The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)

by James Dashner

 


The first book in the New York Times bestselling Maze
Runner series - now a series of major movies starring Dylan O'Brien!

SEE THE FILMS. READ THE BOOKS. ENTER THE MAZE ...

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers
is his first name. But he's not alone.


He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade – a
walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone
maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to
be there – or what's happened to the world outside.


All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back,
they will risk everything – even the Grievers, half-machine,
half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try and find
out ...





Book 1 in the #1 New York Times bestselling
MAZE RUNNER series!

Now a major film available to stream on Disney+


High-octane, dystopian YA adventure, perfect for fans
of The Hunger Games and Divergent


Five pulse-pounding books in the series!




Loved The Maze Runner? Make sure to check
out the sequel The Scorch Trials!

• ISBN13: 9781908435132
• Publish Date: 4 August 2011 (first published 6 October 2009)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Out of Print: 16 October 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Chicken House Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[ellieroth]

El Extraño Gato del Cuento

3.7

Con tanta adaptación es un poco difícil mantenerse al corriente, y eso de "Voy a leer la que esté más próxima" es ¡mentira! Porque se acerca otro estreno y quieres releerlo y no sabes qué hacer porque el tiempo te presiona, y entras en stress y quieres matar a todo el mundo...

Pero matar al mundo es lago que planearemos luego, ahora concentrémonos en The Maze Runner. ¡Adoro las distopías! Hay algo tan real en ellas, puedes sentirte muy metido en la historia y empezar con tus paranoias si es que no las tenías ya. Es hermoso.

El inicio es genial, son muy pocas las veces que un inicio me secuestra, pero este es tan directo. "Metal contra metal", esa frase es tan claustrofóbica, algo en lo que todo el libro es experto.

Aunque la trama tarde un poquito en llegar a su rumbo, las cosas tienen que ser bien hechas para entenderlas. Los personajes muy completos, Dashner no solo nos da un nuevo mundo sino también un nuevo dialecto (Miertero, Shank, Plopus, esa última se volvió mi favorita) creado por esta mini sociedad en la que ellos viven.

Cuando llegué a la parte dónde "llega la chica" yo estaba como: "¿qué te pasa Dashner? O sea, las mujeres tenemos a complicar un poquito las cosas pero como que exageraste, ¿no crees?", mi lado feminazi quería salir. La manera en la que tratan la llegada de la muchacha, y el mensaje que trae, me picó un poco.

Toda la cosa del laberinto parece un video juego, o como leí por ahí, es aceptar tomar la pastilla roja (Geek, nerds y cinéfilos entenderán), es que durante todo el libro la información se va dando de a poco, muy poco. Las teorías en la que el lector es experto en armar, surgen y surgen con cada final de capítulo.

El libro es un poco lento al principio como ya les dije, la cosa va tomando impulso de a poco, lo que a lectores como yo que le gusta lo rápido nos pueda a llegar a cansar. Pero les digo: Pónganle fé y sigan leyendo, me lo agradecerán. Porque, hombre, el epílogo me dejó con la piel de gallina. Ya sé que a los que no les gustó el libro podrán decir "¿leer todo un libro por un epílogo? pfff NO". Yo les digo pues pff SÍ, el libro se lo merece.

Reseña Completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Solo sé que al final me quedé así:

[Rinn]

This review is also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

I started reading this book on an hour long (either way) bus journey that I take once a week, and normally hate. But this time, I wanted the journey to last much longer, so I could carry on reading. I was instantly drawn into the world that Dashner has created - where we know only what Thomas, the main character, knows. As the book progresses, both the reader and Thomas learn more about the world, or perhaps it would be best just to say the Maze.

Personally, I found the whole set up pretty cool - each boy works in a different area of the Glade in order to keep the whole thing running smoothly; they have been resourceful where they could have easily just turned into a giant mess.

There is one rather important event that happens about a third into the book, which I managed to guess - seemed rather predictable. The monsters in the Maze, known as Grievers, sound horrific on paper, but when I try to imagine them I seem to get an image of Ros from Monsters Inc. in my head.



Scary, yes, but for the entirely wrong reasons.

I also believe that a lack of female characters may put some readers off, although this didn't seem to harm Lord of the Flies, which this book reminds me of in places. Or The Lord of the Rings for that matter... (female characters were extended for the films). Personally, I don't mind which gender the protagonist is, it completely depends how they act. And Thomas is a very determined young man, who completely acts by gut instinct - and is normally right. The other boys are a motley collection of personalities and appearances, and work nicely together.

