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Izzy's Reviews > The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner, #1)
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This book was recommended for fans of the Hunger Games series, a series that has become one of my favorites. I began The Maze Runner excitedly, hoping for an equally enjoyable, dystopian adventure. I didn't find it.
The plot was intriguing and kept me reading; in fact, it was probably the only reason why I kept reading. Some writers are able to seamlessly integrate characterization and good writing with a fast-moving plot; James Dashner is not one of them. The pacing is strange, and Dashner's use of cliches became very irritating.
The main character, Thomas, was annoying. Rather than allowing his readers to feel what Thomas feels, Dashner chooses to tell. We are told many times how "frustrated" and "confused" Thomas is, but we can't identify with him. Some of the supporting characters, such as Minho and Newt, could be interesting, but they remain secondary to Thomas. In addition, I was frustrated with the character Teresa. Teresa is the only female main character; instead of making her an intriguing, powerful female, she is christened with flimsy adjectives such as "very pretty" and "smart", becoming yet another 1-dimensional character. I realize that this is a plot-driven story and not a character-driven one, but I would hope that the characters would at least be appealing to the reader.
Criticism aside, I found the book enjoyable, and the plot kept me hooked. I felt that the epilogue was well-written and I might seek out the rest of the series when it is published. Ultimately, it's unfortunate that Dashner's poor writing takes away from a good story line; in the hands of a writing master, I believe that The Maze Runner could have been something extraordinary.
2.5/5
EDIT: More than a year later, I have not procured any other books in the series, nor do I intend to. Personally speaking, this is one series better left alone.
The plot was intriguing and kept me reading; in fact, it was probably the only reason why I kept reading. Some writers are able to seamlessly integrate characterization and good writing with a fast-moving plot; James Dashner is not one of them. The pacing is strange, and Dashner's use of cliches became very irritating.
The main character, Thomas, was annoying. Rather than allowing his readers to feel what Thomas feels, Dashner chooses to tell. We are told many times how "frustrated" and "confused" Thomas is, but we can't identify with him. Some of the supporting characters, such as Minho and Newt, could be interesting, but they remain secondary to Thomas. In addition, I was frustrated with the character Teresa. Teresa is the only female main character; instead of making her an intriguing, powerful female, she is christened with flimsy adjectives such as "very pretty" and "smart", becoming yet another 1-dimensional character. I realize that this is a plot-driven story and not a character-driven one, but I would hope that the characters would at least be appealing to the reader.
Criticism aside, I found the book enjoyable, and the plot kept me hooked. I felt that the epilogue was well-written and I might seek out the rest of the series when it is published. Ultimately, it's unfortunate that Dashner's poor writing takes away from a good story line; in the hands of a writing master, I believe that The Maze Runner could have been something extraordinary.
2.5/5
EDIT: More than a year later, I have not procured any other books in the series, nor do I intend to. Personally speaking, this is one series better left alone.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
March 4, 2010
– Shelved
March 4, 2010
–
Finished Reading
January 23, 2012
– Shelved as:
ya
January 23, 2012
– Shelved as:
wanted-to-like-it
Comments Showing 1-50 of 306 (306 new)
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Tambra
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rated it 2 stars
Mar 16, 2010 09:37AM
I agree with you. I absolutely loved the Hunger Games series, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the third book. This book, however, left me a little disappointed. I finished it simply because i was curious as to how it would play out. Not sure if I will seek out the sequels!!
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I'm in the middle the book and I totally agree about Dasher doing more telling than showing. It really takes away from the story:(
yeah, i finished the hunger games (kept re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading it), and someone recommended this book, so i started reading it. after the first 4 chapters (the chapters are really small), things get really interesting
You were able to put into words how I felt about this book . I do feel it would be a great book for teenage boys.
You said it better than I did! Thank you :)
Dude, I understand what u mean, but I'm eleven (and a girl) and reccomend it to tweenage boys AND girls. I liked it but didn't like the fact that Dashner told more than showed. Good, but not the best. :)
OMG I TOTALLY DISAGREE! I AM A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL AND RECOMEND IT FOR GIRLS AND BOYS AND ABSOLUTALLY LOVE THIS BOOK! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! WERGG!
I just finished all three hunger games books about 3 weeks ago and im looking for a book thats just as good I tried to read a book my friend reccomended but I had a hard time reading it becaues it sucked compared to the hunger games and i am curious if I should read the maze runner or if I should read a book called gone which one should I read????
@Peetalover, check your inbox. =]
Peetalover wrote: "I just finished all three hunger games books about 3 weeks ago and im looking for a book thats just as good I tried to read a book my friend reccomended but I had a hard time reading it becaues it ..."you should definetally read the maze runner series they are comming out with a third book!
To Peetaloverm not sure what Gone book you're talking about but I've read Gone by Michael Grant and I enjoyed it as much or maybe even more than The Hunger Games. Look at the summary and reviews of this book and decide if you want to read it. I do warn you though it can be a little dark and harsh at parts (especially in sequels)
These were identical to my thoughts, I didn't like the language or the style used for writing, but the story itself was fine, It just would have been better if someone else had actually written it!
I am a eleven year old boy and think everybody should read it.
Izzy I see your veiw point in this, but I don't think how Dashner wrote the charecters really matters. what really matters is the actual story the book tells. i found this to be a very exciting book in its own form. Just try to get into the story and ignore how bad you think its writen. You will like it way better that way. Also i like this book a whole lot better then the Hunger Games.
This book sounds good I mit just have to read it.
I'm a thirteen year boy, and I thought this book was the greatest
I completely disagree! I'm 24 and I am completely HOOKED on this series. I applaud Dashner's creativity in this book because some of the plot devices are unthinkable! I think what you said about not being able to relate to Thomas is laughable. OF COURSE we can't relate to him-- when was the last time you were trapped in a man-eating maze? That's part of the mystery of the book. You have to put yourself in Thomas' place instead of trying to just "relate" to him. That's what a good reader does. ABout the only thing I agree with in your review is his use of adjectives. Other than that, I think you're completely off-base. Then again, we all have our own opinions, so to each his own!
Elaine wrote: "I completely disagree! I'm 24 and I am completely HOOKED on this series. I applaud Dashner's creativity in this book because some of the plot devices are unthinkable! I think what you said about no..."Elaine, I guess we have entirely different criteria for enjoying books! I've never been to Hogwarts, fought in the Hunger Games or lived in another time period, yet all the authors of my favorite books have managed to make their characters relatable. I relate to a character's feelings, reactions, personality, thoughts. Thomas seemed entirely one-dimensional to me.
Thanks for your input!
I LOVED this book but I do respect your opinion. I would recommend it to ANYONE!!!!!
Personally, I think it makes sense that he's a little one dimensional, since he doesn't know himself at all. I don't expect to know much more about a character than they know about themselves, and I'm hoping that he becomes a little more complex and relatable in the next books, though I hear the second book in the series is a bit of a bore. I really loved this book, it had me hooked. I'm not sure that I would necessarily recommend it to Hunger Games lovers (though I LOVE those books), I think the vibe to this one is a lot different. I really liked how dark this story was. My sister in law didn't like how it was all lows, nothing positive really happens, but I'm ok with it. I'm curious to see how the rest of the series pans out.
I did the same thing with another dystopian that claimed to be Hunger Games comparable and was sadly disappointed. After the let down, this was my pick me up book in which I had no prior standards and I enjoyed it haha. Lesson learned? Nothing compares to The Hunger Games! :)
I can see drawing parallels to Divergent, Delirium and maybe The Pledge; I enjoyed all of those books but I still don't think they hold up against The Hunger Games series. I've yet to read a YA series that does, actually - the quality of the writing and general world-building just doesn't usually compare in my opinion. I thought Matched was alright, but not particularly interesting enough for me to rush out and read the second book. I liked Birthmarked more, and am looking forward to reading Prized.
Maeve wrote: "The thing is you can't compare these books. It's like comparing Shakespeare's Hamlet to the Clique by Lisi Harrison. They just aren't compatible."I realize now how different the stories are; when the book first came out, however, multiple sources related it to The Hunger Games. That's what initially piqued my interest. They're both dystopian and young adult, anyway.
Exactly. People will always compare books that fall within the same genre - unfortunately The Hunger Games books are kind of in a league of their own. There was an "If you loved The Hunger Games, you may also like" table at Chapters, and I was astounded by the books that they chose.
