Maze Runner by James Dashner

[Janna]

I'm currently reading Maze Runner, anybody wanna talk about it. I read The Kill Order first and wasn't impressed, but I thought I'd still give Maze Runner a try.

[Empress, Seeker of wonders]

After a brows in the local bookshop I found this book for £2. I thought - I've seen it, I know what it is about, I'm gonna give it a try.

While the book for me was a quick read and it was not bad, it did not impress me as well. I think it should target boys from 8-13 years. I can see how for them it will be a very interesting book. I suspect if I was a bit ... just a bit though, younger I would've liked it more. I think it is well written though.

I will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Janna]

I agree that it would be much better for younger boys. It's not grotesquely violent and it has creatures. I also agree that it is quality writing, I'm just not crazy about it. It's written very differently from The Kill Order. The Kill Order reads more like a creative writing assignment. I thought maybe it was hasty writing due to demand. I may give it to my son and ask him what he thinks.

Also, if I do finish this book it will be after I finish Unwind. I unwisely started Unwind last night before bed and ended up reading instead of sleeping.

[Empress, Seeker of wonders]

How old is your son [if you don't mind sharing here]?

[Janna]

8 years, almost 9

[Empress, Seeker of wonders]

I think this book can get him into reading, if he isn't already.

[Morgan]

I agree too, I'm 80% through it and enjoying it but I won't read any more. I just keep thinking that its not as good as the Hunger Games. :-)

I actually found the early parts of the book really scary, and don't know if I'd recommend it to a 9 year old. But then I am a great big chicken.

[Paul]

I am in my 40's. The Maze Runner was ok. I picked it up for my Jr High age Daughter. I was OK with the Kill Order, but I had read beforehand that it really wasn't about the main characters of the Maze Runner books.

I got on a kick and read most of the better known dystopian YA series about a year ago. The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Champions, The Ember series, the Silo series and the Divergent Series. I think they all have the same problem. The ideas are usually good but they don't have the strength to carry 3 books. Most of the logic behind the series seems to completely fall apart somewhere in the second book and the third is just a "complete the series" exercise.

I think the champions holds together the best.

[Papaphilly]

I have read The Maze Runner and enjoyed it for what it is, a book for YA. It is not the best writing for adults, but it was not meant for adults and that is the key to the whole discussion. To criticize it as an adult is not fair because it was aimed for young adults that have different views and tastes than their parents.

From what I can gather, it is a very popular book that was turned into four books and now a movie on the way. It must have something on the ball.

Just remember it was not written for adults, but young adults, so it will seem simplistic and shallow. It seems to me that if The Maze Runner encourages reading among young adults, it is a good thing in of itself.

[Rose]

I loved the Maze Runner series and I'm middle-aged, but I knew going into it who the target audience was. I would recommend it to anyone with the caveat that their teen kids or grandkids might be more suited to it.

[Miley]

I haven't read this series yet. Is it worth my time? My younger brothers like it, but we don't have similar book taste.

[Papaphilly]

Miley wrote: "I haven't read this series yet. Is it worth my time? My younger brothers like it, but we don't have similar book taste."

If you liked The Giver, I Am Number Four, and Divergent, then you should be fine with this too. If you didn't like them, then probably stay away from it.

[Jekyll]

Maze Runner is great, and it just gets better as you get farther in (e.g read book 2, 3 etc.)

Honestly, I hated Divergent, nearly couldn’t finish it. So Papaphilly, I wouldn’t say those, except for The Giver.

[Papaphilly]

Jekyll wrote: "Maze Runner is great, and it just gets better as you get farther in (e.g read book 2, 3 etc.)

Honestly, I hated Divergent, nearly couldn’t finish it. So Papaphilly, I wouldn’t say those, except ..."

To each their own. The books are similar in scope, but not in story.

[Miley]

Papaphilly wrote: "Miley wrote: "I haven't read this series yet. Is it worth my time? My younger brothers like it, but we don't have similar book taste."

If you liked The Giver, [book:I Am Number Four|77..."


I did like those book.

[Chris]

I'm in the middle of the series now. I'm just about to finish The Scorch Trials (book 2). It's fun. If you read keeping in mind the target, you can usually be more forgiving.

For example (and this is true with most YA), the plots are a little shallow. The speech is a bit 'simple'. The interactions aren't very complex. But that's what YA is all about...as mentioned above, it's a good method for it to encourage kids to read because it's quick and easy to read.