As for the writing, it flows very well with chapters frequently ending on cliffhangers or just before revealing crucial points, making it very difficult to say 'Just one more chapter before I go to bed', and stick to it... Dashner's use of slang created for the book works nicely, allowing him to accurately portray these teenagers as teenagers (many YA authors seem to think teenagers never swear?) without being crude or profane.

I almost dropped the book down a star for the ending. It felt rushed and a bit lacklustre, and almost sort of... generic. Like a very repeated formula. But it left me desperately wanting more, and the excitement of the rest of the book definitely made up for it.

[mbtc]

Well written story and interesting characters but felt frustrated at having no clue what was going on overall, even after the story ended. Felt little emotion that I should root for the characters.

[Angie]

I am not quite sure how to review this book. My initial reaction to The Maze Runner was "huh?!" My final reaction was similar, "wait, what?!" It was a major mind trip, and I'm pretty certain that I have more questions now than I did at the beginning. Absolutely nothing was solved or answered or made clear in any fashion, which is frustrating. But I'm most definitely compelled to read the following books, and I think I loved this one, despite my frustrations.

This was a hard story to get into. There's some weird slang and I had no idea what the heck was going on. I felt as disoriented as Thomas did! How did he get there? Where is there? Who are these other boys? Why is there a giant, ivy covered maze full of monsters? Plus many more questions were running through my head. The other boys tell Thomas to stop asking so many questions because they have no answers, so I stopped too and just went with the flow. Until the girl shows up! Then I was even more confused!

The entire concept of a life threatening maze really intrigued me. I tried really hard to figure out what was happening, but of course, I never did. It's all too twisted and weird, and even at the end I wasn't completely sure what was going on. One thing is clear though: the world is not a happy place. That's it, and the boys (and one girl) are somehow the key. But why kill most of them off by slimy, mechanical monsters? I have no clue.

I just kept reading and too soon, I was at the end. The only thing I didn't like about The Maze Runner was the ability that Thomas and Teresa share. It felt random and out of place, and just not needed. I know this whole review is really vague, but the book was also really vague. I guess this is one of those series that just keeps building and building and then there's a huge explosion of answers at the end. The only way to find out is to get the other books!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[KitsuneBae]

For a full review, please visit: Thoughts and Pens
Plot

The very first thought that came into my mind after finishing this book was: SCARY. It was gripping and mind boggling. Every time I turn a Maze Runner page, there’s always something in the pit of my stomach trying to unseat me with suspense.
Maze Runner is a trigger of adrenaline rush especially when the Glade Runners are surveying the maze whilst risking their lives to outwit and outlast those menacing Grievers. These night time struggles through that vast maze always gives me a chill that I always find myself panting like I’ve also been running with Thomas, Minho and the rest of the runners.
I especially love how everyone was suffering from amnesia because it really adds to the tension of the whole story. Not to mention that I like the mystery surrounding Teresa’s person enhancing my urge to finish the book and find out what really had happened. Why there was a maze? Why everyone is suffering from amnesia? What’s the whole point of imprisoning a lot of teenage boys in a dangerous maze?
This book is an excellent portrayal of surviving the unknown.

Characters

After much deliberation with myself, I finally decided that my favorite characters for this book would be Minho, Thomas and Newt. They were well developed and really suited to unravel the mystery of the maze.
Minho is an overall leader. Meanwhile, Thomas fits the description of a second-in-command, curious and would always do everything in his power to prove his worth. His dexterity in solving the maze was outstanding. His compassion for his fellow Gladers is infectious that by the end, you are desperately hoping that everyone would survive so as not to crush him.

Dialogues and Interactions

Except for the use of too many fictionalized slang that renders you rereading the dialogue to comprehend the discussion, the dialogues and interactions of this book is alright. Anyway, once you set your mind with the slangs, everything should flow wonderfully into your brains.

[Stephanie]

WTF.



Alright, going to actually give this a review now. I'm giving this 4.5 stars only because there was ONE part that really made me go.. "cop out", in that it was too telling, and could have easily been showing. Granted the book might have been 15 pages longer, but that's fine. I would have preferred it.

Anyway this book was excellent. Can't wait to read the next one.

[ladygrey]

When my friend recommended this she made allusions to [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899] which upon reading I can see. It sort of put me in a comparison mindset I don't normally have with books. But this one is definitely like [b:Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775] meets [b:Incarceron|332775|Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)|Catherine Fisher|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327414514s/332775.jpg|323310].

It's an interesting world, I guess. But it feels half formed. And maybe that's because the characters are kept so much in the dark or because there was scenic description my brain just doesn't process well (I still can't wrap my head around a 4 story shack). But I'm left feeling like there wasn't a lot of depth.

There's plenty of action.

There's some mostly fairly interesting characters.

Plenty of plot. But little depth.

