A while ago now, before Christmas at least, I picked up The Maze Runner in a bookshop, read a page of it, and decided I literally hated it. Hated it. Loathed it. Then I bought The Eye Of Minds, another book that James Dashner has written, and I loved it. (Seriously, if you haven't read The Eye Of Minds, it's not a book you should pass up easily!) So, I decided that I was going to read The Maze Runner. And this is kind of what happened.
Every month, a new teenager comes up in The Box into the Glade. They get thrown into a new world surrounded by other teenagers, and can't remember a thing about their past before their trip up to the Glade in the Box. But The Glade isn't the most interesting part of this new world. Beyond a door that's so large that is seemingly defies physics is The Maze, a puzzle that changes every night. The teenagers in the Maze have been mapping it for 2 years in a hope of escape. Thomas has just arrived in the Maze, but the next day, defying all rules, Theresa comes in too. The Ending has arrived. (dun, dun, dun!)
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm not just saying it either. The plot was a very well thought out one and it's unlike a lot of things you tend to see up for sale today. It's unique in that sense but I literally despise anyone who's comparing it to dystopia, and here's why: When you search for the definition of dystopia, it starts off by saying, 'an imagined state where everything is unpleasant or bad.' The Glade is unpleasant and it is imagined, but unlike The Arena in The Hunger Games, it's not all bad. They get food and supplies, protection from The Grievers at night, it's not exactly all bad. The Maze, however… The Maze Runner is not The Hunger Games, Divergent or even The Jewel for that matter.
This is a really interesting book to read. I find it quite interesting as well that compared to other books, the destroyed community of the Gladers actually have a good community going on, and even a democratic system. This isn't something you tend to find in books that have these sorts of themes. The setting has a unique structure that I enjoyed reading.
And this absorbs you as well! I finished this book on a Tuesday morning in the
school holidays, my Kindle said I was 77% complete. I wanted to read for a few minutes and ended up finishing the book! Whilst it isn't a book you can finish off in one sitting, it's definitely one that grips you. Certainly a good choice whichever movie producer decided to make this one into a movie.
I do have just one negative to point, and that's the convenience of certain situations to fit in with the plot. This isn't a major spoiler so you're OK. Towards the end of the book, The Map Room containing the patterns of the Maze Movements is burned down by another Glader. But it just so happens that two of the Gladers moved all the real maps and replaced the other ones with dummies. It's just a bit too convenient for my liking, and I was a slightly let down by that.
But otherwise, a great novel and I definitely recommend you go read it, before you buy the movie! (Because books are always better…)
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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