Now before you send rabid dogs on me, let me be clear that I did love the book but the fact is that there are certain things in the book that is not impressive enough. Yes I do realize that Maze runner is a phenomenon and now that the movie is coming out it is surpassing its stature from just another popular book. Now while we are actually talking about the movie, let me tell you the reason why I want to watch The Maze Runner. ( Yes you guessed it right and NO! There are no reward points for guessing right answer) . It is because of Dylan O'Brien.



I thought probably it is a good idea to read the book before catching the movie and that’s how I landed with maze runner

The book is exactly like a maze. 

In the beginning I had no clue what is going on and what is happening and who is who. As a reader I was exactly like the character, who opens his eyes to find himself in a whole different world and with no memories. It took a while for me to understand the concept, characters and what exactly is happening. This comes partly because of the language which at times is joyous and captivating but other times just gets on your nerves with round and round circulation and not exactly coming to the point. So the language basically is , an in and out deal. The book gets spicier in the second half that is when things are really getting hot and buzz worthy.

I am dying to see the big screen rendition of the glade (which is the name of the world that the whole story is set in) and especially Dylan O'Brien as Thomas. What I like about the book is the fact that the first book in the series seals it pretty nicely yet leaving scope for anticipation towards its sequel. Though whether I would continue with the sequel is something that will have to wait and see.

The book does not smooth you into the story and requires you to sit through a while to understand and get with the flow. It is towards the middle when the book actually starts getting interesting and exhilarating. The pace suddenly is good and takes you through a whole lot of emotions. The language at times loses its charm with too much jargons and slipping from topic but nevertheless it can be a fun read 

The Maze Runner is a read in an entire day sort of book. It’s fast paced and never lets up. The continual questions kept me glued to the pages. What is going on here? My imagination ran wild with the possibilities and I was afraid that in the end I’d be disappointed, but surprisingly I wasn’t. The conclusion actually made sense and didn’t seem contrived just to explain the author’s cool concept.

I would have liked more character development, so that I could get to know the characters better and care about what happens to them more. (Though this is the sort of book I don’t dare get attached to anyone going in.) I understand that it must have been hard for the writer to show characterization when none of the characters has a past. Yep, that’s right none of the characters can remember anything before the maze.

Thomas wakes up in an elevator box with no memory other than his name. He’s greeted by other teenage boys in an area called the glade. The glade is surrounded by a massive maze that the boys are trying to solve to escape. Surprisingly for a group of kids they’ve established an organized society where everything works. I can’t really say anything more about the premise without spoiling things. The whole point of the book is to keep reading to figure out the why behind the maze.

The Maze Runner is a quick book. There are no slow spots with flowery descriptions here. Other than height, age, and shoe size all we know about the main character’s appearance is he has brown hair. I like a bit more than that, but that’s not the sort of book this is. Maze Runner’s also light on romance, which is odd for a young adult book, but it worked. There wasn’t time for romance. (Though there is more romance in the Scorch Trials.)

The Maze Runner is almost an eight star book, but fell just short of great for me. I can’t explain without minor spoilers, so skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t want spoilers of any sort. (It’s not really a spoiler that characters die in a book like this, but I know how some people are about spoilers of any kind.) I have no problem with characters dying, but I didn’t like the way a certain character died. It didn’t feel necessary and it was too brutal for me. (Though it was tame compared to a death in the Death Cure. I just know I’m going to have nightmares about that.)

The rest of the trilogy (spoiler free) I haven’t been so disappointed in an author in a long time. These books had such potential! Most of the story is good, but the Scorch Trials and The Death Cure had some serious flaws. (In my opinion) They were too gruesome, (scary doesn’t have to be gross) there was too much pointless action, (it got a bit much after a while) certain parts made no sense, (and I didn’t like them) and the main character kept acting stupid. (After the Maze Runner I expected more out of him, he is supposed to be a genius after all.)

So my recommendation is you should read the Maze Runner, it’s a good, unique book, but skip the the Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. (Though I doubt I’d be able to follow my own advice. I just have a need to find out what happens.)

The Maze Runner: 7/10 Stars

The Scorch Trials: 5/10 Stars

The Death Cure: 4/10 Stars