Bookworm Speaks!- The Maze Runner

Bookworm Speaks!

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

Acquired: Jinx Books

Series: Book 1 of the Maze Runner Series

Paperback: 375 pages

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Language: English

Subject: Fiction

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The Story: 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.

The Review: What sets this book apart and immediately hooks the reader is the setting. Young Adult Dystopic fiction falls into a lot commonalities and its a credit to the author that this book’s setting is so different. 

Automatically, there is a mystery. There is no oppressive government, no factions, just the maze and its mysterious obstacles. Thomas is understandably very confused and we see his confusion through the text. 

A character having amnesia is becoming something of a cliche in popular media, but it is a good trope and its easy to see the appeal. The best kind of story takes the reader on a journey and we are shown that journey through the eyes of the characters. What better way to make the journey new is to make it new for the character as well. 

The back of the book says that time is running out and the reader really gets that impression. The action scenes are done with a real sense of peril in made and the whole thing about a time limit, when the doors to the glade slide shut. Its a gut punch every time a member of the glade is lost and Thomas feels authentic fear and dread. The pacing is a bit uneven but they are thrilling enough to hook the reader further. 

The other side of the coin though is that the amnesia route is something of a cop out. It saves the author of developing the character and giving him or her any sort of backstory. Indeed, Thomas is not very memorable as a character. His amnesia is his only memorable characteristics. In all other respects, he is something of a pushover. 

What is also weak about the text is the writing as it feels very amateurish. This genre of fiction is not exactly known for its high caliber wordsmithing but even so, good writing can make so readers of all ages can enjoy the story. 

The writing in this case seems to consist mostly of statements along the lines of:

Thomas said…

Thomas realized…

Thomas noticed…

We get that the main POV character is lens through which the reader gets to view the world, but in this case the reader, is merely told about the world, not showing it. This breaks a cardinal rule of writing, especially speculative fiction where world building is absolutely critical. This continues throughout the book. 

The author throws in a few twists here and there but to be honest, unless the reader is reading a book like this for the very first time, they can see it coming. Even if they are reading it for the first time, the twist is easy to predict. As for the twist itself, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

Tacked on is the word Bookworm would use to describe the ending. It was almost like it was added in order to make the readers buy the next books in the series. 

If the author had removed the past two or three chapters the book most likely would have been much better. It would have been open-ended and probably would have left more questions than answers but the end result would have been a better narrative. 

Final Verdict: The book’s setting and action initially make for an exciting read but as the story goes on, the suspense diminishes and ultimately leads to a clunky ending. 

The action and setting pull through in the end leading to a book that is interesting, if not particularly well done. 

Bookworm ultimately had no interest in reading the sequels or watching the movie. Maybe one day but not today. 

Three Balls of Yarn out of Five 

(FYI- A ball of yarn was used by Theseus to navigate the maze of the Minotaur hence it’s use here)

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