The Maze Runner
Do you enjoy writing science fiction story, or perhaps reading sic-fi books? Because I, myself is a fan of sci-fi writings. One of my favorite sci-fi book is The Maze Runner, and I am sure that if you are a sci-fi fans, you have heard of this book. The Maze Runner - followed by "The Scorch Trials" - is a trilogy written by James Dashner. The movie had came out a two months ago in the cinema on September 19. In this post, I will be reviewing the The Maze Runner book.
Be careful for spoilers.
I read 'The Maze Runner' book two years ago when I was in my early senior high year. This is one of the books that I enjoyed reading. The Maze Runner is under the genre of "sci-fi", dystopia and young-adults fiction. The story tells about the life in a world where diseases had come to kill many people on earth and some of the people who survives were put into trial by a department called WICKED. The trials basically involve the survivals to be put in a big maze where they have to find ways to survive and answers regarding the maze.
The book began with a male teenager named Thomas who lost his memories and found himself in a big box that brought him to a place called 'The Glade' located in the middle of a giant maze populated by young male teenagers. Thomas met new friend there, including Alby - the first person who lived there, Newt - the person in command after Alby, Minho - a runner, 12 years old Chuck - the youngest boy who lived there, Gally - a Glader who didn't trust Thomas, etc. Everyone in the glade has a role/work. The roles there range from being a runner to a cook. (Runners are basically people who explore around the maze.)
As the day continued, Thomas learnt about the Maze and how things work there. The box will come once a month to deliver new kid and once a week to bring the Glader supplies such as clothes and foods. In the next morning, Thomas also learnt about the "Grievers
" - how their stings would sometimes help in bringing back memories during the process of the "Changing". So, everything was fine and great, until the next afternoon (after Thomas came) when the box came up, delivering another newbie. A girl.
Everyone was confused the moment the girl arrived. In that moment, she as well called "Thomas" although Thomas didn't remember anything about her at all (after his memories are erased.)
It was since Teresa (the girl) came that everything changed. Teresa had been saying that she knew Thomas and that They were the one who did all this, did all the cruel things to the Gladers, that they were once part of WICKED.
As days passed by, Thomas was able to achieved his goal in becoming a runner. This happened after the case when Alby and Minho are left outside in the maze for the whole night with Thomas - who actually violated the Glade's rules. During the days when Thomas run, he was able to learn lots of things about the maze. One day, Minho and him as well found a way into a Griever's hole after seeing some dead griever going not hat direction and never coming back.
On the other side, days after Teresa came, the box stopped sending supplies. The maze's wall stopped closing and one night, grievers were all over the Glade - the night when Alby got stung. It was also around these days when Thomas found out about his telepathy skills/power that allowed him to talk to Teresa in his mind.
As Alby went through the "changing", he had been developing a bit of hatred for Thomas through the some bit of memories that he could have back. By this, the next night when the griever are back to the Maze, Thomas purposely stung himself to one of the griever so that he could as well have some of his memories back.
During the Changing, Thomas was able to grab some of his lost memories back although, still not much were there in his mind. Using his memories and Minho's findings from what he did everyday (exploring around the maze), Minho, Newt and Thomas led half of the gladers out of the Glade while half - who is in Gally's side, stayed in the Glade. Thomas believed that their exits lied on the Griever's hole.
Along the journey, some of the gladers didn't survive when fighting with the griever and less than half made it throughout the deadly beginning. As the gladers went deeper into the Griever's hole, they finally found a machine that allowed them to input a code into a screen, which turns out to be useless as they could just press on a button that allows them to stop the maze (if I am not mistaken).
After pressing the button, the griever's hole opened them an exit that leads to a quite large room filled with people. As the gladers stood silently, a woman and a man then walked towards them, which later the gladers found out to be Gally. Under the control of the creators (as what Gally said), Gally aimed to shoot Thomas but Chuck was the one hit instead as he moved in front of Thomas, protecting him from the deadly bullet.
Soon after Chuck's death, a group of rescuers came to bring the Gladers to another place where the world seemed to be more colorful. There, everything seemed fine almost perfect.
The Maze Runner is a book I read two years ago. I would recommend this book to people who loved Science-fiction, dystopia and mystery. Along the story, tension are in most part of the plots and the story made you wonder a lot about the ending. When reading the book, it took me quite long to finish the first half of it as the book's opening and introductions are not that catchy to me (perhaps because the introduction is too long and not much actions took place).
My favorite characters in the story are Minho and Newt. I find Minho really cool since the first time he was introduced. Among all the many reasons I liked Minho, the most distinct one would be his straightforward nature and the aloof (but in a friendly way) behavior he possessed, which impressed me the most. Personally, I really don't like Thomas the first time he was introduced because he reminds a bit of a "whiner".
