The Maze Runner
By. James Dashner
So
In the Maze Runner, James Dashner does a great job with the character
development and plot. At the beginning it is fast paced as Thomas enters “The
Glade” from the “box”. This is used to send boys monthly and supplies weekly.
As Thomas starts to figure out where he is he has a strange since of dejvu
which he has been here before. Sadly his memory has been erased and, all he
knows is his name. As he gets acquainted with where he is he meets Alby, Chuck,
Minho and others. Now weird things start to happen. In the Glade they have a
maze in which the runners try to figure a way out. Thomas has a strange since
early on that he is meant to be a runner. A day after he is there during
orientation really a really weird thing started to happen, the sirens signal
that another person is coming in the box. This is weird because for 2 years
they have only received people monthly. Even more odd is that it is a girl who
seems dead and is in a strange Coma state. The Glade has never had a girl
before. She was given a slip of paper that says “I am the last one through the
box”. After she comes later on her signals cause weird things to happen like
there food supplies to be cut off and the sun disappears. Thomas saves Alby and
Minho’s life by keeping them away from the Grievers which are zombie like
creatures who have sharp stingers and attack people in which they go through
“the Changing” which actually helps them remember stuff about their life. The
grievers only come out at night when the walls change on the maze. The girl
wakes up and has this weird since of connection with Thomas. Thomas figures out
that her name is Theresa and they figure out they can communicate with each
other telepathically. Now the middle section of the book is really boring and
not much happens just day to day things, so now to the end. Thomas and Theresa
figure out that the maze shifting represents a code in which they can get out
of the maze. But sadly they are missing something so Thomas comes through the
changing and figures out the Theresa and him built the maze but were forced to
by “WICKED” this organization. Thomas realizes this all a test it is a game
basically survival of the fittest. Now the only way out is through the grievers
hole where there is a computer. But now the Gladers think they are enemies but
finally Alby, Minho, Chuck, and Frypan all believe them. Sadly Alby burned all
the maps because he was crazy, luckily they were fake. Sadly Chuck dies, and
now Thomas feels really guilty because he had promised chuck that he would get
him alive. Now the very end is really weird where there is this women who is
evil and then another lady shoots her who supposedly “good”. And it ends with
Minho telling Thomas to go to sleep. There is an epilogue where WICKED does a
report how 20 survivors successfully completed the maze and will review the
information. The book was really good they plot was very thought out and
complex. The only complaint would be the middle was really uninteresting. Oddly
enough I think there is a trap and they aren’t totally free yet, we will figure
out the Death Cure by James Dashner.
