The Maze Runner (2009)

by James Dashner

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: The Maze Runner (1)

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10,934	682	427	(3.78)	1 / 341
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

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▾Member recommendations

440
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (smammers)
220
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (aeleone)
aeleone: More sci-fi than Maze Runner, but the characters experience a similar situation as the boys in the maze. Plus, it's super classic.
132
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (bookworm12, wordcauldron)
wordcauldron: When I read this, it reminded me of an orchestrated Lord of the Flies.
80
Gone by Michael Grant (stephxsu)
stephxsu: Incredible world-building and suspense-building featuring a plethora of interesting and sympathetic characters.
50
Running With the Wolves by J.E. Reed (paigemartin)
paigemartin: The characters are placed in a foreign environment without an understanding of how they got there or who put them there. The battle to escape back to reality is filled with monsters and adventures that lead to an incredible amount of character development.… (more)
40
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (bluenotebookonline)
bluenotebookonline: Bit more fantasy than The Maze Runner, but a similar setup (hero who's trapped) and pace.
31
Wool by Hugh Howey (KatyBee)
10
The Last Girl by Joe Hart (LiteraryReadaholic)
43
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Waterbuggg)
Waterbuggg: Both books are action-packed and have a similar premise and secret.
11
The Final Trade by Joe Hart (LiteraryReadaholic)
22
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (bluenotebookonline)
bluenotebookonline: Also action packed, has a dystopian setting, includes quite a bit of kids vs. adults, etc. Prinz award winner.
00
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (Anonymous user)
00
The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen (kaledrina)
00
House of Stairs by William Sleator (gaialover)
00
Das Labyrinth erwacht by Rainer Wekwerth (Friederike.Geissler)
01
The Unknown by J. W. Lynne (Anonymous user)

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Book talk : the maze runner series	2 unread / 2	Ennas, February 2016

» See also 341 mentions

▾Member reviews

English (667) Spanish (6) German (1) Catalan (1) Dutch (1) French (1) Italian (1) All languages (678)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 667 (next | show all)

Definitely an absorbing page-turner but ultimately a bit too formulaic for my taste. I enjoyed it -- read in one sitting -- but I'm not eager to pick up the sequels. (

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CatherineMachineGun | Jul 31, 2020 |

Very intriguing! (

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aelizben | Jun 23, 2020 |

I don't know, man. I don't know! The word choices and characterisation in some parts were so jarring they made me laugh so hard and some plot elements don't seem very well placed (e.g. Teresa and her relationship with Thomas—where did that come from?), but... the world-building is pretty interesting, even if it reminds me a lot of Divergent's. (

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piquareste | Jun 3, 2020 |

I really enjoyed this book, but there were a few week points. I've seen comparisons to the Hunger Games and I would say that is dead on. The characters were easy to like, though the main character did start to get a little annoying with the questions, but if I were in the same situation, I couldn't imagine I'd be different.

The reason I didn't give it five stars:

Come on...they are there for two years and never thought of comparing the different sections of the maze or overlaying them? The book really tries to get you to believe they are the "best of the best" yet they overlook something so simple? I just found that hard to swallow.

Other than that, I loved the book. If you want to start a good series (or least good Book 1 to a series), definitely read this book. On to Book 2! (

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cgfaulknerog | May 28, 2020 |

This dystopian series is one of my favorites. It is an easy read with a good plot and is very well written.

The movie is similar to the books with a few minor changes to fit cinematography. The moment Thomas wakes up in a cage (first scene) the adventure has started. You could feel that there is tension between Thomas and Gally from the second they meet.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that loves dystopian books! Some parts of the book made me question the characters. You will love and hate each character as you read the story (although my personal favorite is Newt). (

)

sarveshi | May 6, 2020 |

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Showing 1-5 of 667 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

8 reviews

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thingScore 82

added by Shortride | editLos Angeles Times, Sonja Bolle (Feb 14, 2010)

The story reads like a maze with erroneous turns, dead ends, and a plot that should work but falls short.

added by Katya0133 | editLibrary Media Connection, Constance G. Pappas (Nov 1, 2009)

James Dashner has created a thrilling dystopian novel.

added by Shortride | editOpen Letters Monthly, Kristin Brower Walker (Nov 1, 2009)

The Maze Runner has a great hook, and fans of dystopian literature, particularly older fans of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember (Random, 2003), will likely enjoy this title and ask for the inevitable sequel.

added by Katya0133 | editSchool Library Journal, Kristin Anderson (Oct 1, 2009)

With a fast-paced narrative steadily answering the myriad questions that arise and an ever-increasing air of tension, Dashner's suspenseful adventure will keep readers guessing until the very end.

added by Katya0133 | editPublishers Weekly (Sep 21, 2009)

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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (45 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
James Dashner	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Deakins, Mark	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Musselman, Dan	Executive producer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Reichler, Mitchell	Author photo	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Straub, Philip	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

The Maze Runner (1)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Narrativa Fanucci

Is contained in

The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

The Maze Runner Series Complete Collection (Five Books) by James Dashner

The Maze Runner Series Complete Collection (Four Books) by James Dashner

The Maze Runner / The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Maze Runner Series, Five Books by James Dashner

Has the adaptation

The Maze Runner [2014 film] by Wes Ball

Is parodied in

The Maze Bummer: A Parody of The Maze Runner by Steve Lookner

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▾Common Knowledge

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For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Series (with order)

The Maze Runner (1)

Canonical title

The Maze Runner

Original title

The Maze Runner

Alternative titles

Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Im Labyrinth

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

The Maze Runner (2014 ∙ IMDb)

The Scorch Trials (2015 ∙ IMDb)

Awards and honors

Whitney Award Finalist (Speculative Fiction, 2009)

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)

Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2012)

Wyoming Soaring Eagle Nominee (2012|2nd Runner-up 2012)

TASL Volunteer State Book Children's Choice Award (Young Adult, 2011-2012)

(show all 25 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

For Lynette. This book was a three-year journey,
and you never doubted.

First words

He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

Information from the Italian Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Narrativa Fanucci

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

The Maze Runner

▾Book descriptions

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape. (Novelist).

Haiku summary

Teen must run through maze
To figure out his past and
Survive scary plot.
(legallypuzzled)

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