Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

#1 Maze Runner
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: young adult
Pages: 374
Challenges: What's in a Name?, Young Adult, Buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
Thomas doesn't remember anything about his past.  He wakes up on a lift and when the doors open he's in a placed called The Glades with several other boys.  He has so many questions but nobody will answer them.  Where is this place? What is he doing here? Why can't he remember anything? 

The next day a girl shows up.  THe first girl ever.  Two kids in two days, that's never happened before.  People are worried, why are things changing?  What is it about Thomas that has caused these changes?

Thomas soon starts to get some answers and figure things out.  It appears that outside the walls it's a maze and for two years the Runners have been running in the maze every day in hopes of finding a way out.  They feel it's a test from the Creators, people who put them there.  The walls close every night so the Greivers can't get inside, they are horrible monsters that will kill you.  If you happen to be stung by one, you go through the change and you're never the same.   Unfortunatly for Thomas a couple of the kids who have gone through this change feel he's the cause to their recent problems and want him gone.  But Thomas might have the answers to help the kids save themselves and find a way home, wherever or whatever that is.


My Thoughts:
This book actually started out pretty slow for me.  The author had the kids use made up words in place of curse words.  This wouldn't have bothered me, hey, I curse a lot. Teenage boys curse a lot.  I just found the made-up words annoying and overly used.   I also found the beginnign slow because while the Glader's aren't giving Thomas any answers to what is going on, the reader doesn't get any info either. I suppose I just felt a bit confused and out of hte loop.

However, once I got a tad over 100 pages into the book it really started to pick up for me.  There was more action and that kept the book moving.  You also started to get some answers and figure out what was going on, and least to a point.

When I got very close to the end, I thought I was going to be a bit disapointed with the book. I wasn't happy with how it was ending.  However I ended up being pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.  

The copy I have also has "exclusive WICKED correspondence " at the very end and I really enjoyed that. I read this book with another co-worker and his copy didn't include this so I gave him mine to read.  We both agreed that those extra pages really help the story and made us more interested in the next book.

3 comments:

bermudaonion said...

My husband like this book, but I don't think he liked it as much as you did.

Bookfool said...

I read this as an ARC, so it lacked that extra bit. Now, I want to rush out and find a copy so I can read it. :)

I did feel like the author toyed with readers a bit, holding back information. The made-up lingo didn't bother me, though, except for one word and it was just too freaking vivid. I can't even stand to think about it, so I won't mention it. And, then the end kind of ticked me off. While I'm curious enough to want to read on, I was disappointed that it ended the way it did.

Unknown said...

Bermudaonion - It definetly grew on me.

Bookfool - The extra part is so short that you could easily find it at a bookstore and read it within 5-10 min. The ending made me mad until the very very end, and then I was like..oh..I like it. haha!