[Review] The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Series:  The Maze Runner Trilogy
Author:  James Dashner
Genre:  ya, dystopian, post apocalyptic
Format:  Trade Paperback, 375 pages
Publication Date:  August 24, 2010
Published By:  Random House, Inc., Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Source:  Purchased

Synopsis from Goodreads

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My Thoughts

I'm going to say this right off the top, James Dashner is an amazing writer. The Maze Runner has an intense and intriguing opening that immediately pulls the reader right into the story, throwing them right in beside a lonely and confused Thomas in a creepy elevator shaft.

"He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air."

Dashner's pacing is perfection. The story flows along so nicely you almost don't realize as you sneak up on the ending. I was so involved in Thomas's character, trying to figure out why he seems so familiar with everything, yet why most of his memories are missing. Trying to put all the clues together to find out what is happening so everyone can escape the horrors of the maze. The author doesn't give too much away too early, he lets the reader discover the important aspects of the plot as the characters do. I love this in a storyteller. It keeps you reading, turning every page one right after the other until you reach the mind-numbing conclusion.

One of my favourite aspects of The Maze Runner is the new language the characters create during their time living with one another. Completely devoid of memories of their past they quickly develop their own entertaining slang. I love how this allows the boys in the book to "swear" as boys often do, but without having the book filled with profanity.

“Klunk’s another word for poo. Poo makes a klunk sound when it falls in our pee pots.”

That quote seriously made me snicker out loud on the subway... embarrassing...

The chapters were short, yet involved, which keeps the readers interested and coming back for more. The characters were alive and vivid, allowing the reader to become emotionally invested in them (which is not always a good thing!)

I highly recommend this book to everyone, male or female, old or young, I think there is something in it for everyone.

My rating?