The Maze Runner (Maze Runner Series #1) (edition 2009)

Thomas finds himself in a world he doesn't recognize, and he doesn't remember anything from his past. He does have an uncanny knack for finding his way around though, and some of the boys seem to have vague, and very negative, memories of him from before the maze.

At the heart of this story is the mystery of the maze. The boys are faced with the endless challenge of solving a maze that changes every day and seems to have no exit, yet they also wonder at their purpose for being placed in the maze in the first place.

There was really only one thing that I didn't care for in this book, and that was the constant use of made up slang that seemed to take the place of profanity. I'm not a big fan of profanity in any sense, but I think I would almost prefer the everyday swear words to the slang that was used in this book. I don't think that there is anything wrong with made up slang per se, but in this case I found it to be very jarring and disruptive to my enjoyment of the story. I would start to really get lost in the book, and then along came a few more slang words, and it would take my attention away from the story itself because I'd be thinking about how annoyed I was with those words. The rest of the book was thoroughly enjoyable though.

The plot was not at all predictable. I loved that it kept me guessing right up to the end of the book. All in all it was a pleasant surprise. The ending really sealed the deal for me. I will definitely be on the lookout for the sequel, and am willing to put up with the annoying slang in order to find out what happens. Who knows, maybe it won't bother me so much next time. ( )

VOYA ratings: 5Q 4P J S
My VOYA ratings: 4Q, 4P ( )

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Fighting against a mysterious group named WICKED, Thomas and the other boys in the Glade must crack the secret code and find a way out of the moving maze before it’s too late. The first book in the Maze Runner trilogy.

Scary but kept me reading. Not sure of the audience here. ( )

Slow, spare story stretched out over way too many pages. And there are sequels! While the plot is at times very engaging, the fake swearing Dashner feeds his teen characters became obnoxious within the first few pages. By the end, it was AGONY to read such groaners (klunk, slinthead, shuck, shuckface, bloody, buggin', friggin'), especially with such high frequency. I wish the author possessed the testicles to just have them all say shit/damn/hell... As it is, he drew far more attention to the naughty lingo than if he'd just used the words kids use today. I mean, like, what the shuck? Not reading any more of this series. ( )