The Maze Runner: Maze Runner, Book 1

Book Review by: Sharon Powers.What is as fascinating and perplexing as a trip to the carnival to visit the house of mirrors? What can give the reward of a spiritual journey as you walk through a garden path or stroll through the woods? What tradition fits in with the spooky atmospheres and scary games children and adults utilize as a Halloween activity? What can be as entertaining and educational as a simple game in a Kindergartener's coloring book? And... what prize can you sometimes get from a Cracker Jack's box as a novelty and fun game calling upon your eye-hand coordination? You've probably already guessed that the answer to all the questions is, a maze.The Museum of Unnatural History tells us that a maze is a "confusing, intricate network of winding pathways; specifically with one or more blind alleys..." and that a maze is nothing more than a puzzle that requires a solution and, therefore, "usually has a goal which is meant to be reached."Scientists have studied rats' ability to remember the pathways needed to work their way through mazes set up to test those abilities. Scientists have tested rats utilizing rewards, such as food, no rewards, smells and various other conditions. The rats were tested to determine their spacial learning and memory. The studies conducted with rats and mazes helped scientists understand "general principles about learning" that were then applied to humans.With a title like, The Maze Runner, we shouldn't be surprised that the characters in the novel will be faced with some kind of goal that needs to be reached and to reach that goal, they must traverse the confusing and intricate network of some kind of maze. By the title, we can assume that James Dashner wants the reader to understand what it is like to have to run a maze similar to those the scientists used to test rats abilities. The title prompts me to ask why is the runner running the maze? Is the "Runner" being tested like the scientists tested the rats? And then, almost immediately, I thought of the maze that Harry Potter (and a few other competitors) had to run, in which the runners had to face all sorts of danger and even death. To get started, let's take a look at a short synopsis of the book.SHORT BOOK SYNOPSIS:From the School Library Journal we find out that Thomas, the protagonist of the book, awakens to being in an enclosed space, an elevator, and that the only thing he can remember at all is his first name. Thomas is confused and panicked and he wonders where he is.Coming out of the box, Thomas finds himself with a group of teenage boys, (he thinks) maybe 50 or 60, who look at him and call him a "klunk, shuckface." Feeling confused, Thomas hears someone say that he is now in "The Glade." Thomas asks questions and wants answers, but no one will give them to him. He wants to get away from all these boys, from his "Captors," he thought. The boys seem suspicious of Thomas, but when one boy, Chuck, is assigned to help him, he soon makes friends with him.Thomas must adjust to the life in the Glade, an agrarian community that the boys must work hard to maintain. Life can be harsh for a "Glader"; violation of the rules can cause you to be expelled into the maze, essen- tially a death sentence. Thomas learns that the boys are looking for a way out of their prison-like environment through the maze, but after two years of searching, they are quickly losing hope.Will Thomas and the other boys be able to figure out the secret of the maze, find out why they are captive, and who is behind all the manipulation? Will Thomas and the other boys ever have their questions answered? Suddenly, the boys are all shocked out of their complacency--everything changes. A comatose girl is delivered via the box (elevator) to the group, then the sunlight is turned off, the food deliveries stopped, and the huge gate into the maze is left opened to let the maze's monsters roam the compound. Now they have only one question: How long can they last?Some books are literally filled with memorable quotes. In John Green's, The Fault in Our Stars, for example, there were so many that I had such a really hard time selecting just one as my favorite. This book, The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, has the opposite problem. While the prose is simple, straightforward, and eminently readable, I had a difficult time selecting a memorable quote because there were so few. In any event, I did select a quote; here it is:Thomas swallowed, wondering how he could ever go out there. His desire to become a Runner had taken a major blow. But he had to do it. Somehow he KNEW he had to do it. It was such an odd thing to feel, especially after what he'd just seen... Thomas knew he was a smart kid-he somehow felt it in his bones. But nothing about this place made any sense. Except for one thing. He was supposed to be a Runner. Why did he feel that so strongly? And even now, after seeing what lived in the maze? (p. 39)Thomas grapples with conflicting emotions of fear and courage in the face of his desire to become a maze Runner. He feels the strangeness of the juxtaposition of those conflicting feelings and seems to almost take a step back to observe those feelings that he longs to understand. I think many people, especially teenagers in this society, have conflicting feelings because it is so difficult to navigate through the tough teenage years and into adulthood. I am sure that even adults have conflicting emotions at times and may identify with Thomas, too. This is why I think this particular passage was so well-done.THE MAZE RUNNER--BOOK-TO-MOVIE!Any author should be proud of having their book come to the big-screen. Not only will Book 1 of this series be seen on the silver screen, but because the trilogy is so popular chances are better than good that we may see subsequent book-to-movies from this series.Directing the movie is Wes Ball with writing credits going to James Dashner (book), Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin (screenplay). Dylan O'Brien will play Thomas, Ki Hong Lee will play Minho, while Aml Ameen will play Alby, Blake Cooper as Chuck, Thomas Brodie Sangster as Newt, Will Poulter as Gally, Dexter Darden as Frypan, and Kaya Scodelario as Teresa. This movie is rated PG-13.WHAT I THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK:WHAT WORKS FOR ME: This book's audience, geared to grades 6-10, I would say is primarily focused on boys in grades 6-10. Even so, I would not exclude girls of these ages from reading this book because I used to read stories like this when I was in middle school and high school. So, if you are a girl that likes not only dystopian novels, but one in which the protagonist is a boy, then go for it. And...girls, don't forget that the one girl in the novel is an important player!I think young men of this age in our society face many of the feelings the protagonist feels. Young men can easily identify with feelings, say, of confusion and anger when restricted to their home or bedroom, or put on suspension by parents. Some of the themes of the book deal with imprisonment or confinement, holding cells, and unjustifiable injury, pain, and death, inflicted as a result of being confined in "The Glade."Second, I like other themes in the book, as well: Fear and Confusion; Rules, Justice, and Judgment; Freedom, Exploration; Memory and a Loss of identity; Mystery and Secrets, Trust and Sacrifice and a real big theme, the Manipulation of the children's lives by unknown, unseen others. James Dashner has a lot going on in this book, but the one big advantage he has in addressing these themes is that with "Dystopian" novels, many of these themes are readily present.The messages in the book seem to convey to the reader those that are typical of themes and messages found in other dystopian novels. I've reviewed a number of "dystopian" novels, two, for example, are The Giver by Lois Lowry; and Divergent by Veronica Roth (You can see those reviews and discussions of dystopian society by clicking on the links). Dystopian novels typically criticize society and the brutal methods they employ to control citizenry through usurpation of power.Many things work for me in this book. Dashner's ability to create a mystery for not only the character in the book, but for the reader to experience, as well, is amazing. Even at the end of the book in the "Epilogue," where we learn more about the "Chancelor, Ava Paige," (and her "Associates"), mystery still pervades the story. The information we learn about what the mysterious group intends--through a "Memorandum" that the Chancelor sends to her Associates--is shocking and is, quite naturally, the springboard with which Dashner propels us into the next novel of the trilogy.The writing style is simple and straightforward, dialog (at times) perfunctory, but effective. Style and word choice is typical for readers in this age group. Finally, since Dystopian novels are all the rage right now, it seems a great vehicle in which to write about teens struggling to survive, grow, feel safe, and be able to trust. Well-done James Dashner.WHAT DOESN'T WORK FOR ME:While Dashner kept the story moving well from the beginning, and showed us how intelligent teenagers can be, how innovative and courageous and capable they can be, and infuses lots of good action sequences in the story, he kind of blows it all at the end. In highschool, I was running a race in a track and field event. I was ahead and knew I would win, I crossed--what I thought was--the finish line and stopped running. It wasn't the finish line. I had made a mistake. Everyone ran passed me and I lost the race.Up until we get to the last couple of chapters it went well, but then something happened and the story immediately lost the momentum it had all along. Those chapters are like my track and field event where I stopped running. We then get to the Epilog where the story picks up again. Shocking events propelling us into the next book are given us. Those last couple of chapters should have been cut out, entirely (of course, leaving in the Epilog). Lawyers have a saying that applies here, too. "When you've finished presenting your case, stop talking."MY RECOMMENDATIONS AND RATING:The intended readers for this book, as I said, above, is for grades 6-10. Many heavy-duty themes exist in this book, everything from death, mayhem and violence, societal abuse of children (including theft of children), horrible suffering of children (the change) including screaming, judgment of death by children against other children, etc. My point is, anyone who knows they are sensitive to these themes in literature should consider before they read. Parents, you know your child best, and must judge whether or not your child is mature enough to read about these themes.That being said, many redeeming qualities exist in this book. Children will, most likely, be able to identify with certain characters or situations. Moreover, the teens in this book exhibit noble qualities, like bravery or courage, tenacity, steadfastness, intelligence, loyalty and integrity. So, a balancing of considerations may be in order. As a guideline, the movie is rated PG-13 for "thematic elements and intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, including some disturbing images."MY RATING: Because of all the reasons I have stated, above, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. If the ending had not stalled-out, I would have given the book a better rating.Thank you for joining me this week as we got to take a look at a very exciting dystopian novel for young people grades 6-10 (or adults--after all, I enjoyed it and I'm an adult!). I sincerely appreciate that you took the time to read my book review of this trending novel that is coming to theaters September 19, 2014. Please join me again, next week as we look at another exciting new read. Have some fun this week and don't forget to read at least a little bit everyday.Until next time......many happy pages of reading.My love to you all.Sharon.

