the maze runner

title: The Maze Runner

author: James Dashner

genre: Fiction, futuristic, survival

suggested by: BuzzFeed

dates read: April 29th – May 2nd

review: 4 out of 5 stars

summary: Thomas wakes up only remembering his name.  He find himself in a small community of boys who seem to be surviving on their own.  Like him, they can’t remember what their life was before The Glade, what they call their current place of residence.   Surrounding the Glade is a giant maze that is explored by the Runners of the community, who daily try to find a way out.  As he acclimates to his surroundings, he finds out the different roles in the community and is inexplicably drawn to the role of the Runner, which is known to be dangerous, sometimes to the point of death.  But soon it is clear that Thomas’ appearance has triggered many changes, not all of them good.

personal thoughts: I felt that the writing of the story was weak.  I did have to remind myself that this is a Young Adult novel.  (However, I have read some YA that was not “dumbed down” for the intended audience.)  Despite that, I thought the story was very intriguing and I was drawn in.  Apparently I’m interested in dystopian novels.  I am drawn in enough to want to read the other books in the series at some point.  I would like to see the movie so I can get a better grasp on some of the descriptions of this world Dashner created.

favorite quotes:
“He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.” p. 1

“A thread of unease stitched along Thomas’ skin.” p. 30

“‘You get lazy, you get sad.  Start givin’ up.  Plain and simple.'” p. 77