Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner.
Series: The Maze Runner Trilogy, #1.
Author: James Dashner.
Publication Date: October 6th, 2009.
Publisher: Chicken House.
Format: Paperback, 371 pages.
Source: Bought.
My Rating:



When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade, a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze.

Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything to find out - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horrors that hunt the Maze's walled corridors.

Thomas wakes up in a dark lift moving slowly upwards, not knowing anything about himself except for his name. When the doors open, he's surrounded by boys of different ages and they welcome him to the Glade. The Glade is like a giant farmland surrounded by towering walls - which is in the centre of a huge, dangerous and terrifying maze. The maze isn't a simple maze though, during the night, creatures roam the halls looking to kill. Every night, the walls around the Glade close and the walls in the maze shift, making different paths each day. From the first moment he hears what a 'runner' does, Thomas immediately wants to be one. Runners run around the maze each day, mapping out the area and trying to find a solution to the giant puzzle.

Usually I find male characters who narrate books annoying and I can never get into them, but I loved Thomas' character. He had a good sense of humour and was very selfless and put others before himself - he was definitely was one of my favourite characters. My second favourite character was Minho, the 'Keeper' of the runners. Even though he was a bit of a defeatist at times, I thought his character was really refreshing and funny. He was one of the boys that took Thomas by his word and believed the things he said.

As for the storyline in general, I found it amazing - it's so original! I've never read anything like this before. One thing that did annoy me at the first of the book is the 'lingo' that the boys use throughout the book. Words like 'Shank' and 'Klunk', they drove me insane for the first 150 pages, but after that, I grew used to it and it just became second nature for the boys to be using the words constantly.

I loved this book - it's as simple as that. The reason why I only gave it 4/5 stars is because it took me well over 70 pages to actually get into it - but when I did, I couldn't put it down! Something I found funny about the way I was reading this book was that whenever there was dialogue, I found myself reading the speech in a Scottish accent. Weird, right?

James Dashner's writing is amazing and pretty much flawless. He created such strong and interesting characters and such an amazing and interesting world. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in this trilogy, The Scorch Trials - I have a feeling it will be just as amazing as the first book. :)

Quotes

Alby pointed down at the doors. "This here's the Box. Once a month, we get a Newbie like you, never fails. Once a week, we get supplies, clothes, some food. Don't need a lot - pretty much run ourselves in the Glade." - Page 42.

Please go the other way, Thomas pleaded silently.
Turn. Go. That way. Please!
The Griever's spikes popped out; its body rolled towards Thomas and Alby.
Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr click-click-click
It came to a stop, then rolled once more, right up to the wall. - Page 126.

Thomas sat frozen in his chair, a sickness growing in his stomach like an infestation. He'd been through the whole gamut of emotions in the short time since he'd arrived at the Glade. Fear, loneliness, desperation, sadness, even the slightest hint of joy. But this was something new - to hear a person say they hate you enough that they want to kill you. - Page 162.