The book I chose to do for my book club book was The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I've been wanting to see the movie and read the book, so this worked out perfectly. Ever since The Hunger Games series I have been very interested in novels about dystopian societies, and believed that The Maze Runner would follow suit. I was not wrong.
As a group we have read and discussed up to Chapter 16. So far, I have been introduced to several boys who live in a place called The Glade. As a reader I have no idea where The Glade is, but I do know that it never rains, and it is surrounded by The Maze. Every morning the doors of The Maze open and the Runners go out to explore. Every night they come back because the walls of The Maze change at night and terrifying creatures called Grievers come out. The boys have set up their own form of government and survive with large help from The Box. Once a month The Box appears like an elevator out from below the ground. In The Box are supplies that the boys will need to live (livestock, food, clothes, etc.). Once a month, a new boy also rides up in The Box. When each boy arrives the only memory they have is their name.
The new boy in the beginning of the story was Thomas. He seems like he will be the main character of the story. Thomas is confused when he first gets there, but begins to have ideas that The Maze is familiar to him. Alby is another boy that is in The Glade. He is the self-proclaimed leader and I believe that he is one of the boys who has been there the longest. Alby's right-hand man is Newt. Chuck is a boy who Alby and Newt assign to show Thomas around. Chuck was the last "Greenie" before Thomas came. I think Chuck is sweet, but reminds me of a little brother type. Thomas is annoyed by Chuck's incessant talking, but I think, loves him deep down. Gally is the jerk of The Glade so far. He claims that he has seen Thomas before, but because of his memory loss cannot quite realize where. I believe that is going to be an ongoing idea of this book, and also a main idea of the theme. Minho has been introduced as the Keeper of the Runners. He has not become a main character just yet, but I believe that he will be a key figure as the story goes on. I also feel that way about Teresa. She is the only girl to ever be brought into The Glade. At her appearance, everything in The Glade begins to change and some boys believe that Thomas has something to do with it.
As I have read I have had a really difficult time putting this book down. Each chapter seems to end with a cliffhanger that makes me want to read on. I have some questions about what has happened and that leads me to make some predictions. I understand that the boys call the people who sent them to The Glade are The Creators, but why have they been sent there? What is going on in the outside world that these boys have been exiled to there. I also wonder why Teresa is the first girl to enter The Glade. What is special about her, and why is she going to be the last person sent there? I believe that she somehow works with The Creators, but because she has lost her memory she cannot figure it all out just yet. Why does Thomas have such an urge to become a Runner and why does The Maze seem familiar to him? Also, why do all the boys who go through The Changing know him. I believe that, like Teresa, Thomas was working with The Creators as well. Maybe The Creators are doing something horrible to people and Thomas and Teresa rebelled. Maybe they were exiled to The Glade because of their rebellion.
So far, I have really enjoyed reading this book. I did have a difficult time getting into it when I first started, but as I continued I really enjoyed it. It is very exciting and I really like the characters for the most part (except Gally, I want to punch him). I can visual everything as the characters see it. I cried along with Thomas at Ben's banishment. I felt Ben's pain and fear as he pleaded for his life. It reminded me a bit of The Lord of the Flies. I also felt the fear from Thomas as he first caught a glimpse of a Griever. I like the way Dashner describes that gruesome being. I want to see the movie mostly because I want to see what they do with those creatures. I look forward to continuing to read The Maze Runner and cannot wait to have my questions answered and compare my predictions.
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