My kids and I loved this book!! My daughter and I didn't like it at first, but we're so glad we kept reading it. This book has everything you'd want in a good book. It's filled with action, drama, suspense, and we definitely feel like the characters are our friends.

"The Maze Runner (TMR), by James Dashner, an interesting title for an interesting novel. It was partly for the reason of the interesting title that I chose to review the book, that I even decided to read it in the first place, and only after completing the read do I recognise its importance. It plays a major role, or should I say it's the name designated to the major role our protagonist plays in the story."He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air"Engaging, as every opening of every novel should be. Thomas, our protagonist, comes to, after what seemed to him like an endless sleep, in a seemingly make-shift elevator, surrounded by who seem to be ordinary teenage boys. Confused, as you'd expect, he begins with a torrential flow of questions, the answers to which aid him in realising that he had been abducted, and sent to a very primitive version of what we know to be a normal town.We learn that this has been a re-occuring thing, the arriving of a new boy on the same day of every month, for two years now, and that the only information the boys are in possession of is their first names.The place they have been sent to, was christened with the name 'the Glade', and is situated in the heart of an ever-changing maze. A maze in which dangerous creatures reside.The boys have cleverly banded together, each taking it upon themselves to provide one necessary need for the community, be it becoming a farmer and providing food or taking up the role of a builder and making sure their simple homes and hospitable. What Thomas is interested in, however, is the selective group, namely 'The Maze Runners', who spend their days exploring the maze, desperately searching for a way out.Thomas soon discovers that all odds for escape whatsoever, aren't in their favour. This becomes even more unnerving when a girl, the first to ever set foot in the Glade, makes an unexpected arrival the day after Tom's. Teresa, the girl, is unconcious at first, and upon the crowding of the gladers around her body, she jolts to life with a note in her hand, reading "The end is near". Mass panic erupts as a result and subsequent occurences lead most of the gladers to believe that all hope is lost.With all blame pointed in his direction, what will his next move be? Will he and the others unearth the secret to their escaping? Or will they remain in the Glade, in fear of whatever horrible fate awaits?This novel is entertaining, through and through, what with its uniqueness that makes it stand out from other Young Adult (YA) fictional novels, the deep characters that add to the enjoyment of reading the book, and the strange way in which the story is written.Speaking of the author's use of strange, yet intriguing, language in the book, James Dashner creates, within TMR, a completely renewed way of speaking. It isn't uncommon that in a story, you find certain aspects of the characters' speech, that seem unusual and different to what we would classify as the norm. Dashner takes this to a new level entirely, incorporating into modern English, small words such as 'greanie', 'shank' 'klunk', 'shuck', the meanings of which I'd rather keep out of this review, for your sake. It doesn't seem like much, but when these words are thrown into every second sentence, the experience changes drastically."You are the shuckiest shuck faced shuck in the world!", just a particular example of the word's use, when Tom got a bit too aggitated.The concept of character building in TMR similar to other YA novels in that the protagonist grows and develops, to some extent, but there is also a noticeable difference. Said difference is due to the fact that the characters know nothing about themselves or their lives prior to their arrival in the maze. This creates the possibility that it's somewhat difficult for the readers to form opinions on the characters, because the factors responsible for shaping the individuals are unknown.Despite the obvious difficulty it's clear as day the type of person our protagonist, Thomas, is. Sixteen year old Tom, of height five foot nine, with soft facial features and an average build. All this information is brought into light by other gladers' speculations at the beginning of the book. The fact that Thomas himself, doesn't know how old he is, or is unable to describe what he looks like without the aid of a reflection, the fact that he is unsure of his basic profile, creates questions in our minds and most of us read on as a result. The one thing, besides his name, that Tom is certain of, is his daring and determined personality. Even the readers, are sure of this by the end of the first chapter, when Thomas confides in his new friend 'Chuck', that he wants to be a maze runner. There isn't a doubt in our minds concerning his personality because Dashner so carefully and cleverly creates the character of Thomas.The story is told from Thomas' point of view, so the character developing is based predominantly on him, but the building of the other characters is also well done. Chuck, for instance, Tom's first friend in the Glade, is portrayed as a young vulnerable boy whom Thomas instantly takes to caring for. The developing of Chuck's character contributes to the fleshing out of Thomas, as a new side is added to his personality; that of a caring older brother. Another noteworthy character in Minho, Thomas' fellow maze runner and pal. The bond between the two characters gives Thomas even more depth and makes him all the more likable.Books are woefully underrated. The lessons hidden behind those all too familiar monochrome wordings are often missed or misunderstood. Even if the reason for your picking up a book isn't solely based on obtaining insight of some kind, the imagination at work in fictional cases, or the wealthy of factual knowledge in others will likely be worth your time.The time taken to read 'The Maze Runner was definitely time well spent. Though the beginning was slow reading for me, most aspects of a good novel were present in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I award it four out of five stars and deem it suitable for what I assume its target market is; young adults."

