Allow the inner book-beast in me to rejoice in finally finding the time to finish the Mazerunner trilogy written by James Dashner. I recommended the first book to you guys a few weeks back along with a few other must-reads with the highest praises and yes, with the slight disappointment that it’s just 3 books.
photo from tmrspanishfandom.tumblr.com
I knew from the first 10 pages it was gonna be an interesting read. You could say it’s a personal prejudice of mine since I’ve always openly said that I LOVE DYSTOPIAN NOVELS (let the caps be a guage as to how much) and the reviews have described it as such but to be quite honest, I don’t think you’ll realize that it belongs to that genre until much later, much much later (as in last-few-chapters later).
Personally, the complexity of logic behind the story presented in the simplest, most relatable but exhilirating manner allowed me to empathize with characters (Thomas, Minho and the Chancellor Paige especially) and understand the plot as if it was happening to me. I believe that to be a difficult feat particularly in futuristic books where the scenarios are often exaggerated and unimaginable.
The trilogy reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 and Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go only targeted to a different demographic, much younger. That allowed the plot to zoom in on responses of teens to extreme situations which would normally make you question the significance of a moral high ground. Also being relatively young, you do ask, ‘What would I have done in their position?’
photo from insidemovies.ew.com
*A word of warning: the indented text is a rough retelling of the trilogy (Mazerunner, Scorch Trials and Death Cure)
It follows the life of Thomas who woke up aboard a lift, memory swiped and purpose unclear to a group of around 50 boys living in what they call the ‘Glades’. He soon discovers that the high walls surrounding the Glades doesn’t just keep the people in but keep Grievers, advanced technological killing machines, out. As he fights to regain his memory, make friends and find a way out, he realizes the biggest problem yet- they’re trapped in a maze and the only hope of freedom is to brave running through the moving walls, past the grievers and into the exit they’re yet to find.
When the first girl, Teresa, was sent to the Glades only a day after Thomas came, she triggers a set of forces that make their home unlivable- no sun, walls to protect them or food supplies to get them through. They’re forced to escape the Glades once and for all. After an ordeal of an escape and many lives lost, they finally thought they were safe only to find out that Phase 2 begins after just a long night’s rest.
They were soon told that they were expected to journey 100 miles north to the Safe Haven, through the abnormally excruciating heat, across a city filled with incurable, disease-infected and crazed inhabitants the world calls cranks to obtain a promised cure to the now well-spread pandemic that wiped out most the population and turned the rest paranoid. All these, they’ll later on find out is but an experiment implemented by WICKED to find a cure to the very disease most of the Gladers are immune to.
In a world victimized by the Sun’s angry outbursts, where governments have fallen, the only hope of humanity is riddled with questionable morals, every city is quarantined and cranks crawl every unprotected structure, how would anybody cope?
Again, sorry for the few spoilers. I managed to avoid the names, some crucial details and the actual ending of the last book but I hope you do get a relatively clear picture of the plot and the intent of the author.
Trust me when I say that it’s one of the best dystopian novels out and available but even if that’s not you’re kind of read, you’ll love the wit and sarcasm of the characters balanced out by their humanity in an obviously inhumane situation.
Happy reading! Good that.
UNANONYMOUS 