Reviewer: Anuprova Bhowmik
The Maze Runner follows the life of Thomas, a boy who finds himself in a mysterious place, the Glade, with other teenage boys like him. All of the boys came into the Glade in a strange elevator knowing nothing but their name, and they are all there for one reason: to solve the Maze. The Maze is the only way out of the Glade and into their previous lives, which is what most of the Gladers yearn for. However, solving the Maze is no easy task. The walls of the Maze move every night, and on top of that, large metallic killing machines called Grievers threaten to kill anyone who steps inside the Maze. As the leaders of the Glade don't want to put everyone in danger, only a few talented Gladers are chosen to become Runners and explore the Maze in hopes of finding an exit.
The Maze Runner follows the life of Thomas, a boy who finds himself in a mysterious place, the Glade, with other teenage boys like him. All of the boys came into the Glade in a strange elevator knowing nothing but their name, and they are all there for one reason: to solve the Maze. The Maze is the only way out of the Glade and into their previous lives, which is what most of the Gladers yearn for. However, solving the Maze is no easy task. The walls of the Maze move every night, and on top of that, large metallic killing machines called Grievers threaten to kill anyone who steps inside the Maze. As the leaders of the Glade don't want to put everyone in danger, only a few talented Gladers are chosen to become Runners and explore the Maze in hopes of finding an exit.
The day after Thomas arrives, a new Glader also comes in the same elevator. This is strange in and of itself, as only one Glader comes per month. However, to make this stranger, the new incomer is not a boy. She's a girl named Teresa, and she is in a coma. After her arrival, weird things start happening. The sun disappears, and the doors of the Maze stop closing. The Grievers start swarming the Glade, and they kill one person each day. Now, everything depends on finding a way out of the Maze. Will the Gladers survive, or will they slowly perish?
The Maze Runner was a captivating book that kept me interested throughout its entirety. The plot twists were very unexpected, and the ending definitely wasn't predictable. However, one complaint I have about the book is that the character development could have been improved. Although Thomas is very much a dynamic character who changes a lot throughout the book, the same cannot be said for most of the other characters. A good example of this is Teresa. She had a lot of potential to become one of the most beneficial Gladers, but instead, she solely existed as a love interest for Thomas. The same lack of development can be seen in other characters, and had they been more developed, interactions between the Gladers would have been more interesting. Aside from that issue, I believe that The Maze Runner deserves all the hype that it has received. For fans of science fiction, this book is definitely a must-read.
Nice, well-written post with good commentary on the book. I appreciate the lack of spoilers (as I am uncultured and haven't read it yet), but I will probably check it out after reading this!
ReplyDeleteYour summary/intro of the book was perfect, showing details and basic plot without spoiling anything. I also liked the review portion of the post since your opinion on the book is shown clearly. I liked how you kind of ended on a cliff-hanger because now I want to read the book to find out what happens. Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great review and I like how you added some suspense into the summary (in the 2nd paragraph). I've only seen the movie version of the Maze Runner and reading this review has now made me curious about the differences between the film and the book.
ReplyDeleteI liked this recommendation a lot. You gave enough details to get someone interested without revealing any of the action. I had kind of forgotten about this series, and now I'm considering rereading it.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! All of my older brothers have read and enjoyed this book, but even though it’s been on my reading list for a while, I still haven’t read it yet. Based on your review, it sounds like The Maze Runner is a unique and interesting book.The only piece I was confused about was whether each person had to find their own way out, as the maze walls shift each day, or whether one person would be able to liberate the entire Glade community. You had a lot of great details that didn’t spoil the plot and left me wanting to read the book. I know a lot of people who, like you, have read and loved it, and after reading your review, I think I might read it too. Overall, you did a really great job making your post interesting without spoiling the book. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good review. You did a great job summarizing the book and explaining why you liked it, but at the same time discussed how it could have been better. I read this book long ago and have forgotten about it over time, but I am now considering rereading the entire series.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review! I've only seen the movie representation of the book, and that was a long time ago. I do own this book, and your review reminded me of how much I liked the movie, so I hope to be able to read it soon. Also I appreciate the spoiler-free because I don't know how much the movie and the book differ.
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading the review, but I wish you had given us a spoiler alert before you talked about the grievers killing the gladers, since that happens pretty late in the book. I do agree with your assessment of Teresa, though not every part. She did exist partly as a love interest for Thomas, but she was also the reason chaos began in the glade and the maze, and ultimately the reason for most of the plot.
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