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The Maze Runner

(The Maze Runner #1)

James Dashner (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 1,266,744 ratings · 59,801 reviews

There are alternate cover editions for this ASIN here and here.

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing ...more

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Hardcover, First Edition, 384 pages

Published October 6th 2009 by Delacorte Press

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Average rating 4.04 ·

Rating details

· 1,266,744 ratings · 59,801 reviews

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Mar 04, 2010 Izzy rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: tween boys

Shelves: ya, wanted-to-like-it

This book was recommended for fans of the Hunger Games series, a series that has become one of my favorites. I began The Maze Runner excitedly, hoping for an equally enjoyable, dystopian adventure. I didn't find it.

The plot was intriguing and kept me reading; in fact, it was probably the only reason why I kept reading. Some writers are able to seamlessly integrate characterization and good writing with a fast-moving plot; James Dashner is not one of them. The pacing is strange, and Dashner's use ...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: those who look for a mediocre sci-fi/dystopia kind of read

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: ya, 2010, why-the-hype, dystopias-post-apocalyptic

This book would have been great IF:

1) the characters had some personality

2) the main character - Thomas - weren't such a Gary Stu and showed some character development and growth instead of conveniently "remembering" important information to advance the plot

3) the book weren't filled with atrocious made-up slang - "shuck-face," really, is this supposed to be cool?

4) the villains - Grievers - were actually scary or dangerous

5) the maze had some kind of mystery about it and not limited to moving w ...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Joe rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, borrowed-library, dystopia

You know how sometimes you're running really fast from a horrible creature and, in a moment of panic, you turn around to see how close it is only to run straight into a brick wall?

No?

I don't know what that's like either.

But that inattention to detail would probably totally screw you over because a.) now you're knocked unconscious and b.) the creature is going to devour you. Good job.

I guess this is kind of like Lot's wife looking back on Sodom only to be turned into a pillar of salt.

And it is ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 NickReads rated it really liked it

Okay so before I start I want to say something.I personally hesitated to read this book because I heard too many bad reviews and things about this book.But let me tell you something.Yeah it has it's problems like the written style but this book has one of the best story plots I have ever read about.And believe,once you get into the book,you will not care about the writing or anything else.I am seriously so angry I haven't read this book early and even more for listening or reading those reall

...more

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Dec 26, 2017 Miranda Reads rated it it was ok

Shelves: audiobook

Latest BookTube Video is up - a totally serious take on writing Young Adult Lit!

Here's the Written Review!

To Summarize: Wellllll...that was convenient...

Thomas wakes up in the middle of a glen in the center a enormous maze. He (along with all of the other guys in there) have no memory of life outside of the maze.

Absolutely blank slates the lot of them...wellll....mostly.

Their entire lives were conveniently erased just enough so they'd have language, motor skills and just enough memory to ...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Meredith Holley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of the ending of LOST

Shelves: slaves, punching-tour, utopia-dystopia, young-adult, reviewed, monsters, audio

Q: if you could edit this book, what would you take out?
A: the words.

. . .

Have you ever had an eight-year-old kid try to describe to you winning a level of a video game? Have you ever had a middle-aged man try to describe to you completing the games section of the New York Times? Did those experiences involve multiple conversations like this:

“What is the maze?”
“Stop asking so many questions!”

I have to say that this book was more boring than having someone tell you in painful detail about winnin ...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia-utopia, 2011, sci-fi

“You are the shuckiest shuck faced shuck in the world!”

2 1/2 stars.

It's funny how just a few years can change everything - your reading tastes, your expectations, your standards... because when I read The Maze Runner in early 2011, I enjoyed it a lot. It seemed fast-paced, exciting and a little scary. Plus, I thought the slang was a nice touch.

Three years and a million dystopian/sci-fi books later and everything about me has outgrown this book. It's not terrible. I can still see wh ...more

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Dec 30, 2014 Nataliya rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2014-reads

The last page is turned and all I have to say is this: What for the love of all that's good and pure was this foolishness?

