Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner

Author: James Dashner

Series: The Maze Runner

Pages: 374

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Release date: 2^nd August 2010

Amazon– TBD

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars 

I have been really eager to start on The Maze Runner by James Dashner with it having just been released at the cinemas; I have been intrigued by the movie trailer and I'm pleased to say the book was a pleasant surprise and a thrill ride right from the very beginning!

Our main character is Thomas who has woken in a strange location with no memories of the outside world except for his name. Things become strange very fast when he meets a group of teens who also have no recollection of who they once were.

The premise is creative and the setting of the Glade was fascinating; each month a new boy arrives in a similar way to Thomas to help find a way out of the maze that they have been imprisoned in. We learn about life in the Glade, how the hierarchy works as well as the nightly shift in the maze – it was quite freaky! The boys who are known as runners travel through the maze, trying to evade the monsters that inhabit it in order to find their way out. It is a book that keeps you in suspense as you read along never quite knowing the sole purpose behind it all and things certainly change when a girl is dropped into the mix.

The characters were likeable, there were quite a few of them but each had a distinct personality. Thomas showed strength from the onset, Teresa had me intrigued and played a crucial role, each of the boys had their own purpose.

The Maze Runner has a plot that is intense, thrilling and mysterious; I was glued to the pages wanting to know what was going on and had high hopes that they would make it out of the maze and learn of their purpose. It was filled with many surprising twists and turns, the concept is extremely unique and the journey we were taken on from the beginning to end was exciting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed descriptions and James Dashner’s engaging writing; there were some strange overused slang words that were bothersome and repetitive but nothing that was too frustrating.

Overall, The Maze Runner is a great start to the series with an intriguing cast of characters, a dangerous setting and filled with action, manipulation, adventure and mystery, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. This was a book I couldn’t put down.

Thank you to Scholastic Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Maze Runner.

About the author: James is the author of THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy and THE 13TH REALITY series. He also published a series (beginning with A DOOR IN THE WOODS) with a small publisher several years ago. He lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains.

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