Book Review: The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to take in the bountiful beauty that is reading novels. It was thus with an immense pleasure that I was able to take respite during the holidays, giving me time to read The Maze Runner series. It’s come as no surprise that the books have received such an immense degree of hype, leading to the production of a major motion picture. Packed with action, fear and rivalry, it is a firm favourite in sci-fi literature, a rising genre to be acclaiming the most success among young adults today.

The novel follows 16 year old Thomas, who finds himself trapped in the ‘Glade’. Desperately racing against the clock, he works alongside fellow ‘Gladers’ to find an escape from the ‘Maze’. The quirky semantics used by the Gladers keeps the novel feeling fresh, distinguishing it from any other sci-fi novels. The story borders on the Hunger Games where an overseeing body has the power to control the fate of whoever lives in their domain. But don’t be fooled by the turmoil to unfold as unlike the universally loved series, The Maze Runner combines more terrors and unenduring secrets and surprises than can ever be fathomed in Suzanne Collins’ series.

It’s not often that you come across a book that comes close to terrifying you with its raw descriptions of death and the brutality of survival. The Maze Runner crosses the divide between what we determine is false and true, stripping away certainty in such an intangible way, leaving you feeling lost in a barren wasteland. It is easy to identify with the helplessness felt by the characters, lost in the ‘Scorch’.

James Dashner thinks with clarity and precision, thoughtfully captivating our interest in developing the complicated story he tells. When I started reading the books, I noted how the language wasn’t entirely complex. It was simple and sometimes boring. I would have liked to see him approach the novel with greater dexterity, involving bold choices of language. Nevertheless, the narrative is fundamentally brilliant. It just goes to show that you don’t need tortuous language and devices as long as the plot is gripping and lively.  

It is certainly worth reading these books. Whilst they arguably don’t create the magnitude of emotions done so by writers such as J.K. Rowling, they are a true page-turning read that will have you glued to the words at 3am in the morning.