Words on The Maze Runner by James Dashner (The Maze Runner #1)

Thomas wakes up in the Box, and he never expected to find himself in the Maze. Greeted by a group of teenage boys, Thomas is told that he is in the Glade, a safe haven in the center of an unsolvable maze. Possibly the most terrfiying bit about it all is that Thomas, like the other Gladers, can't remember anything about his life outside the Maze or the outside world. The only thing that has stayed with him is his name. His arrival is held with mixed feelings. Many of the Gladers, such as the leader, Alby, and his second-in-command, Newt, are perfectly happy to see another boy come up to the Glade. However, Gally, another Glader, hates Thomas the moment he lays eyes on the boy. Gally is sure that he's seen Thomas before, and he's convinced that Thomas is evil.

Befriended by another newer Glader, Chuck, Chuck explains what Thomas's new life will be like, showing him the ropes and teaching him the rules. Everyone has a place in the Glade, but you have to do your part and follow orders. Most importantly, Chuck presses, don't leave the Glade. No matter what, you do not enter the Maze. By day, the doors into the Maze are open, but at night they close, sealing in the Gladers. The doors and walls have another, more ominous use. After dark, deadly monsters roam the Maze, and without the walls, they would find their way in. Nobody has ever survived a night in the Maze.

Everyone in the Glade has a role. Builders, Cooks, and Mapmakers are pretty self-explanitory. Sloppers clean, and Baggers act as police and gravediggers. Med-jacks are doctors, Track-hoes are farmers, and Blood housers raise and slaughter animals. Thomas tries each job, trying to figure out what he will do in his new home. None of the jobs appeal to him, however. Thomas wants to be a Runner, one of the Gladers who explores the Maze every day. The moment that Thomas sees the Runners, he has his heart set on becoming one. Both Chuck and Newt brush off his requests, insisting that the job is too hard for a new Glader.

Soon after Thomas arrives, the Glade and the Maze begin to change. The Maze begins to shift in odd ways, and the sun no longer shines. Most suprisingly, another new Glader is sent up in the Box, and it's a girl. She's the only girl in the Glade, and she and Thomas have a strange connection. Her name is Teresa, and she thinks she has triggered the changes. Some Gladers, including Gally, blame Thomas for these changes, and more are suspicious. One thing is clear: if the Gladers want to survive, they'll have to solve the Maze's secrets and escape it, fast. The only person who may be able to get them out is Thomas.

Thomas is curious, something that, while not super unique among the Gladers, is special for him because he acts on his curiousity, making him a bit impulsive. His questions annoy the Gladers, and they think that he'll upset the order that keeps them alive, nice kid or no. Thomas tries to follow the rules, but he's just one of those people who isn't super good at it, asking too many questions and disregarding his own safety to help others. He is brave, however, and he goes out of his way to help other people. Thomas is stubborn and determined, willing to go to great lengths to satisfy his curiousity and reach his goals. He's a solid characters, and I like him.

Chuck, another new Glader, is friendly and a bit of a joker, sticking with Thomas and taking great pleasure in pranking a fellow Glader every now and again. He's optimistic, hoping that the Glader will solve the Maze and he'll meet his family. Chuck tries to make Thomas feel more at home in the Maze, explaining things to him and showing him around. He keeps Thomas company, tagging along even when Thomas wished he wouldn't. Granted, he can be kind of annoying sometimes, but he's a good kid at heart. The best way to describe Chuck would be saying that he's like a little brother. He drives you crazy sometimes, but you love him anyways and want to look after him.

Minho, the lead Runner, is one of my favorite characters. He's a little prickly, but he's also undoubtedly a survivor and a fighter. He has to be, considering that he has one of the hardest jobs in the Glade. Minho just keeps going, no matter the obstacle. Minho is supportive of Thomas, helping him and eventually becoming one of Thomas's trusted friends. When he's shocked or angry, like after an attack by one of those monsters, he sort of shuts down a bit, focusing on the task at hand. I think that he blocks out his emotions in those circumstances, not processing them until later. He can be a little hotheaded sometimes, though. In one part of the book, Gally insults him and the boys almost gets into a fight.

Newt, the second in command, stresses the importance of order and the role it plays in keeping everything together. While he seems to support Thomas sometimes, he'll do whatever's best for the Glade and might not always trust him. He's one of the people that, while not opposed to Thomas like Gally, has suspicions about the cause of the Maze's frightning changes and thinks Thomas's might be part of the problem. I think Newt is a good leader, taking charge when Alby can't and keeping everyone in line, managing to put Gally in his place when he oversteps his boundaries.

As for Gally, he is hostile and unreasonable. Even though he's never seen Thomas in real life, he's convinced that he's evil. I would think that it would be best to just give the boy a chance and see what happens. Gally thinks he should lead the Glade, and I hope he never does. Considering how much he hates Thomas, the first thing he would to to that boy would probably be to throw him out into the Maze, and I really don't want Gally to kill off the main character. Gally is very dangerous because he's so hard to reason with, and his temper gets him into hot water with Alby and Newt sometimes, such as the time when he and Minho get into a fight.

The Gladers' leader, Alby, is brisk and always working, trying to make sure the Glade runs smoothly and keeping himself busy. He must be under a lot of stress, trying to make sure everyone follows the rules and the Gladers stay safe. Unlike Gally, he's reasonable and gives Thomas the chance, even though he might not totaly trust the boy. He also soon begins to feel like he's seen Thomas before, but he wants to give the boy a chance to prove himself like everyone else.

However, towards the end of the story, he loses confidence after surviving a monster attack. Sometimes the monsters sting the Gladers the assult, and if the Gladers get the cure for the venom in time and survive the healing process, they remember things about their lives before the Glade. Gally and Alby both go through this change, which is why they feel like they know Thomas and why Gally thinks Thomas is evil, based on things the boy has done in the past. Unlike Gally, alby, after seeing what the outside world is like, still thinks the Gladers should leave the Maze and find a better chance to survive elsewhere. After the Change, as the call it, Alby loses his confidence as a leader, thinking it would be better if someone else led the Gladers.

Last and least, there's Teresa. She's probably my least favorite character in the book mostly because she doesn't do anything. She makes some cryptic remarks about leaving the Maze and how she triggered "The Ending", but she mostly just sits around and does nothing. She doesn't contribute a whole lot to the story, and Teresa just sort of sits around. I really hpe she's more useful in the second book.

The Gladers have a nice little home for themselves, and I love the world of the Maze Runner. Their society is structured and efficient, and they even have something called the "Council". The Council is a group of leaders that decide on the rules, but every Glader has a voice. It's sort of like a democracy.

I loved the setting of the book and the characters. There was plenty of action and near-death experiences, making for an exciting and suspensful read. The Maze was full of intriguing mysteries, and overall I thought the idea was very creative. I've read plenty of survival stories, but not one about something like the world of the Gladers! I plan to read the sequel very soon. 4/5 stars.

I have seen the movie, and yes, the book is better. While not as bad as the City of Bones movie, it was kind of like Divergent: Plenty of action an overall accurate plot, but some details got messed up. It wasn't a waste of time, though in comparison to some other recent page to screen movies, it wasnt' that bad.

#scifi #jamesdashner #survival #frompagetoscreen #madscientists #seriesstartandstandalones