Book Review :: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Also in this series: The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure
Published by Chicken House
on June 5th 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 371
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If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

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.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

Last updated on 22 February 2022

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What is The Maze Runner about?

Set in a dystopian world, The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, tells the story (and the horrors) of Thomas, a teenage boy who wakes up in the middle of a strange place, knowing nothing but his name. They call it the Glade – a place where a community of teenage boys live and try to escape the maze that surrounds their community.

Every month, for the past two years, another Newbie has arrived in the Glade, and has to learn the rules, the dangers, the people of the place, and Thomas is no exception. Scared out of his tree, and questioning everything around him, Thomas starts to realise that there is more to escaping the Maze than they thought.

My thoughts on The Maze Runner

Written in first person, from the perspective of Thomas, The Maze Runner is a fast-paced book with all the things a good dystopian has: the unexplained places, the horrible creatures that poison and kill, the strange girl, the leader of the pack, the bad guy, the hero who is the only one really questioning the life they are living, and the drama and excitement of not knowing what’s going to happen next.

“If you ain’t scared… you ain’t human.”

Although I couldn’t relate to Thomas at all, I didn’t find him as annoying as a lot of the main characters in books I’ve read recently. The other characters, though, like any book, were a mixed bag; some were awesome, others you just wanted to throw off a cliff.

With Boxes that deliver food and supplies, creatures that are fleshy as well as mechanical, telepathic strange girls, map rooms and a whole cast of crazy teenage boys, The Maze Runner was a great read. The only thing I didn’t like so much, which made it a four, not five, star rating, was that as soon as one specific thing was introduced, I knew that that’s how they were going to try and escape with, or the exit to the maze. It took the characters nearly half a book to realise that that was their answer. But maybe it was supposed to be like that? I don’t know. Still a great book, and I recommend it if you like a bit of a dystopian, what-the-heck-is-going-on, anything-goes kinda story.

Have you read The Maze Runner? What did you think?