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The Mortality Doctrine #3
The Game of Lives
This game might just kill you.
Michael used to live to game. Now the games he was playing have become all too real. Only weeks ago, Sinking into the Sleep was fun. The VirtNet combined the most cutting-edge technology and the most sophisticated gaming for a full mind-body experience. And it was Michael's passion. But now every time Michael Sinks, he risks his life.
The games are over. The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and Kaine grows stronger by the day. The Mortality Doctrine - Kaine's master plan - has nearly been realized. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box - if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.
Michael used to live to game. Now the games he was playing have become all too real. Only weeks ago, Sinking into the Sleep was fun. The VirtNet combined the most cutting-edge technology and the most sophisticated gaming for a full mind-body experience. And it was Michael's passion. But now every time Michael Sinks, he risks his life.
The games are over. The VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences, and Kaine grows stronger by the day. The Mortality Doctrine - Kaine's master plan - has nearly been realized. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box - if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2015
808 people are currently reading
13330 people want to read
About the author
James Dashner
137 books36.2k followersJames 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 953 reviews
January 8, 2016
My feeling with any Dasher series that I've read is that he can't sustain the story. His first books are great and the rest just seem to fall apart.
Read
July 13, 2020DNF
May 28, 2016
Originally posted on Fables Library
Well everyone...it's over. One of my most anticipated books of the year is done. I just finished it, maybe I cried a few tears, maybe I sat in awe for a few seconds. Maybe...but it's now over.
What I Liked
Everything about The Game of Lives rose the stakes. There were bigger battles and bigger consequences. The final battle was by far my favorite, it was chilling, horrifying, awesome all at once. James Dashner wrote the last battle so well you could see the scene like it was a movie. The whole series was like one AWESOME action movie in my head and that's why I LOVED this series so much.
Some parts where quite eerie because people now know who Michael is, and how they react to that is quite creepy.
One of my FAVORITE things about The Game of Lives was the fact that the main characters kept making The Maze Runner jokes. I thought it was so cool and funny. They said they were like Cranks and things like that and I loved that a lot.
The Games of Lives brings a whole bunch of new virtual reality ideas to the table. Kaine's evil plan is genius and a bit terrifying all at once. His mission is something I didn't see coming, it would be interesting if it happened in our world, and was (like I said) new. His idea was good but crazy all at once because of multiple reasons.
What I Didn't Like
Sadly, The Game of Lives was a bit slow and boring at times. Their conversations lasted FOREVER and it was slow. Other than that, I LOVED it!
In A Nutshell:
Originally I was going to give The Game of Lives three stars out of five. But once the ending hit and I closed the last page I looked up at the world and almost cried. The ending was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better closing, that's why I gave it four stars out of five. I highly recommend this series and this book, but it's best if you start with book one :) you should so give it a try!
Well everyone...it's over. One of my most anticipated books of the year is done. I just finished it, maybe I cried a few tears, maybe I sat in awe for a few seconds. Maybe...but it's now over.
What I Liked
Everything about The Game of Lives rose the stakes. There were bigger battles and bigger consequences. The final battle was by far my favorite, it was chilling, horrifying, awesome all at once. James Dashner wrote the last battle so well you could see the scene like it was a movie. The whole series was like one AWESOME action movie in my head and that's why I LOVED this series so much.
Some parts where quite eerie because people now know who Michael is, and how they react to that is quite creepy.
One of my FAVORITE things about The Game of Lives was the fact that the main characters kept making The Maze Runner jokes. I thought it was so cool and funny. They said they were like Cranks and things like that and I loved that a lot.
The Games of Lives brings a whole bunch of new virtual reality ideas to the table. Kaine's evil plan is genius and a bit terrifying all at once. His mission is something I didn't see coming, it would be interesting if it happened in our world, and was (like I said) new. His idea was good but crazy all at once because of multiple reasons.
What I Didn't Like
Sadly, The Game of Lives was a bit slow and boring at times. Their conversations lasted FOREVER and it was slow. Other than that, I LOVED it!
In A Nutshell:
Originally I was going to give The Game of Lives three stars out of five. But once the ending hit and I closed the last page I looked up at the world and almost cried. The ending was perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better closing, that's why I gave it four stars out of five. I highly recommend this series and this book, but it's best if you start with book one :) you should so give it a try!
February 13, 2016
I'm so disappointed. I had waited for this book for a year, and I had loved the two other books in the series so much that I even recommended them to my friends. I loved this world of codes and games, and the fast pace of the book.
Then I picked up The Game of Lives.
It felt like someone else had written this book, than the one who had written the previous two books. The writing was just not working. Every sentence on half a page could start with "He", and I felt like a robot when reading. My thoughts would drift away when reading, and I wouldn't even care because I was so bored while reading it. The different twists and deaths were so random, it didn't feel connected at all. And the ending - what just happened? How, why and HOW?!
It took me 12 days to finish this book. 12 DAYS! I usually finish books in 3-5 days... But I didn't even want to read the book, and put it off all the time. I couldn't even believe that I had finished it and could finally move on to another book. That's how much I enjoyed it.
I never really hate any book I read, so I'm not saying I hated this - but as it was not a fun reading at all. And it makes me so sad because I really looked forward to reading the ending of this story that I had come to love, and these characters that felt so connected to each other.
But it failed to meet my expectations, and what was once a story I loved got twisted into something completely else. Did really not expect this...
Then I picked up The Game of Lives.
It felt like someone else had written this book, than the one who had written the previous two books. The writing was just not working. Every sentence on half a page could start with "He", and I felt like a robot when reading. My thoughts would drift away when reading, and I wouldn't even care because I was so bored while reading it. The different twists and deaths were so random, it didn't feel connected at all. And the ending - what just happened? How, why and HOW?!
It took me 12 days to finish this book. 12 DAYS! I usually finish books in 3-5 days... But I didn't even want to read the book, and put it off all the time. I couldn't even believe that I had finished it and could finally move on to another book. That's how much I enjoyed it.
I never really hate any book I read, so I'm not saying I hated this - but as it was not a fun reading at all. And it makes me so sad because I really looked forward to reading the ending of this story that I had come to love, and these characters that felt so connected to each other.
But it failed to meet my expectations, and what was once a story I loved got twisted into something completely else. Did really not expect this...
May 1, 2024
Sometimes books are like people.
Quite a few are joyfully running (in)to you, most of them do expect you, more or less enthusiastic, the rest are trying to run away from you.
Sadly, this one is from the third category...
Quite a few are joyfully running (in)to you, most of them do expect you, more or less enthusiastic, the rest are trying to run away from you.
Sadly, this one is from the third category...
January 4, 2018
The Game of Lives is an amazing last book for a series like the Mortality Doctrine series. James Dashner captures trust, action, and even a little bit of love and emotion into the story. In the story, Michael's heart gets completely broken when one of his best friends and to-be girlfriend dies. I can relate to what he is feeling because I also lost someone really close to me once because of death. I was able to really feel what Michael was feeling during the scene and it made me picture Michael in a completely different way for the rest of the story.
April 14, 2023
Few people have a legitimately brilliant mind, but the seeds of genius were always evident in James Dashner, and his Mortality Doctrine trilogy had perhaps the greatest potential of any series he wrote. The line between reality and fiction is so blurred in these novels that the two are indistinguishable, gaming technology having advanced to the point that we're left questioning the authenticity of our life experiences. Are our joys and sorrows our own, the purely organic result of the decisions we make, the people we hurt or bless through our actions? Or could they be the elaborate imaginings of a loftier mind, or a mind equal or inferior to ours but with a vantage point so much higher than we can perceive that we have no hope of ever sensing its presence, of realizing that our lives are only the whimsical storytelling of an external creative mind? Are we real people sprung inexplicably to life from the ether of our universe, or just characters whose maddening inability to permanently change our core qualities when we want to can be blamed on ultimate control belonging to a higher entity that pulls our strings and commands us to dance, and we have no choice but to obey? True reality—whatever that may be, if it empirically exists—is always in doubt in the Mortality Doctrine series, and as the plot progresses through The Eye of Minds, then The Rule of Thoughts, and proceeds to its finale in The Game of Lives, pressure mounts with the certainty that mega revelations are set to detonate the world we think we know. How profoundly can James Dashner shock us between the covers of a novel? We're about to discover the answer.
"It's a miracle, life. Don't you think? A group of cells reproducing with such precision that they become what you are today. A full-grown person, walking, talking, running, jumping, eating, dancing, sleeping."
