• The Scorch Trials

  • Maze Runner, Book 2
  • By: James Dashner
  • Narrated by: Mark Deakins
  • Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (11,225 ratings)

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The Scorch Trials  By  cover art

The Scorch Trials

By: James Dashner
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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Publisher's summary

Book two in the blockbuster Maze Runner series that spawned a movie franchise and ushered in a worldwide phenomenon! And don't miss The Fever Code, the highly-anticipated series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built!

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn't done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers' destruction—and they're determined to survive.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials are now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The third movie, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, will hit screens in 2018.

Also look for James Dashner's edge-of-your-seat MORTALITY DOCTRINE series!

Praise for the Maze Runner series:
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)

"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)

©2010 James Dashner (P)2010 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"The Gladers meet new friends and enemies on their quest, and Deakins shows his skill by providing each of the speakers with a distinctive accent. Listeners will be eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this trilogy." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Scorch Trials

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,117
  • 4 Stars
    3,415
  • 3 Stars
    1,324
  • 2 Stars
    264
  • 1 Stars
    105
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,264
  • 4 Stars
    2,638
  • 3 Stars
    763
  • 2 Stars
    115
  • 1 Stars
    45
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,182
  • 4 Stars
    2,851
  • 3 Stars
    1,374
  • 2 Stars
    303
  • 1 Stars
    137

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fast pace, new twists and more mysteries

Who will survive the Scorch Trials? This book literally begins right where The Maze Runner left off. The Gladers believe they have escaped WICKED and are beginning a new life but those who read the epilogue from The Maze Runners know that WICKED actually has the Gladers right where they want them.

If you enjoyed The Maze Runner then you will love The Scorch Trials.

The narrator Mark Deakins does a great job; if you enjoyed him in The Maze Runner then you will enjoy him in The Scorch Trials. He brings life and personality to each individual character.

This book does contain more graphic content than The Maze Runner, if you did not like descriptions of the final battle between the Gladers and the Grievers then you will probably not enjoy portions of this book.

I enjoyed this book and cannot what for the third installment.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Agreed! Left me hanging...

After I read the reviews I wondered how I would feel. Well I felt the same...The poor kids go through so much and at the end still no answers and let down starts all over again. I sure hope the 3rd installment clears up concerns and does not just drag out more 'trails'.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not a great story but a decent time waster.

Any additional comments?

First off I'll say that I've listened to the first two maze runner books and just downloaded the third. This is great listening material for keeping your mind busy while performing other tedious tasks where you don't need to pay full attention to the book. It's also great for a bus ride home from work. It is not a great piece of literature.

Dashners writing is pretty bad. I've created a drinking game where you take a shot every time he makes a bad analogy "It was as if...." But I ended up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. Don't try that game with hard liquor. Was there no editor here to tell him "James, come on. Just describe the situation as it is, you don't need to compare it to something else every single time."

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Predictable to a fault

What disappointed you about The Scorch Trials?

Some point in my education experience I had a professor say that nonfiction writing should never be surprising and should always lead the reader to expect what is coming, this is how this book was written. Ever twist that was suppose to be exciting and a surprise I could see a mile a way, and i don't think I could be possibly that good at guessing.

Would you ever listen to anything by James Dashner again?

The Maze Runner was okay, but also a bit predictable. I would like to get my hands on a different series by this author to see if his other work is any better

Would you be willing to try another one of Mark Deakins’s performances?

The narrator did a perfectly fine job, but predictable story lines can't be jazzed up with a good voice actor.

What character would you cut from The Scorch Trials?

Thomas the main character in this story could die in this series and I wouldn't care, he is always in panic mode so we never see him, THE MAIN CHARACTER grow beyond better coping sadly.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointed I wasted my time and money on this paint by numbers story.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Stick with it till the end

O.K. So, the beginning of the book had me worried. It felt like Dashner was trying way too hard to make it action packed and mysterious. It was just too much too fast, but once the story slowed down a bit, everything that made "The Maze Runner" great reappeared. It's not quite as good as the first book, but still a quality story full of questions. I can only hope that after all this build up the third book is a satisfying ending that supplies some answers.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A quality follow up to the Maze Runner

Any additional comments?

The Scorch Trials was an interesting second installment of the Maze Runner series. Overall I enjoyed it. The book follows the same general story line of the first, with Thomas and his fellow Gladers trying to survive and understand the strange world they find themselves in.

The book did contribute more information to the overall storyline, but it mostly just leaves the reader with more questions than answers, which I expected from a trilogy. But I'm beginning to feel like James Dashner says a lot in these books without really saying a lot - the main questions of the book are never really answered. Instead the author skirts around the issue and doesn't give the reader any resolutions. But that's being nit-picky. The book was entertaining and that's why I bought it.

As usual, Mark Deakins was great with his narration. (Although I still don't know why he gives Newt an Irish accent!?)

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

An excited start that quickly fell into drudgery.

In which the strong, smart, and initiative main protagonist we enjoyed in the first book reverts into a moody hormonal preteen.
Seemingly refusing to use his cream-of-the-crop brain for anything other than being abysmally confused, making unbearably tactless social decisions, and falling unconscious CONSTANTLY.
The action was good when there was action, but most of it happening at or near Thomas while he has some sort of emotional breakdown rather than taking any affirmative action.
I'll leave it at that and just say I had a lot of problems with this sequel. It will be a while before I read the finale after reading ahead on its own reviews.

The narration was absolutely fantastic, great consistency with believable voices.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as good as Maze Runner but still gripping

Only downside was the main character, Thomas who seemed to be only focused on his romances during disasters. That got a bit tiresome. The story otherwise was fascinating and I couldn't stop once I'd started listening. Not as exciting as the first in the series but still just as gripping though I found I liked the character, Newt which is why I won't read the third in the series. I love the visual pictures I got in this series. The monsters and the landscape descriptions were brilliant!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the first but still worth it

The action in the Scorch Trials kept me on the edge of my seat. I did enjoy listening. But this book was more of a taunt and tease than a sequel. I felt a little strung along only to get no answers in the end. In the Maze Runner and the Scorch Trials, Thomas and Theresa kept saying they were responsible for everything. In both books, people forgot things and saw things. There were a lot of impossibilities thrown at us that were never really explained. The kids were constantly running for their lives and the whole time met betrayal after betrayal. I know they were being tested for something. And obviously there will be a book three. But I kind of wish they would have thrown us a bone in book 2. At the end of this one, I found myself thinking, "Oh not again!" Also, I thought the two girls (Theresa and Brenda) were pretty creepy. I don't know if it was the story or the narrator (he was great, but did a creepy girl's voice), but I didn't like or trust either of them. If that was the way I was supposed to react, then kudos to Dashner.

Overall, it WAS a good book and I look forward to book 3. I would have given it 5 stars if there had been more closure.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Way better than the movie

Loved it! Far better than the movie. And drastically different. Can’t wait to start the next book.

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4 people found this helpful