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The Maze Runner (Book 1) by James Dashner
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The Maze Runner (Book 1) (original 2009; edition 2010)

by James Dashner (Author), Mark Deakins (Narrator)

Series: The Maze Runner (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
16,219775317 (3.77)1 / 358
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
#1 Maze Runner
Audio narrated by Mark Deakins
3*

Fairly good premise for a dystopian YA novel. A group of teenage boys in a dangerous world full of creatures called Grievers that kill anyone who is caught outside of the boys' home base ("The Glade") after the immense walls close up at night. Each kid is given a different job in the Glade (gardening, cooking, cleaning, etc.) or end up being a "runner"--kids who spend their days running through a huge maze outside the walls of their compound looking for an escape route. There are no adults present, but order is kept by a council of older boys and a strict code that everyone must follow. This is no [book:Lord of the Flies|1167532], although their punishments can be very harsh (banishment).

They regularly receive supplies shipped to them from an unknown entity which they call their "Creator". The shipments may contain clothing, food, medicine, etc. Sometimes they also contain a new teenager, one who is frightened, confused, and who has no memory of where they came from, who they are, or why they have been sent there. After the last two teens, Thomas and Teresa--the only girl--arrive, they learn quickly that their time is running out. They have to defeat the Grievers (and their Creator) and find a way out.

This is geared for kids 12 and up. One issue I have with this story is that they have tweaked their vocabulary to some extent, usually just replacing curse words with milder terms. The kids don't ever really swear, but they are constantly calling each other "klunkhead" or "shuck-face" or saying, "I don't give a klunk". They are basically speaking Smurf. It was distracting. I'd rather they just talk like normal teenagers--some will swear, some won't. It seemed like the author was trying not to be offensive for younger readers but I thought it had the opposite effect. The replacement words were used so often it made me think of the real versions much more than if they just would have said them.

Although this book isn't perfect, I enjoyed the story and would have loved it when I was in middle- and high school. ( )
  AddictedToMorphemes | Jun 9, 2016 |
English (761)  Spanish (10)  French (1)  Dutch (1)  Italian (1)  Catalan (1)  German (1)  All languages (776)
Showing 1-25 of 761 (next | show all)
This book was okay, not great, just okay. I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters and while the story did keep me interested, I didn't care for how it ended. I don't think I'll be reading the prequel/sequels (unless I can pick them up as cheaply - $1.99 - as I did this one.) ( )
  thatnerd | Mar 2, 2024 |
This is arguably the most important novel I've ever read in my life. This, along with one other book called "Paper Towns", is what kickstarted my reading career. It was assigned to me in English class in 9th grade (about five years ago), and I thought it was utterly fantastic. I loved the Glade, I loved the Maze, and, most importantly, I loved the suspenseful tone. I remember reading Thomas's first venture into the Maze to rescue Alby and Minho around midnight, and I would probably say that that was the moment I decided to become a reader. As soon as I finished this book, I tore through the rest of the series, then I read The Hunger Games series, then Divergent, then Harry Potter, etc. For that, this book will always have a special place in my heart. However, do I still like it as much 5 years later?

Sadly, no. This book isn't great by any means. This book's biggest problem, in my opinion, is its writing style. I'm really not a fan of Dashner's writing. I know it's a bit harsh, but I'm being honest here. The first 120 or so pages are incredibly boring. James Dashner just keeps repeating the same information over and over again. The amount of times he explains Thomas's memory loss drives me insane. Did this book have no editing phase? In addition, not much really happens until Thomas dashes into the Maze (which is an awesome moment, by the way). Sure, there is a lot to be explained about this new world and these new characters, but did it really need to be that slow? The pacing is absolutely atrocious, man.

I also think a lot of aspects of this story are extremely cringeworthy. The biggest offender is the dialogue. It is awful. The characters feel extremely shallow and unoriginal as a consequence. I also really dislike the Glade slang. I think it is extremely unnecessary and annoying. I know a lot of people like it, but I just can't stand it, especially since it's used in practically every other sentence.

Lastly, has Dashner ever heard of the rule, "Show, don't tell"? Instead of letting the reader infer these characters' personality traits through their actions and dialogue, he just tells them what they're like. That's not how you write a character, man. Leave some room for ambiguity. It will make your stories so much more interesting in the end.

With that being said, I still enjoy the suspenseful nature of this book even though I know what's going to happen. The tension is palpable anytime a Griever is around the corner. James Dashner may not be able to write good characters, but he can certainly write good action scenes with suspenseful tones and gruesome imagery.

I think the plot is alright. I know a ton of people despise the plot of this book because of how silly and unbelievable it is, but I've never really minded it. There are tons of twists and turns, and watching Thomas navigate his life in the Glade and slowly figure the Maze out is really intriguing. It's a decently structured story, honestly.

