The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner, #1) in THE BIGGEST, AWESOMENESS, GROUP ON GOODREADS!!

Sep 15, 2011 Amy Lignor rated it it was amazing

I am speechless. Only once in a great while do you come across a book that is literally impossible to put down. In fact, I don’t believe this has happened to me since The DaVinci Code – when I honestly didn’t want to take a break to eat, go to work, sleep…nothing. But after all this time, Mr. Dashner has come along with a story that, literally, I will be talking about for years to come.

As the Box opens, the darkness is finally lifted and a young man named Thomas (our main character) stares up in I am speechless. Only once in a great while do you come across a book that is literally impossible to put down. In fact, I don’t believe this has happened to me since The DaVinci Code – when I honestly didn’t want to take a break to eat, go to work, sleep…nothing. But after all this time, Mr. Dashner has come along with a story that, literally, I will be talking about for years to come.

As the Box opens, the darkness is finally lifted and a young man named Thomas (our main character) stares up into the eyes of a literal “clan” of young men. As he’s helped out of the strange contraption, and the Box falls back through a hole in the ground, the strange boys surrounding Thomas begin to speak. The young boy is frightened. He has no memory of who he is or where he came from, only that his name is Thomas and he has been transported to a place he’s never seen.

Immediately, a seventeen-year-old boy – the obvious leader of the group – named Alby, steps forward. Thomas is amazed as the young man begins to speak. The words are certainly English, but the comments such as calling him “greenbean,” and “klunk-for-brains,” is so confusing that Thomas has no idea what the older boy is talking about. As things begin to unfold, Thomas receives a helper named Chuck. Chuck is a sweetheart of a boy who was the “newbie” until Thomas arrived. Through Chuck, Thomas is introduced to the Glade.

The Gladers, which is what the group of boys call themselves, have a literal working colony that they’ve set up. None of them can remember who they were or where they came from – they all just woke up in the dark and arrived in the Box. Over time, they have built their community. The head council who make all the rules – like their own little Senate – is run by the Keepers. There are Keepers of all different things (Gardens/farming; The Blood House/animals for food; and – most importantly – The Runners.)

The Runners are a group of young men who – when the giant metal doors open in the morning – run into a Maze that is right outside of the Glade. This maze is filled with fearsome creatures that come out at night, called the Grievers. The Grievers are deadly, and even if they only “swipe” someone with one of the long metal needles that protrude from their skin, the victim will go through The Change – which allows the victim to see “memories” of their previous life. The Maze is also littered with strange metallic, red-eyed insects that seem to be spies – watching the Gladers and what they accomplish.

Thomas is told that to go back home, the Maze needs to be solved. That is the ONLY way out. The next day after Thomas’ arrival, the Box again begins to rise from the ground taking all the Gladers by surprise. Usually there is a long time between boys being sent into their world. But when the box opens, they are even more surprised. A young girl lies comatose before them; a female who has somehow triggered the End. Upon her arrival, Thomas begins to see flashes from a life he knows nothing about, and realizes that the Maze is something he’s seen before. The clock is ticking; they must solve the puzzle before the Grievers come and wipe them out.

There are not enough adjectives in the human language to describe the story that Mr. Dashner has delivered. This should be, literally, the next book phenomenon. This will be classified, I suppose, as YA fiction. I have to tell you that’s just wrong; there’s no way that young adults should get all the good luck. This story is made for absolutely everyone who wants a pulse-pounding, imaginative thrill ride, with a story as intense and compelling as The Matrix. I thank my lucky stars (and, the author, of course) that this is only Book I of a continuing series. I will wait on the edge of my seat for the next one.

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Aug 06, 2012 Emily V rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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Also Posted at: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic...

Series: The Maze Runner #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia
Release Date: October 6th 2009
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Cover Rating: 2 Stars
Synopsis: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Also Posted at: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic...

Series: The Maze Runner #1
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia
Release Date: October 6th 2009
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Cover Rating: 2 Stars
Synopsis: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

I am not sure what I expected when I picked up The Maze Runner but I'm positive it wasn't what I got. I had heard The Maze Runner compared to The Hunger Games many times, they are both set in an arena-like location but the similarities end there. This book was very unique and the mostly male characters made a change from the normally female-dominated young adult genre. Although I missed more female presences, I really did enjoy this book. The story follows Thomas after he wakes in a lift -is that an American word too? I thought it was just us Brits who used it - with no memory. When the doors open Thomas isn't alone, he's surrounded by boys who went through the exact same thing but have now been living there for a long time - or you could say as long as they remember. Their lives follow a set pattern which all changes when the first girl ever arrives with a message which will change their lives...

I wasn't very keen on any of the characters in this book really. Thomas seemed quite stiff and his personality was almost non-existent. A few of the other Gladers were slightly more interesting but not by very much. The girl, whose name I cannot remember for the life of me, was also slightly wooden but she was quite a bit more interesting than the rest. It seemed like the author had given her and Thomas near enough the same personality but it suited her loads more. The rest of the Gladers seemed like the same person, some had obvious differences but then others would display the same characteristics later on. One thing I did like about the characters was their community, it was a fully functioning community of teenagers which worked better than you may think.

Overall I found this book very entertaining despite its lack of character development and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I did guess the ending after a little while - or at least I thought I had until a final twist was added in right at the last second. The world building was stunning and it made up significantly for the characters. I would recommend this book to fans of The Hunger Games and the Chaos Walking series.

My Favorite Quote:
“Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?" Minho asked, pulling Thomas's attention away from Alby.
"Go ahead" Newt replied.
Minho nodded and faced the crowd. "Be careful," he said dryly. "Don't die.”
"Great. We're all bloody inspired." Newt said.”

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