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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Maybe it's the fact that the narrator to the audiobook is the same guy who narrates the tv show 'How It's Made', but I just could not get into this book at all. Maybe it's also due to the fact that I have really exhausted the dystopian teen novel genre and couldn't bear to read another. Maybe I'll come back to this when the novelty has worn off... maybe not.
3 stars. I enjoyed the worldbuilding, but the all-male survivor group was a little too much for me. I lost count of how many times the protagonist wanted to punch something or someone, and it really annoyed me that when a girl joined the group, the first reaction of the boys was literally "I got dibs" and "what's she look like".
While I did like this book it was a bit of a struggle to get through it, I'm not sure why. It is like most books different from the movie but I think more so then most.
The Maze Runner Review
4.5 stars because I didn't like the beginning... I will be reading the next book, and I hope to see the movie.
4.5 stars because I didn't like the beginning... I will be reading the next book, and I hope to see the movie.
Great dystopian novel which puts you "right there". I was able to imagine the environment and characters very well. Due to the story, the characters were not well defined initially; however, I felt in a short amount of time I could connect with them. I couldn't guess what was going to happen which is a big plus with me.
8,5/10
Me sorprendió. No sabía que tenía unas vibes a los juegos del hambre donde la gente los controla pero fue un hecho que me termino encantando. Fue muy excitante. Siempre querías saber más sobre quienes los controlaban, donde estaban, porque eran solo adolecents, etc.
También sentí que el Thomas del principio era muy diferente al del final, lo que termino siendo un buen desarrollo de personaje. Desde el comienzo me daba una slytherin vibes.
Chuck: es un personaje muy lindo y significativo. Siempre traía esperanza, alegría y niñez al grupo.
Lo único que me molesto del libro fue que el principio no fue muy atrapante y el personaje de Teresa.
Me sorprendió. No sabía que tenía unas vibes a los juegos del hambre donde la gente los controla pero fue un hecho que me termino encantando. Fue muy excitante. Siempre querías saber más sobre quienes los controlaban, donde estaban, porque eran solo adolecents, etc.
También sentí que el Thomas del principio era muy diferente al del final, lo que termino siendo un buen desarrollo de personaje. Desde el comienzo me daba una slytherin vibes.
Chuck: es un personaje muy lindo y significativo. Siempre traía esperanza, alegría y niñez al grupo.
Lo único que me molesto del libro fue que el principio no fue muy atrapante y el personaje de Teresa.
I read this in high school back around the time this came out. I half remember some of the plot and why they were there, so not as exciting trying to figure out what was going on but still fun to re-read.
Funny that the first time I read it I couldn’t connect so I figured it’d be the same on audiobook but that ending had me in tears — chuck :’(
This book seemed promising enough from reviews and such, but was ultimately a disappointment.
First problem: The plot is hella contrived. Continuing this trend of dystopian, futuristic YA novels where the young protagonist struggles in an awful situation set up by the evil adults who want to control them for some reason. Probably a reflection of the growing awareness of the awful future hanging over the heads of young people today, thanks to the environmental irresponsibility of past generations but I digress. Anyway, this whole 'stuck in a maze' thing It's a let down, is what I'm getting at. After all the build up, I'd hoped for a bigger reveal, one that was shocking but simultaneously grew naturally out of the world that had been. That didn't happen.
Second problem: The girl. I can't even remember her name. Teresa or Tess or something? Standard *insert name here* tough YA heroine. I have yet to meet a girl who is actually like that. Also I like my romance subplots to either be not 100% predictable or to follow a very slow burn pattern. This one did neither.
Third and biggest problem: I could get over clichéd characters, contrived plot lines or weak writing. I cannot manage all three and Maze Runner has all three. This book has the plainest, most lifeless prose I've ever read. Dashner has clearly either never heard of or opted to ignore the 'show, don't tell' principle. As Chekhov said, “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass,” and the book would be vastly improved if Dashner was just a little more descriptive. I often complain when books get too descriptive but there is a happy medium and Maze Runner is at the opposite end of the scale. At one stage, I'm pretty sure he actually wrote, "Thomas was saddened." What?! Dude, you're supposed to be an author! How about, "A flood of grief washed over him" or "His heart clenched with a sudden sadness"? I'm not asking that every writer suddenly become Shakespeare and litter their work with flowery, elaborate descriptions because that doesn't work either, but I do think that literature should be a little more evocative, should have phrases that stick in your mind when you think about the book later because that's what good writing is. It doesn't just tell a story, it builds pictures out of words. And I don't think that this book is proper prose. If anything, it's more like a screenplay. I have noticed this trend in other YA fiction, people write like they're trying to describe a movie or a TV show and don't show any flare with words whatsoever. It's easy to read, which is probably why it's so damn popular (I read this book in about 3 hours, it's that simple) but it just isn't well written.
