Thoughts on The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I was really excited to read The Maze Runner by James Dashner because there was all kinds of buzz going on about this book. Another blogger was kind enough to send me an extra ARC, and I read it as soon as I received it in the mail.
The Maze Runner starts with Thomas waking up in this area with no memory about where he was before or why he ended up in this place (the Glade). Fortunately, there’s other kids here, and they don’t know how they ended up in the Glade. All they know is there’s a maze behind stone doors that is accessible during the day, but closed tight at night. The fastest runners run through the maze every day, trying to find a way out.
Despite the fact that a boy appears every 30 days, the day after Thomas shows up, a girl arrives and throws the boys into confusion as to why a girl is sent. They know someone knows they’re there, because they receive supplies and food on a regular basis. Why would a girl be sent, and what does the message mean that she delivers?
There’s plenty of action in this book! In the maze are Grievers, machines that have a sole purpose of killing one of the boys and taking him away. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fail. But they’re relentless.
Ultimately I was underwhelmed by this book. I thought Thomas could have been developed better, and the story just felt clunky. I DID like how the boys were portrayed, which was very boy-ish. There’s something very endearing about teenage boys and how they interact. I’d love to see more authors explore the dynamics of teenage boys and have boys be the main characters.
Granted, the ending was pretty exciting, but a good ending does not a good book make.
Perhaps if I hadn’t already read other dystopian fiction that I thought was really great, I would have enjoyed this book more. But having read other YA dystopian fiction that I thought was stellar, I felt like The Maze Runner was forgettable.
Fortunately, not everyone agrees with me, so here’s some other reviews with different opinions from me.
Rating: 79 out of 100
Other reviews:
Books and Movies (loved it)
Semicolon (love her attitude about cliffhanger endings in books)
Book source: I bought this book myself.
And one more thing? If you click on one of The Maze Runner links and buy something from Powell’s, I’ll make a commission! Mwahahahaha!! Maybe with the pennies I make I’ll be able to call someone who cares.
You can thank the FTC for this disclosure!