Review--The Maze Runner by James Dashner

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Based on the epic previews of the movie, The Maze Runner promises to be one thrilling read! And James Dashner certainly provides the thrills and chills! The Maze Runner is a mysteriously, exciting read combing themes from Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and even Lost--this is said through a quote by EW.com and I couldn't agree more! I noticed Lord of the Flies right away and the mysteriousness of wherever it is these boys are at definitely shouts of Lost and as things move along, I can definitely see aspects of The Hunger Games as well, so excellent call EW.com!

Thomas wakes up in a box with no memories of who he is or anything really. Memory of basic functioning and all that is not a problem, but identity and his own life is. He comes out of the box to be greeted by a large group of boys all somewhere in their teen years. No one knows where they are or the why's of it all. Only that they're stuck here and must make do.

Right away, I feel like we're in the midst of Lord of the Flies, the hierarchy and the need to survive. The boys have done well for themselves, and whoever put them there, sends basic supplies in a timely manner. It's weird, but no one really questions it. Near their "home" is a large maze. The walls open and close every night and each day the pattern of the maze is different. There are runners who basically run the maze and map it out, always trying to figure a way out. But before Thomas can adjust to what will be his new life, something unexplainable happens his second day there. Another box is delivered and inside is a girl, and she comes bearing a strange message.

Basically, it comes down to it that this book was filled with many strange surprises. But in a good way. I'm definitely intrigued and want to see the movie now! What becomes more strange is that Thomas feels a strange connection to the girl, Teresa. Like he knew her once before and they definitely have an odd connection going on between them, but I won't dive into details.

The themes from Lost come in when we learn that the maze is inhabited with hideous monsters. Seriously, monsters! Of course, if I recall, Lost kind of dropped that theme, I stopped watching once the ever complicated show added time traveling to the mix. So didn't need that! But yes, vicious monsters rule the maze and are insanely hard to kill. Hence the reason why no one is ever to be in the maze after dark. For you will be locked inside with them!

The story move smoothly for the most part as we are seeing how these teenage boys have lived and when Thomas and Teresa show up, the game plan changes. They are now going to have to fight back to whoever it was that put them in this place, this prison. They will escape and get through the maze. But instead of finding answers, we find even more questions! Which can be expected from the first book in the series!

The Maze Runner is an action packed read filled with suspense! No wonder they made this into a movie! It was freaking awesome! There were many shocks and twists to the story that surprised me. It included more heartache than I initially expected, but I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series to figure out what all the puzzle pieces mean when put together! This is one read you do not want to miss out on if you like the action, mystery, and dystopian!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars