Monday, December 14, 2009

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner


Tags: YA, dystopian, sci-fi, thriller, horror, mystery

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Summary

When Thomas wakes up in a dark elevator, he has no memories of the past, no idea how he got there. The elevator takes him into the Glade, a little self-sustaining world filled with 50 or 60 other adolescent boys, all of which also came through the elevator, one a month for the past two years. The Glade is surrounded by a massive maze, though not without persistent trying on the Gladers’ part.

Then everything changes. The very next day after Thomas’ arrival, an unconscious girl shows up, bearing a message that says that the end is beginning. All of a sudden it becomes more important that they solve the Maze and get out of there…but new developments seem to indicate that the maze is unsolvable.

Review

J. K. Rowling meets Michael Grant meets William Golding meets Suzanne Collins in this thrilling new series starter that is destined to rock the bestselling charts and find its way into many people’s hands. To put it even more straightforwardly, THE MAZE RUNNER is brilliant, exciting, and utterly unputdownable. My heart is still pounding even days after reading it!

The two most impressive things that Dashner achieves in THE MAZE RUNNER are suspense and the suspension of disbelief. The Glade is a truly creepy world, with half-animal half-machine killers roaming the Maze after night, new arbitrary “Variables” changing the stakes and odds of survival for the kids, and ever more crazy things thrown into the story that, at the hands of a less skilled author, would make readers incredulous. But what Dashner accomplishes is the total separation of the Glade from reality, so that when he does throw a whole bunch of random crazy scary things in, you won’t even blink an eye, except from terror. You won’t question the arbitrary rules in this new world, because you won’t have to, and you’ll be too busy biting your nails and flipping the pages to worry!

A story cannot stand on its plot and suspense alone, but THE MAZE RUNNER also has well-developed characters as well. At first, Thomas may seem a little irritating, so frightened and questioning of authority is he. However, when he begins to take control of his emotions and emerges into a confident potential leader, we are firmly on his side and cheer him on in our own ineffectual little ways, outside of the story. Similarly, the other teenagers in the Glade become people who, even if you don’t necessarily like, you can still identify and empathize with. The depth and breadth of characters makes THE MAZE RUNNER not simply a plot-driven novel, but a book that can compete with other suspenseful and complex bestsellers.

Overall, THE MAZE RUNNER is a novel you shouldn’t miss. It won’t appeal to everyone—some might find the premise too staged, while others may complain of unsympathetic characters—but few can deny the palpable excitement that runs through these pages. Pick this book up and see for yourself which camp you fall in: either way, I don’t think it will be a waste of your time.

Similar Authors
J. K. Rowling
Michael Grant (Gone series)
William Golding (Lord of the Flies)
Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games)
Herbie Brennan (the Faerie Wars Chronicles)

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 2.5 out of 5 - It took weeks for me to figure out what the cover was depicting. Oh well! I like that it's a unisex cover, and I don't really care beyond that: what's inside is so amazing.

Random House / Oct. 6, 2009 / Hardcover / $16.99

Received for review from a Shelf Awareness ad - thanks, Random House!

Stay tuned for an interview with the fabulous author himself, and for something else...

37 comments:

  1. Great review --- very thoughtful. Definitely want to pick this one up!

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  2. Great review - glad you liked it, I did as well - and that ending - WOW! :)

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  3. Okay, you have clinched it for me! I have seen this in the blogosphere as well as the bookstores, and after reading your review I immediately added it to my TBR! Hope I get it for Christmas!

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  4. Great review! I'm definitly buing or borrowing this sometime in the future :)

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  5. I canmnot wait to read this! It sounds amazing!

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  6. I am so thrilled this one turned out well. I have it on my 2010 reading list.

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  7. Way cool! I met James Dashner at a book signing and have been dying to read this book ever since! great review :)

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  8. Great review! I agree completely! I loved the book and I can't wait for the next one!

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  9. never thought of comparing it to Lord of the Flies, but now that you did I really want to pick this one up asap =D
    the cover doesn't look like much from afar, but I like the details up close =3

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  10. Awesome review! I can't wait to read this :)

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  11. Yay! This is next on my list so I'm so pleased you loved it.

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  12. Thanks. This sounds like a must-read.

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  13. I can't wait to read this one. I sounds great with all the reviews I have read.

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  14. I had added this book to my wish list about 2 weeks ago, but your review has me jazzed about it again. I love books that keep you on the edge where you can't put them down. Those are the kinds of books you won't hear me complain about when I lose sleep, ha ha.

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  15. Your review has me so excited to read this book! I love books that are set in worlds so convincing that you just can't stop reading and never stop to think how out-there the world is.

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  16. wow! awesome review! you got me really intrigued now!

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  17. I'm so glad to hear you really liked this one. Me too! I can see what you mean about some readers thinking the premise is 'too staged', but I definitely fall into the other camp. The Maze Runner is one of my favourite books of this year. It's amazing.

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  18. This is definitely on my must read list. I'm thinking of getting it for my hubby for Christmas, but it'll be totally selfish reasons :)

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  19. I love an unputdownable book! Thanks for the review^^

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  20. I love your author meets author meets author meets author description =) I've heard nothing but wonderful things about this book for the most part!

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  21. Great review...and I want to know what "random crazy scary things" there are!!

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  22. You had me at: "J. K. Rowling meets Michael Grant meets William Golding meets Suzanne Collins"

    Holy moly, I need to read this book STAT. I've been putting it off till next year because I want to wait closer to the sequel's release - I don't know if I could take the suspense, haha.

    This sounds awesome, thanks for the review!

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  23. Great review. I cannot wait to read the book

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  24. Thanks for the great interview!! I want to read this book so bad and your review just makes it worse..lol!!

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  25. Whoa, if you say JK Rowling & Suzanne Collins are similar authors, then I'm definitely going to love this novel. You're making me wish I had it in my hands right now!

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  26. Great review! I can't wait to read this

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  27. You mentioned J K Rowling and you needed nothing more... I want to read this book :)

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  28. "half animal half machine killers" Great...very comforting world...and yet, I am still dying to read it!

    Great review, Steph!

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  29. I want to read this book really badly.

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  30. Very good review! I want to read/win this!

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  31. I already wanted to read this but now I really REALLY want to read it. Thanks for posting this review!I'm so totally excited about The Maze Runner now. :D

    ~Briana

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  32. I love dystopian novels and i've also been needing to find a Rowling alternative since the Potter books are finished. It's on my wish list.:)

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  33. I'm slightly hesitant to read this... I'm normally not a suspense type of person. I'm a fan of wizards and romance strictly (alright, I may have a guilty pleasure for a vampire or two)

    But, I did love the Hunger Games, and everyone I've talked to only had praises for this book... so I'm definitely willing to give it a shot =)

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Hello! I'm so excited to read what you have to say. Due to high amounts of spam, I'm forced to disabled anonymous comments for the time being. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes, and I hope you can understand and still appreciate the content here!

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