The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner, #1) in Buddy Read Zone

May 07, 2013 Keertana rated it it was ok

Shelves: why-the-hype

The Maze Runner is, in many ways, a mix of Lord of the Flies and The Knife of Never Letting Go. I say the former because this novel features a group of boys forced to self-govern themselves and the latter because both authors enjoy having readers flip pages aimlessly, not really knowing what's going on. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of this method of story-telling. With The Maze Runner releasing in cinemas later this year, I truly thought this novel would offer an enticing start to a new se The Maze Runner is, in many ways, a mix of Lord of the Flies and The Knife of Never Letting Go. I say the former because this novel features a group of boys forced to self-govern themselves and the latter because both authors enjoy having readers flip pages aimlessly, not really knowing what's going on. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of this method of story-telling. With The Maze Runner releasing in cinemas later this year, I truly thought this novel would offer an enticing start to a new series, but sadly, I remain unimpressed.

Thomas, our protagonist, arrives in the Glade remembering nothing but his name. Every month, a new boy arrives in a similar manner to help the community of young boys achieve their purpose: find a way out of the maze they are trapped in. Dashner builds this setting remarkably well, outlining the general set-up of life in the Glade, including the haunting aspect of the maze shifting every night. A group of boys known as Runners travel through the maze in the morning, escaping the creatures that live there, in an effort to find an escape route. It's all a very intriguing set-up, but the ultimate execution is disappointing.

First and foremost, The Maze Runner is slow. Excruciatingly so. While the story does, eventually, pick up, it hits its stride a little too late. I was already staring up at my ceiling and down at the little carpet fuzzies stuck to my socks to pass the time, so when this novel finally began to get a little interesting, I couldn't engage. Not only did I feel aloof from the characters, but the constant barrage of questions with no answers had me exhausted. If there's anything I hate, it's being kept in the dark. Granted, it got me to the end of the book, but the eventual reveal didn't leave me too impressed and despite the slight cliffhanger ending, I'm not curious enough to pick up the next book. Moreover, the writing style of this story is a little too blunt, either explicitly stating information or omitting answers without showing these facts. Ultimately, the combination of these flaws - a list of issues I find grating in my books - is why I couldn't enjoy this one more. In comparison to dystopians such as The Hunger Games which make a statement, The Maze Runner is all entertainment with little to no real bite. And, I'm sorry, that just isn't for me. ...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Nikki rated it really liked it

It took me a long time to finally pick this book up and give it a chance. I was so sure I would not like it one bit. With such high appraisal, it was hard not to be skeptical.
But I was wrong. I enjoyed this one immensely! I had heard that the first part was slow going and not to get discouraged, but the only problems I had was trying to understand the lingo. But with phases like "slint head" and "shuck face", it easily became obvious what they were really trying to say. While I didn't like bein ...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Tom rated it it was amazing

I’m going 4.5 but I’m lighting the fifth star after probably the longest deliberation that I ever had on rating a book.

Thomas has awakened and finds himself in the middle of the Glade with a pack of boys staring at him and calling him shuck names. He has no memories of how he got there and in matter of fact the only memory he has is that his name is Thomas. He has nothing but questions about the weird society that he was dropped into and nobody seems to want to give him any answers. They just ca I’m going 4.5 but I’m lighting the fifth star after probably the longest deliberation that I ever had on rating a book.

Thomas has awakened and finds himself in the middle of the Glade with a pack of boys staring at him and calling him shuck names. He has no memories of how he got there and in matter of fact the only memory he has is that his name is Thomas. He has nothing but questions about the weird society that he was dropped into and nobody seems to want to give him any answers. They just call him Greenie, slinthead and shuckface and every time they do I cracked up internally. I really felt his frustration and wanted to shake the characters inside my kindle.

I actually saw a lot of mixed ratings on this one and even the people that told me they loved it, rated it 4 stars. I usually don’t let other people’s ratings affect mine especially if everyone raves about it. I like to rate books on MY enjoyment of them but for some reason I felt the need to justify it on this one. Well, I really can’t justify it but here are my thoughts.

I LOVED it. I read a lot of books and when something is totally different than everything else I am reading it just grabs my attention. I saw some people compare it to the Hunger Games but I feel like this is in a totally different category. There was so much mystery and head scratching going on I just had to keep reading to see what the heck was going on. I loved the interaction with the boys. Maybe that is part of why I liked it more than some IDK, but that is how boys act when in a group. I’m 46 and I call my best friend at work everything but his name and if you met him outside you would think he is Mr. Clean but he curses up a storm in a crowd of guys. Even though we were barely introduced to Teresa for some reason I just instantly liked her. I just really felt everything the kids were going through. Whether it was running from a griever or whether or not someone is trustworthy.

This is not a story that all will love but I did and moved right on to the second book and I’m sure I’ll read straight through to the third book.
...more

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Jan 12, 2014 ✟Roxanne✟(Death by Book Avalanche) ☠ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ng-paperback, 5-star-rating, ng-novel, 2014-reading-challenge, own, thriller-suspense

This book was fantastic! So many twists and turns and its amazing fast pace had me gripped from the very first page.

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Jul 31, 2019 Megan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new-to-me-authors-2019, read-in-2019, behind-enemy-lines, july-2019

The was confusing at the start, what with all the alternate curse words and not understanding where they really were or why. I didn't particularly care that much for Thomas, he was a bit annoying and pushing to do things his way so quickly. The fact that a lot of the time that worked out better was disappointing, though it did show how you sometimes need a new perspective to solve things. (view spoiler) ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Estelle (E) rated it really liked it

It was good fun and VERY gripping, action action action, no breathing, just action!!
:-)

I also loved that we're in the MC's head and find out about things the same time he does. It kept me on my toes. However, the whole situation is very hopeless, you're reminded of that all the time, so reading a whole book knowing it won't end well is very depressing!

I also didn't connect with the characters much... BUT, I really connected with the world.

I will go on with the series, I think the movie will be f ...more

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May 05, 2012 Yassie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, owned-paperbacks, 1-all-time-favorites, 2011-reads

AMAZING!!!! Beyond 10 stars! Just don't read it before bedtime...

Finished after 5 hours and OMG this book is amazing! I sometimes judge a book by it's cover and size so even though I was interested in reading this after reading the summary (well I bought it for that reason) I lost the motivation when I saw how thin it was (I like thick books, always had better stories) and almost looked like a children's book, but finally decided to start reading it and like all the other books, I've been sucke ...more

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