The Maze Runner
| The Maze Runner | |
|---|---|
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| Author(s) | James Dashner |
| Cover artist | Philip Straub |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult, dystopian future, science fiction |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Publication date | October 2009 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 374 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-73794-4 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.D2587Maz 2009 |
| Followed by | The Scorch Trials[1] |
The Maze Runner is the first book in a young-adult dystopian science fiction series by James Dashner.[1][2] The novel was published October 2009 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House. The book is currently being shopped as a possible film project.[3]. James Dashner announced in November 2011 that he is writing a prequel to The Maze Runner titled The Kill Order which is to be released August 14, 2012.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Plot synopsis
Tom wakes up to find himself in a box. When he reaches the top, he is pulled out by a group of boys. The only thing he remembers is his first name, nothing else.
Thomas learns that all these boys live in a place called The Glade. The Glade is surrounded by tall, stone walls with four massive openings. (also referred to as doors) in the center of each wall. These doors close each night to protect them from the monsters that live in the giant maze beyond the Glade's walls. These monsters are called Grievers and attempt to sting the Gladers with their needles. If the Gladers get stung, they must be given a special antidote called the Grief Serum and undergo a painful process called the Changing in order to survive. Gladers who have gone through the Changing claim to gain memories into their lives before the Maze. The walls to the maze move every night so there is a different maze outside each door every day.
The day after Thomas arrives in the Glade, another person is sent up in the Box, the elevator that regularly brings new people and supplies to the Glade. Only boys live in the Glade, but to their surprise, a girl, Teresa, is sent up in the Box. They were also surprised because it was the first time someone new had been brought to the Glade in less than a month. She brings with her a message that she will be the last one to ever arrive in the Glade and that the end is nearly coming someday soon. She then falls into a deep coma. After the arrival of Teresa , the boys blame Thomas for everything abnormal going on, saying everything is all his fault.
In the end, the boys realize that they are against a force called WICKED. The boys believe that they are being put through a series of trials to find the best boys for the job WICKED has planned for them. They realize that the Maze is to be solved.
People called Runners, have studied the maze for the two years, running around their section of the maze each day avoiding the Grievers. Every day the Runners go into the maze and look for changes in the maze. They come back to the Glade and sketch the day's changes. Teresa has a telepathic connection with Thomas and tells him that WICKED is good, and that the maze is a code, and meant to be solved. Thomas is completely scared to tell the others about their Gift, and other people, who have gone through the Changing, claim to have seen Thomas before. In an effort to bring memories back about who Thomas really is and why the Gladers are there, Thomas purposefully gets stung by one of the Grievers. During the Changing Thomas understands why they are there. He and the girl Teresa both helped design the maze, and Thomas finally understands how to escape the Maze. He gets all of the sketches of the maps of the Maze and stacks them over each other for each day and for each section of the Maze that day on wax paper. The maps start to spell a series of words which have to be entered into a computer through an invisible hole off the Cliff, which lies somewhere in the maze. Everyone realizes this plan and Thomas takes a group and leads their final charge against WICKED and in the end types the words in and pushes a button and a door opens letting the remaining 21 Gladers through.
They all meet the Creators of the Maze. Gally, a crazy Glader who had mysteriously disappeared at one point, throws a knife at Thomas, but Thomas's friend, Chuck, dives in front of the knife, killing himself. The remaining Gladers are soon taken by a bunch of people that come in and kill the Creators. They find out that the Earth is now a barren wasteland, burned by sun flares. A disease has spread, called The Flare, which makes people crazy, and it is easily spreadable. He set up the maze to find the smartest people to find a cure to this disease. A group of people who are completely against the idea of WICKED get Thomas and the others away from the Creators. Thomas and his group are told that they are heading across an extremely dangerous part near the equator, called the Scorch, to get to a safe haven to find the cure. Thomas and his friends are given shelter, beds, and food, and fall into a peaceful sleep. Little did they know what would be awaiting them when they woke up.
In the epilogue, the head leader of WICKED, in a couple of memos, describes how group A's trial results went extremely well in the Maze, and that their next challenge will be to cross the Scorch. Thomas and his friends will be given one day of rest inside the second stage of the trial.
[edit] Development
In the fall of 2005, Dashner had published four books to complete The Jimmy Fincher Saga, which had been with a small regional publisher. His publisher wanted him to write another book, but he decided he would try for a national book market instead. In November of that year he had an idea when going to bed about "a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable Maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment, to study their minds. Terrible things would be done to them. Awful things. Completely hopeless. Until the victims turn everything on its head."[5] Dashner wrote the book from December 2005 to March 2006.[5]
[edit] Reception
Book retailer Barnes & Noble included the book as part of its showcasing of new writers for the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010.[1] Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Hard to put down, this is clearly just a first installment, and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next".[6]
Jessica Harrison of the Deseret Morning News labeled The Maze Runner as "a thrilling adventurous book for kids ages 13+ that will get readers' hearts pumping and leave them asking for more." She noted that it "starts out a bit slow" but as it matched Thomas's confusion and picked up pace as he became more accustomed, she wrote that "it's almost as if Dashner is easing the reader into what becomes a fast-paced, nonstop action." However, she thought the "only drawback" was the "fictionalized slang" that although it "feels realistic and fits with his characters, it gets old pretty fast. On the plus side, however, it's used so often that the reader almost becomes desensitized and learns to ignore it."[7]
[edit] Film
In January 2011, it was announced that a film version of The Maze Runner had been set up at Fox, with Catherine Hardwicke signed on as director and Noah Oppenheim hired as screenwriter.[8] As of January 13, 2012, the film has not yet been green-lighted.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Shill, Aaron (November 25, 2009). "'Maze Runner' on 'right track'". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5m8K6eosT. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ Deahl, Rachel (May 30, 2009). "BookExpo America 2009: Parsing the Good ‘WTF’ Literary Moments from the Bad at First YA Buzz Panel". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6661800.html?q=maze+runner. Retrieved December 19, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ Deahl, Rachel (February 18, 2009). "Page to Screen: Kiddie Spies & a 'Maze Runner'". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5m8KF0HA0. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ "The Kill Order to be published in August 2012" (Press release). New York: Delacorte Press. 21 November 2011. http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/kill-order-press-release.php. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ a b Dashner, James (16 July 2008). "The Tale of The Maze Runner". The Dashner Dude. http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com/2008/07/tale-of-maze-runner.html. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ "The Maze Runner". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 2009. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-dashner/the-maze-runner/. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ Harrison, Jessica (October 3, 2009). "'Maze Runner' provides a thrilling adventure". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5m8LCdiKP. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (January 4, 2011). "Young-adult sensation 'The Maze Runner' gets ready to run the movie gantlet (Updated)". The Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/01/the-maze-runner-james-dashner-noah-oppenheim-catherine-hardwicke-movie.html. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ Dashner, James (January 13, 2012). "Catch Up: Bidness and Pop Culture". The Dashner Dude. http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com/2012/01/catch-up-bidness-and-pop-culture.html. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
