Thomas wakes. It’s dark. He’s surrounded by a rumbling, scraping sound and he’s moving. Where am I? What’s happening? All he can remember is his name. Finally the moving stops and the ceiling opens to reveal faces staring in on him.

His curiosity soon overcomes his fears, but his questions go unanswered by the teenage boys who occupy a strange compound surrounded by towering walls. One boy about 12 named Chuck befriends Thomas but still is cagey about answering his questions. Where does their food come from? Their clothes. Their supplies? Why are they there?

The leader of this hotch-potch group of boys finally explains The Glade where they live. No one can remember what came before they all arrived in the same metal box (1 boy a month) that Thomas arrived in. Now everyone has to chip in and help around the compound whether it’s cleaning, gardening, cooking, looking after their animals or running.

The runners fascinate Thomas as he hears what they do. The boys are surrounded by a inexplicably huge maze with entrances from The Glade with towering doors of solid rock that automatically slide shut at sunset every evening. Why? To keep the Grievers out. Slimy, bulbous blubbery monsters with razor sharp metal weapons incorporated into their bodies. The runners job is to try and find a way out during the day when the doors are open – without being eaten. Inside the maze there are large metal panels on the walls with the words WICKED (World in Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Dept). Who is WICKED?

Suspicion falls on Thomas as the status quo of the past 2 years quickly begins to change within the Glade. A girl arrives the very next day – the first girl ever. Thomas can do things no one has ever done. Does he know more than he’s letting on? Maybe his memory-wipe wasn’t completely successful?

This story kept me guessing along with Thomas. Nothing was rushed, but it didn’t drag either, the pace revealing a feasible plot, believable friendships, authentic banter between teen boys and the promise of a racing climax that didn’t disappoint.

The conclusion gives you a snippet of breathing space before it takes you into the next in the series – The Scorch Trials. Wish I’d read The Maze Runner sooner instead of watching the movie. Anybody who loves Dystopian fiction will enjoy this book.

Author – James Dashner

Age – 12+

Read a review of other books in the series (Click on a cover)

(Series, Dystopian, Secrets, Maze, Friendships, Telepathy, Courage, Determination, Relationships, Cooperation, Power plays, Distrust, Action, Netflix)