—Kaine, The Game of Lives, P. 200
Despondent as Michael, Sarah, and Bryson were at the conclusion of the previous book when their attempt to destroy the Tangent Kaine's central programming failed and they were instead set up to wreck the VirtNet Security (VNS) online system, The Rule of Thoughts did not end with them in jail. Under orders from Michael's Tangent childhood nanny, Helga, Sarah's parents broke into lockup and freed the three hacker teens, spiriting them to safety among Helga and her underground coalition of Tangents dedicated to defeating Kaine's Mortality Doctrine experiment. Like Kaine, Helga and her cohorts have downloaded themselves into human bodies so they can be active in the real world, but unlike Kaine, they have no intention of permanently taking over their host bodies. The mind of every person ejected from his or her body and replaced by a Tangent—including Jackson Porter, whom Michael was downloaded into by Kaine to kickstart the Mortality Doctrine program—is fully intact in a virtual storage colony called the Hive, and Helga promises they will be returned to their bodies as soon as Kaine's agenda is upended. Very little of this makes sense to Michael; how can Helga oppose Kaine by taking over more bodies, worsening the devastation Kaine has inflicted on VirtNet gamers worldwide? How can Michael even be certain this is the real Helga, considering Kaine's track record of cruel identity tricks? The Helga he grew up nannied by was secretly a Tangent all along, a figment of computer code like him. Now she's inside a human body, and Michael has only her word that she's his Helga. Michael can't trust anyone completely anymore, but what choice does he have? He can't combat Kaine if he decides reality is an endless parade of illusions and curls up in a ball and does nothing.
But Kaine is no longer the only Tangent Michael needs to worry about. Others are on his trail, and would eliminate Helga and her group without hesitation. The Mortality Doctrine is the Tangents' chance to make the leap from formless code to biological life form and fulfill their ambition of becoming human. Once a Tangent has entered a body, who's to say they're not truly human? As Michael collaborates with Sarah, Bryson, and Helga to find a chink in Kaine's virtual armor, Tangents everywhere are drawn in their direction, many determined to destroy them before they succeed. Enemies lurk in the human world, too. Agent Weber's behavior, which grew progressively erratic throughout The Rule of Thoughts, can no longer deny she has her own unsavory agenda, though Michael and company have little idea of her ultimate goal. Is Weber a Tangent, assisting Kaine with the Mortality Doctrine so other Tangents can begin displacing humans on a global scale, or is her angle even more sinister? When Agent Weber calls for an international VNS strategy council to debate the issue, Michael, Sarah, and Bryson attend in virtual form, but the disturbing disruptions at the meeting only further erode their confidence in any authority claiming to oppose Kaine. If they're to stop the Tangent from taking over the world, they can't rely on Weber, the VNS, or any human organization. Michael, Sarah, Bryson, and Helga trust themselves and each other, and together they believe they're capable of neutralizing Kaine once and for all.
When Michael finally uncovers the real game being played, his intellectual swordplay with Weber and Kaine turns into a life-or-death battle of coding ingenuity and fast fingers, reacting at high speed to attacks that could irretrievably erase Michael's consciousness and that of his friends. Every intelligence, organic or Tangent, is still just a code, and can be deleted with the right sequence of commands. Fighting multiple enemies powerful enough to eradicate humanity, Michael has only minutes, then seconds to crack the code and deal his foes their mortal blow. But even if he is successful, what future does he have in a world where humans rule and any other form of intelligence is considered subhuman? Does a happy ending exist for a lonesome Tangent in a simulated world, barred from participating in real life?
"There's always hope. Always. You just never know what life—or death—might bring. I think we've all seen that the world is a little more complicated than we ever could have imagined."
—Helga, The Game of Lives, P. 155
I won't argue if you say aspects of the Mortality Doctrine trilogy remain sketchy even after this book. Several promising story threads ultimately go nowhere, apparently forgotten. But The Game of Lives packs an emotional wallop that makes those orphaned threads seem less significant, and that's why even though I'm tempted to rate it two and a half stars, I don't think I can justify giving less than a full three. The strong emotions of The Game of Lives derive from the same place as those in The Eye of Minds, and left me nearly as shaken. Love can feel like a package that always shows up at someone else's door, a gift never addressed to you. When you open your door one day to find that package waiting for you, it's such a surprise that you suspect at first there may be some mistake. This is true to an extreme degree for Michael, who had any hope of love stolen from him with the revelation that he's a Tangent. Every dream of falling in love, marrying, and starting his own family, outlandish aspirations for a sentient string of computer code, evaporated in that instant. But maybe those dreams aren't lost to Michael. What is a human mind, anyway? What are the implications if a real person falls in love with a sequence of numbers designed to simulate a human being? What if that sequence is coded to have a smart sense of humor, attractive ambition, is kindhearted, and loves the real person in return? Who judges what consciousnesses are or aren't legitimate? Yet a love that enters one's life right when they're needed most can be lost in the violence of war, and death is no small obstacle even in a world where code is rarely irreversibly destroyed, only scattered like cremated ashes we don't know how to reverse engineer. But a heart that never gives up, even when faced with the surety of a hopeless forever, has a curious habit of transforming the impossible into the merely improbable. An indomitable spirit will never give up on finding their loved one anew, restoring what seemed beyond any mortal to save. And what could be more human than that?
Michael deals with constant doubts about the nature of reality in The Game of Lives, uncomfortably aware that existential certainty is at best an educated guess. These questions couldn't be more personal for Michael, as his own sentience is a matter of opinion. But he has to proceed in the conviction that he's a real person or there's no point in living, and that's partly why he heatedly defends Helga in the early going of this book when his friends voice skepticism about her: "You don't have a clue what it's like to be a Tangent. We might be a bunch of code to you guys, but I can't accept that. There's more to us. I know it. I'm a person, I have a mind, I can think for myself, and I don't care what anyone else says...At some point you have to go with your heart!" He revisits that sentiment later in a moment alone with Sarah and Bryson, swapping childhood memories. Michael doesn't know if his memories actually happened in virtual reality or if they were simply programmed into his mind. This deeply saddens him, but he has to believe in his memories, or he's lost. "I mean, what's real and what's not?" he asks his two closest friends. "I guess I just have to decide that it happened." His friends can't be any more certain of Michael's nature than he is, but they're willing to believe, and Sarah is ready to do more than have faith that Michael is a person. "I honestly don't know what you are, but I know who you are. And I love you, Michael. I really do. Roll your eyes all you want, but whatever you are...I'm in love with him." What gift means more than a loved one's unshakeable faith in who we are when we aren't sure ourselves? If we can never confirm the extent to which we occupy reality, does anything matter more than the recognition of people we love? I don't know; no one does. Existence is a riddle that for now, at least, we haven't the means to solve. Reality could be eternally more complicated than we can conceive, but even human hypotheses boggle the mind. "Who's to say what's real and what's not, anyway?" Gabby, Jackson Porter's girlfriend, muses. "For all we know, the Wake is just an even more complicated program, run by a bunch of aliens. Or God. Or both. Maybe there's an infinite number of levels. Maybe it gets rebooted every million years." The burden of existential cognizance is heavy, and will crush those who labor beneath it for long. Humans can't make much progress moving it, but we can do our best to love and open ourselves to receive love in this lifetime, be generous toward others, and prepare for whatever challenges and enhanced understanding may await in the life to come. As Agent Weber might say, that's the Game of Lives.
The Maze Runner series is probably better than the Mortality Doctrine trilogy, but both perform at a high level. The Eye of Minds is the best installment of this trilogy, but The Game of Lives scores points with its strong emotional undercurrent, which pulls on the reader's heart until the final sentence of the book. That's what lifts The Game of Lives from a moderately entertaining science fiction adventure to the ranks of meaningful literature, an experience that will linger with me for the rest of my life. Commercially successful as he is, I consider James Dashner underrated as a literary artist, probably because of the simplicity of his writing. He isn't a delicate linguist, an innovative architect of metaphor, or a mind-bending philosopher, but he works in his own intense style with unfailing acumen, and there aren't many authors I find more rewarding to read. The Mortality Doctrine is a transformative series, and even a review of this depth can't entirely express what it means to me. I'll always be grateful we have James Dashner.
"It's a miracle, life. Don't you think? A group of cells reproducing with such precision that they become what you are today. A full-grown person, walking, talking, running, jumping, eating, dancing, sleeping."
—Kaine, The Game of Lives, P. 200
Despondent as Michael, Sarah, and Bryson were at the conclusion of the previous book when their attempt to destroy the Tangent Kaine's central programming failed and they were instead set up to wreck the VirtNet Security (VNS) online system, The Rule of Thoughts did not end with them in jail. Under orders from Michael's Tangent childhood nanny, Helga, Sarah's parents broke into lockup and freed the three hacker teens, spiriting them to safety among Helga and her underground coalition of Tangents dedicated to defeating Kaine's Mortality Doctrine experiment. Like Kaine, Helga and her cohorts have downloaded themselves into human bodies so they can be active in the real world, but unlike Kaine, they have no intention of permanently taking over their host bodies. The mind of every person ejected from his or her body and replaced by a Tangent—including Jackson Porter, whom Michael was downloaded into by Kaine to kickstart the Mortality Doctrine program—is fully intact in a virtual storage colony called the Hive, and Helga promises they will be returned to their bodies as soon as Kaine's agenda is upended. Very little of this makes sense to Michael; how can Helga oppose Kaine by taking over more bodies, worsening the devastation Kaine has inflicted on VirtNet gamers worldwide? How can Michael even be certain this is the real Helga, considering Kaine's track record of cruel identity tricks? The Helga he grew up nannied by was secretly a Tangent all along, a figment of computer code like him. Now she's inside a human body, and Michael has only her word that she's his Helga. Michael can't trust anyone completely anymore, but what choice does he have? He can't combat Kaine if he decides reality is an endless parade of illusions and curls up in a ball and does nothing.
