Maybe the title of this blog should “Better Late than Never.” Part of my impetus for writing it is catching up on some of the great YA lit I’ve missed in the past few years, as well as my bad habit of reading the first book of trilogies and not the rest. I’ve got to get over that.
Haven’t seen the movies, of course…isn’t it better to start with the book?
I liked its fast pace, and how we’re thrust right into the situation, with poor Thomas emerging into the Glade right off the bat. I like the boys, their camaraderie, and how resourcefully they adapted to their horrible and mysterious situation. At the same time the conflict they do have is reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies, but thankfully doesn’t degenerate to that level. Their slang was distracting, but I can understand not wanting a novel aimed at YA readers (theoretically in school libraries) full of Anglo Saxon vulgarity. And “fracking” is taken.
Thomas is a compelling character for the most part, As with many successful YA books, there’s the idea of a character undergoing a transition or rite of passage—Thomas wants to adapt to his new home. The other characters are also mostly compelling and believable, normal boys (so they seem) in an extraordinary situation. The one girl is a bit of a cypher at times…but of course, the whole point is that none of these kids remember anything about their lives before.
The idea of the Maze that surrounds them is super-creepy and disturbing. The monsters that inhabit it—the Grievers—are terrifying. As a Mommy Type, I found the boys’ sadness and sense of longing for a home, family, and normal life quite sad and plausible.
The fundamental mysteries: Why are they here? Who built the Maze and who’s sending supplies and new boys? How can they escape? It makes a welcome twist on the YA plot of a highly structured dystopia (at least at first.)
Spoilers ahoy:
Newt’s death was heartbreaking (especially for Mommy Types), again a bit of a tribute to Piggy in The Lord of the Flies.
I’ll be better be able to judge after the next two books, but I have to admit the “reveal” is a bit of a letdown. There’s a solar flare and a disaster and a disease…kind of normal scifi apocalypse stuff. Here we go into a feature of some YA novels I don’t like (here’s the Mommy Type in play again): The idea of deliberately inflicting suffering on young people. I can see the point of it and I can see why readers find it compelling. I have a hard time with it, honestly. The final twist: the kids haven’t been rescued, they’re just at the second stage of more suffering.
Of course, teen readers have enjoyed depressing dystopian fiction for years. The Maze Runner really reminded me of a depressing book I read in junior high (yes, junior high) and loved at the time: The House of Stairs by William Sleator, published in 1974. It had the same idea of kids being put through a test in a dystopian future, and it was a fairly grim read. Maybe it’s time for me to revisit it.
On the whole, I thought The Maze Runner was a great, fast adventure read and I admired the tight writing and plot. I just hope the eventual payoff is worth it…