Dashner's writing style is pretty good for YA. He reminds me a lot of Dan Brown....short chapters with 'mini-cliff hangers' at the end of almost every one. My only complaint is that the kids talk/actions are fairly normal most of the time, but every now and then someone will say or do something that seems MUCH below their age level (e.g. 16 year old girl acting grossed out by a kiss saying she might get lip fungus....sounds like a cooties joke).

That being said...Maze Runner has been a fun read for me. On the order of The Hunger Games a few years back. I read the Divergent series last year and that was a whole different story. I'm still not sure how I managed to finish it....the writing was SO BAD it made me cringe almost constantly. It started out mediocre and got worse and worse as the books went on. That series was just awful.

[Chris]

Well, I'm almost finished with the series. I'll probably finish the third book today. The first two books were a little far fetched, but fun.

The third book things just start to fall apart. Logic holes, poor plotting, and unless they get to it soon, I suspect they are going to leave some major unanswered questions (and not in a good way like for the mystery of the story).

[Heather]

Well, when in doubt - do a vague ending....

[Chris]

Heather wrote: "Well, when in doubt - do a vague ending...."


I'm not even quite there yet...but there are things that happened from first two books that I was expecting to be answered. I suspect they aren't going to be part of the ending.

We'll see. I liked the first two books, but I had the expectation that it would all come to a conclusive ending with everything explained. I suspect that's not going to happen now.

It's feeling more and more like the publishers had him add more to drag it out so they could make more money off the books. Most of this last story just feels like a lot of back and forth for no real purpose other than to stretch it out into a full book (e.g. not to move the story forward).

[Heather]

He really should have done it in two books. That said, he couldn't be bothered to wrap it up anyway with three books.

I actually liked Divergent until the last book when nothing really made sense. She just couldn't write the more macro-view. However, I thought the ending was great in that (view spoiler)[ she killed off the beloved MC and I liked the "send off" at the end. Tris could only end up dying with so many times she didn't die. Props to the author. (hide spoiler)]

[Chris]

Heather wrote: "He really should have done it in two books. That said, he couldn't be bothered to wrap it up anyway with three books.

I actually liked Divergent until the last book when nothing really made sense..."

But the writing/prose was so, so, so horrible. And the teenage love angst.....all the "does he love me, doesn't he love me" stuff.....OMG it was PAINFUL.

That being said....to me each Divergent book/story got progressively worse. The first was 'meh'. The second was bad. The third was horrible. Like you said...the third book just went around to places that made absolutely no sense. It's like she had no idea how to wrap it up. Agree with your sentiment in spoiler tags though.

[Heather]

It was one of the first YA books I read so I think my tolerance was pretty high. I liked the ideas of the first book and I found Tris to be an interesting character. I think as a female it's easier to be okay with the romance stuff. But then eventually you're like....please just have sex and shut up.

Have you read The 5th Wave?

[Chris]

Heather wrote: "It was one of the first YA books I read so I think my tolerance was pretty high. I liked the ideas of the first book and I found Tris to be an interesting character. I think as a female it's easier to be okay with the romance stuff. But then eventually you're like....please just have sex and shut up.

Have you read The 5th Wave?
"

Yeah...I think Hunger Games was probably my first and I wonder now if I'd be much harsher on it if I reread it.

I haven't read 5th wave yet, but I put it on my to-read list quite a while ago (possibly from your recommendation, lol).

[Heather]

You do have to endure some gushing about a hot boy. But I found it interesting because it's an alien sci-fi YA. It's not a great series but there's good aspects.

[Chris]

Heather wrote: "You do have to endure some gushing about a hot boy. But I found it interesting because it's an alien sci-fi YA. It's not a great series but there's good aspects."

Well, then when I get around to it, I'll go in with low expectations so I'm either not let down or slightly impressed over my expectations. :D

[Adin]

the maze runner isn't good as much as the hunger games, but better than another sci-fi novel, i thought, except the death cure that gave some disappointing end.

[Maylie]

Empress wrote: "After a brows in the local bookshop I found this book for £2. I thought - I've seen it, I know what it is about, I'm gonna give it a try.

While the book for me was a quick read and it was not bad,..."

It's a great book and I partly agree with you, I just think where you said "should target boys 8-13" you could have said kids. We shouldn't gender discriminate (or age discriminate) this book because I (a female 11 year old) read it and absolutely loved it. I bought the series on amazon.