But Kaine is no longer the only Tangent Michael needs to worry about. Others are on his trail, and would eliminate Helga and her group without hesitation. The Mortality Doctrine is the Tangents' chance to make the leap from formless code to biological life form and fulfill their ambition of becoming human. Once a Tangent has entered a body, who's to say they're not truly human? As Michael collaborates with Sarah, Bryson, and Helga to find a chink in Kaine's virtual armor, Tangents everywhere are drawn in their direction, many determined to destroy them before they succeed. Enemies lurk in the human world, too. Agent Weber's behavior, which grew progressively erratic throughout The Rule of Thoughts, can no longer deny she has her own unsavory agenda, though Michael and company have little idea of her ultimate goal. Is Weber a Tangent, assisting Kaine with the Mortality Doctrine so other Tangents can begin displacing humans on a global scale, or is her angle even more sinister? When Agent Weber calls for an international VNS strategy council to debate the issue, Michael, Sarah, and Bryson attend in virtual form, but the disturbing disruptions at the meeting only further erode their confidence in any authority claiming to oppose Kaine. If they're to stop the Tangent from taking over the world, they can't rely on Weber, the VNS, or any human organization. Michael, Sarah, Bryson, and Helga trust themselves and each other, and together they believe they're capable of neutralizing Kaine once and for all.
When Michael finally uncovers the real game being played, his intellectual swordplay with Weber and Kaine turns into a life-or-death battle of coding ingenuity and fast fingers, reacting at high speed to attacks that could irretrievably erase Michael's consciousness and that of his friends. Every intelligence, organic or Tangent, is still just a code, and can be deleted with the right sequence of commands. Fighting multiple enemies powerful enough to eradicate humanity, Michael has only minutes, then seconds to crack the code and deal his foes their mortal blow. But even if he is successful, what future does he have in a world where humans rule and any other form of intelligence is considered subhuman? Does a happy ending exist for a lonesome Tangent in a simulated world, barred from participating in real life?
"There's always hope. Always. You just never know what life—or death—might bring. I think we've all seen that the world is a little more complicated than we ever could have imagined."
—Helga, The Game of Lives, P. 155
I won't argue if you say aspects of the Mortality Doctrine trilogy remain sketchy even after this book. Several promising story threads ultimately go nowhere, apparently forgotten. But The Game of Lives packs an emotional wallop that makes those orphaned threads seem less significant, and that's why even though I'm tempted to rate it two and a half stars, I don't think I can justify giving less than a full three. The strong emotions of The Game of Lives derive from the same place as those in The Eye of Minds, and left me nearly as shaken. Love can feel like a package that always shows up at someone else's door, a gift never addressed to you. When you open your door one day to find that package waiting for you, it's such a surprise that you suspect at first there may be some mistake. This is true to an extreme degree for Michael, who had any hope of love stolen from him with the revelation that he's a Tangent. Every dream of falling in love, marrying, and starting his own family, outlandish aspirations for a sentient string of computer code, evaporated in that instant. But maybe those dreams aren't lost to Michael. What is a human mind, anyway? What are the implications if a real person falls in love with a sequence of numbers designed to simulate a human being? What if that sequence is coded to have a smart sense of humor, attractive ambition, is kindhearted, and loves the real person in return? Who judges what consciousnesses are or aren't legitimate? Yet a love that enters one's life right when they're needed most can be lost in the violence of war, and death is no small obstacle even in a world where code is rarely irreversibly destroyed, only scattered like cremated ashes we don't know how to reverse engineer. But a heart that never gives up, even when faced with the surety of a hopeless forever, has a curious habit of transforming the impossible into the merely improbable. An indomitable spirit will never give up on finding their loved one anew, restoring what seemed beyond any mortal to save. And what could be more human than that?
Michael deals with constant doubts about the nature of reality in The Game of Lives, uncomfortably aware that existential certainty is at best an educated guess. These questions couldn't be more personal for Michael, as his own sentience is a matter of opinion. But he has to proceed in the conviction that he's a real person or there's no point in living, and that's partly why he heatedly defends Helga in the early going of this book when his friends voice skepticism about her: "You don't have a clue what it's like to be a Tangent. We might be a bunch of code to you guys, but I can't accept that. There's more to us. I know it. I'm a person, I have a mind, I can think for myself, and I don't care what anyone else says...At some point you have to go with your heart!" He revisits that sentiment later in a moment alone with Sarah and Bryson, swapping childhood memories. Michael doesn't know if his memories actually happened in virtual reality or if they were simply programmed into his mind. This deeply saddens him, but he has to believe in his memories, or he's lost. "I mean, what's real and what's not?" he asks his two closest friends. "I guess I just have to decide that it happened." His friends can't be any more certain of Michael's nature than he is, but they're willing to believe, and Sarah is ready to do more than have faith that Michael is a person. "I honestly don't know what you are, but I know who you are. And I love you, Michael. I really do. Roll your eyes all you want, but whatever you are...I'm in love with him." What gift means more than a loved one's unshakeable faith in who we are when we aren't sure ourselves? If we can never confirm the extent to which we occupy reality, does anything matter more than the recognition of people we love? I don't know; no one does. Existence is a riddle that for now, at least, we haven't the means to solve. Reality could be eternally more complicated than we can conceive, but even human hypotheses boggle the mind. "Who's to say what's real and what's not, anyway?" Gabby, Jackson Porter's girlfriend, muses. "For all we know, the Wake is just an even more complicated program, run by a bunch of aliens. Or God. Or both. Maybe there's an infinite number of levels. Maybe it gets rebooted every million years." The burden of existential cognizance is heavy, and will crush those who labor beneath it for long. Humans can't make much progress moving it, but we can do our best to love and open ourselves to receive love in this lifetime, be generous toward others, and prepare for whatever challenges and enhanced understanding may await in the life to come. As Agent Weber might say, that's the Game of Lives.
The Maze Runner series is probably better than the Mortality Doctrine trilogy, but both perform at a high level. The Eye of Minds is the best installment of this trilogy, but The Game of Lives scores points with its strong emotional undercurrent, which pulls on the reader's heart until the final sentence of the book. That's what lifts The Game of Lives from a moderately entertaining science fiction adventure to the ranks of meaningful literature, an experience that will linger with me for the rest of my life. Commercially successful as he is, I consider James Dashner underrated as a literary artist, probably because of the simplicity of his writing. He isn't a delicate linguist, an innovative architect of metaphor, or a mind-bending philosopher, but he works in his own intense style with unfailing acumen, and there aren't many authors I find more rewarding to read. The Mortality Doctrine is a transformative series, and even a review of this depth can't entirely express what it means to me. I'll always be grateful we have James Dashner.
December 17, 2015
I generally don't write reviews, but this was the first book that I have ever given 1* to. Granted I did not love the first two books in the series, but they were better than this. The references to "the code" and "coding" just irked me. I Loved the Maze Runner books, part of the reason I gave this series a shot, but after finishing the Rule of Thoughts about a year ago, I was very underwhelmed. I found myself cranking the read speed on my audible app to x3, just to get through it faster. Not because I was enjoying it, but because I wanted it to be over so I could move on. If you want a good Tech Thriller, read Daemon by Daniel Saurez. If you want a fun video game adventure with alot of intrigue, Ready Player One. This series just did not do it for me. Closest I have ever been to a DNF. But I'm stubborn and always finish what I start.
March 20, 2016
An ok end to the series. I wasn't too into this final installment. The concept is cool, but the story itself was pretty boring. I didn't really feel any like or dislike for any of the characters, and I skimmed and skipped at least 30% without feeling that I'd missed any of the important details. I can't remember why I gave the last two books 4 stars, because I don't remember much about them, but I'm not surprised to rate this final book so low. I had the same problem with The Maze Runner trilogy.
May 31, 2016
En realidad un 3,5.
La batalla final pone punto final a la trilogía de James Dashner "La doctrina de la mortalidad", una saga de ciencia ficción juvenil donde todo es posible. El juego infinito y Revolución fueron unas grandes lecturas llenas de adrenalina y acción, tenía muchas ganas de saber como acababa y en líneas generales el autor le ha dado un buen desenlace. Tenemos una trama que evoluciona al mismo ritmo que los personajes, que nos da una sorpresa en cada vuelta de hoja y donde habrá cientos de batallas y conflictos en los cuales Michael y compañía se jugaran la vida, una carrera contrarreloj en toda regla. Es bien cierto que tanta aventura te hace leer sin parar - y más teniendo en cuenta que es el final- pero también llega un momento donde lo ves un poco repetitivo y se retuerce la realidad, ya te esperas cualquier cosa y nada te sorprende, así que aunque me ha gustado no ha sido lo que esperaba.