Bonus gripe: what the hell was up with that stupid slang?! If the characters remember all their skills from the past, including language skills, then guess what, swear words will be in there too. The random words they used like 'klunk' and 'shuck' got on my nerves SO MUCH! It's like the author is trying to keep his 'rating' down by not including real swear words, but come on, most teenagers, particularly teenagers in a difficult situation completely lacking in adult supervision, swear like sailors. Writers, please, if you want your characters to swear just let 'em swear. It feels so much more realistic. And Thomas feeling natural about picking up the slang in less than a week is ridiculous, you might consciously imitate speech patterns like that to fit in but it takes a while for them to become habit. Just let them curse, it's YA. You can drop a few F-bombs, no one will mind.
I would hesitate to call this book proper YA fiction because I just don't think the prose is complex enough to warrant that description but on the other hand, it does feature some fairly mature themes, so I wouldn't say it's particularly suitable for younger readers either. I really did want to like it but I just couldn't get into it.
First problem: The plot is hella contrived. Continuing this trend of dystopian, futuristic YA novels where the young protagonist struggles in an awful situation set up by the evil adults who want to control them for some reason. Probably a reflection of the growing awareness of the awful future hanging over the heads of young people today, thanks to the environmental irresponsibility of past generations but I digress. Anyway, this whole 'stuck in a maze' thing
Spoiler
ends up being just an artificial test, set up by the aforementioned evil adults and isn't that just disappointing as hell. Apparently this whole thing was to see how they would respond to a puzzle with no solution. That seems . . . kinda like a waste of valuable resources to me. Especially in this supposedly semi-apocalyptic world.Second problem: The girl. I can't even remember her name. Teresa or Tess or something? Standard *insert name here* tough YA heroine. I have yet to meet a girl who is actually like that. Also I like my romance subplots to either be not 100% predictable or to follow a very slow burn pattern. This one did neither.
Third and biggest problem: I could get over clichéd characters, contrived plot lines or weak writing. I cannot manage all three and Maze Runner has all three. This book has the plainest, most lifeless prose I've ever read. Dashner has clearly either never heard of or opted to ignore the 'show, don't tell' principle. As Chekhov said, “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass,” and the book would be vastly improved if Dashner was just a little more descriptive. I often complain when books get too descriptive but there is a happy medium and Maze Runner is at the opposite end of the scale. At one stage, I'm pretty sure he actually wrote, "Thomas was saddened." What?! Dude, you're supposed to be an author! How about, "A flood of grief washed over him" or "His heart clenched with a sudden sadness"? I'm not asking that every writer suddenly become Shakespeare and litter their work with flowery, elaborate descriptions because that doesn't work either, but I do think that literature should be a little more evocative, should have phrases that stick in your mind when you think about the book later because that's what good writing is. It doesn't just tell a story, it builds pictures out of words. And I don't think that this book is proper prose. If anything, it's more like a screenplay. I have noticed this trend in other YA fiction, people write like they're trying to describe a movie or a TV show and don't show any flare with words whatsoever. It's easy to read, which is probably why it's so damn popular (I read this book in about 3 hours, it's that simple) but it just isn't well written.
Bonus gripe: what the hell was up with that stupid slang?! If the characters remember all their skills from the past, including language skills, then guess what, swear words will be in there too. The random words they used like 'klunk' and 'shuck' got on my nerves SO MUCH! It's like the author is trying to keep his 'rating' down by not including real swear words, but come on, most teenagers, particularly teenagers in a difficult situation completely lacking in adult supervision, swear like sailors. Writers, please, if you want your characters to swear just let 'em swear. It feels so much more realistic. And Thomas feeling natural about picking up the slang in less than a week is ridiculous, you might consciously imitate speech patterns like that to fit in but it takes a while for them to become habit. Just let them curse, it's YA. You can drop a few F-bombs, no one will mind.
I would hesitate to call this book proper YA fiction because I just don't think the prose is complex enough to warrant that description but on the other hand, it does feature some fairly mature themes, so I wouldn't say it's particularly suitable for younger readers either. I really did want to like it but I just couldn't get into it.