The Maze Runner Audiobook By James Dashner cover art

The Maze Runner

Maze Runner, Book 1

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The Maze Runner

By: James Dashner
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MAZE RUNNER SERIES • A teenager with no memory must navigate a deadly maze to survive in book one of this post-apocalyptic phenomenon.

“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies [and] The Hunger Games” (Entertainment Weekly)

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround them is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: Remember. Survive. Run.

Look for more books in the blockbuster Maze Runner series:
THE MAZE RUNNER • THE SCORCH TRIALS • THE DEATH CURE • THE KILL ORDER • THE FEVER CODE©2009 James Dashner; (P)2009 Listening Library Action & Adventure Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic Difficult Situations Dystopian Family & Relationships Fantasy Fiction Friendship Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Survival Heartfelt Funny Witty Teen Mystery

Critic reviews

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

[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
Intriguing Mystery • Unique Premise • Distinct Character Voices • Compelling Dystopian Setting • Unpredictable Twists

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the young-adult-ness of the writing is pretty painfully obvious and really served to distract me from the narrative. It seems the intended audience is more 11-13 rather than teens, per se.(and yeah, I'm 36 but have loved YA in the past, see below) At first I thought it was just the narrator's fault for sounding so didactic, but I eventually came around to the fact that it's also the prose. "there were so many secrets. they all had secrets. I wanted to ask all the secrets, to know their answers, but no one was talking" this is (bad paraphrase, but I heard this sentiment repeated 15 times in the first part of the book. I really wanted this to take me where "Hunger Games" did. and it really didn't.

I really wanted to like it more but

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The Maze Runner is an interesting and entertaining post-apocalyptic trilogy about a group of kids (or test subjects) put through all sorts of tests and trials by WICKED, supposedly all in an effort to find a cure for a weaponized virus that has nearly wiped out humanity. And yadda yadda yadda...

Having read the entire trilogy, the first book was my favorite. As always, the book is much more detailed and interesting than the movie, although I thought the movie was good too. I don't normally listen to teenage fiction stories, but I was in the mood for a post-apocalyptic thriller so I bit. And Mark Deakins is a great narrator.

The narration was great. The writing is interesting. The kids in the book develop their own language and mannerisms to a large extent, which can take the listener a little bit to understand what is going on. The story is interesting enough to keep the pages turning, and confusing enough to keep an answer seeking reader in an endless search.

I just want to say one thing though about the series and how the story is presented. First it really seems like the author James Dashner starts writing with good ideas in his head but never takes the time to plan out an outline for the story - beginning to end. I think he just starts typing the dialogue in and hopes it leads the story somewhere meaningful. The author does this much more frequently in the next two books. But as for this one, I'd try the movie first to see if it's a series worth reading.

As usual, the book is better than the movie

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There was so much mystery in this book. I literally didn't put it down for 2 days. The best thing that I can suggest to you is to read this book with an open mind and to not even base it off of the movie.

To start off, some of the book had me captivated just because I wanted to see what happened next each time. There was absolutely no back story to the characters because the characters had none to give. The memories were gone and they didn't know anything about themselves; so as you read the book, you are learning who they are with the characters. Never read a story that was written in this style but found it captivating, as if I was in the "Glade" with them.

The ending was absolutely awful because of tying the loose ends together it just started to fray. No questions were answered but 100 more arise just by the last 3 chapters.

So many people gave this book an absolutely awful review on Goodreads which almost made me not want to read the book but I am glad I didn't listen to them. They were far to harsh about the book and style of writing. The best way to describe this book was an Intentional Modern Lord of the Flies.

Had me hooked until the end.

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I love Sci Fi but this one just couldn't keep my attention. I really had high hopes for the whole series. I think it will make a better movie.

Kinda disappointed

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What did you love best about The Maze Runner?

I loved how the reader was thrown into this crazy world, and was just as confused as the main character. Then we got to uncover truths and information with him, trying to piece things together. Kept me intrigued the entire time.

What did you like best about this story?

The writing and overall plot.

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

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