Overall, The Maze Runner is a great book to read. There are lots of scientific imaginations that will draw your interest further to the science-fiction world. Elements of sci-fi are also used well throughout the story. This was probably the book that draws me first to the science fiction world before The Hunger Games series. I like how the author includes lots of imaginative ideas esp. about the maze and grievers.
Below is a map of the Glade.
Be careful for spoilers.
I read 'The Maze Runner' book two years ago when I was in my early senior high year. This is one of the books that I enjoyed reading. The Maze Runner is under the genre of "sci-fi", dystopia and young-adults fiction. The story tells about the life in a world where diseases had come to kill many people on earth and some of the people who survives were put into trial by a department called WICKED. The trials basically involve the survivals to be put in a big maze where they have to find ways to survive and answers regarding the maze.
The book began with a male teenager named Thomas who lost his memories and found himself in a big box that brought him to a place called 'The Glade' located in the middle of a giant maze populated by young male teenagers. Thomas met new friend there, including Alby - the first person who lived there, Newt - the person in command after Alby, Minho - a runner, 12 years old Chuck - the youngest boy who lived there, Gally - a Glader who didn't trust Thomas, etc. Everyone in the glade has a role/work. The roles there range from being a runner to a cook. (Runners are basically people who explore around the maze.)
As the day continued, Thomas learnt about the Maze and how things work there. The box will come once a month to deliver new kid and once a week to bring the Glader supplies such as clothes and foods. In the next morning, Thomas also learnt about the "Grievers
" - how their stings would sometimes help in bringing back memories during the process of the "Changing". So, everything was fine and great, until the next afternoon (after Thomas came) when the box came up, delivering another newbie. A girl.
Everyone was confused the moment the girl arrived. In that moment, she as well called "Thomas" although Thomas didn't remember anything about her at all (after his memories are erased.)
It was since Teresa (the girl) came that everything changed. Teresa had been saying that she knew Thomas and that They were the one who did all this, did all the cruel things to the Gladers, that they were once part of WICKED.
As days passed by, Thomas was able to achieved his goal in becoming a runner. This happened after the case when Alby and Minho are left outside in the maze for the whole night with Thomas - who actually violated the Glade's rules. During the days when Thomas run, he was able to learn lots of things about the maze. One day, Minho and him as well found a way into a Griever's hole after seeing some dead griever going not hat direction and never coming back.
On the other side, days after Teresa came, the box stopped sending supplies. The maze's wall stopped closing and one night, grievers were all over the Glade - the night when Alby got stung. It was also around these days when Thomas found out about his telepathy skills/power that allowed him to talk to Teresa in his mind.
As Alby went through the "changing", he had been developing a bit of hatred for Thomas through the some bit of memories that he could have back. By this, the next night when the griever are back to the Maze, Thomas purposely stung himself to one of the griever so that he could as well have some of his memories back.
During the Changing, Thomas was able to grab some of his lost memories back although, still not much were there in his mind. Using his memories and Minho's findings from what he did everyday (exploring around the maze), Minho, Newt and Thomas led half of the gladers out of the Glade while half - who is in Gally's side, stayed in the Glade. Thomas believed that their exits lied on the Griever's hole.
Along the journey, some of the gladers didn't survive when fighting with the griever and less than half made it throughout the deadly beginning. As the gladers went deeper into the Griever's hole, they finally found a machine that allowed them to input a code into a screen, which turns out to be useless as they could just press on a button that allows them to stop the maze (if I am not mistaken).
After pressing the button, the griever's hole opened them an exit that leads to a quite large room filled with people. As the gladers stood silently, a woman and a man then walked towards them, which later the gladers found out to be Gally. Under the control of the creators (as what Gally said), Gally aimed to shoot Thomas but Chuck was the one hit instead as he moved in front of Thomas, protecting him from the deadly bullet.
Soon after Chuck's death, a group of rescuers came to bring the Gladers to another place where the world seemed to be more colorful. There, everything seemed fine almost perfect.
The Maze Runner is a book I read two years ago. I would recommend this book to people who loved Science-fiction, dystopia and mystery. Along the story, tension are in most part of the plots and the story made you wonder a lot about the ending. When reading the book, it took me quite long to finish the first half of it as the book's opening and introductions are not that catchy to me (perhaps because the introduction is too long and not much actions took place).
My favorite characters in the story are Minho and Newt. I find Minho really cool since the first time he was introduced. Among all the many reasons I liked Minho, the most distinct one would be his straightforward nature and the aloof (but in a friendly way) behavior he possessed, which impressed me the most. Personally, I really don't like Thomas the first time he was introduced because he reminds a bit of a "whiner".
Overall, The Maze Runner is a great book to read. There are lots of scientific imaginations that will draw your interest further to the science-fiction world. Elements of sci-fi are also used well throughout the story. This was probably the book that draws me first to the science fiction world before The Hunger Games series. I like how the author includes lots of imaginative ideas esp. about the maze and grievers.
