Written by: James Dashner.
Published by: Chicken House (UK).
Format: Paperback.
Released: 2nd August 2010.
Rating: 5/5.
Official synopsis: "When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrols its corridors, to find out."
The Maze Runner is perhaps one of the most exhilarating, exciting books I have ever read. Wall to wall action, suspense. It doesn't stop. Not even for a second.Right from the moment that Thomas wakes up inside the Box, to the dramatic climax of the story.
The Glade is a place where all of these boys have been sent. They don't know why. They don't know how. And they don't have a clue who sent them there. They've all had their brains wiped and all they know is their names, and that their purpose for being there is to try and to find a way out. The Glade is a fantastic setting. A square where the teenage boys farm, butcher their own food and try to find a way out through the mystifying maze that surrounds them. There are four entrances to the maze, the North, East, South and West. Huge walls enclose the Glade, and at night, the walls defy the laws of physics and close, protecting them from the horrors of what lie outside of the walls in darkness.
The Grievers! Terrifying creatures. Slug like, about the size of cows with hypodermic needles pulsing in and out of their skin. Arms with all sorts of horrific appendages for torture flailing. I think they are an amazing concept and really add to the story. Get stuck outside the walls at night, and you're sure to meet your end thanks to one of these bad boys.
All in all, this is a fantastic, no, AMAZING, book that you just have to read! One of the best books I have read this year! I cannot stress enough what an experience it is. The writing is fluid, the book highly addictive. The first chapter is a stroke of genuis and draws you in instantaneously. Mr. Dashner, I am now a reader for life! I cannot wait to read the second book, The Scorch Trials, and I found out earlier today that a third book is in the works. The Death Cure. Sounds brilliant! Simply cannot wait!
Thank you to the amazing Claire Skuse at Chicken House for my copy!
