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.
Originally I picked up number 3 in the trilogy by James Dashner, but I had to start from the beginning! I ordered ‘The Maze Runner‘ from the library, and it has been sitting in my to read pile for a couple of weeks.
I think the book had quite a slow start; we start with Thomas’ disorientation at his amnesia, and immediately are thrust into the surroundings, including the ‘clan’ of boys. I must confess I did find it hard to get into, as they use a lot of slang, such as ‘shuck-face’ and ‘grievers’. There was also a distinct lack of information, where the first 50-100 pages were spent us following Thomas around the Glade, and his frustration at not getting answers.
The Glade is the area where everyone lives; the centre of the maze. Each night the doors surrounding the glade close, and the walls of the maze move. Because of this, ‘runners’ go out every day to map the maze, to try and find an escape. They have to be back inside by nightfall, as this is when the Grievers appear; modified killing creatures.
Thankfully I persevered and the book does pick up pace. One night Thomas gets trapped outside the Glade with two runners, and this is where the book starts to get more exciting. I won’t give too much away, but we start to understand the secrets of the maze, and more about Thomas. The end is left very open, ready for the sequel!
I did enjoy this book overall, but I would probably shorten the beginning, and get rid of the awful slang! I have ordered the next book in the trilogy, and it has joined by ever growing to be read pile.
On the front cover it says ‘a must for fans of The Hunger Games‘. I love the Hunger Games, so this did reassure me that I should enjoy it, however I don’t think the book had as much intensity as the Hunger Games. Part of the ending did shock me, but I don’t think I know enough about the characters yet to really feel for them.
Snuggling On The Sofa 