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The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, Book One): Book One Hardcover – October 6, 2009
James Dashner
(Author)
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Reading age12 - 17 years
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Print length400 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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Grade level7 - 9
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Lexile measureHL770L
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Dimensions5.81 x 1.28 x 8.53 inches
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PublisherDelacorte Press
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Publication dateOctober 6, 2009
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ISBN-100385737947
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ISBN-13978-0385737944
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series
A USA Today Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick
"[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost."—EW
“Wonderful action writing—fast-paced…but smart and well observed.”—Newsday
“[A] nail-biting must-read.”—Seventeen
“Breathless, cinematic action.”—Publishers Weekly
“Heart pounding to the very last moment.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Exclamation-worthy.”—Romantic Times
[STAR] “James Dashner’s illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series.”—Shelf Awareness, Starred
"Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book."-Deseret News
About the Author
James Dashner is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order and The Fever Code, as well as the bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. Dashner was born and raised in Georgia, but now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains. To learn more about him and his books, visit JamesDashner.com, follow @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find dashnerjames on Instagram.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.
Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He fell down at the sudden movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. His back struck a hard metal wall; he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. Sinking to the floor, he pulled his legs up tight against his body, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness.
With another jolt, the room jerked upward like an old lift in a mine shaft.
Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory, echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy's stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse. He wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, waiting.
My name is Thomas, he thought.
That... that was the only thing he could remember about his life.
He didn't understand how this could be possible. His mind functioned without flaw, trying to calculate his surroundings and predicament. Knowledge flooded his thoughts, facts and images, memories and details of the world and how it works. He pictured snow on trees, running down a leaf-strewn road, eating a hamburger, the moon casting a pale glow on a grassy meadow, swimming in a lake, a busy city square with hundreds of people bustling about their business.
And yet he didn't know where he came from, or how he'd gotten inside the dark lift, or who his parents were. He didn't even know his last name. Images of people flashed across his mind, but there was no recognition, their faces replaced with haunted smears of color. He couldn't think of one person he knew, or recall a single conversation.
The room continued its ascent, swaying; Thomas grew immune to the ceaseless rattling of the chains that pulled him upward. A long time passed. Minutes stretched into hours, although it was impossible to know for sure because every second seemed an eternity. No. He was smarter than that. Trusting his instincts, he knew he'd been moving for roughly half an hour.
Strangely enough, he felt his fear whisked away like a swarm of gnats caught in the wind, replaced by an intense curiosity. He wanted to know where he was and what was happening.
With a groan and then a clonk, the rising room halted; the sudden change jolted Thomas from his huddled position and threw him across the hard floor. As he scrambled to his feet, he felt the room sway less and less until it finally stilled. Everything fell silent.
A minute passed. Two. He looked in every direction but saw only darkness; he felt along the walls again, searching for a way out. But there was nothing, only the cool metal. He groaned in frustration; his echo amplified through the air, like the haunted moan of death. It faded, and silence returned. He screamed, called for help, pounded on the walls with his fists.
Nothing.
Thomas backed into the corner once again, folded his arms and shivered, and the fear returned. He felt a worrying shudder in his chest, as if his heart wanted to escape, to flee his body.
"Someone... help... me!" he screamed; each word ripped his throat raw.
A loud clank rang out above him and he sucked in a startled breath as he looked up. A straight line of light appeared across the ceiling of the room, and Thomas watched as it expanded. A heavy grating sound revealed double sliding doors being forced open. After so long in darkness, the light stabbed his eyes; he looked away, covering his face with both hands.
He heard noises above--voices--and fear squeezed his chest.
"Look at that shank."
"How old is he?"
"Looks like a klunk in a T-shirt."
"You're the klunk, shuck-face."
"Dude, it smells like feet down there!"
"Hope you enjoyed the one-way trip, Greenie."
"Ain't no ticket back, bro."
Thomas was hit with a wave of confusion, blistered with panic. The voices were odd, tinged with echo; some of the words were completely foreign--others felt familiar. He willed his eyes to adjust as he squinted toward the light and those speaking. At first he could see only shifting shadows, but they soon turned into the shapes of bodies--people bending over the hole in the ceiling, looking down at him, pointing.
And then, as if the lens of a camera had sharpened its focus, the faces cleared. They were boys, all of them--some young, some older. Thomas didn't know what he'd expected, but seeing those faces puzzled him. They were just teenagers. Kids. Some of his fear melted away, but not enough to calm his racing heart.
Someone lowered a rope from above, the end of it tied into a big loop. Thomas hesitated, then stepped into it with his right foot and clutched the rope as he was yanked toward the sky. Hands reached down, lots of hands, grabbing him by his clothes, pulling him up. The world seemed to spin, a swirling mist of faces and color and light. A storm of emotions wrenched his gut, twisted and pulled; he wanted to scream, cry, throw up. The chorus of voices had grown silent, but someone spoke as they yanked him over the sharp edge of the dark box. And Thomas knew he'd never forget the words.
"Nice to meet ya, shank," the boy said. "Welcome to the Glade."
Product details
- Publisher : Delacorte Press; First Edition (October 6, 2009)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0385737947
- ISBN-13 : 978-0385737944
- Reading age : 12 - 17 years
- Lexile measure : HL770L
- Grade level : 7 - 9
- Item Weight : 1.11 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.81 x 1.28 x 8.53 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#81,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #109 in Teen & Young Adult Boys & Men Fiction
- #316 in Teen & Young Adult Friendship Fiction
- #485 in Teen & Young Adult Dystopian
- Customer Reviews:
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I see a lot of reviews talking about how the characters were without personality, boring, unreadable, flat. In some ways I do understand the frustration. At times it's near impossible to read what is going on exactly, BUT I think I've found purpose to what so many deem madness. I mean, these are kids who woke up in a strange place with no memory of who they are, where they came from. To top it all off, they're trapped in a maze crawling with monsters at night. And no matter how much they try to escape, they can't. They have lived in a place with no idea of what they were, who they were supposed to be, or what they ARE supposed to be now. For me, it would only make sense for a stagnant environment to produce stagnation in the people occupying it. I know that may be reaching a little bit - but it's what has helped me to manage through the book with a peaked interest.
I couldn't put the novel down. Overall, I find the concept of the story good. And despite the blank slates of many characters, they are still fairly likable (except for Alby. Book Alby worked my absolute last nerve. He was a complete 360 from his movie self and I have never hated a character so much so quickly. I disliked him more than Gally >:( ). All in all, the movie made me want to dive directly into The Scorch Trials, so it definitely did something right. Honestly, I think the biggest issue that most people can agree with is the lack of personality in the characters. But in my perspective, I can kind of make it work in my head! I look forward to continuing these books.
Hmm, okay, have you ever played Monkey in the Middle? Well, imagine you are the monkey in the middle, you have Thomas (the lead character) on one end, and James Dashner (the author) on the other end. Okay, now imagine James Dashner holding a mysterious black velvet drawstring which holds all the answers you are dying to get your hands on. Okay, now picture Thomas and Dashner cackling as they toss the drawstring back and forth over your head. At first, you chuckle and say something like, "Oh, come on guys," then 30 chapters later, while they continue to play their silly game, you give up on the attempt to intercept the drawstring, and crossing your arms you say something like, "Okay, this is getting really annoying."
Finally, after 60 chapters, you decide to walk up to Dashner and rashly kick him right on the chin and you shout, "ENOUGH!" And in your disgraceful moment of defeat and frustration, Dashner "thoughtfully" hands over the black velvet drawstring, so as to say, "All right, I'm sorry." You gasp, and then squeal, AT LAST! YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS! You fall to your knees and madly begin to open up the black velvet drawstring, "This is it! This is it!" you exclaim to yourself, only to uncover....complete and utter darkness; yep, nothing. The bag was empty the entire time.
Then, as your gaze moves steadily up at Dashner, you take notice that he is frowning, and smiling, and laughing all while staring at Thomas, who is responding in the same manner. And then it hits you, they are able to converse telepathically! What in the world!? Argh!
So you get up, take a deep breath, sweep whatever Dashner dust-bunnies have settled onto your jeans and shoulders, and begin to walk away from their wicked scheme; who needs those guys anyway? Rude! But just as you are storming off, Dashner runs up to you, laughing irritatingly while trying to catch his breath and says, "Okay, okay," his arms up in surrender, "I'm done, here take this, you'll want to read this," and just like that, he walks over to Thomas (who is laughing hysterically by the way), they pat themselves on the back, as to congratulate each other, and they walk away.
You shake your head in utter confusion and look down at the single sheet of paper resting on the palm of your hand, you unfold it, it's an epilogue. The best darn thing Dashner wrote in the entire book!
Top reviews from other countries

