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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
One of the first books of the dystopian tsunami to come out shortly after The Hunger Games, this first book in the trilogy is an interesting one that does a great job of exploring what a bunch of teenage boys stuck together would be like, how they would act around each other, and what happens to them in dangerous situations. The Maze Runner is done in the style of Lord of the Flies with a great what if?
Thomas wakes up to find himself in an elevator. He doesn’t remember anything about his past or how he got where he is; all he remembers is his name. The elevator reaches its destination and the doors open to reveal a strange world filled with a bunch of teenage boys. They’ve been here for some time, some at least two years, with no knowledge of how they got there or why. They have food and shelter provided for them, and each day the mighty gates open up to reveal the maze. In this society everyone has a job; the runners are the ones who spend their days going around the maze looking for a way out.
It doesn’t take Thomas long to make friends, but also to make enemies, and it’s always a big competition. Thomas wants to be a runner, but one can’t simply just become one, that is until Thomas makes the decision to help two boys stuck outside at night when the gates close, and there are machines out there and they’re hungry; no one has ever made it back alive overnight. There’s also the strange fact that a new boy arrives every thirty days, only now for the first time a girl has arrived, and Thomas has a feeling he knows her; he also feels like he’s somehow been to this place before, which just seems impossible.
Dashner does a great job of starting with an interesting idea and building and building on it, to keep the reader completely hooked and wanting to know what’s going to happen next, right up until the very last page. He also plays around with the dynamic of a bunch of teenage boys living together and making decisions for each other really well, where fights often break out, as boys will be boys.
Originally written on April 9, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
Thomas wakes up to find himself in an elevator. He doesn’t remember anything about his past or how he got where he is; all he remembers is his name. The elevator reaches its destination and the doors open to reveal a strange world filled with a bunch of teenage boys. They’ve been here for some time, some at least two years, with no knowledge of how they got there or why. They have food and shelter provided for them, and each day the mighty gates open up to reveal the maze. In this society everyone has a job; the runners are the ones who spend their days going around the maze looking for a way out.
It doesn’t take Thomas long to make friends, but also to make enemies, and it’s always a big competition. Thomas wants to be a runner, but one can’t simply just become one, that is until Thomas makes the decision to help two boys stuck outside at night when the gates close, and there are machines out there and they’re hungry; no one has ever made it back alive overnight. There’s also the strange fact that a new boy arrives every thirty days, only now for the first time a girl has arrived, and Thomas has a feeling he knows her; he also feels like he’s somehow been to this place before, which just seems impossible.
Dashner does a great job of starting with an interesting idea and building and building on it, to keep the reader completely hooked and wanting to know what’s going to happen next, right up until the very last page. He also plays around with the dynamic of a bunch of teenage boys living together and making decisions for each other really well, where fights often break out, as boys will be boys.
Originally written on April 9, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
This is a fantastic STORY...but I find that I didn't really enjoy the writing. Because of the lackluster prose it took me a long time to get through it. There were things I'd rather do than read...which is abnormal for me. The story was really intriguing and the action was excellent. That being said, I'm oddly surprised to find myself saying I expect the movie will be better than the book.
Definitely lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed the story, there was a lot of action and I grew quite fond of some of the characters. So glad that the trilogy is already completed and I can just dive into the second book right away. XD
I enjoyed the Maze Runner quite a bit. It kept me reading through the night and made me start the second book (The Scortch Trials) immediately after that.
But I can´t go higher than 3,5 with my rating, mainly because of two things:
1) I didn´t care about the main character and most of the secondary characters at all. Someone dies and I just don´t care at all. The only one I actually like and think is intriguing is Minho.
2) Teresa is only described as "pretty" and "intelligent" but she doesn´t get to do a lot and she is just uninteresting. It feels as if she only serves as a love interest for Thomas (the romance doesn´t work at all for me, btw.) and that is dissapointing because she is the ONLY GIRL in this book.
The weird words like "klunk" or "slinthead" were annoying in the beginning but after 80 pages I got over it and just accepted that they wouldn´t go away.
I did like the grievers and the way Dashner described the glade and the maze. The book is thrilling and at some point I just couldn´t put it down so I do recommend reading it. (Even though I don´t think Hunger Games-Fans will like it - even though Maze Runner was advertised like that.)
So I will keep reading because I want to know what is going on and hopefully the characters will start to grow on me.
But I can´t go higher than 3,5 with my rating, mainly because of two things:
1) I didn´t care about the main character and most of the secondary characters at all. Someone dies and I just don´t care at all. The only one I actually like and think is intriguing is Minho.
2) Teresa is only described as "pretty" and "intelligent" but she doesn´t get to do a lot and she is just uninteresting. It feels as if she only serves as a love interest for Thomas (the romance doesn´t work at all for me, btw.) and that is dissapointing because she is the ONLY GIRL in this book.
The weird words like "klunk" or "slinthead" were annoying in the beginning but after 80 pages I got over it and just accepted that they wouldn´t go away.
I did like the grievers and the way Dashner described the glade and the maze. The book is thrilling and at some point I just couldn´t put it down so I do recommend reading it. (Even though I don´t think Hunger Games-Fans will like it - even though Maze Runner was advertised like that.)
So I will keep reading because I want to know what is going on and hopefully the characters will start to grow on me.
This is one of several books I probably ought to reread, because I feel like if I read it now I would like it.