Reseña completa: http://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com....
La batalla final pone punto final a la trilogía de James Dashner "La doctrina de la mortalidad", una saga de ciencia ficción juvenil donde todo es posible. El juego infinito y Revolución fueron unas grandes lecturas llenas de adrenalina y acción, tenía muchas ganas de saber como acababa y en líneas generales el autor le ha dado un buen desenlace. Tenemos una trama que evoluciona al mismo ritmo que los personajes, que nos da una sorpresa en cada vuelta de hoja y donde habrá cientos de batallas y conflictos en los cuales Michael y compañía se jugaran la vida, una carrera contrarreloj en toda regla. Es bien cierto que tanta aventura te hace leer sin parar - y más teniendo en cuenta que es el final- pero también llega un momento donde lo ves un poco repetitivo y se retuerce la realidad, ya te esperas cualquier cosa y nada te sorprende, así que aunque me ha gustado no ha sido lo que esperaba.
Reseña completa: http://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com....
January 13, 2026
Dnf at 15%
The first book was great, the second one was okay at best, this one didn’t hold my attention whatsoever.
Characters: flat, 2 dimensional, stereotypical
Plot: strung out, bland, boring
Everything else: mehhhhhhh
That’s all I have to say. Maze Runners was better 😔
The first book was great, the second one was okay at best, this one didn’t hold my attention whatsoever.
Characters: flat, 2 dimensional, stereotypical
Plot: strung out, bland, boring
Everything else: mehhhhhhh
That’s all I have to say. Maze Runners was better 😔
October 22, 2018
This was a fun series to read! If you like the Maze Runner series, you will love these books.
This was a nice conclusion and a quick read. The story was well paced and had plenty of action to keep me interested. Michael, Sarah, and Bryson are now tasked with saving every person who uses the Virtnet from having their bodies stolen by tangents. They're still battling Kane, but have a new villain as well. James Dashner's writing is so interesting and just makes you want to read the book in one sitting. I listened to the audiobooks and the narrator did a great job with subtle voice changes and making you feel like you're inside the book.
Highly recommend these books!
This was a nice conclusion and a quick read. The story was well paced and had plenty of action to keep me interested. Michael, Sarah, and Bryson are now tasked with saving every person who uses the Virtnet from having their bodies stolen by tangents. They're still battling Kane, but have a new villain as well. James Dashner's writing is so interesting and just makes you want to read the book in one sitting. I listened to the audiobooks and the narrator did a great job with subtle voice changes and making you feel like you're inside the book.
Highly recommend these books!
September 12, 2019
Final de la saga bien logrado. Lo leí hace años y cada vez que veo mis tres libro de la saga juntos, recuerdo lo bien que la pasé leyéndolos y lo atrapada que estaba.
Un cierre de saga bien logrado, con personajes en los cuales se pudo apreciar su crecimiento. Y como nos tiene acostumbrados Dashner, sus plots twits no pueden faltar nunca.
Un cierre de saga bien logrado, con personajes en los cuales se pudo apreciar su crecimiento. Y como nos tiene acostumbrados Dashner, sus plots twits no pueden faltar nunca.
May 12, 2016
¿Y quién dice qué es real y qué no lo es?.
Me encantó, me atrapó igual que las otras entregas, peeero a ese epílogo le falto un poco más, no nos puedes dejar así Jamesssssss.
Me encantó, me atrapó igual que las otras entregas, peeero a ese epílogo le falto un poco más, no nos puedes dejar así Jamesssssss.
March 12, 2020
قشنگ بود؛ اما زیادی هالیوودی و تکراری شد؛ زیاد امداد غیبی داشت؛ زیاد کش پیدا کرد
February 17, 2016
*cracks knuckles* Ok, let's do this.
This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever forced myself to read. I enjoyed the first book of the series because the plot held most of my attention, but the second book was much less exciting; I noticed more issues in that one than I did in the first simply because the plot did not hold my attention. Then, there's this third book. It took every ounce of willpower I have just to finish it, and I can't say that I'm happy I made myself do it. This book was so poorly written that I'm stuck wondering how on Earth it even got published in the first place. It's riddled with awful similes, bad prose, annoying and underdeveloped characters, and a plot that honestly just does not make sense.
Let's begin with the dialogue.
Every character sounds like that token teenager in every young adult novel nowadays that is filled to the brim with snark and wit. Michael? Snarky. Bryson? Too much snark. Sarah? Yet more snark. It got to the point that all three of them sounded the same. I can understand having one character who uses witty comebacks just to add dynamic to the dialogue, but having all three main characters use it? Way too much to handle. I think it's safe to say that this is a trope that just needs to go ahead and die.
Moving on to the horrible similes.
It seemed to me that every other page contained at least one bad simile. It's bad enough that there were a handful of similes to begin with, as they are not the tool of a good writer, but it got to the point of ridiculousness. The comparisons being made legitimately made my head hurt. "It made a sick squelching sound, like that of a knife sticking into flesh." I'm pretty sure knives don't "squelch." "The pain was like acid on a wound." It didn't hurt just like a wound, or just like acid. It had to be acid ON a wound. "He cleared his throat into the microphone and it was like thunder crackling from the giant speakers." The list goes on and on. After the first couple chapters on simile after simile I was begging for Dashner to use any other type of figure of speech: maybe a metaphor? A small hyperbole? But no, the similes won out, dominating the entire book. I was all I could do to keep from screaming every time another one popped up.
Next: the prose.
Regardless of the horrible and overused similes and annoying dialogue, this book just... was not written well. The prose hurt to read; I legitimately felt like I was reading something written by a high schooler for a creative writing assignment. The sentences didn't flow together, there were fragments EVERYWHERE, and there was no change in the types of sentences used which meant there was no excitement or dynamic while reading. Every sentence was a simple sentence. I almost forgot that compound and complex sentences existed. There were multiple times where I think Dashner forgot commas existed, because he would just list things off without using them. "They were/It was 'blank' and 'blank' and 'blank.'" I can understand listing things this way once, for effect, but using this type of listing for *every list in the book* is just bad grammar. There was even one instance where Dashner switched tenses mid-sentence, something even an amateur writer knows not to do. It was also super repetitive. Every couple paragraphs would state the same thing over and over, as if he was afraid the reader wouldn't remember that the room was dark or that Michael was acting on instinct, without thinking.
Finally, the plot.
I think it's safe to say that absolutely nothing in this book's plot made any sense. Any plot holes were covered up simply by Michael's super extraordinary ability to manipulate the code. Have to get to this place that is almost impossible to get to normally? He can manipulate the code. Need to rebuild entire levels just to survive in a decaying world? Code! Gotta beat the evil VNS leader and stop her monster from killing people? Don't worry guys, Michael just learned how to better manipulate the code, just in the nick of time. Have to rebuild my girlfriend who DIED because 1. she wouldn't listen to her parents (something that really bothered me) and 2. I wouldn't stand down from the insane guy with a gun? No problem! I've miraculously found all of her code even though it was spread out across the VirtNet in teeny tiny pieces. Other that every single problem being fixed by Michael's ridiculous coding abilities, there were a lot of other things that didn't make sense: Weber switching from someone who was basically sane to someone with multiple personality disorder, Kaine actually having a human body in the real world where he changed from this terrifying all powerful leader to a sniveling beggar who would completely walk away from everything virtual just like that, and this whole "true death" business. I'm sorry, not "true death." "THE true death." It's like THE Ohio State University; the phrase was never used without the word "the" in front of it. So many things were just there in the world, without having a good or logical explanation.
Overall, this book was boring, the characters were almost all the same, the plot holes were repeatedly filled with the same stupid fix, and the technical writing was just awful. I don't give 1* lightly, but in my opinion this book definitely deserves it.
This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever forced myself to read. I enjoyed the first book of the series because the plot held most of my attention, but the second book was much less exciting; I noticed more issues in that one than I did in the first simply because the plot did not hold my attention. Then, there's this third book. It took every ounce of willpower I have just to finish it, and I can't say that I'm happy I made myself do it. This book was so poorly written that I'm stuck wondering how on Earth it even got published in the first place. It's riddled with awful similes, bad prose, annoying and underdeveloped characters, and a plot that honestly just does not make sense.
Let's begin with the dialogue.
Every character sounds like that token teenager in every young adult novel nowadays that is filled to the brim with snark and wit. Michael? Snarky. Bryson? Too much snark. Sarah? Yet more snark. It got to the point that all three of them sounded the same. I can understand having one character who uses witty comebacks just to add dynamic to the dialogue, but having all three main characters use it? Way too much to handle. I think it's safe to say that this is a trope that just needs to go ahead and die.
Moving on to the horrible similes.
