Okay, so at like 5:50 this morning I finished reading Maze Runner by James Dashner and wanted to come on here and tell everyone that when you get the chance, you should totally read it.
The basic plot is that this kid wakes up in this black box with no memory of who he is. He can remember things like a house, and trees, and such, but not his house, or details of his own life. The only thing he really remembers is that his name is Thomas. So, after a half hour suddenly the box (which has been moving) stops, and the top pops open. he's pulled out and is told pretty much nothing. He spents the rest of the day trying to figure out what is going on, and getting nowhere, fast.
The only things he's told is that he's the newbie, there's a maze, and that he'll get a tour the next day. However, that tour is cut short by the arrival of someone in the box. Thomas thinks nothing of it, but everyone else is freaking -- there's only supposed to be one newbie each month, and supplies once a week. Well, when the box finally arrives, Alby and Newt, the makeshift leader and second in command freak out. The box contains a girl, the first one in the two years since Alby has been there, and she's dead.(..or so they think.)
Of course, they all get scared into a new pair of underwear when she suddenly pops up and says "Everything's going to change" and shoves a note into their faces declairing she's going to be the last newbie, ever, before dropping into a coma.
So, then everyone starts thinking that Thomas has something to do with the sudden changes since he was the last newbie to come. However, Thomas is just struggling to figure out what is going on since no one will answer any of his questions, and he has no memory.
Add into the equasion these creepy monster things that are half animal, half machine, and creepy as all get out to see (the discription includes talk of saws, pinchers, and needles), and, well, this maze is not a fun place to be.
I'm not going to go into a lot of detail after this, 'cause it gets kind of complex, but I will say this: The book was way good! I freaking have been reading all night because I couldn't put it down.
Dashner did a really good job of making you feel as frustrated as Thomas every time his questions get ignored. The ending I felt was slightly deus ex machina -- that is, until I read the very last chatper (a page and a half. DON'T READ IT UNTIL THE END OR IT WILL DESTROY A LOT!) I liked the mystery and kept on wanting to skip ahead to find out what the answers were. I also felt like the characters were pretty well developed, and were their own person.
My only issue is that one of the final plot twists was kind of predictable. I won't say much beyond that a promise is made, and the promise is brought up like three times, and from the first time it was made, I was sure it wasn't going to be fulfilled. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed. A lot of things happen at once, and I wasn't really able to care about most of them. Well, those and the fact that it's a series, and I want the next book.
Over all, I thought this was a TON better then 13th reality (which I wasn't even able to finish.)
