Review: Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner

Maze Runner by James Dashner

Thomas awakes in a box which is traveling upwards. He can't seem to remember anything about his life (the specifics anyway). The box stops when it reaches a clearing, and a group of boys 'greets' this latest addition to their ranks. Welcome to a world where the only things that are important are survival, and running the maze. Why is the maze there, and how can the boys escape? Thomas wants to know and for some reason his arrival has heralded major changes.

For some reason Thomas is perfect in everything he does. He is super-lucky and really has no faults besides being ignorant of what is going on with the Maze. The author gives an explanation for his perfection later on as simple brilliance, but it's not a very good explanation. Other characters also feel one-dimensional although the cook has some thinking to him.

The maze puzzle itself as a concept is interesting, but not so much that the poor quality of the characters can be ignored. There isn't a lot of information given, and it's in keeping with the lack of information provided to the inhabitants of this Maze world. The problem is that none of the other kids seem to have theories about what is going on.

This might be interesting for someone who is just getting into sci-fi and/or dystopian fiction, but you would be better off reading Ender's Game.

Star Rating: 1.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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