...Aaaaand ..... rant!
-----
When I'm sick - the snotty phlegmy febrile kind of sick - and my brain feels sizzlingly fried, I sometimes turn to easy reading "fluff" to give my neurons a break. Sometimes this strategy backfires and the 'fluffy' book actually tries to break my long-suffering brain cells with its sheer stupidity.

It's not even mediocre; mediocrity would be elev ...more

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Sep 10, 2018 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”Sweat drenched his hair, his hands, his clothes, everything. A fear he had never known filled him to the point of insanity.”

Truth be told, I’ve been waiting to read this book for ages! I don’t even know when the first movie came out, but I think it must have been around 2014 or something like that. Anyway, because I didn’t know better back then I just went to the movies and watched the film only to find out that it’s based on a trilogy that was written by James Dashner. Of course I was very int ...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Cara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who don't mind their brain getting twisted

Shelves: series, male-protagonist, science-fiction, books-made-into-movies, 2011, e-book

Reading this book + No sleep= brain shock . Oh more like my brain was blown into freaking little bits. I kept thinking about it after I was done. I finished it into the late hours of the night and I kept circling in my head what was going to happen next. The point is moot but I am definitely going to read the sequel The Scorch Trials.

From the start as the reader we have NO idea what is happening. All Thomas can remember is his name. Not where he came from or any specific details of his life. Reading this book + No sleep= brain shock . Oh more like my brain was blown into freaking little bits. I kept thinking about it after I was done. I finished it into the late hours of the night and I kept circling in my head what was going to happen next. The point is moot but I am definitely going to read the sequel The Scorch Trials.

From the start as the reader we have NO idea what is happening. All Thomas can remember is his name. Not where he came from or any specific details of his life. Neither do any of the other Gladers who he meets in the beginning of the book. The place is filled with boys whose sole purpose is to try to get out of this place by solving the maze. They haven't had any luck in two years, but that may all change with Thomas's arrival. Strange things start to happen, and people are pointing fingers at Thomas. Will he be the one to get them out, or the boy who will bring them down?

At first I was having a hard time getting into this book. Nobody wants to answer Thomas's questions, and I got just as frustrated as he did. I actually still don't completely understand why they didn't want to answer all his questions right away. The plot does pick up speed though and you get to meet Newt, Chuck, Minho, and Alby (all important characters in their own right). The world building is good because I got the creeps just thinking about the grievers, and I can feel the desperation but at the same time the camaraderie the guys have with each other. There is also a unique language setup that was a tad-bit confusing at first but you pick it up as Thomas does. The ending certainly is gonna give the series a big shakeup. I really want to see what Dashner has up his sleeve this time.

I read this because of the good reception it was getting, but also because of a display at Barnes & Nobles. They had all these books that were hugely popular within the young adult realm and I had read all of them except, you guessed it, this one. I couldn't have any of that!

Added later: Great news guys, there are making this into a movie! Here is a link to the little info that is out about the movie. Basically nothing but hopefully in the coming months that will change!

Okay the trailer is out! I am officially excited guys. ...more

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Jun 12, 2012 jessica rated it it was amazing

lord of the flies. the hunger games. the maze runner.

these books gave me life when i was a teenager. i was OBSESSED with high-stakes survival stories, especially with a dystopian atmosphere. and while this is a rare case where i think the film is better than the book, this story is just sooo good.

firstly, can we take a moment to appreciate a lead male protagonist?! while its becoming a more frequent occurrence in recent YA lit, it felt quite uncommon a decade ago. and i adore thomas. he is the ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 21th-century, adventure, mystery, united-states, science, young-adult

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1), James Dashner

The Maze Runner is a series of young adult dystopian science fiction novels written by American author James Dashner.

The series consists of The Maze Runner (2009), The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011), as well as two prequel novels, The Kill Order (2012) and The Fever Code (2016), and a companion book titled The Maze Runner Files (2013).

The Maze Runner is the first book in the series and was released on October 6, 2009.

A group of tee ...more

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May 28, 2010 Nic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, young-adult, 2010

I've just finished and all I can say is holy shuck! This book is awesome!

I was a little bit scared when I started this book that I wasn't going to like it as it is my first real dystopia/sci-fi book I've read. After about 110 pages it got to the point where I couldn't put it down for anything even while eating dinner I had it one hand and when bedtime came I wanted to stay up all night and read it.