Agreed! I think I set my expectations too high for this book after reading THG.. It was interesting to a point, then it just dragged on and became odd and boring. I didn't bother reading the rest of the series either. I didn't even care to know what happened to them. (Bad reviews of the sequels told me enough)
srephanie you shouldent not read a book because of the reviews everybody has their own opionion and just because they say its bad doesent mean its bad i found this out by readinng divergent
When I start to read a new book that I know nothing about I look at some negative reviews. That way i'm almost never disappointed. =]
I wrote my review and then noticed how many awards/honors it received. I was surprised, so I skimmed other reviews to get their reactions; you and I have many of the same complaints. Glad I'm not the only one! *phew*
I completely agree with your review. The story was very intriguing which is why I stuck with it, but the writing was less than satisfactory. The story itself was good so I gave it a higher rating than I expected to. maybe the sequels will be better? lol
I really think you should read the other books! The characters don't really seem to develop because of the plot. The way everything is done is intentional. The way everything ties together in the other books is simply amazing. I was a very big fan of the Hunger Games. But I have to admit these books took the gold for me!
amen. I have had no inkling to read the rest of the series.
The series really does get better with the second and third book. In my opinion the second was the best in the series. But still if you were looking for something as good as The Hunger Games this series is nowhere near that level. I've read a lot of dystopian society books and probably something closer to The Hunger Games would be Ashes,Ashes or Article 5, but again Hunger Games are in a league of their own so don't set to high expectations on other series or books cuz most likely you will be dissapoonted.
I've never heard of the other books, but I'll look it up. Divergent was an excellent dystopian read for me EXCELLENT@
Sandee wrote: "I've never heard of the other books, but I'll look it up. Divergent was an excellent dystopian read for me EXCELLENT@"I really enjoyed Divergent, too. Looking forward to the sequel!
Izzy wrote: "Sandee wrote: "I've never heard of the other books, but I'll look it up. Divergent was an excellent dystopian read for me EXCELLENT@"I really enjoyed Divergent, too. Looking forward to the sequel!"
Me too, can't wait!
I'm only halfway through the book, and I gotta say, I think I actually like it better than the Hunger Games.
I agree with you 100%. The first few chapters I thought were totally horrible, and as the story progresses the only thing that kept me reading is I was interested in knowing what happened @ the end. The writing is one dimensional and elementary. Better left to actual young adults!
I agree about the lack of character development. Interesting story though. I'm half way through.
UHHHH.... IT WAS TOTALLY INTERESTING!!!!!!!! THIRD PERSON IS SUPPOSED TO TELL U NOT SHOW U. AND U GET MORE ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS(CHUCK). RUE DIED TO QUICKLY LIKE SUSAN WANTED TO GET IT OVER AND DONE WITH.(view spoiler)
Your review is spot on, plot-driven but very flat characters. I also felt quite told what Teresa and Thomas were, though it seemed more demonstrated what the background characters such as Chuck and Newt were. I could see the maze but couldn't feel the fear like a good book inspires you to. I disagree with the person above me, as the original reviewer Izzy already pointed out both Harry Potter and the Hunger Games are third person but manage to make you sympathize with the characters and feel for them. It's the mark of a great piece of writing, not the perspective the book is told in.
The Hunger Games is not third person, Heartofkenna.
My bad, I guess I'm due for a third re-read.
I completely disagree this is a totally good book and I'm only 11 year old boy I definitely recommend this to girl and boys of all age over8
Bridger wrote: "I completely disagree this is a totally good book and I'm only 11 year old boy I definitely recommend this to girl and boys of all age over8"No one can argue with the target audience. Super
I kind of agree and disagree with you. I never really thought of Dashner's gateway into Thomas' thoughts being so limited. You're right. It is a plot driven story. One other thing I notices that you didn't seem to notice was the cliffhangers at the end of every single chapter. It was quite annoying and kept me away from the action of the book.
I have to disagree with you on you on Terrsa being a one dimensional character Teresa has plenty of depth, you've just got to read he other books (by the way, Teresa dies in The Death Cure). If you read all four books, you get to know Teresa better.
I have to disagree with you on you on Terrsa being a one dimensional character Teresa has plenty of depth, you've just got to read he other books (by the way, Teresa dies in The Death Cure). If you read all four books, you get to know Teresa better.
i agree that the plot is probably the whole reason i kept reading it and now reading the second book of the series and i think that the book really got good towards the end when thomas tries to save alby and minho
Izzy you are so right about that. True case...
