- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Chicken House; 1 edition (2 Aug 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 190642750X
- ISBN-13: 978-1906427504
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 194,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
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 patrols its corridors, to find out.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Relentless in pace, and delivering several terrifying episodes, this teen novel is set in a sinister future world, peopled largely by boys stripped of all memory of their pasts - plus one girl who enters the story some way into the action. All new arrivals, delivered by the mysterious "Box", find themselves trapped in a high walled compound called the Glade in the middle of a vast stone maze populated by foul and deadly half-machine half-animal monsters called Grievers, who only come out at night. Four openings into the maze close before nightfall to protect the boys from the Grievers and open again in the morning thus allowing the selected few to act as runners, covering every part of the maze in a desperate search for the way out. The story opens with Thomas's arrival in the Glades as the compound is called, ignorant of who he is and how he got there, and the pace of the storytelling pulled me through to a highly ingenious but horrifying finale. Ultimately I found the premise of the novel a depressing and pessimistic view of the outlook for humanity, which detracted from my enjoyment. I also grew weary of the language the boys use - words like "shuck", "slinthead", "shank" and "buggin'" - though this is of course purely a personal reaction on my part - and the constant name-calling and aggressive attitude - although in the context of the situation they are in, this is on one level totally understandable. The story skilfully enacted a grim scenario only occasionally relieved by warmth and compassion - Thomas's fondness for and ultimate loyalty to 12-year-old Chuck, and the mutual attraction between him and Teresa and the psychic rapport they build up together.
In summary, though, I believe teen readers will be totally gripped by this story and will also want to read the sequel we are clearly prepared for at the end.
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In summary, though, I believe teen readers will be totally gripped by this story and will also want to read the sequel we are clearly prepared for at the end.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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What is it about young adult fiction and dystopian futures? Why do the nation's teenagers relish such downcast visions of their future? I don't know the answer to that, but this sub-genre has generated some great novels in recent years. Whilst never quite reaching the heights of Unwind, The Hunger Games or The City of Ember, the Maze Runner is an interesting addition to an ever-growing list of fictional dystopias.
The novel opens with Thomas arriving in the 'Glade'. He has no recollection of how he arrived there, whether he has any family, or what his life had been like beforehand. The Glade is populated by adolescent boys, who have arrived one per month, as part of a strange and little understood experiment. They are surrounded by huge walls, in which doors open during daylight hours. Beyond these doors is a maze.
At night the doors shut, sealing the Glade off from the horrific 'Greivers', peculiar mechanical-organic hybrids that ruthlessly hunt down and kill anybody unlucky enough to find themselves outside after dark. The entire area is a man-made construct - night and day are artificial, the climate is constant and the maze terminates at the sheer and vertiginous 'Cliff'.
Thomas's arrival immediately alters the community's dynamic. He questions why they are there and how to get out, sowing discord amongst the boys. In an attempt to find answers, he starts to explore the maze, and even takes on the dreaded Greivers.
'The Maze Runner', is an interesting novel, moving at a fair pace throughout, but it is never entirely convincing. The set-up is too artificial, and though there are some surprises along the way, the conclusion is never in much doubt. The interaction between the boys is weak; the various factions and feuds don't feel real, which is a great shame. Though the Maze is imposing, looming large in the boys' lives, I don't think the author manages to exploit its full potential.
The novel's conclusion, though in some ways predictable, does contain a number of nice surprises. Rather irritatingly, it also suggests a back story that is more intriguing than the tale told in the rest of the novel. The inevitable second volume looks set to take place in a troubled future Earth, with a premise that, if not entirely original, is certainly compelling. A series to watch, perhaps?
The novel opens with Thomas arriving in the 'Glade'. He has no recollection of how he arrived there, whether he has any family, or what his life had been like beforehand. The Glade is populated by adolescent boys, who have arrived one per month, as part of a strange and little understood experiment. They are surrounded by huge walls, in which doors open during daylight hours. Beyond these doors is a maze.
At night the doors shut, sealing the Glade off from the horrific 'Greivers', peculiar mechanical-organic hybrids that ruthlessly hunt down and kill anybody unlucky enough to find themselves outside after dark. The entire area is a man-made construct - night and day are artificial, the climate is constant and the maze terminates at the sheer and vertiginous 'Cliff'.
Thomas's arrival immediately alters the community's dynamic. He questions why they are there and how to get out, sowing discord amongst the boys. In an attempt to find answers, he starts to explore the maze, and even takes on the dreaded Greivers.
