The Maze Runner By James Dashner

Available at Amazon or The Book Depository

Description: 

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.

Chaos' Review: 

      The fact that the back of this book held so much mystery was what caught my attention. That and the odd title. It just makes you think....what in this world is a "Maze Runner"??? well, the title is kind of self explanatory but it still has the continuous round of "WHOA What kind of story does this book hold?". I can't even begin to describe how amazing this book was. It kept me flipping the pages to the point were I couldn't put it down even when it was 2am!

   Thomas, the protagonist, wasn't perfect nor was he kick-butt. HOWEVER, the difference was that instead of physical durability, it was the much needed sense of intelligence that was NEEDED! Whats better than smart people locked up in a maze? And a bunch of smart people equals DRAMA! Trust is also a major issue with Thomas, yet the main problem is, is that no one in the Maze can remember anything -outside- of it. I was simply anxious to know what was GOING ON!!! 

   My favourite character though, was probably Minho, no matter what the situation, no matter what the mood, he never fails to crack a joke that can bring an actual smile to your face! Another interesting thing was how the Gladers had their own "cuss" words. Pretty funny, when you say it out loud, even when you think of the reference it makes you laugh. 

   Really, just WOW. All Praise To James Dashner! His creativity went to the MAX and it was just A M A Z I N G!!! The need for each Glader to escape the Maze is just inspiring, and just the way they care for one another is just wow. Friendship like that brings a sense of being a Family to the Gladers. Plus the amount of tragedy that occurs, and the situations that come into play, are simply unpredictable. Simply astounding.

   Readers of the Hunger Games that feel a sense of emptiness, need to pick this book up and give it a try. It will CERTAINLY fill that hollowness! 

   I've come to the point where I'm contemplating on re-reading the book....and I never consider doing such things. The Next  book in the series, The Scorch Trials is bound to be double the amount of excitement ;)

   I give James Dashner much praise and adoration for writing such a remarkable book! I'm usually a naturally picky person, but this book deserves top marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Calamity's Review:
Okay, let me just start by saying how incredible this book was. Chaos said it how it is, it can help help you recover from the loss of finishing The Hunger Games (which was pretty emotional for me). This isn't usually the type of book that I would pick off of a bookshelf because the cover isn't "pretty" and that usually helps me decide what book I'll read. But lets just say that Chaos is pretty good at convincing. I love reading dystopian books but its just soo hard to pick up the book for me because there will inevitably be some sort of tragedy to it.
I know that Chaos and I have mentioned the The Hunger Games, but this book is nothing like it. They might have a similar (Kind of) concept that puts the characters of this book in a situation they need to escape from or just survive, for that matter. But the similarities stop there. The story line is completely different and they are both amazing in their own different ways. Both books are a must read.
I loved that Thomas (The Protagonist) was a good in between of smart, level-headed guy and rage filled teenager. It's good to see a well rounded character in books because sometimes authors forget to do that, which results in the book being excruciatingly boring, but not The Maze Runner. The maze runner was a great read and really makes you think about how you, yourself, would react in a situation like that.
Chaos has finished the whole series and I think it has made her slightly insane, I'm still working on it and I gotta say, it's pretty darn good.
I rate this book a 4