It seemed to me that every other page contained at least one bad simile. It's bad enough that there were a handful of similes to begin with, as they are not the tool of a good writer, but it got to the point of ridiculousness. The comparisons being made legitimately made my head hurt. "It made a sick squelching sound, like that of a knife sticking into flesh." I'm pretty sure knives don't "squelch." "The pain was like acid on a wound." It didn't hurt just like a wound, or just like acid. It had to be acid ON a wound. "He cleared his throat into the microphone and it was like thunder crackling from the giant speakers." The list goes on and on. After the first couple chapters on simile after simile I was begging for Dashner to use any other type of figure of speech: maybe a metaphor? A small hyperbole? But no, the similes won out, dominating the entire book. I was all I could do to keep from screaming every time another one popped up.
Next: the prose.
Regardless of the horrible and overused similes and annoying dialogue, this book just... was not written well. The prose hurt to read; I legitimately felt like I was reading something written by a high schooler for a creative writing assignment. The sentences didn't flow together, there were fragments EVERYWHERE, and there was no change in the types of sentences used which meant there was no excitement or dynamic while reading. Every sentence was a simple sentence. I almost forgot that compound and complex sentences existed. There were multiple times where I think Dashner forgot commas existed, because he would just list things off without using them. "They were/It was 'blank' and 'blank' and 'blank.'" I can understand listing things this way once, for effect, but using this type of listing for *every list in the book* is just bad grammar. There was even one instance where Dashner switched tenses mid-sentence, something even an amateur writer knows not to do. It was also super repetitive. Every couple paragraphs would state the same thing over and over, as if he was afraid the reader wouldn't remember that the room was dark or that Michael was acting on instinct, without thinking.
Finally, the plot.
I think it's safe to say that absolutely nothing in this book's plot made any sense. Any plot holes were covered up simply by Michael's super extraordinary ability to manipulate the code. Have to get to this place that is almost impossible to get to normally? He can manipulate the code. Need to rebuild entire levels just to survive in a decaying world? Code! Gotta beat the evil VNS leader and stop her monster from killing people? Don't worry guys, Michael just learned how to better manipulate the code, just in the nick of time. Have to rebuild my girlfriend who DIED because 1. she wouldn't listen to her parents (something that really bothered me) and 2. I wouldn't stand down from the insane guy with a gun? No problem! I've miraculously found all of her code even though it was spread out across the VirtNet in teeny tiny pieces. Other that every single problem being fixed by Michael's ridiculous coding abilities, there were a lot of other things that didn't make sense: Weber switching from someone who was basically sane to someone with multiple personality disorder, Kaine actually having a human body in the real world where he changed from this terrifying all powerful leader to a sniveling beggar who would completely walk away from everything virtual just like that, and this whole "true death" business. I'm sorry, not "true death." "THE true death." It's like THE Ohio State University; the phrase was never used without the word "the" in front of it. So many things were just there in the world, without having a good or logical explanation.
Overall, this book was boring, the characters were almost all the same, the plot holes were repeatedly filled with the same stupid fix, and the technical writing was just awful. I don't give 1* lightly, but in my opinion this book definitely deserves it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2017
Je me suis ennuyée tout au long de ma lecture étant donné que tout était trop prévisible...
November 25, 2015
Well, at least the author has been consistent through most of this series. I honestly don't know why I read the sequels; perhaps I thought it might get better, or Dashner would learn something about computer programming. I won't bother complaining about those issues since it's the same as previous entries. I'm not sure if I complained about the dialogue much in the first two books, but there as well as here it's clumsy and amateurish. I guess I'm still surprised when it was so much better in The Maze Runner series, including the prequel. One thing in common with that series is that, as I read, I became more and more sure that the technology and purpose of what was going on in them made no sense. In The Maze Runner series, it turns out that yes, it makes no sense, but there's actually a purpose to the fact that it makes no sense. Here, unfortunately, you don't get any solid justification at the end.
It was a little hard getting into this third entry because I had almost completely forgotten what happened in the second. I felt bad for a few moments until I realized the reason was that the scenes in The Rule of Thoughts were arbitrary and the plot didn't make sense. No wonder I couldn't remember a plot that made no sense! This one is not quite as bad, but the characters still wander through the story and have no real idea what's going on.
Towards the end, I got nostalgic for the scene in the first book where the main characters start investigating by tricking their way into a violent simulation that is supposed to be for adults only (graphic violence), and how they are psychologically affected by dying repeatedly and viciously while they keep trying to beat the game. That was a good scene. If one good scene and a great idea are enough to carry you through a trilogy, by all means give this a try.
It was a little hard getting into this third entry because I had almost completely forgotten what happened in the second. I felt bad for a few moments until I realized the reason was that the scenes in The Rule of Thoughts were arbitrary and the plot didn't make sense. No wonder I couldn't remember a plot that made no sense! This one is not quite as bad, but the characters still wander through the story and have no real idea what's going on.
Towards the end, I got nostalgic for the scene in the first book where the main characters start investigating by tricking their way into a violent simulation that is supposed to be for adults only (graphic violence), and how they are psychologically affected by dying repeatedly and viciously while they keep trying to beat the game. That was a good scene. If one good scene and a great idea are enough to carry you through a trilogy, by all means give this a try.
October 20, 2017
Pucha, lo encontré super fome y me sorprendió enormemente porque el final del segundo libro fue perfecto.
Encontré muy light el libro que se supone que tiene que cerrar todos los conflictos de los libros anteriores. Tenía plot twist más predecibles que la chucha.
Realmente no me gustó nada del libro, de lo único que estoy feliz es de terminar la trilogía y decirle chao por siempre a este autor.
Encontré muy light el libro que se supone que tiene que cerrar todos los conflictos de los libros anteriores. Tenía plot twist más predecibles que la chucha.
Realmente no me gustó nada del libro, de lo único que estoy feliz es de terminar la trilogía y decirle chao por siempre a este autor.
July 30, 2016
Review coming soon!
February 13, 2019
Un libro prettamente per ragazzi che a volta scade nel banale. Un po' noioso, un po' esaltante, sicuramente meno riuscito del ciclo di Maze Runner.
May 24, 2018
When everyone was crazy about young adult dystopian novels, I decided to jump into James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series. If the truth is to be known, it’s my least favourite of the popular young adult dystopian trilogies. I like to think I’m a pretty nice reader, in that I give authors multiple chances before I decide they are not for me. Sometimes I’m surprised and realise it’s just a single series by the author that is not for me, other times I am shown it is the author who is not for me.
James Dashner seems to fall into the latter category. As my second chance to James Dashner, I decided to grab The Mortality Doctrine trilogy – it seemed interesting enough, offering something different to The Maze Runner series – yet the first book did little to win me over. The second book also failed to win me over. This third book confirmed what I’d already come to believe – The Mortality Doctrine was less enjoyable than The Maze Runner series.
The Mortality Doctrine is a series that seems interesting enough on the surface, but once you get into it you start to realise it isn’t quite all it could be. The Eye of Minds and The Rules of Thoughts failed to suck me in, but I did see where things could have been taken further. I held out hope The Game of Lives would be the book to finally take things that little bit further, but it wasn’t to be. In fact, I wanted to be generous and round this one up to a three-star rating, yet the fact I was never as invested as I could have been made it impossible for me to do such a thing – I kept waiting, hoping, for that little bit more, and it never did arrive.
The first book, at least, had a twist to the end of it that evoked a small emotional response from me – even if it was just anger for failing to notice the twist earlier – yet this final book failed to evoke any kind of response from me. Even things that should have raised something within me failed to do so. I think, by this point, I just wanted to see how it ended – Google would have worked just as well as reading the novel, if I’m honest.
At this point, having given two Dashner series a read, it is safe to say James Dashner is not an author for me and I will not be reading more of his work in the future.
James Dashner seems to fall into the latter category. As my second chance to James Dashner, I decided to grab The Mortality Doctrine trilogy – it seemed interesting enough, offering something different to The Maze Runner series – yet the first book did little to win me over. The second book also failed to win me over. This third book confirmed what I’d already come to believe – The Mortality Doctrine was less enjoyable than The Maze Runner series.
The Mortality Doctrine is a series that seems interesting enough on the surface, but once you get into it you start to realise it isn’t quite all it could be. The Eye of Minds and The Rules of Thoughts failed to suck me in, but I did see where things could have been taken further. I held out hope The Game of Lives would be the book to finally take things that little bit further, but it wasn’t to be. In fact, I wanted to be generous and round this one up to a three-star rating, yet the fact I was never as invested as I could have been made it impossible for me to do such a thing – I kept waiting, hoping, for that little bit more, and it never did arrive.
The first book, at least, had a twist to the end of it that evoked a small emotional response from me – even if it was just anger for failing to notice the twist earlier – yet this final book failed to evoke any kind of response from me. Even things that should have raised something within me failed to do so. I think, by this point, I just wanted to see how it ended – Google would have worked just as well as reading the novel, if I’m honest.
At this point, having given two Dashner series a read, it is safe to say James Dashner is not an author for me and I will not be reading more of his work in the future.