I really enjoyed this book. It didn't disapoint me like others I have read. I look forward to reading book 2.
I'd been wanting to read this book for a while, but nothing really spurred me into reading it until I heard that Dylan O'Brien was starring in the film. But overall, it was a lot better than I expected. I was hooked immediately from the beginning, with driving characters and interesting plot. Honestly, the characters are the best part of the book, the dialogue sounding natural for the most part, and the emotions very human. None of the characters are two-dimensional either, and they're all really well developed. Along with this, the world created was intriguing and mysterious, and I wish the story was just LONGER so that we could see more of the Maze!
For me what made me drop the rating down to a four was somewhat the simplistic writing style, but really just the climax and ending. I had to suspend my belief far too much than I was comfortable with, but then it made a little more sense at the end? Sort of? Also, of all the characters... But yeah, not too impressed with the ending, but not it definitely intrigued me enough to want to read the next book. Good thing I already have it! :P
For me what made me drop the rating down to a four was somewhat the simplistic writing style, but really just the climax and ending. I had to suspend my belief far too much than I was comfortable with, but then it made a little more sense at the end? Sort of? Also, of all the characters... But yeah, not too impressed with the ending, but not it definitely intrigued me enough to want to read the next book. Good thing I already have it! :P
This, then, brings us to the young adult novel I didn't like. In fact, this is one of the rare books in which I was hard-pressed to find any redeeming features. I feel bad about this, because I know I have friends who loved it. I'm very sorry. I hated this one. You may want to skip this review.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
The Maze Runner is one of those books that fall into to the ‘hyped-up’ category. Everyone said I should read, even some of my customers…so I decided to cave in and just do it. Unfortunately this one didn’t hit the mark for me at all.
I struggled greatly through the entire book. I had issues with the plot, the characters, and the world-building…and in the end I was just happy it was over. The Maze Runner takes place in a odd place called the Glade and the surrounding Maze, which rearranges itself every night. This place is filled with teenage boys, who have all woken up in the elevator to the Glade with no memories of who they are or why they are their and now they must work together to survive and try to figure out the way out of the Maze. It really does sound promising, but after the first few chapters it became glaringly obvious that I wasn’t going to have my questions answered anytime soon…in fact I didn’t get most of the answers until the last 5% of the book. The book actively tries to keep information from the reader. Someone knows something? Well…now they’re dead, crazy, or can’t talk. The world building is non-existent. We don’t know where they are, why they are there, what the purpose is, or when any of it takes place…until the last 10%. The meat of the book is simply focused on Thomas as he tries to puzzle out the maze itself and survive the horrific things called Grievers. I’m the sort of reader who needs to be baited a long. You don’t have to give me huge mind-blowing answers to every questions I pose, but you need to get me atleast a clue here and there to keep me interested.
I can’t say I enjoyed many of the characters either, and I don’t really feel like I know them. Thomas is driven by his gut feelings the entire time, making him seem reckless to the other boys…but other than I’ve got nothing. The other books range between tolerable and utterly irritating. None of them are forthcoming with the information they have, they all act put out when someone puts in extra effort to try to understand or help out, and they all this incredibly frustrating use of slang that made me quit listening to the audiobook and pick up my paperback instead. Not to mention it’s mentioned they are supposed to be a really smart group of people…if this is what intelligent teens are actually like you should kiss the world goodbye because these guys were dense…
So in the end, it wasn’t for me. I do see the potential for the book series, and I can understand why some people love these books with all their hearts…but I just don’t have it in me to put in the extra effort to continue this one.
I struggled greatly through the entire book. I had issues with the plot, the characters, and the world-building…and in the end I was just happy it was over. The Maze Runner takes place in a odd place called the Glade and the surrounding Maze, which rearranges itself every night. This place is filled with teenage boys, who have all woken up in the elevator to the Glade with no memories of who they are or why they are their and now they must work together to survive and try to figure out the way out of the Maze. It really does sound promising, but after the first few chapters it became glaringly obvious that I wasn’t going to have my questions answered anytime soon…in fact I didn’t get most of the answers until the last 5% of the book. The book actively tries to keep information from the reader. Someone knows something? Well…now they’re dead, crazy, or can’t talk. The world building is non-existent. We don’t know where they are, why they are there, what the purpose is, or when any of it takes place…until the last 10%. The meat of the book is simply focused on Thomas as he tries to puzzle out the maze itself and survive the horrific things called Grievers. I’m the sort of reader who needs to be baited a long. You don’t have to give me huge mind-blowing answers to every questions I pose, but you need to get me atleast a clue here and there to keep me interested.
I can’t say I enjoyed many of the characters either, and I don’t really feel like I know them. Thomas is driven by his gut feelings the entire time, making him seem reckless to the other boys…but other than I’ve got nothing. The other books range between tolerable and utterly irritating. None of them are forthcoming with the information they have, they all act put out when someone puts in extra effort to try to understand or help out, and they all this incredibly frustrating use of slang that made me quit listening to the audiobook and pick up my paperback instead. Not to mention it’s mentioned they are supposed to be a really smart group of people…if this is what intelligent teens are actually like you should kiss the world goodbye because these guys were dense…
So in the end, it wasn’t for me. I do see the potential for the book series, and I can understand why some people love these books with all their hearts…but I just don’t have it in me to put in the extra effort to continue this one.