! This book really satisfied my need for adventure. The Glade never ceased to surprise, and I felt that Dashner did an amazing job planning out where to fit bits and pieces of details that would build up the fantastic plot. The camaraderie built between the members of the Glade and the sense of unity really got me even more hooked. Oh, how I still yearn to be a Glader. Another thing I really loved about this book was how realistic such a situation could turn out to be. In the near future, maybe 50 to a 100 years later, there is most definitely a likelihood that such a disease (maybe not exactly the same) could just show up due to the mistakes of man and threaten our existence. Another book that I feel greatly does this is The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. AMAZINGGG.

Anika Claassen · Post by **Anika Claassen** » 21 Sep 2015, 18:19

This book is quite a page turner! I had homework and test to prepare for and still seemed to prioritize the book. The Maze Runner while already a film, is still more powerful in in words. Its descriptive language creates a picture tht only the imagination can conjure. I remember this one scene where Thomas and Minho discover the portal out of the maze and its just empty space except for the metallic sound that echoed every time they threw a rock into that "empty space". It was such a wondrous place for my imagination to go to and they completely cut it out in the film. Which is why I have come to the conclusion, that some things can only be imagined with words to guide you. With minimal cursing and no sexual content, this book is refreshing for the avid sc- fi reader.

Krambkn · Post by **Krambkn** » 08 Oct 2015, 16:26

I read the Maze runner a couple of years ago, it took me a while to actually get into because I prefer novels with female leads. I was honestly surprised with how captivating I found the series, I read all of the books within the week and recommended them to all of my friends. They of course did not listen until the movies came out, but that is probably because I do not always suggest the best books! I enjoyed the first books adaptation in the movie, however the second one was so far off base that I found myself massively disappointed. The books will always remain some of my favorites though!

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 03 Nov 2015, 21:50

So many threads on this book! Since I FINALLY got through the trilogy I am able to post on it.

I watched the movie before I read any of the books, so I was in for a real shock when I started reading and the book was completely different than the movie. I enjoyed reading the first book and being able to compare it to the theatrical rendition. I think each version did some parts better than the other and both are pretty good in their own rights. I am curious to see how Hollywood continues with their version in the Scorch Trials.

I think my complete interest in the series ended with Scorch Trials. Compared to the first book, this one was a bit slower, but still engaging. After that the series flops. As I was reading the third book, I kept waiting for the Gladers to be tricked again. I kept thinking all of their actions were part of the variables that were all planned out. I was pretty disappointed that the tests ended with the second book. I also feel like the "happy ending" was a bit blah. I had much higher expectations for the whole series after reading the first book and in the end I felt pretty let down.

I got the box set, which had the trilogy and the prequel. I didn't realize until after I started The Kill Zone that it was actually a prequel, so that's cool. I was hoping for more the story than what we were left with. Overall it really wasn't bad, I think I just hyped myself up for something that didn't live up to my expectations.

zaynab_m · Post by **zaynab_m** » 08 Nov 2015, 14:34

I accidently posted a review to the same book in the Young Adult Fiction Forum. Oops! I'm posting it here again so that you can read my review of the book. Please do try and read all of it (sorry, I know it's long!) and tell me what you think of the book and review.

P.S. kennaloulou You're review is amazing. It's always refreshing to hear other people's reviews, thoughts and opinions on books I like/have read.

Warning: May contain minor spoilers only, not major ones.

The story begins when a teenage boy, Thomas, wakes up and finds himself in an elevator. He remembered nothing, no solid facts, except his first name. He did, however, recall abstract general ideas like snow settling on tree tops, people at the city square, a road covered with leaves. But his mind couldn't remeber concrete, important things about him. He rememered nothing of where he lived, who his family was, whether he even had a family or not. He didn't know who he was. But most of all, he didn't know how he had gotten here, into this rickety old, dark, elevator, that showed no signs of stopping.
Thomas panicked, and when the lift finally came to a halt he was greeted with the faces of a hoard of teenage boys around his age. He had no clue as to who they were and why they were here. He didn't know why he was here, for that matter. The group of boys looked rough; they weren't dressed very well. And the greeting they gave him wasn't the friendliest, either.
Thomas lived in the Glade for the next two months or so, trying to adjust to the lifestyle of the Gladers, as the boys called themselves. He then goes on a mission to find his way through the seemingly unsolvable maze that surrounded the Glade, and to ultimately find a way out of his prison.
During the end of his stay at the Glade, an unusual and unheard-of-in-the-Glade event occurs - the arrival of a girl. Her name is Teresa. As soon as she was taken out of the lift, unconscious, Thomas's life took a turning point.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I gave this book 3 stars out of 4. It was overall a thrilling read, full of excitement and suspense. There was satirical humor in many places, and I even found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. The plot is original and unique; definitely an enticing read. The "mini-mysteries" dotting the storyline provide an interesting journey through the book; these "mini-mysteries" being, for example, what WICKED is and what it stands for, and the crumpled note Tessa clutched when she arrived etc.
The Maze Runner has its own blend of sci-fi, young adult fiction, and just a tiny bit of romance.
However, there is a reason I gave it 3 stars out of 4. My biggest quibble, that isn't really a complaint, just an opinion, is that the book had some violence and was quite gruesome, the Cranks being a perfect example. Of course, some people might not mind such vividly described - that being a compliment - images of people with diseases, others might even enjoy such aspects of the series. The first book was the least repulsive in my opinion, hence I actually read the whole thing. I couldn't get through more than the first few pages of The Kill Order due to the same reason - it was too sickening for my liking.
I would recommend The Maze Runner to people interested in thrillers (who isn't?) and also sci-fi. And of course, if you don't get queasy like me, because of little things!