The plot was fast paced, suspenseful and full of suprises. The twists and turns this book took sho ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Era ➴ rated it did not like it

Shelves: problematic-authors, will-never-read, zero-stars

The author of The Maze Runner was charged with sexual harassment. This has been a PSA.

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Apr 06, 2011 Wendy Darling marked it as dnf

Shelves: read-2011, dystopian-post-apocalyptic-utopian, skimmed-or-unfinished, young-adult, male-ya-author, male-pov

A premise full of promise, but after 150 pages, how can there still be no answers? Deliberately withholding information becomes frustrating not only for the protagonist, but for the reader as well. The fact that Thomas does not demand more answers from his fellow captives makes it difficult to sympathize with or care what happens to him. The spoilers for the book make it sound intriguing, but I can't wade through another 200 pages before it gets to the point.

Aside from a few physical difference ...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Heather rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010

At first I was a bit put out with this book. I don’t know what it is about male authors, but they can be down right infuriating. Men truly do think on a different wave length and speak another language than women. I was becoming rather frustrated with the lack of information being given, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to endure that sort of aggravation for 300 plus pages. Luckily around page 60 or so, Dashner hit his stride and I became enthralled with this story.

It’s so difficult to write a At first I was a bit put out with this book. I don’t know what it is about male authors, but they can be down right infuriating. Men truly do think on a different wave length and speak another language than women. I was becoming rather frustrated with the lack of information being given, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to endure that sort of aggravation for 300 plus pages. Luckily around page 60 or so, Dashner hit his stride and I became enthralled with this story.

It’s so difficult to write a review that divulges information about the plot without simultaneously giving the plot away. Dashner mastered the art of dolling out need to know information in spades while maintaining an air of mystery that keeps you immersed in the story, craving for more.

The Maze Runner begins with Thomas finding himself memory-less, surrounded by teenage boys of varying ages, in a strange place called the Glade. Thomas immediately begins asking questions, attempting to get his bearings, though answers aren’t forth coming, and the Gladers are none to helpful. Nonetheless, life doesn’t seem too shabby in the Glade. There is a homestead, crops, barns filled with livestock, the sun always shines, and various supplies appear in “the box” each week upon request. There even appears to be order within the Glade, though it is filled with nothing but testosterone fueled teenage boys. There appears to be only a handful of rules, 1. Never threaten your fellow Gladers, 2. Everyone must pull their weight, 3. No one is allowed in the Maze aside from runners, 4. No one is allowed in the Maze after dark. Though the rules are rather self-explanatory, their necessity becomes all to clear once Thomas is allowed to know what lurks behind the stone walls protecting the Glade. While no one knows how they came to arrive in the Glade, why they were sent, or who sent them, they all strive towards a common goal, solving the Maze and leaving the Glade. But once the first ever girl arrives into the Glade, a trigger is pulled, and the stakes for survival are raised.

Despite the fact that I didn’t have an emotional reaction (crying when it was clear that I was meant to), I couldn’t set this book down. I wasn’t scared for any of the characters, my heart didn’t race, but I desperately wanted to solve the freakin mystery. Luckily, there is a conclusion of sorts; however, this is clearly a series as you gain new information that tickles your intrigue before coming to a major halt. Grr. So like all the other suckers, I’m sure I’ll be reading the sequel.
...more

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Mar 06, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Trying to escape in one of the more average stereotypical fanfiction teenage dystopian young adult nightmare battle royal hunger game mix up clones.

I read pretty much children´s books and YA, especially with a focus on fresh, funny, and unconventional writing styles, but I don´t get the hype around this one, it has just nothing, no complex plots, interesting characters, nothing. It´s always a bad sign if I am losing my focus because it´s boring, implausible, or redundant, which happened several Trying to escape in one of the more average stereotypical fanfiction teenage dystopian young adult nightmare battle royal hunger game mix up clones.