So, yeah. I have a TON of problems with this novel, but I'm still somewhat sentimental to it overall. A great wave of nostalgia washes over me every time I go through it, and it always ends up leaving a warm feeling in my heart. ( )
  Moderation3250 | Feb 24, 2024 |
Excellent book for boys, and good for girls who like adventure and a little violence. Not really my thing, but I must say, I could not put it down. Leaves you hanging for the next one in the series. ( )
  mjphillips | Feb 23, 2024 |
Once again, I am sucked in by a clever and intriguing ending to a book that I only kindof enjoyed.

This is another YA dystopic fiction book, this time centered more around a boy, and I think that's why I liked it a little bit less than others I've read. They use a lot of unfamiliar slang to talk to one another in the book that's barely disguised cursing and I'm sure it's a pretty realistic way for teenaged boys to talk to one another but I found it irritating.

The story is interesting, there are some really great scenes that beg to be made into a movie and there's an interesting cliffhanger. I'll read book two but from the library!

In a nutshell: combo of Enders Game and Hunger Games. ( )
  hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |
I thought the general plot idea was great and the author drove the story foward well. Unfortunately the characters, descriptions, and dialogue were a bit lacking. ( )
  carolovestoread | Jan 14, 2024 |
What an incredible book. I was hooked from the beginning and consumed with questions. Dark, dark, dark. I've seen it compared to The Hunger Games, but that series left me feeling hopeless. For some reason this doesn't. ( )
  GordCampbell | Dec 20, 2023 |
It took me a little while to get into this book and honestly I don't know if I would have read it if it weren't for the movie coming out. The movie was the biggest reason for me wanting to read this book and I'm actually glad I read it because I did enjoy it and I want to see what will happen next. This book is full of mystery and it's not until the very end that you understand why they're there and what the purpose of the maze was. There are some parts of the story that's kind of slow which is why it took me a while to get into it but the end is full of action and suspense and twists that it kind of makes up for the slow parts. The characters were just ok, I think they could've been better and developed more. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and I do want to continue with the series. ( )
  VanessaMarieBooks | Dec 10, 2023 |
5th Grade ( )
  ParkerExum | Dec 9, 2023 |
AMÉ ESTE LIBRO!!!
  milipagani | Nov 18, 2023 |
So did I love The Maze Runner? No. Did I hate The Maze Runner? No. This book was enjoyable, while I did not fall in love with it, it entertained me enough to want to read the next book. I can really see why so many people liked it and why it was made into a movie. I have yet to see the movie, but I'm interested to see it and compare.

I won't lie but this book took me a ridiculously long time to get into, I would read one or two chapters then put it down. It wasn't until about a third of the way into the book that it finally became interesting to me, however even then it did not spark me to pick up the book. I decided though that I would finally pick it up and finish it all the way through no stopping.

One thing that made me not be able to get into The Maze Runner, is that I can quite understand the whole tossing kids into these experimental situations where they die or have to fend for themselves. While I hope that did not give anything away for someone who has not read the book, it's kind of easy to understand from the first couple of chapters that this is what is happening. Even when I was a kid or teenager reading books, I never understood why kids? My guess is that it's a easy way to write about kids and teenagers in a dystopian society.

The Glade, Runners, Shank Face, Klunk, Baggers. It was all so weird to me, the language that these kids had adopted. They know proper words and language, yet they need these weird terms to describe things. Most of the time I felt just like Thomas, Confused and angry. What the hell was going on!? Considering that the longest person has been there for two years, you would think they would have handled 'Newbies' and 'Greenies' better than they were. There was a distinct lack of communication on everyone's part. I understand they wanted to maintain order (it was a huge thing) but most refused to answer any questions about anything. Why so secretive? Didn't they all technically have the same goal? Survive and escape? They were working together, but not at the same time.

Most of the plot developments were quite obvious, although I am assuming that it was not meant to be a surprise. I even guessed at most of the deaths as well. I'm sorry but yes people do die in this book. I was also disappointed in the character Teresa. The only freaking girl in the whole book and she's comatose for most of it. I really hope that she plays a bigger role in the other books.

Overall not a bad book and I'll try to find the sequel next time I go to the library.
( )
  latteslipsticklit | Nov 16, 2023 |
Trigger warnings: Animal attack, murder

8/10, I've been wanting to read this book for a while and not long after I finally picked this up from one of the two libraries I go to; I had high expectations considering the high average rating and the rave reviews, I am just so glad that I read this book since it was so amazing and outstanding, I couldn't stop reading it. Not to mention that this was published over a decade ago and it still holds up to this day. Wow. Where do I begin? The concept was so original but terrifying, it was that some kids were stuck in a maze for apparently no reason but I found out more as I read through the book. I couldn't connect to the characters because they were all flat so when one character sacrificed himself for the main character Thomas I didn't feel anything for him. However the latter half of the book was very suspenseful as the characters finally found a way out of the maze and then it ends on a cliffhanger. Some aspects of the book such as the Serum were still unexplained though I may find out in the next few books in the series though I am concerned that the quality might get worse from there. If you like an original YA sci-fi novel this is the book for you. ( )
  Law_Books600 | Nov 3, 2023 |
I enjoyed it a lot. I liked trying to figure out the central mystery and really look forward to where it might go next. I will admit some of the made up slang bothered me a little in the begining but I got over it. A solid thriller and worth a read. ( )
  cdaley | Nov 2, 2023 |
Meh. I had to force myself to finish this in order to discuss it with my son. He seemed to enjoy it though. ( )
  meallenreads | Oct 24, 2023 |
I've not read any of the big-name YA dystopian series that have been popular over the years, so this is my first foray into those books. I liked this story--both the plot in this book, and the larger story that it sets up. While there were some things that I felt could have been done better, they were not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment.

