Throwback Thursday….
The Maze Runner Series
By James Dasher
It’s #throwbackthursday 🙌🏼 We are throwing it back 15 years (with a wee bit of change) with The Maze Runner! 5 books in total:
The Maze Runner
The Scorch Trials
The Death Cure
The Kill Order (prequel)
The Fever Code (prequel)
There are a few other books in this universe including “Crank Palace”, Newts POV during The Death Cure.
*Newt is my favorite 🫶🏼
I remember reading the first book while I was pregnant with my son (he will be 14 in April). We just recently watched the movies together (the books are better) and he loved them.(I did tell him the book are better 😂)
To The Blurb (The Maze Runner)…..
Everything is going to change…
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty.
But he is not alone. When the lift doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by walls.
Just like Thomas, the glazers don’t know why or how they got to the glade. All they know is that every morning , for as long as they can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boys is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark.
The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up- the first girl ever to arrive to the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home… wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more like the maze is unsolvable.
And something about the girls arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers- if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.
The Maze Runner series, authored by James Dashner, has captivated readers worldwide for over 15 years, standing out as a seminal work in the young adult dystopian genre. Beyond the main five books—The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever Code—the universe expands with additional perspectives like "Crank Palace," providing fans with deeper insights into pivotal characters such as Newt. The story begins with Thomas waking up in an elevator with no memory and thrust into the Glade, surrounded by a deadly maze and other youths in similar predicaments. This mystery and the quest to solve the maze drive the narrative's tension. Many readers and viewers appreciate the layered storytelling, which explores themes of memory loss, survival, and trust in a post-apocalyptic setting where society’s norms have radically shifted. The novels have been praised for their rich character development, particularly for Newt, a fan-favorite known for his loyalty and courage. The emotional resonance extends beyond the page, as seen in shared experiences of readers passing the books down or enjoying them together with family, as highlighted by personal anecdotes of reading the first installment during pregnancy and revisiting the story through its movie adaptations. For those intrigued by dystopian fiction, the Maze Runner series offers a complex world that challenges perceptions of identity and freedom. The prequels enrich the main storyline by revealing the origins of the maze and the circumstances leading to the Gladers’ predicament. This layered storytelling encourages readers to think critically about ethical dilemmas, scientific experimentation, and the meaning of home. Whether you prefer books or films, the Maze Runner saga promises an immersive experience filled with suspense, camaraderie, and the enduring hope of escape and understanding. As the story unfolds, Thomas’s journey to unlock his suppressed memories becomes a metaphor for self-discovery and resilience, themes that resonate universally across generations.
Yes! The books are SO much better than the movies. I re-read them last year and was hooked again.