Maze Runner by James Dashner

Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)

by James Dashner

Book one in the blockbuster Maze Runner series that spawned a movie franchise and ushered in a worldwide phenomenon! And don’t miss The Fever Code, the highly-anticipated series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built!
 
   When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
   Outside the towering stone walls that surround them is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
   Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: Remember. Survive. Run.

The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure all are now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
 
Also look for James Dashner’s edge-of-your-seat MORTALITY DOCTRINE series!

Praise for the Maze Runner series:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series
USA Today Bestseller
Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick
 
“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the FliesThe Hunger Games, and Lost.” —EW
 
“Wonderful action writing—fast-paced…but smart and well observed.” Newsday
 
“[A] nail-biting must-read.” Seventeen
 
“Breathless, cinematic action.” —Publishers Weekly
 
Heart pounding to the very last moment.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
Exclamation-worthy.” —Romantic Times
 
“James Dashner’s illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred

Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.” —Deseret News

Reviewed by jesstheaudiobookworm on

5 of 5 stars

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Series Review
I’ve seen a lot of people DNF-ing this series and it totally befuddles me. This was one of the first audiobook series I ever completed (way back in 2014) and, although a lot of the details have slipped away from me, I clearly remember my level of enjoyment being sky high. This series is super fast-paced and really unique. I tend to burn out on dystopians pretty quickly because a) it’s mostly formulaic with little originality b) the author focuses too much on the dystopian setting and doesn’t devote enough time to character development c) I can’t make myself care about the welfare of the characters. I did not have any of those issues with this series. The setting (especially for the first two installments) was incredibly original. The intensity factor was amazing. I was completely invested in the well-being of the characters and each of them had very distinct personalities. The plot, the plot, THE PLOT. This plot was so addicting. It grabbed me from the beginning of the first installment and refused to let me go, so much so that I even did something I hardly ever do and listened to a 0.5 story (a mini-installment). I only do that for series that I am insanely invested in! After finishing The Death Cure, I wasn’t ready to let the incredible world that James Dashner created go, so I scrambled to get my hands on The Kill Order and enjoyed every single second of it. For some reason, it seemed to provide more closure than the ending of The Death Cure.

Narration review: The fact that I can think of this audiobook series and instantly recall the narrator’s name (Mark Deakins) is probably a good sign, eh? I have been known to gravitate towards certain audiobooks based on narration alone and discovering that Deakins narrates part of Reawakened is definitely making me want to give it a higher priority placement in my TBR. ♣︎

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2014: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2014: Reviewed