The Maze Runner - James Dashner - The Maze Runner Book 1

The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner  Book 1
James Dashner
Delacorte Press an imprint of
Penguin Random House of Canada
ISBN 9780385737951
eISBN 9780375893773
ASIN B002QE3CTY


Goodreads has over 53,442 reviews at the time I sit down and write this review. Amazon has 11,448 and Amazon Canada has 91 so you might ask, why write a review. I read this book with my son. It was a gift from one of his teachers. He really wanted to watch the movie, but because of the content, we thought it would be better if he read the book first. And he knows I review most of what I read so he wanted us to post a review.

My Sons review, an 11 years old perspective:
“This book is great. It is my favorite book. And when you finish it there are others to read. I loved the story from Thomas waking up in the glade to the surprise ending.”

I was less enthusiastic. Yes, it was a good read. But it was not great. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars and finally gave it the benefit of the doubt. Because of the intended audience. In many ways it was standard Sci-Fi and Young adult tropes. There was not much in the story that took me by surprise, and I guessed or foretold many things before they happened. The action is intense. And the story races from beginning to end. The maze, the amnesia, the start of all male youths. And interesting concept but for me just did not quite pull it all together. I know the book is loved by many but for me it was just ‘meh’.

My son loved the slang used in the story especially shank and greenie. He really appreciated the plot. And it was a book that he often wanted to read longer than his daily goal. But the book was also a challenge for him. When we read it we alternated pages. My son wanted to start the next book as soon as we finished but we settled on a more grade appropriate book before circling back to The Scorch Trials.

Books by James Dashner:
Maze Runner Series:
0.5 The Kill Order
0.6 The Fever Code
1.0 The Maze Runner
2.0 The Scorch Trial
2.5 Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare
3.0 The Death Cure
The Maze Runner Files
Inside the Maze Runner: The Guide to the Glade
…

The Mortality Doctrine Series:
0.5 Gunner Skale
1.0 The Eye of Minds
2.0 The Rule of Thoughts
3.0 The Game of Lives
…

The 13th Reality Series:
1.0 The Journal of Curious Letters
2.0 The Hunt for Dark Infinity
3.0 The Blade of Shattered Hope
4.0 The Void of Mist and Thunder
…

The Jimmy Fincher Saga:
1.0 A Door in the Woods
2.0 A Gift of Ice
3.0 The Tower of Air
4.0 War of the Black Curtain
…

Infinity Ring Series:
A Mutiny in Time - Infinity Ring Book 1
The Iron Empire - Infinity Ring Book 7
…