Dannii Elle's Reviews > The Kill Order

First Read: January 2015, Rating: 4 Stars
Second Read: October 2018, Rating: 4 Stars

This is the first of two prequel novels to The Maze Runner trilogy. Unlike all the other series instalments, this follows a different group of characters and deals with events separate to the WICKED experiments.

The novel opens after the sun flares have ravaged the earth. Those that survived have grouped together in a semblance of a community and an attempt to continue their existence for however and as long as they can. But this is not the worst of fates to befall them. As the world is in chaos an organisation is seeking to gain momentum and unleashes a deadly virus that will wipe out or control all that remains of the human race.

This book opened up this post-apocalyptic landscape and the reader garners an understanding of how life is lives away from the Glade. Just surviving is still the main objective of the central characters and this makes for very action-dominated reading.

I know this is a source of contention with many but I really like how vague this series is on details. I really appreciate how Dashner aligns his characters and his readers in their not knowing. All work together in salvaging whatever clues they can in an attempt to puzzle out the series of catastrophic events that befalls them. This kept me engaged and intrigued throughout, if secretly missing my favourite Gladers a little!