THE MAZE RUNNER BY: James Dashner         

        Imagine waking up on the rusted, cold steel floor of a dingy elevator. The unfamiliar conveyer takes you up and reveals The Glade, a green field surrounded by a confining sky-scraping stone wall from the ever-changing routes that make up the Maze. You get up and look around to find that you are trapped, with no memory of whom you are and how you came here with other strangers whose experiences are like yours. This is the thrilling beginning of the first novel in The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. Our protagonist Thomas finds himself in the same situation being introduced to this secluded world of the Maze. This dystopian, mixed with adventure, blended with hybrid monsters called Grievers and a budding romance is a breathless read that will change the history of science fiction.

        It all began with the Maze. To be marooned out there after the stone wall encloses the Glade is a death sentence; especially with the horrendous Grievers lurking at every corner to finish up the Gladers. It’s the only way out – and no one’s ever made it through alive. However when Thomas steps out and gets locked out of the Glade, he uses sheer gut and a whole lot of running to survive the night. The novel states, “Thomas knew he had no choice. He moved. Forward. He squeezed past the connecting rods at the last second. And stepped into the Maze. The walls slammed shut behind him, the echo of its boom bouncing off the ivy-covered stone like mad laughter.” Thomas triggers new hope. But that is crushed when the first girl ever arrives and delivers a message that is terrifying. What happens when the doors don’t close? The Gladers are now fatally exposed to the terror of the Maze. Their lives will change forever when they discover what really happened.

        The characters also play a big role in the story. They come to life between the pages and you go along with them as their companion. The characters are so authentic that you feel their pain and happiness and share their fear and relief. They are so well thought out it is hard to believe an author merely created it by hand. But the characters are well deserved for James Dashner. It wasn’t all easy for him to do so. As he said in an interview with “One Thing Leads To Another”, “…developing characters is not an easy thing for me…But story without compelling characters is worthless... And I really love the characters that are complicated, with layers. I love heroes with flaws and villains for whom you feel empathy. That’s what I try to do with my characters.” Dashner nailed it and made awe-inspiring teenage characters. Thomas demonstrates Dashner’s hard work with his genuine awkwardness and a unique, witty mind as he goes along with others to defy the mysterious Creators.  It made readers eager to connect with them and read more.

       The fantastic writer got his inspiration from movies. He collected them together and talentedly crafted this tale. As Dashner stated in an interview in “One Thing Leads To Another,” “Movies just open the creative side of my mind and get me excited to write. It boils down to this: I love storytelling, in any form, and movies are the best, most immediate, most visceral way to experience a complete story.” Dashner believes that movies supply him with all aspects of a good story and they are his resort to spark up his amazing imagination. With his childhood and teenage experiences, Dashner was able to further enhance his story. Even more, Dashner managed to take a society that is thrown into turmoil and weave it into creative plot-twists and into short chapters that will make you read at the speed of sound.

        This book sits at the top of the bestsellers list like a golden nugget; except there is plenty for everyone. James Dashner was praised endlessly and The Maze Runner was named a New York Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, A Book Sense bestseller and an ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book. If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, this book should be next on your list. It leaves your heart jumping out of your chest and your eyeballs running through the pages.

          The Maze Runner is a master of dystopian worlds. You’ll join Thomas and his fellow Gladers as they desperately try to solve the Maze. The clever development of this tale matches no other. You’ll find yourself running around the pathways and for every dead end is a shock for you; for every run-in with a Griever, it is the end.  You will be lost in its lines, and figure out there is only one way escape. Just try to remember. To run. To survive.