February 24, 2021
It seems to me that Dashner can’t quite sustain a story through to the end.
In the first book, the idea feels novel enough to provide enough suspension of disbelief and forward momentum. It’s fast and exciting.
That suspension of disbelief drops off in the second book. In this particular series, by the second book, I found the “coding” terminology tedious and incredibly vague by the second book. I was tired of it and questioned whether Dashner had ever tried to code something himself. Questioning like this never behooves the author.
And by the third and final book in a Dashner series, the constant action and “twists” just feel random. The action needs to be constant to trick the reader into thinking the book is good... Unfortunately, this reader was not tricked. This book was bad.
In the first book, the idea feels novel enough to provide enough suspension of disbelief and forward momentum. It’s fast and exciting.
That suspension of disbelief drops off in the second book. In this particular series, by the second book, I found the “coding” terminology tedious and incredibly vague by the second book. I was tired of it and questioned whether Dashner had ever tried to code something himself. Questioning like this never behooves the author.
And by the third and final book in a Dashner series, the constant action and “twists” just feel random. The action needs to be constant to trick the reader into thinking the book is good... Unfortunately, this reader was not tricked. This book was bad.
January 7, 2016
This book was really good and I enjoyed it a lot! I got shocked during the middle of the book and the ending left me wondering what was going to happen next. I hope James Dashner writes a fourth book or maybe another book explaining what happened to Sarah. The ending was perfect and it was simply amazing. I don't even know to describe the ending; it was just wow..(in a good way). There were sooo many twists and turns! The book was full of action which just made me like it even more. The stakes are higher and the world is in the fate of Michael's hands (the main character). In this book, Michael doesn't even know who to trust anymore. His trust has been betrayed so many times and now he has to decide. I highly recommend this book and you should try it to see if you like it! Kaine was the bad guy in previous books and the VNS was supposedly the good guys but what you find out in the book may shock you. All 352 pages of the book sucked me in from the beginning until the end. Everything was just so interesting and exciting. I don't know how James Dashner mades these books because they are so creative and they just always shock me. Whenever I think I know something for sure, there is a surprise!
Out of 5 stars, I would give this a 5 because it exceeded my expectations of the book after reading the some of his other books(Maze Runner series) and the first and second book of this series. I hope James Dashner continues to write and create great books! The book was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to see what Dashner is planning next!
Out of 5 stars, I would give this a 5 because it exceeded my expectations of the book after reading the some of his other books(Maze Runner series) and the first and second book of this series. I hope James Dashner continues to write and create great books! The book was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to see what Dashner is planning next!
June 28, 2019
Out of the whole series, this is my favorite book. This redeemed all of the boring and made it all worth it.
...and made me cry.
Am I the only one who got Harry Potter-ish type vibes? Because in so many ways Michael reminded me of how reckless Harry was, especially in Deathly Hallows.
I. Just. Loved. This. Book.
I hope that there is another book because I NEED THAT ENDING FLESHED OUT. CAN WE SAY CLIFFHANGER?!
4.5 stars! Half a star taken away because CLIFFHANGER.
...and made me cry.
Am I the only one who got Harry Potter-ish type vibes? Because in so many ways Michael reminded me of how reckless Harry was, especially in Deathly Hallows.
I. Just. Loved. This. Book.
I hope that there is another book because I NEED THAT ENDING FLESHED OUT. CAN WE SAY CLIFFHANGER?!
4.5 stars! Half a star taken away because CLIFFHANGER.
July 22, 2025
i've read instructions on shampoo bottles with more plot twists 😔 but it gets better at the end though, because it's the ending
*minor spoiler*
*minor spoiler*
May 24, 2016
Okay so yeah... this was not the best book... To be completely honest, it was boring and slow at the beginning and the whole book just sounded weird to me, like if Dashner didn't know hat he was talking about.
Okay so let me start at the beginning with this... BTW there will be major SPOILERS, so watch out.
This book is about a guy named Michael he's a Tangent, a computer program in a realistic game that's called Lifeblood Deep. The bad guy Kaine created a program that makes Tangents get installed into a human body. Michael was downloaded into the body of Jackson Porter. Sooo to end this summary, Michael and his allies are trying to keep Kaine from downloading a part of the Tangent world into the human world, ya know? I get it if you don't understand it, because at first I didn't either. So anyways, Kaine is trying to make everyone be immortal by switching the consciousness of a Tangent and human every 50 years. The Tangent consciousness is sent for 50 years in a human body in the real world, while that human's consciousness is sent 50 years into the body of the Tangent in Lifeblood Deep. So, yeah Kaine is trying to make every human and Tangent immortal, but his only making the consciousness immortal, not the body. I forgot to mention that after a number of years a Tangent is suppose to decay, which is just another word for saying they're going to die...
Now for my opinion... the book was good but, it was also bad at the same time. And the bad rules out the good... Some of you may already know this but, I'm going to say it for the people that don't know it. James Dashner is also the author of The Maze Runner series. And I have to say that the Maze Runner series and the Mortality Doctrine are very very very very very similar. Okay so Michael is Thomas. Sarah is Teresa - minus the betrayal part. Brison is... honestly I don't know but, I know there's a character in the Maze Runner that is just like him. Just try to figure out which character in the Maze Runner series is the annoying, a smart-ass, and the third wheel.
Anyways, my main concentration point in this review will not be the flaws of the characters and their personalities (in my opinion) but, the complete similarities between the 2 series this author has created for us... and all the cliches in this book that connect to other books, *cough* *cough* Maze Runner, and movies. I will not be specific on the movies I will be talking about or the parts in the Maze runner and other books. I will be completely relying on memory... Well, lets get this going! Memory do not fail me now!!!
The good guy and his friends are trying to stop the bad guy/s from curing death or a disease that eventually leads to death. The Teresa character (Sarah) dies. Michael and Thomas are both geniuses. They both have a partner/s that is/are really smart (Thomas/Teresa. Michael/Sarah/Brison).
Everything in this book is just like the Maze Runner! The plot and the characters! Dashner is trying to hide the total similarity between the two series by adding some technology mumbo jumbo, that takes at least the whole first book to understand, and changing the names! But okay... I'm kind of exaggerating with the "Everything in this book is just like the Maze Runner!" But the books are really alike.
And oh god the cliches!!! I didn't guess the content but still! When I actually got to the cliches it was like BANG!!!!, 20 pages full of cliches! No, no, no, no, not very good. Not original. I'll give you some examples:
" Yeah," Bryson added. "There's one of him, three of us. Page 309
Figures began to step out from behind Kaine's beast, as if a trapdoor had opened and released his minions. Page 311
Okay, you read this right? The classic, "Oh, there's only one of him and three (or any other number that's more than one) of us. There's no way this person can conjure more people or monsters from fucking limbo." Then the bad guy or good guy makes more people or monsters appear from fucking limbo! "Oh shit! I DID NOT see this coming or thought that if I said that 'there's one of him and three us' people will come out fucking no where!'"
Yeah people, we've seen this a hundred million times and some TV shows, movies and stuff make it work 'cause they add their own original flare to it. Unfortunately, that did not sound original at all...
Okay more examples:
"Sarah," he whispered. "Sarah." He'd sworn to die with her in his mind.
Kaine brought up his newly clawed finger, making sure Michael saw it.
"I do this for the future of intelligence," he pronounced. "For the next step in evolution." He reached for Michael, who had no power to resist.
And then, as had so often happened in Michael's life, things changed in an instant.
There was an eruption of noise and a searing wind of heat, and Kaine's body catapulted into the air, disappearing in the distance. Page 314-315
Two cliches here: The bad guy that knows a lot about science doing some evil thing and those exact same words of, "I'm doing this for the future of intelligence. The next step in evolution," and at the last minute when the protagonist has given up and is ready to be killed by the bad guy... and BANG!!! An ally of the protagonist comes and saves him at the last minute... Cliche...
Last example I'll give:
Last but and not least was Bryson. They hugged, doing the requisite pounding of the backs to make it macho.
"I love you, man," Bryson whispered in his ear. Michael barked out a laugh, but then Bryson squeezed him tighter. "No, I'm serious. I love you. You're the best friend any person could ever ask for. The bravest, the craziest, the funniest, the best. You're my best friend, always have been, always will be. And I'm going to visit your butt every single day."
He pulled away and turned, went toward the door.
"Bryson!" Michael called.
Bryson just waved without looking, then walked through the door. It'd been abrupt, but Michael understood. It had been the perfect goodbye.
And so that was that.
Tears stinging his eyes, he went over to the open Coffin and lay down.
Yep, that goodbye between the best friends at the end of a movie, when they're trying to make the goodbye seem manly but at the end is sentimental. And of course the tears at the end... Cliche...
But that part made me laugh a little because when Bryson said I love you my reaction was like, "Holy crap! He's gay! Whoah! Unexpected!" But, yeah in the end I kind of noticed that he was saying I love you as a friend not as I-like-you-I-want-to-date-and-marry-you-and-have-a-family-with-you-and-die-old-together...