I found the immediate world-building--the Glade and maze around it--interesting and fun to explore (if "fun" is the right word, given the situation). It felt a lot like a community a bunch of teenage boys would create. And Thomas himself I found to be an engaging main character. Others have seen him as a Gary Stu-type (too good at everything), I didn't see it that way at all. Yes, he had his areas of innate ability, but I didn't find it to be overly done, and there were legitimate reasons for all of it.

One thing that bugged me the most was the fake cussing. I get the reason Dashner included it (or at least, my assumption of his reason), but in the context of the story, it really didn't make sense. The boys remembered the world overall, just had no personal memories, so why did they feel the need to make up their own swear words? And speaking of those memories, the progression of life as we know it to the dystopian world these people inhabit seems a little off in conjunction with the things they remember. Especially adding in some other factors that would be a spoiler to mention.

While there were plenty of predictable things that happened, the danger was real, and it kept me moving quickly through the entire book. My husband started listening to the audiobook at the same time, which is not something we've ever done before. I'm also looking forward to continuing the series, and hope we'll do so together. ( )
  Kristi_D | Sep 22, 2023 |
I thought this book would be easy to like, it's YA sci-fi after all, but in the end I was let down. It felt just too aggressively aimed at a 14 year old male.

Maybe it's been too long since I was actually that age bracket, but to me the slang was forced, the cliques way too obvious and the neat and tidy politics overly simple.

The premise is really great, and the best part of the book. That backdrop and set up is actually what makes me want to see the soon to be released movie. Hopefully the screen writers manage to make it work just that little bit better it needs.

The plot progresses without being too predictable, with enough action to keep it rolling along nicely to the end.

But it doesn't.

End I mean.

Yup, a just enough of a ending to make everybody want to buy the next in the series. I'm still undecided about that.

Could have been really great, but ended up just ok. ( )
  furicle | Aug 5, 2023 |
I could not put this book down. I was highly addicted reading about Thomas's world as the boys, and one singular girl, dealt with the Maze. This book moves very fast and has constant action, making it very hard to put down. Each chapter ends making you want to read the next one immediately, even if you don't have the time. I originally read this book just because I heard a movie was coming out but I definitely enjoyed it. ( )
  Briars_Reviews | Aug 4, 2023 |
I really thought this book would be cool and interesting, but it turned out to be awkward and lame. Oh well. ( )
  beckyrenner | Aug 3, 2023 |
DNF'ed at some page... Will not be reading the other books in this series ( )
  bellac89 | Jul 29, 2023 |
I read this book when the movie came out in 2014, and, as far as I can remember, haven't touched it until two days ago. It was better than I remembered, and had more stuff than I remembered. It really sucked me in, I was reading it every spare second I got. I probably would've finished it in a day if I hadn't been busy. ( )
  JasonAbides | Jul 17, 2023 |
MUST READ!!!! I don't wanna spoil it
( )
  Shelly_Ward | Jun 28, 2023 |
Writing was a bit clunky and there was more telling than showing. ( )
  Vitaly1 | May 28, 2023 |
Decent enough YA novel but probably won't read the rest of the trilogy. ( )
  MerrylT | May 18, 2023 |
Starts a bit slow, but once it gets going you're in for one hell of a ride. ( )
  KayleeWin | Apr 19, 2023 |
I got this book for a dollar from a library sale (one of my favourite places to buy books!) and I'm certainly glad I did.

I had already seen The Maze Runner movie but it didn't really impede or hinder my enjoyment of the book. If anything, I enjoyed the book more because it was more clear than the movie.

It's a bit of a reverse-Lord of the Flies in that rather than descend into feral chaos, the teenage boys have a complex society that allows them to survive with a sense of order and give them a way to escape the giant maze that holds them prisoner.

The writing for The Maze Runner was much more taut and well paced than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised. There are no pages you muddle through hoping to get to more exciting parts. ( )
  xaverie | Apr 3, 2023 |
I really enjoyed this book. I was skeptical at first because I’ve seen the movies before BUT since it’s been a while it was like filling in all the pieces I had forgotten. It was a quick read and I’m excited to read the next books! It picked up in the perfect spots also. I don’t normally go for the dystopian type Novels (besides divergent) but I’ve always been interested in reading this one so I was glad I picked it up! ( )
  Katlacq | Mar 29, 2023 |
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