The Maze Runner: Maze Runner 1

Author: James Dashner
Genre: Young-Adult – Dystopian Fiction/Science Fiction
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Age Range: Young-Adult
Pages: 374
Date Scoot Read: September 2010
Source: Audiobook

Scoot's Rating: 9- Great read! Couldn’t put it down.

Synopsis (via Goodreads): When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. 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 expanse enclosed 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, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark.

The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl arrives in the lift—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable.

And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

Scoot’s Review:
This book hooks your curiosity from the first page. The story follows a teenage boy named Thomas as he wakes up in a lift and is thrown into a dangerous world where he knows no one, and barely knows himself. You slowly learn along with Thomas more details about the Maze and what is happening to the Gladers as the story progresses. I loved Thomas’ character; I was glad he was curious and questioned everything happening around him instead of just accepting his fate and going with the flow. I often find myself frustrated with characters who don’t understand what is going on, yet don’t ask any questions to find out. I never had that problem in this book; Thomas asks a lot of questions. I think the characters of the novel were well developed, even though they knew very little about themselves they each had their own unique personality. The story was sometimes brutal, with harrowing scenes and at other times it could be lighthearted and touching. The Maze Runner is action-packed, filled with plot twists, and heart-wrenching to the last page.