Review - The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Paperback, 374 pages

Published October 6th 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Rating: 4.5

Mild spoilers

The Maze Runner follows a boy named Thomas who wakes up in a dark, mysterious elevator with no memory of his past other than his first name. He steps out of the elevator to an audience of several young boys and is told he is in the Glade, a place inhabited by only young boys and surrounded by a large maze full of deadly creatures referred to as Grievers. Thomas tries to fit in by performing duties as he is told, but the very next day, the first girl to ever set foot in the Glade arrives, and the boys suspect Thomas of somehow being responsible. Strange things start to happen, and life in the Glade is not what it used to be. Thomas manages to become a Runner, one of the few boys who have the duty of going into the Maze to attempt to find a way out while trying to avoid the Grievers.

The Maze Runner was fast-paced and kept me wondering what was going on. From the very beginning, all the boys are clueless about the past and how they arrived in the Glade, so the reader is also oblivious. The reader only knows what’s happening when Thomas does, so it’s easy to keep reading to find out the truth. Even at the end, you’re left with only a bit of knowledge, but I think it was enough for the time being until I read the sequel.

I also really enjoyed the world-building in The Maze Runner. I usually have trouble seeing the setting as I read a book, but I could imagine the Glade very well. If I can see the setting, it must be well written!

I’ve read some reviews where readers were putting Thomas down, so I feel like I should defend him now. I won’t say I love Thomas, but I did like him. Sometimes I thought he was stupid for not listening to what he was told, which would have saved him a lot of trouble, but at the same time, I liked that he did what he thought was right, no matter what the others told him. He was told several times not to be an idiot – or should I say a “shuck” – but if he felt it was the right thing, he ignored the warnings and stood by his principles. When he was told to do his best to remember his past, he did what he could, even risking his life to do so. He told those in power things that he knew would lead others to be suspicious of him and things that would make others think he was crazy, all because he knew it would help the Gladers. I may not have always liked Thomas, and I yelled at him quite a bit, but he’s the type of character I admire. With a different main character, I might not have enjoyed the book as much. Someone who did everything they were told would have made the story very boring.

Basically, I really liked this book. The language (all the “shucks” and “shanks”) was a bit strange, but it makes sense in the context of the book. That was about the only thing that put me off, but even then it was only a tiny bit. I thought it was a great read and I can’t wait to read The Scorch Trials!