The other thing this book made me think is, I wonder if books can evoke fear in the reader. I don't read horror novels so maybe some can. And I know a lot of books that are rife with suspense and tension. But fear? This one tried with the big uglies and I tried to visualize them and be afraid (they're kind of vague so it's difficult) but I never even felt a glimmer of it. I also never managed tension because I knew nothing was going to happen to Thomas however many perilous situations he's in. It's his first person story. He dies and the books over. Also I didn't care about the characters enough for it to matter if they died.

Or when they died. I liked the characters well enough, but it didn't hurt when they died. I guess that's another reason the book felt half formed - I didn't feel much of anything. I was curious. And interested, maybe intrigued. But those are intellectual engagements, not emotional ones. It did half the equation really well. Again, lots of action and plot and yet I was left wanting.

[jnikkir]

3.5 stars

[jeannamichel]

Everyone in the Glade arrived in the Box, remembering nothing except their first name. The Creators sent them to survive and these teens try to do just that. Thomas enters through the Box like everyone else, but he is special. He becomes the first newbie to take to the Glade without tears and he finds things familiar. Like he remembers something. The Gladers work to solve the Maze that they have been running through for about two years, like mice they are trapped within the small community, looking for an escape. Does Thomas hold the answer?

This book was good. It is mainly targeted toward tween boys, I would say, but I enjoyed it all the same. However, there were a few things that irked me that I will mention below.

The cover, more specifically the hardcover copy, has a picture of the doors to the maze. It is described in the novel almost perfectly to the cover, which makes me excited because the cover almost never makes sense to the story inside. However, the brief excerpt on the back cover was about the doors closing for the night. This scene happens in the very beginning and almost has nothing to do with the overall story, so I saw no point in having it on the cover. The excerpt made me want to read it in the first place and to have it come and go as quickly as those doors close was disappointing.

Dashner created this unique world and I loved being immersed in the Glade. I loved the idea of the Maze and how these teenagers had created such a wonderful community in the years they had been there. But Dashner also created a not-so-original language for the Gladers, such as klunk, shank, and shuck. This language was used very strongly, as their personal code of cursing, with most of the Gladers and even Thomas caught on to the language before long. I did not like the language; it got annoying being used all the time.

The plot was good. I was almost as curious as Thomas when we were introduced to the Glade and the Maze. I immediately wanted to go explore. I loved almost every scene that involved the Maze, but found myself bored when they were stuck in the Glade working. It was a bit slow in the beginning until they formally introduce the Maze to Thomas. It picked up from there and gradually got better.

The ending killed me. It is the epilogue that always teases you that there will be more. I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen and, of course, it was a cliffhanger. I loved the ending and was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what was going to happen next. The next installment of the series, The Scorch Trials, is something that I will be definitely looking into.

James Dashner created a world that readers will enjoy hearing about. This book is highly readable and makes for a great gift for any boy. My brother even read it before me and enjoyed every second.

[rakesandrogues]

Review from Muggle-Born.net

I cannot believe it took me this long to read. If you have not read this yet, I would like to start of this review by saying that you should not be waiting any longer to read this one.

I found myself unable to truly relate with the main character Thomas, but it did not bother me so much because THE MAZE RUNNER is truly a plot-driven book. There are a variety of characters, each with distinct personalities such as Chuck, Newt, Alby, Frypan, and Minho. Chuck is like an annoying and irritating little brother. You can’t wait to get rid of him by your side, but you also can’t help but feel overprotective of him. I never realized how I formed a soft spot for Chuck until the very end of the book.

While reading the book, it is so easy to forget how old the characters are. I think it’s because the environment they are in is devoid of the usual problems teenagers are facing. They don’t have to worry about girls, sports, and high school. Survival is the only thing in their minds.

At first, the writing style of Dashner irritated me. One of the reasons why it took me so long to pick up the book was because I just couldn’t get into it. It reminded me of Michael Grant’s GONE series which I am not the biggest fan of. However, when I finally picked up THE MAZE RUNNER once more, trying to overlook the writing style, I found that I got used to it very quickly and I could not get enough.

THE MAZE RUNNER is a fast-paced page-turner. I was in conflict with myself the whole time I read. I hated that I could not put the book down because each chapter keeps you in suspense, ending in a cliffhanger. On the other hand, I hated it when I had to stop reading. What I love most about this book is Dashner’s ability to make you think. I was transported into the Glade with Thomas and I was trying to figure out all the puzzles and clues throughout the whole book. I felt like I was part of the “game” too, and I challenged myself to solve the mystery before the characters in the book.

But THE MAZE RUNNER isn’t predictable. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. You’ll be guessing chapter after chapter until the very end. Now I understand what the hype is all about…