Okay I said A LOT about the negative of the book. And now for the positive, which is not going to be as big as the negative:
Some parts were funny just like the one I mentioned above. And the action towards the end of the book was boring but not as boring as the whole book in general...
Okay now, should you read this book? This series? Well honestly, I think that if you read the Maze Runner you're reading the Mortality Doctrine just with a lot more terminology about technology...
Sooo don't read this series if you read the Maze Runner, if you didn't read the Maze Runner then read this series, and if you read the Maze Runner and still want to read this series, go right ahead. But, there will be major cliches...
Okay so let me start at the beginning with this... BTW there will be major SPOILERS, so watch out.
This book is about a guy named Michael he's a Tangent, a computer program in a realistic game that's called Lifeblood Deep. The bad guy Kaine created a program that makes Tangents get installed into a human body. Michael was downloaded into the body of Jackson Porter. Sooo to end this summary, Michael and his allies are trying to keep Kaine from downloading a part of the Tangent world into the human world, ya know? I get it if you don't understand it, because at first I didn't either. So anyways, Kaine is trying to make everyone be immortal by switching the consciousness of a Tangent and human every 50 years. The Tangent consciousness is sent for 50 years in a human body in the real world, while that human's consciousness is sent 50 years into the body of the Tangent in Lifeblood Deep. So, yeah Kaine is trying to make every human and Tangent immortal, but his only making the consciousness immortal, not the body. I forgot to mention that after a number of years a Tangent is suppose to decay, which is just another word for saying they're going to die...
Now for my opinion... the book was good but, it was also bad at the same time. And the bad rules out the good... Some of you may already know this but, I'm going to say it for the people that don't know it. James Dashner is also the author of The Maze Runner series. And I have to say that the Maze Runner series and the Mortality Doctrine are very very very very very similar. Okay so Michael is Thomas. Sarah is Teresa - minus the betrayal part. Brison is... honestly I don't know but, I know there's a character in the Maze Runner that is just like him. Just try to figure out which character in the Maze Runner series is the annoying, a smart-ass, and the third wheel.
Anyways, my main concentration point in this review will not be the flaws of the characters and their personalities (in my opinion) but, the complete similarities between the 2 series this author has created for us... and all the cliches in this book that connect to other books, *cough* *cough* Maze Runner, and movies. I will not be specific on the movies I will be talking about or the parts in the Maze runner and other books. I will be completely relying on memory... Well, lets get this going! Memory do not fail me now!!!
The good guy and his friends are trying to stop the bad guy/s from curing death or a disease that eventually leads to death. The Teresa character (Sarah) dies. Michael and Thomas are both geniuses. They both have a partner/s that is/are really smart (Thomas/Teresa. Michael/Sarah/Brison).
Everything in this book is just like the Maze Runner! The plot and the characters! Dashner is trying to hide the total similarity between the two series by adding some technology mumbo jumbo, that takes at least the whole first book to understand, and changing the names! But okay... I'm kind of exaggerating with the "Everything in this book is just like the Maze Runner!" But the books are really alike.
And oh god the cliches!!! I didn't guess the content but still! When I actually got to the cliches it was like BANG!!!!, 20 pages full of cliches! No, no, no, no, not very good. Not original. I'll give you some examples:
" Yeah," Bryson added. "There's one of him, three of us. Page 309
Figures began to step out from behind Kaine's beast, as if a trapdoor had opened and released his minions. Page 311
Okay, you read this right? The classic, "Oh, there's only one of him and three (or any other number that's more than one) of us. There's no way this person can conjure more people or monsters from fucking limbo." Then the bad guy or good guy makes more people or monsters appear from fucking limbo! "Oh shit! I DID NOT see this coming or thought that if I said that 'there's one of him and three us' people will come out fucking no where!'"
Yeah people, we've seen this a hundred million times and some TV shows, movies and stuff make it work 'cause they add their own original flare to it. Unfortunately, that did not sound original at all...
Okay more examples:
"Sarah," he whispered. "Sarah." He'd sworn to die with her in his mind.
Kaine brought up his newly clawed finger, making sure Michael saw it.
"I do this for the future of intelligence," he pronounced. "For the next step in evolution." He reached for Michael, who had no power to resist.
And then, as had so often happened in Michael's life, things changed in an instant.
There was an eruption of noise and a searing wind of heat, and Kaine's body catapulted into the air, disappearing in the distance. Page 314-315
Two cliches here: The bad guy that knows a lot about science doing some evil thing and those exact same words of, "I'm doing this for the future of intelligence. The next step in evolution," and at the last minute when the protagonist has given up and is ready to be killed by the bad guy... and BANG!!! An ally of the protagonist comes and saves him at the last minute... Cliche...
Last example I'll give:
Last but and not least was Bryson. They hugged, doing the requisite pounding of the backs to make it macho.
"I love you, man," Bryson whispered in his ear. Michael barked out a laugh, but then Bryson squeezed him tighter. "No, I'm serious. I love you. You're the best friend any person could ever ask for. The bravest, the craziest, the funniest, the best. You're my best friend, always have been, always will be. And I'm going to visit your butt every single day."
He pulled away and turned, went toward the door.
"Bryson!" Michael called.
Bryson just waved without looking, then walked through the door. It'd been abrupt, but Michael understood. It had been the perfect goodbye.
And so that was that.
Tears stinging his eyes, he went over to the open Coffin and lay down.
Yep, that goodbye between the best friends at the end of a movie, when they're trying to make the goodbye seem manly but at the end is sentimental. And of course the tears at the end... Cliche...
But that part made me laugh a little because when Bryson said I love you my reaction was like, "Holy crap! He's gay! Whoah! Unexpected!" But, yeah in the end I kind of noticed that he was saying I love you as a friend not as I-like-you-I-want-to-date-and-marry-you-and-have-a-family-with-you-and-die-old-together...
Okay I said A LOT about the negative of the book. And now for the positive, which is not going to be as big as the negative:
Some parts were funny just like the one I mentioned above. And the action towards the end of the book was boring but not as boring as the whole book in general...
Okay now, should you read this book? This series? Well honestly, I think that if you read the Maze Runner you're reading the Mortality Doctrine just with a lot more terminology about technology...
Sooo don't read this series if you read the Maze Runner, if you didn't read the Maze Runner then read this series, and if you read the Maze Runner and still want to read this series, go right ahead. But, there will be major cliches...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2025
I had such high hopes, I truly wanted to enjoy this. Even as I neared the end of the book, I held my breath in anticipation.
This book just fell flat.
Pros:
1) Fast-paced and exciting
I felt I was constantly in the middle of an important plot point. Something was always going on. I've saw many comments that this book was boring, which I don't quite understand. To me, there was hardly a moment to just breathe and put the book down for the night. I just wanted to find out what happened next! From what I gathered from other reviews, the constant pacing made this book very skimmable and boring, which I can understand.
2) The writing style appealed to me
I didn't mind the language and constant use of similes. In fact, I didn't really notice them. I'm usually attentive to overly flowery language and obnoxious figures of speech. Either I'm out of practice, or I'm the right audience for Dashner's writing style. Regardless, that didn't bother me like it did other reviewers.
3) Themes that intrigued me
This book questioned incredibly complex ideas, such as what it means to be human, how to deal with grief, self-sacrifice, who to trust, and our understanding of reality as we know it. The clear imagery of the VirtNet, the mystery behind what was going on, who to trust, and how on earth this mess would be resolved, kept me reading.
This book specifically tackled the idea of trust well. We see Michael, who is young and just wants to do the right thing, being pulled left and right, manipulated, and used. We also see him grieve, but we see how his decisions and motivations are changed as he comes to terms with his loss. Seeing how he dealt with that through the chaos he fought through was interesting. I'm the wrong person to say if it was handled well or not, I luckily haven't been in a similar situation. From my perspective, it was enjoyable and touching.
Cons:
1) The pace was constant.
Arguably, it was exhausting. That alone isn't a con, but the constant turn of events didn't serve any purpose in the end. When looking at the plot in context, I'm left wondering, what was it all for? Much of the plot didn't contribute much to the ending.
The ending was also quite lackluster. The climax seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. The solutions were unsatisfying in that they weren't entirely shown and were not particularly climactic. I didn't realize I was at the climax until the book's action abruptly ended.
2) Poorly-explored themes
In the end, the themes I aforementioned weren't explored well. The questions were posed, and didn't really go anywhere. We compromised it for plot. I distinctly remember Michael brushing Helga off when she questioned what would happen to the tangents once they destroyed the Mortality Doctrine. He essentially said he didn't want to talk about it. That was the end of that.
I have to be honest, I was unable to re-read the first two books before diving into this one, so I acknowledge I could be wrong if the entirety of the series tackles its themes well or not. This book, alone, doesn't. From what I remember, the second book focuses more on coming to terms with being a tangent and not human. Even so, it was not done to my satisfaction, which is why I'm disappointed.