Below is a map of the Glade.
These are words discovered by Minho and Thomas after seeing the patterning changes that the Maze walls made.
“Just see for yourself in a minute. The Runners’ll be back soon; then those big walls are going to move until the gaps are closed.”
“You’re jacked in the head,” Thomas muttered.
He couldn’t see how the mammoth walls could possibly be mobile—felt so sure of it he relaxed, thinking Chuck was just playing a trick on him.
They reached the huge split that led outside to more stone pathways. Thomas gaped, his mind emptying of thought as he saw it all firsthand.
“This is called the East Door,” Chuck said, as if proudly revealing a piece of art he’d created.
Thomas barely heard him, shocked by how much bigger it was up close. At least twenty feet across, the break in the wall went all the way to the top, far above. The edges that bordered the vast opening were smooth, except for one odd, repeating pattern on both sides. On the left side of the East Door, deep holes several inches in diameter and spaced a foot apart were bored into the rock, beginning near the ground and continuing all the way up.
On the right side of the Door, foot-long rods jutted out from the wall edge, also several inches in diameter, in the same pattern as the holes facing them on the other side. The purpose was obvious.
35
“Are you kidding?” Thomas asked, the dread slamming back into his gut. “You weren’t playing with me? The walls really move?”
“What else would I have meant?”
Thomas had a hard time wrapping his mind around the possibility. “I don’t know. I figured there was a door that swung shut or a little mini-wall that slid out of the big one. How could these walls move? They’re huge, and they look like they’ve been standing here for a thousand years.” And the idea of those walls closing and trapping him inside this place they called the Glade was downright terrifying.
Chuck threw his arms up, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know, they just move. Makes one heck of a grinding noise. Same thing happens out in the Maze—those walls shift every night, too.” Thomas, his attention suddenly snapped up by a new detail, turned to face the younger boy.
“What did you just say?”
“Huh?”
You just called it a maze—you said, ‘same thing happens out in the maze.’” Chuck’s face reddened. “I’m done with you.
I’m done.” He walked back toward the tree they’d just left.
Thomas ignored him, more interested than ever in the outside of the Glade. A maze? In front of him, through the East Door, he could make out passages leading to the left, to the 36
right, and straight ahead. And the walls of the corridors were similar to those that surrounded the Glade, the ground made of the same massive stone blocks as in the courtyard. The ivy seemed even thicker out there. In the distance, more breaks in the walls led to other paths, and farther down, maybe a hundred yards or so away, the straight passage came to a dead end.
“Looks like a maze,” Thomas whispered, almost laughing to himself. As if things couldn’t have gotten any stranger. They’d wiped his memory and put him inside a gigantic maze. It was all so crazy it really did seem funny.
“His heart skipped a beat when a boy unexpectedly appeared around a corner up ahead, entering the main passage from one of the offshoots to the right, running toward him and the Glade. Covered in sweat, his face red, clothes sticking to his body, the boy didn’t slow, hardly glancing at Thomas as he went past. He headed straight for the squat concrete building located near the Box.
Thomas turned as he passed, his eyes riveted to the exhausted runner, unsure why this new development surprised him so much. Why wouldn’t people go out and search the maze?
Then he realized others were entering through the remaining three Glade openings, all of them running and looking as ragged as the 37
guy who’d just whisked by him. There couldn’t be much good about the maze if these guys came back looking so weary and worn.
He watched, curious, as they met at the big iron door of the small building; one of the boys turned the rusty wheel handle, grunting with the effort. Chuck had said something about runners earlier. What had they been doing out there?"
Excerpt From: James Dashner. “The Maze Runner.” iBooks.
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4 comments
I've read The Maze Runner as well, and I, too, thoroughly enjoyed it! I thought the plot was distinctly different from other Sci-Fi novels, because the first chapter already revealed the dark plot and atmosphere of the book. I loved the grievers too, how they're portrayed so horribly but thrilling to read about.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Nice to see someone actually enjoyed this book as much as I did.
Well, The Maze Runner contains lots of sci-fi creativity! I hope sci-fi books amazed you!
DeleteThank you for the comment Nicole!
I have never read The Maze Runner before, but I've watched the movie. I enjoyed the movie very much! After reading your post, I think I should read The Maze Runner as well? Oho. The part about the words didn't come out in the movie so I am quite interested in finding out how similar/different the book is from the movie!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post!
The Maze Runner book is better compared to the movie. You should read the book too. And yes, the movie cut some parts from the book. The movie is great too, but I hope Minho's scene would be more. He plays an important role in the book and has a very interesting character.
DeleteGlad that you actually enjoyed the movie. It will help you understand the sci-fi imagination in the book better, such as the grievers. Thank you for the comment Miss.