So good, I can't wait for the movie!¡!¡! aaaaaaaaaaahIts similar to the hunger games, but its in a guys point if view, not part romance novel either which was great too

Bel libro: copertina flessibile, pagine resistenti con carta ruvida. L'ho acquistato come regalo per una persona che si sta cimentando con la lingua inglese e mi ha riferito che l'ha trovato molto utile in quanto le frasi sono fluide, scorrevoli, comprensibili anche per chi non ha una buona conoscenza della lingua e contribuisce a migliorare il proprio lessico. Consiglio.

No es el mejor, pero sí engancha y es mejor que la peli, al contyrario de lo que sucede con la segunda y tercera parte. Entretiene y cumple su funcionón. En inglés cuesta cogerle el tranquillo porque los personajes han desarrollado un lenguaje propio e inventado al que hay que acostumbrarse, pero después todo bien. El autor describe bien los sentimientos y los personajes.

O livro conta a história de Thomas, que ao acordar se depara com um mundo desconhecido, sem memória alguma do seu passado. Pouco tempo depois, descobre que está preso em uma espécie de labirinto, e terá de usar tudo o que estiver ao seu alcance para resolvê-lo, porém tudo começa a mudar, após a sua chegada...Este é um livro que vai conseguir te prender do começo ao fim, cheio de mistérios e intrigas, aliados a uma boa narrativa, personagens bem definidos e uma boa descrição de espaço.Algumas coisas me desapontaram, a primeira chega a ser irritante algumas vezes. O. autor. simplesmente. escreve. dessa. forma. No livro há tantos pontos continuativos que eu começo a acreditar que o botão de vírgula estava quebrado quando James Dashner escreveu The Maze Runner. Se este não for um fator importante para você, eu recomendo bastante a leitura do livro.Um segundo ponto negativo é a qualidade física do livro, a jacket é extremamente simples, com um minúsculo alto-relevo na parte do título (quase imperceptível), sem falar que ela é um pouco mais fina que a média das jackets que encontramos em livros importados, o que a torna bastante propensa a amações ou rasgões. Na capa do livro não há inscrições (apenas na lombada). Tirando estes dois aspectos, as folhas são amareladas e possuem um bom tamanho de fonte.O terceiro ponto negativo (esta é apenas a minha opinião), fica por conta do epílogo no final do livro, que foi desnecessário e matou grande parte do mistério do livro seguinte.Enfim, esta foi uma ótima aquisição para mim, espero que vocês curtam a história tanto quanto eu.

Schon nach den ersten Seiten hat mich "The Maze Runner" in seinen Bann gezogen. Alles beginnt mit der Ankunft von Thomas, der keine Erinnerungen an sein früheres Leben hat. So ergeht es auch allen anderen Jungs die im Glade leben. Der Platz auf dem sie sich ein Leben aufgebaut haben ist umgeben von einem Labyrinth, aus dem es scheinbar keinen Ausweg gibt - trotzdem versuchen sie tagtäglich einen zu finden.Als Leser weiß man immer nur so viel wie Thomas selbst und so viel ist das nicht. Für eine lange Zeit tappt man im Dunkeln und weiß rein gar nicht über diesen Ort oder das Leben dort. Das kann für den ein oder anderen langatmig sein. Bei mir hat es die Neugier geweckt und ich wollte unbedingt herausfinden was es alles auf sich hat. Als sich unnormale Ereignisse stapeln und Thomas schließlich in das Labyrinth geht, steigt die Spannung rassant an. Ab diesen Punkt hat mich das Buch gefesselt. Es war unglaublich spannend die restliche Geschichte zu verfolgen.Gefallen hat mir besonders die Umgangssprache der Gladers. Am Anfang weiß man noch gar nichts damit anzufangen aber Stück für Stück lernt man die Bedeutung der Begriffe kennen. Allgemein mochte ich den Schreibstil des Autors. Der Sarkasmus hat mich auch des öfteren zum Lachen gebracht.Die Charaktere sind ein bisschen stereotypisch, das hat mich allerdings nicht davon abgehalten sie in mein Herz zu schließen. Nur die Beziehung von Thomas und Theresa war für mich nicht ganz logisch. Ich verstehe, dass sie eine bestimmte Bindung zueinander haben aber was genau sollte da jetzt zum Ausdruck kommen? Ich hoffe einfach mal darauf, dass ihre Beziehung im nächsten Teil etwas tiefgründiger beleuchtet wird ohne dass es besonders kitschig wird.FAZIT"The Maze Runner" ist aufgrund der Spannung und interessanten Geschichte sehr schnell zu lesen. Die Charaktere sind sympathisch und das Ende ist zufriedenstellend und macht auf jeden Fall Lust auf den zweiten Band.