I read pretty much children´s books and YA, especially with a focus on fresh, funny, and unconventional writing styles, but I don´t get the hype around this one, it has just nothing, no complex plots, interesting characters, nothing. It´s always a bad sign if I am losing my focus because it´s boring, implausible, or redundant, which happened several times while reading, but younger readers with fewer airs and graces and not having read the much better other works of the genre, might find it entertaining.

In contrast, Rick Riordan is ingenious, he transports more info and gives more edutainment that stays in mind about mythology than the whole Western education system and mixes it up with puns without end and innuendos about the current state of the planet.

Eoin Colfer is one of the most underrated, profound, and best writers in this genre, transporting complicated and difficult topics to kids and teens in an amazing manner.

Others write perfect popcorn blockbusters without deeper meanings, just finetuned and polished until perfection.

But Dashner? It´s not so bad, but it feels so puzzled together, using stereotypical characters, no dynamic settings and plotlines and just left me with an average meh, nothing new on planet maze, feeling. It´s highly possible that I just don´t like the writing style in general too, but the fact that the ratings don´t skyrocket after the first part (that is often more exhausting to read because of the establishment and introduction of setting and characters and is therefore punished in the ratings if not executed perfectly), but falls instead to 3,7 to 3,8, speaks for an average one hit wonder.

Because of the sheer amount of similar, much better literature I would suggest just reading the first part (and the fifth one although I haven´t read it, as the ratings seem to speak of an improvement to 4,1 and yes, I am very into collective rating intelligence if it´s a genre one likes (and not strange people going crazy by reading genres they don´t get cozy with or don´t like and punishing the writers with bad ratings) ) or choosing one of the other, amazing series.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... ...more

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Mar 20, 2014 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it it was ok

Shelves: end-of-the-world, liburry-book, read-2015

Thomas comes to the maze in a box, he has no memories of anything other than his name. He learns that he is the "GreenBean" or the newest boy to arrive. They get arrivals once a month.

There's a ton of questions about how he got there and why there is a maze that has walls that move every night.

Then there are the Grievers. Which for the life of me I could not find scary. A machine-like slug? Pour some salt on that fucker.

The next day a girl arrives.

It throws the boys into an uproar. ...more

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Mar 17, 2016 Charlotte May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: end-of-the-world, dystopia, ya, favourites

“How could anyone be evil enough to do this to us?”

Just as awesome the second time round!
Thomas wakes up in the Glade with no memory of who he is or his past. He is surrounded by boys all just like him, no idea why they are there, some have been there as long as 2 years.

They all keep the Glade running, they grow food, raise livestock and perhaps the most important job - the runners. The runners go out everyday exploring the giant maze surrounding the Glade, attempting to find an escape. Every ...more

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Dec 09, 2018 Zainab rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-series

You know how when people are sad they listen to sad music? I on the other hand read a whole ass sad book. The 'sadness', funnily enough, was the result of watching The Death Cure a thousand times and not getting over you-know-what.
You guys were right though. It was wayy different than the movie (not that I'm complaining or anything I love the movie) Gally's character, the whole maze and everything was much more explicit.
I love Newt so much man. He deserves all the happiness in the world. He's li ...more

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Nov 10, 2020 Mrinmayi marked it as stay-away-from-this-author

NOTE: This is not me imposing my thoughts on anyone. I am NOT judging anyone for reading this book or wanting to support this author. I've got a problem with the author, NOT the reader. This review is for people who take these things into account. Personally, I don't want to support this author. But I'm not forcing others to do the same thing. This is your choice. I just wanted to get this out. Cause someone else did the same thing, and I'm happy about it. I was able to cancel my order for this ...more

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Sep 02, 2014 Claudia Ramírez rated it really liked it

Shelves: exceeded-expectations, 2014

WHAT DID JUST--- OMG.

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Feb 08, 2015 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-read

It's 1am, just finished this and it was aMAZEing, see what I did there ;)
Review to come!!

Review (more like gush):
Where do I even start this review...
Okay, so, The Maze Runner is absolutely incredible! I loved it so much!

