The Maze Runner by James DashnerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Reading - 31/07/2014 to 06/08/2016
This was a fun read. First of all it was my first audiobook. I am not fond of them but since it was given to me I cannot say no. I had no interest in purchasing the book because it didn't appeal to me but since it was free I said what a heck. Let us go ahead. I have now around 100 audiobooks I will read in the future as I work - since reading while working is not that advisable.
First of all - and nothing to do with the book itself I enjoy the narration. Our narrator was experience for what I search and it gave different voices to each character. Some like New sounded a bit fake but what a hell.
Some SPOILERS ahead
(You are going to see the movie so what a hell... btw the girl in the movie doesn't enter a coma like here) sorry :)
I was so committed to the story that I took notes. More notes than any other book so far. And I enjoy it.
So, we find ourselves in the Glades a haven surrounded by a maze. We are Thomas, a boy that arrived at the glades to revolutionize their "peaceful" existence. Of course he doesn't know he is the bloody messiah. We've got friends like Chuck (a 13ish old boy who immediately fell in awe of us); Newt the british boy I told you about who was the second in command and probably had the weight of the world in his shoulder and you've got Minho the keeper of the runners (the guys who search the maze for clues to leave). Then it appears Theresa who is only important in half the book - the rest of the book she is in coma. And we've got some guys who doesnt like us - namely Gally. Then there is Alby the eldest and leader of the pack.
Of course most these guys have been there for months or years but only you are capable of solving every problem they have, have a telepathic link to the only girl in existence and be the hero. Of course you've got no bad qualities besides caring too much for everyone. I think you were inspired in me.
You are different from everybody else. It took months for someone to be a runner but you've done it in only a couple of days. You broke the first rule of the Glade to save two people so what would you earn? Be banished (killed) or take the place of the keeper of runners (Keepers are the leaders of something).
There are evil things there like insect-alikes that are cameras and some Grievers - Monsters that come out in the Maze at night (or not) and they try two things: One - kill a glader or sting it. The first... well you die and the second you hallucinate and start remember things from the past. Btw - they resemble slugs and have numerous weapons.
So Thomas, because he knows it all, got stung on purpose and voila a light falls on him. He knows how to leave the place but also he knows that he helped created the maze. Well, he is sixteen and there are kids there for two years so at 13 or 14 he help create a maze? Okk...
At around the 30th chapter (there are 61 plus an epilogue) the story starts going on a hot pace (bear in mind that this book is 10:00:00 long) and captivated me to right a phrase for chapter like
33 - The Sun dissapear; I trigger the ending
35 - The Maze is a code; They discover a door near the edge
36 - The Doors to the maze don't close; I know You
37 - Prison
38 - The night. The Plan. Gaby (who I know now is called Gally) Returns
39 - The prohecy - Everyone will die- One per Night - Gally kills himself - Minho leaves the maze
40 - Well, first it took hours to arrive to the abyss - but this time it took minutes
41 - The maps are burned; the maps are not maps
42 - The maps are not burned afterall.
42 - FLOATCATCH
43 - The departure
44 - There are 8 runners but it seems only Minho does anything
FLOAT CATCH BLEED DEATH STIFF PUSH
And so on...
I really enjoy writing like this. It gave me a new perspective on the book. Maybe it will only work on this one.. Don't know..
The ending was strange and it responded some questions giving us some more. It made me itchy to read the second book but for what I read it's not that good...
So at the end they leave the maze to find the creators looking at them and one of the creators with Gally (who supposedly had died) confront them but say nothing special - saying only that it was all a test. Training the best of the best. But suddently Gally tries to kill thomas but killed Chuck. Why? Why kill Thomas then? Chuck sacrifice himself OK I understand that . But why killed Thomas?
Then some armed men arrive and kill some creators escaping and while on a bus they meet a old woman saying that You are going to save everyone from the Flare - then they run over that said old woman. Inside the bus a woman explains to them that supposedly some powerful flares abated earth scorching some parts, killing millions and giving some disease that makes people go crazy and die (probably the sting from the Grievers was that). Supposedly the boys are the last hope from WICKED (World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department) but those man who "saved" them are against WICKED because they think the trials to boys are inhumane.
The epilogue says that other trials are doing OK.
This book If I had to read it I would be bored to dead. It was not that good written. I think the author had in mind a film (or trilogy of films). The characters are not that well portrayed besides one or two characteristics. Newt is always worry about the welfare of everybody or Minho just want to leave and do anything but besides this two characters everyone else is not that well portrayed. Chuck is also a nice fellow. But Thomas was boring. As I said before he is the Messiah and he knows it. Damn.. Let us see the second book if he continues to be boring. And if Theresa is developed.
There are some good aspects in the book - Dashner invented new words to swear so it doesn't sound so bad if a child of ten read it.
Some questions remain... why Theresa has WICKED is GOOD written in her hand?
Why did they put Thomas there in the first place? Why him and Theresa are important?
Why the trials? What is the purpose of it since the boys did menial jobs like farming and butchering animals - how can this help to discover a cure to the plague abating earth?
There are others but my writing in the train was not that good and I cannot read it.
I give this book 3/5 or 6/10 if it was possible. It's not a solid book because of several important flaws like characters and the writing style but the mystery involved made me want read a chapter more and more. And that's what important in a book, no?
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