The Maze Runner by James Dashner

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kennaloulou
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The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Post by kennaloulou »

The first thing that Thomas sees when he gets out of the box are the boys.
Thomas had come up into this new world called the Glade through a dark box, but he didn't have any memory of how he had first gotten into the box at all. In fact, he doesn't remember anything...anything except his name.

The Glade is a small area surrounded on all sides by a maze. Thomas finds out that some of the boys had been stuck in the Glade for two years with all memories before the Glade wiped from their minds. Though they had "runners" running through the maze in an attempt to find a way out of the Glade, the maze is constantly changing and seems to be unbeatable.

Thomas is put under the charge of a younger kid named Chuck, and though he is annoying, him and Thomas become friends. Thomas is panicked, and having a hard time adjusting, but when he is falling asleep on his first night in the Glade, he feels, strangely, as if he was at home and even feels like he should become a runner.

The only thing that sways him a bit are the grievers. The grievers are the horrific, murderous creatures that live and patrol the maze. Many have died from the grievers, and if they got stung and were lucky enough to be brought back to the Glade alive, the victim underwent the changing, which makes them remember terrible memories from before the Glade. Thomas is still convinced that he wants to be a runner, and everything seems to be going as smoothly as it possibly could...but that was before the girl came saying, "Everything is going to change."

The Maze Runner was a very compelling read, catching me with every sentence. It is very well written, and the conflict and world kept me on edge and wanting to know more. Usually I need a bit of romance to keep me reading, but this book kept me with the creepy creatures and the interesting cliff hangers. I would give it a five out of five, because I really can't find anything wrong with it! I felt like I could connect to many of the characters, but at the same time I felt like I didn't know them because they didn't know themselves. It sounds like that is a bad thing, but strangely it helped the wanting to read because it was like I could see what it would be like to be in the characters shoes...I highly recommend to all of those who like Sci fi and fantasy, and those who love a good mystery ;)
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Post by gali »

Thank you. The book is on my to read list.
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Post by AmandaR »

Thank-you for posting your opinion. It is always fun to finish a book that you love and then get to share it with other people.
I finished this book about a month ago. To be honest, I did not think the writing was that incredible or original. I enjoyed reading the story, but I found the writing to be somewhat monotonous and predictable in regards to the particular words Dashner used. What I really did like about it though was the concept. I read that Dashner chose to write this book as a result of reading "Lord of the Flies". He said he believed man was inherently good and would work to survive before ever turning on its own kind. He wanted to create a story where people fought to survive and thrive together. That is the reason for the story. I really appreciate that idea and commend him for putting down that idea on paper.
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Post by Bookworm0266 »

kennaloulou wrote:The first thing that Thomas sees when he gets out of the box are the boys.
Thomas had come up into this new world called the Glade through a dark box, but he didn't have any memory of how he had first gotten into the box at all. In fact, he doesn't remember anything...anything except his name.

The Glade is a small area surrounded on all sides by a maze. Thomas finds out that some of the boys had been stuck in the Glade for two years with all memories before the Glade wiped from their minds. Though they had "runners" running through the maze in an attempt to find a way out of the Glade, the maze is constantly changing and seems to be unbeatable.

Thomas is put under the charge of a younger kid named Chuck, and though he is annoying, him and Thomas become friends. Thomas is panicked, and having a hard time adjusting, but when he is falling asleep on his first night in the Glade, he feels, strangely, as if he was at home and even feels like he should become a runner.

The only thing that sways him a bit are the grievers. The grievers are the horrific, murderous creatures that live and patrol the maze. Many have died from the grievers, and if they got stung and were lucky enough to be brought back to the Glade alive, the victim underwent the changing, which makes them remember terrible memories from before the Glade. Thomas is still convinced that he wants to be a runner, and everything seems to be going as smoothly as it possibly could...but that was before the girl came saying, "Everything is going to change."

The Maze Runner was a very compelling read, catching me with every sentence. It is very well written, and the conflict and world kept me on edge and wanting to know more. Usually I need a bit of romance to keep me reading, but this book kept me with the creepy creatures and the interesting cliff hangers. I would give it a five out of five, because I really can't find anything wrong with it! I felt like I could connect to many of the characters, but at the same time I felt like I didn't know them because they didn't know themselves. It sounds like that is a bad thing, but strangely it helped the wanting to read because it was like I could see what it would be like to be in the characters shoes...I highly recommend to all of those who like Sci fi and fantasy, and those who love a good mystery ;)
Great review! I loved the book and I am hoping the movie will be just as awesome as the book was!

-- 28 Mar 2014, 19:15 --
AmandaR wrote:Thank-you for posting your opinion. It is always fun to finish a book that you love and then get to share it with other people.
I finished this book about a month ago. To be honest, I did not think the writing was that incredible or original. I enjoyed reading the story, but I found the writing to be somewhat monotonous and predictable in regards to the particular words Dashner used. What I really did like about it though was the concept. I read that Dashner chose to write this book as a result of reading "Lord of the Flies". He said he believed man was inherently good and would work to survive before ever turning on its own kind. He wanted to create a story where people fought to survive and thrive together. That is the reason for the story. I really appreciate that idea and commend him for putting down that idea on paper.

I have to say that I agree with you in terms of writing and style.

-- 28 Mar 2014, 19:23 --

I liked this book for the set up of the dystopian word that the author creates. I really enjoyed the author's theme of humanity within the book. It left me with the impression that humanity is shaped by what we learn and experience. I believe the boys were able to build a kinship based around their situation and need to survive. In essence they became a family. However, I thought the author could have expanded on the part of the researchers who "created" personalities or characteristics of Thomas and others like him. It kind of reminded me of psychology and some research done on personality. It let me wondering whether the research can manipulate characteristics of a person to effect the person's emotions toward others..Kind of like this on and off switch I guess.
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Post by supernerdural »

I loved this book. I've seen others say that it is quite confusing, and it is, because you glean information a piece at a time just like Thomas. I've just read the sequel, and it is completely true when these books are described as one of the best thriller series of our time. Red herrings, plot twists, everything is in abundance , and it keeps you guessing until the end. It does take a while for the action to begin, but if you persevere these books will give you the ride of your life.
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Post by Ayakashi »

I really enjoyed the maze runner, and, while it didn't have anything that really made it stand out to me, It was an over-all solid book, without too many plot holes or characters I wished to pummel. I suppose I would have liked it to be a little more climatic at the end; a little more gripping, because I tended to skip the longer paragraphs at that point.
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Post by Sary86 »

I finished yesterday the third book and I have to say that this series definitely became my favourite one so far.
I couldn't stop reading, eager to know what happened next. I can agree by saying that the background story is not that original but the way Dashner developed Thomas' personal story on that background is just gorgeous.
I love the kind of books that allow the readers to guess what it's going to happen and to theorize about the ending or the solution of the riddles. Plus, the characters are well built (almost all of them) and fully integrated in the story. Sometimes I read books in which secondary characters are there only because the protagonist cannot be alone in the story but they do not really take part in it. In these books, on the other hand, all of them add something to the plot. This is why while Thomas struggles for his life, you cannot stop wishing for the others to survive too.

PS. I recently saw the movie of the first book and I was so disappointed. It has nothing to do with the book and it is definitely not a good film adaptation.
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Post by Charlotteniblett7 »

The reason I enjoyed these books was because you had no idea what was going to happen next!! Normally I'm quite good at figuring out plot lines quite early on (much to my partners annoyance as I have a habit of voicing my opinions mid-film and ruin it for him!!) but this series kept me guessing all th way to the end and I was enraptures from start to finish!!

-- 16 Nov 2014, 18:19 --

The reason I enjoyed these books was because you had no idea what was going to happen next!! Normally I'm quite good at figuring out plot lines quite early on (much to my partners annoyance as I have a habit of voicing my opinions mid-film and ruin it for him!!) but this series kept me guessing all th way to the end and I was enraptured from start to finish!!
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Post by mui-scrimp »

I enjoyed the story, but I'm glad it's a series because not much happened or was explained in the first book.
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Post by Indhira_Me »

A well written review. As I have read this whole series over a year ago, I can say that the first book is the best of the three in this series. After reading the first book , there is so much mystery and the world building leaves too much to our imagination that one will definitely be compelled to pick the second and eventually the third. But the story just drags too much in the second and third books.
At one point I put the book down, because I have just read too many pages with too little information. But I couldn't let it down for long, eventually I picked it back up and completed the series. All in all a worthy ready , my only complaint being - too much mystery!
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Post by atoillion »

This story is entertaining, fast-paced and always leaves the reader guessing what is going to happen next. The mystery and action is undeniable. Watching the different personalities of each character grow, mature and interact is mesmerizing! The idea or concept of a horrible and deadly virus taking over the world is foreign and (with our advancements and technology) somewhat far-fetched, but not completely unrealistic. I like the excitement of the possibility. The possibility that in some realm of time, this potentially COULD happen or a similar type situation. The constant battle and internal struggle of Thomas is intriguing to unravel. Observing how he reacts in certain situations, watching him learn who to trust and who not to is a constant and ever-changing quandary. The suspense and thrill is enough to keep anyway deeply immersed!
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Post by lolripops »

The maze runner, book one of the maze runner series, by Jashner.

I found that I really enjoyed this book. I was kind of avoiding dystopia for awhile, mainly because everyone was talking about and I wanted to avoid the crowd.

This book was one of my first few sci-fi books and to me it wasn't bad at all. The plot was very unique in its own way as I have never seen anything like it before. It's pretty very face-paced and it feels like a quick read. I really enjoyed the suspense in it and the plot twists are so big that I found I could not guess what happens next. The writing style is simple and easy to understand and I found that this really satisfied me.

Thomas and Minho are definitely my favourites in this book because I see the most character development in them. Once I started reading about these characters I actually believed them. That there could be actual people like them. I didn't find that I hated any of the characters; I found all the characters quite likeable.
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Post by MarieMc »

PS. I recently saw the movie of the first book and I was so disappointed. It has nothing to do with the book and it is definitely not a good film adaptation.
I read the book and watched the movie, The movie did leave a few things out, as all movies do, but I disagree that "it has nothing to do with the book" I thought it was a good film adaptation as far as movies go. I have read all the books in the set and all of them are must reads for someone who likes dystopian stories with a twist. And I say, go see the movies when they come out, after you have read the book!!
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Post by Janik »

I really enjoyed this series. Its actually one of my favorite dystopian novels and definitely in my top five. I liked the originality and the concept behind W.I.C.K.E.D. It left us with a lot of mystery and the unknown kept me wanting to read more.
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Post by Norma_Rudolph »

MarieMc wrote:
PS. I recently saw the movie of the first book and I was so disappointed. It has nothing to do with the book and it is definitely not a good film adaptation.
I read the book and watched the movie, The movie did leave a few things out, as all movies do, but I disagree that "it has nothing to do with the book" I thought it was a good film adaptation as far as movies go. I have read all the books in the set and all of them are must reads for someone who likes dystopian stories with a twist. And I say, go see the movies when they come out, after you have read the book!!
I have to agree that I thought the movie was a fairly good adaptation. No movie ever does a book complete justice that I know of, but this one captured the essence quite well in my opinion.
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