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Michelle Graham's Reviews > The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner, #1)
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At first glance, The Maze Runner is awesome. The story idea – that a bunch of boys are trapped in a maze, but have no idea how they got there or how to get out – is brilliant. There’s so much you can do with it.
And then…ugh. I really wanted to like it. I wanted to like the characters, the narrator, the setting – all of it. But I didn’t. I know I read as a writer, which is WAY more critical than someone who always gets to read for fun, but it’s hard to ignore weird, purple similes and descriptions. I wish I had written down some of them and taken pictures of the “Whaaa-?” face I made when I heard them.
Thomas, the main character, is super smart and optimistic. When he shows up, though, everyone acts like they hate him. No reason. They just hate him. He asks questions, and they say things like, “Figure it out” or “It’s a secret” or “Shut up, stop asking questions”. None of the characters give anyone a reason to like them. It seems like there may be existing alliances, but from the way all the Gladers act toward one another, you’d think they were just waiting to stab their comrades in the back. Of all the characters, the best and most well-rounded is Newt, the second-in-command oldest boy. He actually gives answers and is sort of nice to people. Teresa, the hot girl who shows up, gets several chances to make a difference, but she mostly says snarky things and lets Thomas lead the show.
Even though Thomas is technically the point of view character, it doesn’t feel like you get into his head much. The reader is told when Thomas is mad, sad, angry, and so on, but the actual emotions don’t come from being shown. It’s more like being instructed: Thomas is sad. Be sad with Thomas. It makes it really difficult to care when bad things happen.
Honestly, the plot (in my *personal* opinion) is what really keeps people reading this book. Curiosity, not necessarily likeable characters or fantastic word choice, are the reasons this book is so popular. My rating is somewhere between a 3.3 and a 3.5 out of 5. Not terrible, but not the greatest.
And then…ugh. I really wanted to like it. I wanted to like the characters, the narrator, the setting – all of it. But I didn’t. I know I read as a writer, which is WAY more critical than someone who always gets to read for fun, but it’s hard to ignore weird, purple similes and descriptions. I wish I had written down some of them and taken pictures of the “Whaaa-?” face I made when I heard them.
Thomas, the main character, is super smart and optimistic. When he shows up, though, everyone acts like they hate him. No reason. They just hate him. He asks questions, and they say things like, “Figure it out” or “It’s a secret” or “Shut up, stop asking questions”. None of the characters give anyone a reason to like them. It seems like there may be existing alliances, but from the way all the Gladers act toward one another, you’d think they were just waiting to stab their comrades in the back. Of all the characters, the best and most well-rounded is Newt, the second-in-command oldest boy. He actually gives answers and is sort of nice to people. Teresa, the hot girl who shows up, gets several chances to make a difference, but she mostly says snarky things and lets Thomas lead the show.
Even though Thomas is technically the point of view character, it doesn’t feel like you get into his head much. The reader is told when Thomas is mad, sad, angry, and so on, but the actual emotions don’t come from being shown. It’s more like being instructed: Thomas is sad. Be sad with Thomas. It makes it really difficult to care when bad things happen.
Honestly, the plot (in my *personal* opinion) is what really keeps people reading this book. Curiosity, not necessarily likeable characters or fantastic word choice, are the reasons this book is so popular. My rating is somewhere between a 3.3 and a 3.5 out of 5. Not terrible, but not the greatest.
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