Thomas Wakes up in an elevator with no memory other than his name, when the elevator doors finally open he finds himself among many other teenagers in a vast glade.
The glade is at the centre of a massive maze hundreds of feet high and made of stone, the other teens (known as gladers) have been trying to escape through the maze for two years without ANY success, for inside the maze are horrors that i won't describe here. You will have to read this excellent book to understand what i mean.
This novel is supposed to be for teenage readers, i am 52 years old and i really enjoyed it. I give it a very well deserved 5 stars.

Please read in this order:
1. maze runner , 2. scorch trials , 3. death cure , 4. kill order , 5. fever code
U might find the the 3rd and 4th a little bit boring but continue to read to start the best book of the series ,the last one



When I started this book, I was extremely excited because I had heard good things about it and was told that if I was a fan of the hunger games then this book would be right up my street. I was imagining it to be an amazing dystopian book that would have me gripped from page one. But after the first 100 pages I realised that I had too high expectations and unfortunately it was not looking up to it. Which is why this book has me so conflicted on what to rate it because at some points I love it and at others I don't.
Yet there are still many things that I did like about this book. I liked the mystery and the concept that surrounds the series. But then I didn't like how drawn out it was in the first part. I felt that there wasn't any important action happening until the middle-end of the book, so I was constantly urging myself to keep at it.
The second half of the book is when I started to really enjoy it. I started to get the gripped feeling, where you cannot put the book down because you just had to know what happens. The pace became fast moving and the mystery and action started to get bigger and better, which was not seen in the first part. I just loved the twist at the end. I did not expect it and it is all this that making me what to continue on with the series.
Another thing I did like was some of the characters, not all of them but some. Some characters I absolutely adored (Chuck and Newt) but others I was just so uninterested in. I just felt that I had no clue as to what was happening so I couldn't connect with the characters like I wanted to. Yet I loved the subtle loyalty and friendship Newt offered and the vulnerability of Chuck, that just made me what to kiss them and cheer at the little things they did.
Overall, as a book there were so many things that had me going back and forth on whether I loved it or hated it. I loved the plot, the pacing of the second half of the book and some of the characters. But then I hated the pacing at the beginning of the book and was completely confused as to what was going on due to the writing style and confusion the characters themselves were going through. This is ultimately why the rating is 3.5, because what I loved about the book happened in the second half. While at the beginning I was constantly urging myself to just stick with it and not give up, at the end I just couldn't put it down and was thoroughly gripped.
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