The Maze Runner

In the wake of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, post-apocalyptic is the new "it" genre. Authors are moving from fantasy to throwing their characters into massively challenging and/or deadly situations in the distant future. Don't worry,James Dashner's The Maze Runner was started before The Hunger Games. The closest thing I can describe it to is Holes mixed with William Sleator's classic House of Stairs.

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.

This one's impossible to put down. I mean, I actually read it in a day. The characters are intriguing, the setting is a puzzle, to say the least, and the payoff is great. James Dashner is a fantastic writer, and he has now proven that he can write anything if he so desires. I give him a pat on the back for giving us his best book yet, full of all the literary treats that make a book enjoyable. I can't wait for Book 2 in the trilogy, The Scorch Trials, set to come out next year.

My rating: 10/10

Coming Soon: The Shadow Dragons