I wrote I was satisfied with Michael's arc understanding grief, but here's the thing, it doesn't seem to matter in the end. "There's still hope".
3) Lack of character development
Where was the character development in anyone else but Michael? He's the only character that seemed to have an arc. In addition, I didn't feel a connection to any other character.
4a. So many unanswered questions
This is the biggest issue I had with this book. It created so many plot devices and failed to explain most of them.
For instance, why Helga? Did I miss something? How did this this lady, known best for raising Michael and cooking him breakfast, become this badass leader with her own army? Cool, but how? Why? How'd she figure everything out on her own? I swear I missed something crucial, so if anyone wants to enlighten me, please do.
What was Agent Webber's big plan at the end? I don't think that was properly explained, either.
Why was Agent Webber losing her mind and acting like a psychopath all of a sudden? I was so lost.
Things happen, and we hope we find out why. If we do is another thing altogether.
4b. Michael doesn't know what's going on. Ever
I understand this is part of the plot, that he's being strung along, and it drives him insane. I respect that. But at some point, things need to be explained to us. We know was much as Michael, but even Michael doesn't know why Michael is doing things half the time. It isn't even explained at the end. Nothing is tied up.
5. The VNS's motivations were not strong.
Perhaps I would understand more if I re-read the second book, but from everything I remember and everything I just read, their motivations hardly made sense to me.
My overall thoughts
I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I waited for it to be released, finally found the time to read it, and was left disappointed. I loved the first book! I loved it so much, I recommended it to everyone who would listen. It truly spoke to me, but the execution of the series as a whole, was unsatisfying. This book, in particular, was unsatisfying. I hate to say it, but it was a weak conclusion to such a great beginning.
I wouldn't say to avoid this book altogether. I enjoyed the world Dashner built. I'm no expert in world-building, but it was sure fun and enjoyable to read about. If you like virtual worlds, enjoy Dashner's writing style, fast-paced stories, aren't too caught up with the storyline, and don't nitpick any details, you may find this book enjoyable. I realize that doesn't sound like an endorsement, but I do think it has an audience. It obviously does. There's plenty of people who liked this series, and I'm truly happy for them. I wish I did too.
I encourage responses. Change my mind! I wanted to love this book, and if you can explain any of the above questions, I'd really appreciate it. I missed something, I swear it. I hope I did, because this series held a spot in my heart for a long time. Phew, I needed this rant.
This book just fell flat.
Pros:
1) Fast-paced and exciting
I felt I was constantly in the middle of an important plot point. Something was always going on. I've saw many comments that this book was boring, which I don't quite understand. To me, there was hardly a moment to just breathe and put the book down for the night. I just wanted to find out what happened next! From what I gathered from other reviews, the constant pacing made this book very skimmable and boring, which I can understand.
2) The writing style appealed to me
I didn't mind the language and constant use of similes. In fact, I didn't really notice them. I'm usually attentive to overly flowery language and obnoxious figures of speech. Either I'm out of practice, or I'm the right audience for Dashner's writing style. Regardless, that didn't bother me like it did other reviewers.
3) Themes that intrigued me
This book questioned incredibly complex ideas, such as what it means to be human, how to deal with grief, self-sacrifice, who to trust, and our understanding of reality as we know it. The clear imagery of the VirtNet, the mystery behind what was going on, who to trust, and how on earth this mess would be resolved, kept me reading.
This book specifically tackled the idea of trust well. We see Michael, who is young and just wants to do the right thing, being pulled left and right, manipulated, and used. We also see him grieve, but we see how his decisions and motivations are changed as he comes to terms with his loss. Seeing how he dealt with that through the chaos he fought through was interesting. I'm the wrong person to say if it was handled well or not, I luckily haven't been in a similar situation. From my perspective, it was enjoyable and touching.
Cons:
1) The pace was constant.
Arguably, it was exhausting. That alone isn't a con, but the constant turn of events didn't serve any purpose in the end. When looking at the plot in context, I'm left wondering, what was it all for? Much of the plot didn't contribute much to the ending.
The ending was also quite lackluster. The climax seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. The solutions were unsatisfying in that they weren't entirely shown and were not particularly climactic. I didn't realize I was at the climax until the book's action abruptly ended.
2) Poorly-explored themes
In the end, the themes I aforementioned weren't explored well. The questions were posed, and didn't really go anywhere. We compromised it for plot. I distinctly remember Michael brushing Helga off when she questioned what would happen to the tangents once they destroyed the Mortality Doctrine. He essentially said he didn't want to talk about it. That was the end of that.
I have to be honest, I was unable to re-read the first two books before diving into this one, so I acknowledge I could be wrong if the entirety of the series tackles its themes well or not. This book, alone, doesn't. From what I remember, the second book focuses more on coming to terms with being a tangent and not human. Even so, it was not done to my satisfaction, which is why I'm disappointed.
I wrote I was satisfied with Michael's arc understanding grief, but here's the thing, it doesn't seem to matter in the end. "There's still hope".
3) Lack of character development
Where was the character development in anyone else but Michael? He's the only character that seemed to have an arc. In addition, I didn't feel a connection to any other character.
4a. So many unanswered questions
This is the biggest issue I had with this book. It created so many plot devices and failed to explain most of them.
For instance, why Helga? Did I miss something? How did this this lady, known best for raising Michael and cooking him breakfast, become this badass leader with her own army? Cool, but how? Why? How'd she figure everything out on her own? I swear I missed something crucial, so if anyone wants to enlighten me, please do.
What was Agent Webber's big plan at the end? I don't think that was properly explained, either.
Why was Agent Webber losing her mind and acting like a psychopath all of a sudden? I was so lost.
Things happen, and we hope we find out why. If we do is another thing altogether.
4b. Michael doesn't know what's going on. Ever
I understand this is part of the plot, that he's being strung along, and it drives him insane. I respect that. But at some point, things need to be explained to us. We know was much as Michael, but even Michael doesn't know why Michael is doing things half the time. It isn't even explained at the end. Nothing is tied up.
5. The VNS's motivations were not strong.
Perhaps I would understand more if I re-read the second book, but from everything I remember and everything I just read, their motivations hardly made sense to me.
My overall thoughts
I truly wanted to enjoy this book. I waited for it to be released, finally found the time to read it, and was left disappointed. I loved the first book! I loved it so much, I recommended it to everyone who would listen. It truly spoke to me, but the execution of the series as a whole, was unsatisfying. This book, in particular, was unsatisfying. I hate to say it, but it was a weak conclusion to such a great beginning.
I wouldn't say to avoid this book altogether. I enjoyed the world Dashner built. I'm no expert in world-building, but it was sure fun and enjoyable to read about. If you like virtual worlds, enjoy Dashner's writing style, fast-paced stories, aren't too caught up with the storyline, and don't nitpick any details, you may find this book enjoyable. I realize that doesn't sound like an endorsement, but I do think it has an audience. It obviously does. There's plenty of people who liked this series, and I'm truly happy for them. I wish I did too.
I encourage responses. Change my mind! I wanted to love this book, and if you can explain any of the above questions, I'd really appreciate it. I missed something, I swear it. I hope I did, because this series held a spot in my heart for a long time. Phew, I needed this rant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2020
Auch der letzte Band reiht sich ganz gut in die Trilogie ein, er war nicht wesentlich schlechter als die anderen beiden, es hat sich zwar an einigen Stellen für mich etwas gezogen, aber das Ende konnte es wieder rausholen. Deshalb auch 3.5/5 für Band 3.
Die ganze Trilogie erhält von mir ebenfalls 3.5/5, weil es einfach nicht meine Thematik war, mich die Geschichte nicht wirklich mitgenommen hat, obwohl ich es eigentlich ganz interessant fand. Die Charaktere waren nicht großartig nervig, aber auch nicht herausragend. Der Schreibstil von James Dashner ist nach wie vor herausragend, weshalb ich ich immer gut voran kam.
Die ganze Trilogie erhält von mir ebenfalls 3.5/5, weil es einfach nicht meine Thematik war, mich die Geschichte nicht wirklich mitgenommen hat, obwohl ich es eigentlich ganz interessant fand. Die Charaktere waren nicht großartig nervig, aber auch nicht herausragend. Der Schreibstil von James Dashner ist nach wie vor herausragend, weshalb ich ich immer gut voran kam.
August 21, 2017
3.5/5 stars
This one definitely wasn't as good as the first two books in the series but I do think this series was much better than The Maze Runner.
This book got to be a little confusing at times because there was a lot more talk of coding and the likes than in the other books and it was more complex talk about that stuff. It was more fun when they were going through a virtual world and battling stuff, etc.
I still enjoyed the series though!
Overall series rating: 4/5
This one definitely wasn't as good as the first two books in the series but I do think this series was much better than The Maze Runner.
This book got to be a little confusing at times because there was a lot more talk of coding and the likes than in the other books and it was more complex talk about that stuff. It was more fun when they were going through a virtual world and battling stuff, etc.
I still enjoyed the series though!
Overall series rating: 4/5
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