Sorry if this review was long, I wanted to get out all my thoughts on the altogether, awesome beginning of a series by James Dashner!
Also, I apologize for any typos/spelling mistakes. -Zaynab

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 09 Nov 2015, 08:40

Personally, I prefer book reviews with less recap from the book. I think the focus should be on telling how the story is written and not necessarily what it was written about. That being said, I think you did a pretty good job providing just enough information in the beginning to draw the reader, but not give away too many details. I actually would have liked more in the second half, where you talked about the style of the book. I would add more detail about the setting, author's writing style, how it fits into its genre (compared to other books), etc. Who is the target audience? What message is the author trying to send?

I was actually surprised you talked about Cranks, since they really don't make much of an appearance in the first book (definitely not until the very end). I think it is a bit unfair that you deducted a star for personal taste, on a part that wasn't even a main focus of that book. Similarly, your opinion of Kill Order shouldn't be included, since your review is on The Maze Runner, unless you are writing about the entire series in your review. If that's the case, it should be clear that the entire series is being included and there should be more details from each of the subsequent books.

All that being said, you have a talent for writing, which could be further improved by proofreading and trying to find typos/spelling mistakes. I hope that you take my comments above as constructive to help grow your skills as a reviewer. I am not perfect by any means and always make sure to look over the editor comments on all my reviews to help make my reviews better as well!

Rebecca K · Post by **Rebecca K** » 09 Nov 2015, 10:42

First off, you did a good job of summarizing the book with minimal spoilers.
I read The Maze Runner series earlier in the summer and I tore through all four books in less than a week. You mention that the characters don't really know themselves and I think this was a great point to bring up. You learn more about the characters as they learn about themselves and that's one cool feature that made this book unique.

zaynab_m · Post by **zaynab_m** » 11 Nov 2015, 09:19

rachel_jacks wrote: I was actually surprised you talked about Cranks, since they really don't make much of an appearance in the first book (definitely not until the very end). I think it is a bit unfair that you deducted a star for personal taste, on a part that wasn't even a main focus of that book. Similarly, your opinion of Kill Order shouldn't be included, since your review is on The Maze Runner, unless you are writing about the entire series in your review. If that's the case, it should be clear that the entire series is being included and there should be more details from each of the subsequent books.

(I'm assuming that was for my review!) Rachel, thanks for your feedback; I honestly appreciate it a lot. I will definitely try to improve the quality of my reviews in the future, based on what you, and others, tell me.

As for talking about the Cranks, that was not the main focus in my review, of course, but I only included it to prove my point about the story being slightly gruesome for my likely. As I said in my review, my deducting a star was just that - me deducting a star based on my liking of the book. I am in no way saying that my rating should be applicable to all; some people may give the story 4 stars based on their liking, some might give it 3 because of a totally different reason from mine. As stated in my review, my deduction of a star was simply an opinion, not a complaint.
And again, my mentioning Kill Order probably was out of place, but it was only as a "side-point", not the main focus of my review. I probably should have put that part in brackets!

Again, thanks for the constructive criticism, and I'll definitely try and act according to it. Also, please don't take offense on anything I said above. Have a nice day!

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 11 Nov 2015, 15:36

There is a thread called "what constitutes and unfair book review?" I have participated in this thread recently, which is why I made a comment on the rating deduction based on personal tastes. There is a debate among some members that ratings shouldn't necessarily reflect personal preference; they should be a fairly unbiased representation of the book itself. Some argue that while it is okay to add that the book was too gruesome for your tastes in the review, it shouldn't impact how the book is rated. It would be a great thing to include in the section on who is and is not recommended to read the book, as well as when talking about how well it fits into a particular genre. Everyone approaches rating differently and it is not always clear exactly what factors should be taken into account when considering a rating. I encourage you to check out that thread and read through what others have said on the matter and decide how you want to rate books moving forward.

Bookaholic14 · Post by **Bookaholic14** » 24 Dec 2015, 09:35

I generally enjoy most YA/dystopian novels; however, I struggled with this one. I enjoyed the first book, but it took a lot of effort to get through reading the second one. The storyline is wonderful, very imaginative, and certainly breaks from the usual hum-drum plots that we often see. Those qualities got me though the first book. The second one was much harder to finish. While still quite interesting, it felt like it dragged on in several areas and the plot progression slowed considerably. I’m hesitant to pick up the third novel in the series.

rachel_bruhn · Post by **rachel_bruhn** » 24 Dec 2015, 09:47

Bookaholic14 wrote:I generally enjoy most YA/dystopian novels; however, I struggled with this one. I enjoyed the first book, but it took a lot of effort to get through reading the second one. The storyline is wonderful, very imaginative, and certainly breaks from the usual hum-drum plots that we often see. Those qualities got me though the first book. The second one was much harder to finish. While still quite interesting, it felt like it dragged on in several areas and the plot progression slowed considerably. I’m hesitant to pick up the third novel in the series.

*POTENTIAL/MINOR PLOT SPOILERS*
Not to further deter you, but I was a bit disappointed with the third book. The first two focus on WICKED and how everything the kids go through has been planned out by the company in order to test their Variables. In the third one, I kept waiting for that same premeditation of all of their actions, but it wasn't there. I felt that it moved at the same pace as the second one, but did not necessarily add any more insight or resolution to the story. I have not read the forth book, which might fill in some of those plot gaps. I agree the first one was the best and the pace slowed with the second one. I am determined to finish the series so at least I know how it all ends.