Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Book #24 - The Maze Runner



The Maze Runner
James Dashner

 
Blurb: Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines.

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?
(From Goodreads)

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

Length: Medium - 374 pages

Notes:  I felt that Matched lacked the action of The Hunger Games, but I felt like this book gave me that action that I was looking for.  I loved the story line of this book, and it was definitely a page turner that kept me reading - wanting to find out what happens next.  It is one of those books that totally leaves you hanging at the end, so I will be reading the next book in the series to find out what happens next.  I did get a little annoyed at the slang words the characters used, but that was only minor.  Can't wait to read the second book!

Random quote: "Such a display of death - how could it be considered a victory?"

Recommend: yes



Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

1 comment:

Cassie said...

I liked this book, too. I thought the writing was...not the best, but I guess it IS a YA book, so maybe my expectations shouldn't be so high. It was certainly exciting!