This book instantly sucked me in, when I really just got it off my shelf to look at it! Haha, I had always been a bit hesitant to read this book, because I didn't think I'd like it much... Boy, was I wrong. I even broke a book-lover rule and saw the movie first, because I was nev ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 emma rated it did not like it

Shelves: nope, project-review-everything, unpopular-opinion, ya, reviewed, dark, sci-fi, 1-and-a-half-stars, dystopian

the fact of the matter and the unfortunate truth is that this book, in my humble opinion, sucks.

remember in the late 2000s and early 2010s when, if you wanted to read newish YA, your choices were dystopian books about chosen one characters who weren't like other girls and...paranormal romance books about chosen one characters who weren't like other girls?

this managed to transcend that by making the same apply to boys, and also being worse.

this was a snoozefest, the characters were horrible to be ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Baba rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult

With his memory stolen/missing Thomas finds himself transported to the Glade where a population of boys (the Gladers) struggle to survive, as well as work out the meaning of the immense ever changing maze at circles them. The boys tasked with mapping (running in the maze and plotting their journeys) the maze are called Maze Runners. A surprisingly engaging read, despite basic characterisations and dialogue, the overall strong and all consuming mystery content makes it worthwhile. It gets as high ...more

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Aug 05, 2013 Brian Yahn rated it liked it

The Maze Runner is a masterfully plotted mystery. It's intriguing. It draws you in quick and then reveals details at just the right time to keep you turning the pages for more.

While many criticize the characters for being flat, which they are, Thomas and his fellow Maze Runners are at the very least likable. They play pranks, they crack jokes, they bond in inventive ways, and most importantly they're just fun in general. You can't help but like characters that are trapped in an almost literal He ...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Neal Shusterman rated it liked it

I enjoyed the Maze Runner, but not as much as I wanted to. It was a great concept, and the story was compelling, the characters and plot twists interesting, and there was no limit to Dashner’s creativity. My big problem was that the characters were manipulated by the story, and not the other way around.
There were so many times when the characters would have figured things out. They’re supposed to be brilliant kids, and yet they are continually clueless about things that are pretty obvious to th ...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Whitley Birks rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013

See the chapter x chapter breakdown on my blog

As if the simplistic and "tell-y" writing in this book weren't bad enough, we also have to content with some truly atrocious pacing, inconsistent characterization, logic gaps out the wazoo, a Gary Stu of a main character, and an ending that kicks this book up into whole new levels of WTFery.

The majority of this book is people jealously withholding information that gets revealed a few chapters later, which makes it painfully obvious that all the not-t ...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Ellie rated it really liked it

3.5

Well. There was....well, first of all, I have to get a cup of water because I have a major headache.

*Goes to get cup of water*
*Returns*

Aah. Much better.

Okay, ~~first~~ second of all, my friend recommended this book. So I requested it, and (foolish me) left it lying on the table where I do my homework, in plain sight of my parents. Oops. So THEN my dad says, at dinner:
"Oh, Ellie, by the way--I borrowed that book of yours, Runner? Or something?"
*gulps nervously* "The Maze Runner?"
"Yeah, that's it. ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-science-fiction, science-fiction, cliffhanger-boo-hiss, mary-sue-and-gary-stu, fantasy, next-stop-dystopia, bizarrelandia, you-call-that-an-ending, why-the-hype

2.5 stars. The Maze Runner isn't all bad, for dystopian YA fiction. That's kind of damning it with faint praise, but I just can't summon up a whole lot of enthusiasm for it. It was reasonably well-written and had a promising setting, but I found it a frustrating read on SO many levels:

1. Other kids keep telling the main character not to ask questions, so, so often. It was incredibly annoying and -here's the capper - it turns out there's no real reason for that. Other than hiding the Big Mystery ...more

flag 89 likes · Like · see review

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Minho, Teresa, Brenda or Newt? Worst to best in order, and why.	39	221	Mar 19, 2022 11:21AM
GREAT WE'RE ALL B...: Your jobs in the glade	13	40	Feb 28, 2022 02:02PM
Book Nerds Unite: Do You Support The Maze Runner?	8	61	Feb 06, 2022 05:30PM
Newt’s Limp	3	28	Dec 01, 2021 07:29AM

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About James Dashner

James Dashner

31,775 followers

James 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.