'The Maze Runner', is an interesting novel, moving at a fair pace throughout, but it is never entirely convincing. The set-up is too artificial, and though there are some surprises along the way, the conclusion is never in much doubt. The interaction between the boys is weak; the various factions and feuds don't feel real, which is a great shame. Though the Maze is imposing, looming large in the boys' lives, I don't think the author manages to exploit its full potential.
The novel's conclusion, though in some ways predictable, does contain a number of nice surprises. Rather irritatingly, it also suggests a back story that is more intriguing than the tale told in the rest of the novel. The inevitable second volume looks set to take place in a troubled future Earth, with a premise that, if not entirely original, is certainly compelling. A series to watch, perhaps?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
3.5 stars
An interesting read all in all. Took me a while to get into it but once things really started to pick up, I was enthralled. The story moves along at a nice pace and there is plenty of action and mystique to keep younger viewers captivated.
Although I enjoyed this novel and want to read the sequel 'The Scorch Trials', there were a few things that I didn't particularly enjoy. The main protagonist, Thomas, annoyed me beyond me belief due to his superiority complex and how he very conveniently becomes the `saviour' of the Gladers after two years of them being unable to solve the Maze and he has only been there a day or two. Also seems rather too convenient how Thomas keeps `remembering' so many vital details essential to the Gladers survival, seemed rather lazy on the author's part that this happened instead of allowing the Gladers to explore these avenues themselves. Also, his relationship with Chuck seemed very forced and I did not envision it as being genuine in the slightest.
The Maze itself also didn't really represent anything particularly quizzical or scary for the reader due to the same adjectives used to describe it throughout the book. Similarly, the Grievers did not seem very monstrous to me. Due to the lack of description made by Dashner I just couldn't picture them at all whenever they appeared: describing something as a ball of blubber with knives and needles sticking out of it does not make for a good mental vision and certainly does not instil any horror in the reader.
Other than these few problems, I did enjoy reading this and I look forward to reading the sequel.
An interesting read all in all. Took me a while to get into it but once things really started to pick up, I was enthralled. The story moves along at a nice pace and there is plenty of action and mystique to keep younger viewers captivated.
Although I enjoyed this novel and want to read the sequel 'The Scorch Trials', there were a few things that I didn't particularly enjoy. The main protagonist, Thomas, annoyed me beyond me belief due to his superiority complex and how he very conveniently becomes the `saviour' of the Gladers after two years of them being unable to solve the Maze and he has only been there a day or two. Also seems rather too convenient how Thomas keeps `remembering' so many vital details essential to the Gladers survival, seemed rather lazy on the author's part that this happened instead of allowing the Gladers to explore these avenues themselves. Also, his relationship with Chuck seemed very forced and I did not envision it as being genuine in the slightest.
The Maze itself also didn't really represent anything particularly quizzical or scary for the reader due to the same adjectives used to describe it throughout the book. Similarly, the Grievers did not seem very monstrous to me. Due to the lack of description made by Dashner I just couldn't picture them at all whenever they appeared: describing something as a ball of blubber with knives and needles sticking out of it does not make for a good mental vision and certainly does not instil any horror in the reader.
Other than these few problems, I did enjoy reading this and I look forward to reading the sequel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great book
This book is a slow start, but once you push the first few chapters it becomes a really fantastic story. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Jess
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Review: (May contain spoilers)
I cannot describe how much I loved this book. From the first page I was hooked. Read more
I cannot describe how much I loved this book. From the first page I was hooked. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Book sisterhood
Really really good!!
I bought this because it was recommended to me (by amazon) because I loved the Hunger Games so much! I have to say that I was really really impressed at the beginning! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jarvy
Terrific
Great book! Interesting concept. I felt myself trying to figure out why they were in the maze and coming up with my own exit plans. A wholesome book of goodness. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mary-The Sweet Bookshelf
Courtesy of A Trillian Books
The Maze Runner is very much plot based rather than character based and well, it's a hell of a plot! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Tasha
Slow paced, rubbish
If you enjoy wasting your time then this is the perfect book for you.
It is slow paced, boring and it isn't a good story line. Read more
It is slow paced, boring and it isn't a good story line. Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Bunting
Gripping book *INCLUDES SPOILERS*
I was recommended to read this book by other fans of The Hunger Games series, although I had seen mixed reviews of the book, I decided to buy it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by The-Abyss
Some experiments are a-mazing.
Thomas is the only thing he can remember. His name is Thomas. Apart from that he doesn't know who he is or where he's from. WICKED have wiped his mind. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. E. M. Kneale
Can't wait for the sequel!
"Liked the Hunger Games? Love this!" is what is written on the back of this book. This statement couldn't be truer! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Amber
Enjoyable even if some parts are obvious.
Thomas wakes in darkness with no memory of anything but his name... this is a great way to kick things off. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Maurice Foley
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