The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials

Author	James Dashner
Cover artist	Philip Straub
Language	English
Genre	Young adult, dystopian future, science fiction
Publisher	Delacorte Press
Publication date	October 12, 2010
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	368
ISBN	978-0-385-73875-0
Preceded by	The Maze Runner
Followed by	The Death Cure

The Scorch Trials is the second book—preceded by the 2009 novel, The Maze Runner—in a young-adult dystopian science fiction trilogy by James Dashner. The novel was published October 5, 2010 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House. On October 11, 2013, it was reported that Fox had acquired the rights to The Scorch Trials.

Plot

The story continues with Thomas and the other Gladers. They have escaped the maze and were put into a dormitory where they thought they were safe. But the next day, the Gladers are in another dormitory, and people called Cranks are moaning and screaming through the windows of the room. The Gladers get out of the room, only to find dead bodies hanging on the ceiling. Later they find out that Teresa, a girl in their group, has gone missing. Thomas, who has a close relationship with Teresa, tries to find her with his closest friends, Minho and Newt, but without luck. Instead, they find a boy named Aris in another room, who says that he was in another dormitory before, and woke up here.

The boys start to suspect something strange is going on when an alarm rings. After it stops, food suddenly appears on a table, and the Gladers hungrily eat. After eating, a man in a white suit tells them to perform a test. He tells them he is representing a group called WICKED, World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department, and that Earth has been ravaged by sun flares, and an extremely deadly disease called the Flare. He says that if they work hard and survive on the tests, it could benefit mankind by helping them find a cure for the disease, and that they will each receive a cure for the Flare. He explains that the test is to find open air and travel north for one hundred miles and reach the safe haven in two weeks’ time.

The next day, the Gladers head out into the open through a deep dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel there is an opening. Outside the opening is a barren, dry, and hot wasteland. The Gladers leave the tunnel and walk for a couple of hours. They encounter a screaming girl coming out of a shack, and Thomas sees that the girl is Teresa; she kisses him and tells him that he and the rest of the Gladers need to run away from her or else something bad will happen to them.

The Gladers keep on walking, and leave Teresa. After hours of walking through the heat, they rest. The next day, there is a storm, and wind and thunder threaten the Gladers. Some of them are killed during the storm, but most of them reach an old town and take shelter, including Thomas, Minho, Newt, and eight others. There, they meet another group of people and work together with their leader, Jorge, and his acquaintance, Brenda.

Thomas gets shot and captured by 'Cranks' and is rescued by Minho and the Gladers.

It is revealed that there were two test groups, and Group B captures Thomas, insisting that they have to kill him. This reference is uncanny to the tattoos they discovered when they woke up. Newt is named the 'Glue', Minho the 'Leader', and Thomas 'To be killed by Group B'. It is unknown even at the end of the novel if this was a Variable in the tests.

In the epilogue, an email is featured. It states that WICKED will soon tell the Gladers whether or not they are immune to the Flare, which determines if they will become Cranks.

Characters

• Thomas: He is the protagonist. A teenage boy who was a Runner in the Glade. He discovers he had some part in building WICKED and the Maze. He can speak telepathically with Aris and Teresa. The tattoos on the back of his neck given to him by the researchers tell him he is "To be killed by Group B".
• Newt: A British boy with long blonde hair, he is the leader of the Gladers after the former leader died in the first novel. He has a slight limp and is Thomas and Minho's best friend. The tattoos on the back of his neck designate him as "The Glue".
• Minho: A Korean boy who was the Keeper of the Runners in the Glade. He is snarky and aggressive, which gets him in trouble frequently. He is best friends with Newt and Thomas. The tattoos on the back on his neck show the researchers intend for him to be "The Leader"
• Brenda: A girl from Canada who is immune to the Flare, but pretends that she has it. She leads Thomas and the Gladers through the Scorch. She is friends with Jorge. She secretly works for WICKED.
• Aris Jones: Another boy who helped build WICKED; he spent the first novel with Group B. He can speak telepathically with Thomas and Teresa. His best friend - Rachel - was killed when Group B escaped their maze, she also had the telepathic ability. The tattoos on his neck designate him as "The Partner".
• Teresa Agnes: Thomas' best friend before the Glade; she can speak telepathically with Thomas and Aris. She spends much of the novel with Group B, whom she becomes the leader of. She is also under control of WICKED at times, which makes it difficult for Thomas to trust her. The tattoos on her neck designate her as "The Betrayer".
• Jorge Gallaparga: a man who presents himself as the leader of the Cranks. He appears dangerous and psychotic yet also humorous. He is close to Brenda.
• Sonya: A leader of Group B.
• Harriet: A leader of Group B.
• Rat Man: The first researcher to present himself to the group, he is later revealed to be named Janson, a member of WICKED. Thomas develops an intense dislike for Janson.
• Rachel: A girl involved with Thomas, Aris and Teresa before the maze and played the same role as Thomas, but in Group B. Was killed when Group B left their maze.
• Frypan: The cook for the Gladers in Group A.
• Winston: The keeper of the Slicers in Group A, responsible for killing the livestock for food.

Film adaptation

On October 11, 2013, it was reported that Fox had acquired the rights to The Scorch Trials. A screenplay will be written by T.S. Nowlin, with director Wes Ball supervising the scriptwriting. The film will most likely be titled The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. On July 25, 2014, Ball announced at San Diego Comic-Con International that they want to start shooting in Fall 2014 should its predecessor become a success when it hits the theatres in September 2014.

References

• "Review: The Scorch Trials". Booksmonority.com . Retrieved 13 August 2014.