Maze Runner

[Tristian]

So there's this kid who wakes up in an elevator with no memory of his past other than the fact that his name is Thomas. When it the elevator doors open, he is pulled into a huge glade by a bunch of teenage boys who also have no memories besides what they should be called. They all share a strange vocabulary, a fondness for capitalizing words to make them special, and the same mysterious fate.
Thomas gradually discovers that the Glade is run by two boys enforcing strict rules and keeping all of the boys busy harvesting food. So Thomas had wanted to become a runner and so he had studied a map that he had found. He started running and had found the pattern and had took people out to the new place.

[Emma]

ValiantPevensie4 wrote: "What is the point of this discussion?"

People create discussions like this a lot, I think for their school or whatever. I know, it's annoying af and totally unnecessary.

[Emma]

And also I love how this person doesn't mention the maze or grievers at all ;)

[Andreas]

Did you notice that everyone in the ratings mostly so that this book stinks? This book is one of the best book I've ever read.

[Emma]

This is my favorite book :) I know there are a lot of bad reviews for it but Ive always loved it :)

[Andreas]

Same with me.

[Bobby]

Andreas wrote: "Did you notice that everyone in the ratings mostly so that this book stinks? This book is one of the best book I've ever read."

What about this book made it one of the best you have ever read? In this review I am giving my negative opinion, but I am genuinely interested in what made it enjoyable for you.

I had three main issues with the book that I believe diminishes its worth.

1) As a builder, why was Ben bitter by a griever? This would mean that he has broken the rules, but not once is this mentioned. The author simply expects us to accept that Ben was bitten, end of story. In my opinion this plot hole is a sign of lazy writing.

2) Everything this completely predictable. There is a lot of conflict in this book, but there truly is not real surprises. It is all too easy to foresee how each character is going to handle conflict. Also, from the very beginning it was obvious You-Know-Who was going to die. I called that on the page he was introduced.

3) Finally, the whole point of the maze was to find the most intelligent survivors. The problem I have with this is if the other residents of the maze truly intelligent. They had been there for years and never figured out how to escape. It was not until Thomas and Teresa were added that they were able to escape, and that was largely because they were the ones who built the maze.

Just saying, in my opinion, by saying that this is one of the best books you've ever read suggests that you have not read many books. The Harry Potter series and the Song of Fire and Ice series both span over thousands of pages and hundreds of characters and both managed to keep their stories airtight, clever, and unpredictable, all while making sense and avoiding plot holes.

Due to its predicable, boring characters and mediocre-at-best writing, I would put The Maze Runner series on the same shelf as the Twilight series.

[Sic Transit Gloria]

Bobby wrote: Due to its predicable, boring characters and mediocre-at-best writing, I would put The Maze Runner series on the same shelf as the Twilight series.

Ouch! I don't think it's that bad, because in a way, the Twilight series is also responsible for the Fifty Shades of Grey series (as Fifty Shades was originally a Twilight fanfiction).

Really, the Maze Runner was okay. It wasn't stellar. Unfortunately, the rest of the series was what really ruined it for me.

I'd bring up specific examples, but my mind has already suppressed the memory of that book. And NO, I'm not going to reread it.