Pure Imagination

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Reading Level: Young Adult
IBSN: 9780385737944
Blurb: 
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 springs up—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.

My Thoughts: 

When Thomas wakes up he doesn’t know where he is. Where he’s been or who he is. All he knows is his name is Thomas and something is not right. The box he woke up in deposits him in that Glade. A large place surrounded by huge walls and a unsolvable Maze. That’s only the beginning…

To be honest I procrastinated on reading this for awhile. I kept hearing all the amazing things about it so I thought what the heck I’ll read it! All those amazing things were true.
The story starts off with Thomas knowing nothing! We learn with him. We see everything through his eyes. The pace at the beginning was a bit slow but that’s my only complaint. That’s understandable too because like I said Thomas knows nothing at the beginning. When the story takes off you will be on the edge of your seat for the rest of the book. You may need a massage afterward to work out all that tension.

James Dashner’s writing is extraordinary. He is very skilled in building up suspense and revealing secrets slowly. Never have a wanted to shake a book so much because I wanted the characters to figure something out. That shows a amazing skill in the author. In my opinion.
The characters were very well written considering they had little if any backstory. I found myself loving these characters or hating them and using their dirty words in my head.

Overall I just flat out loved this book. I think you will too. The Maze Runner will pull you in and it won’t even let go after the book is over. This is one of those book that stays on you mind long after that last page. 5 Stars!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009, 1:00 AM   |   James Dashner, Review, Science Fiction, Young Adult  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback