Publisher: Delacorte Press 6 Oct 2009
Order on Amazon right here Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
I always like to kick off my reviews with a little into about the covers, what can I say, I’m really superficial. I got myself a lovely hardback, which is something special for us here in the UK, because the majority of books on sale in our bookshops are paperback. The cover is absolutely lush, all nice and textured, and the raised font is a nice touch. Plus, check that maze out!! How freaky is that. This is one of those books that I would buy based on cover alone, its just that nice.
Now onto the book. I love dystopian novels, so when this was recommended to us by Aprilynne Pike over the summer in an author chat, I couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss was about. Dystopia, well it hit’s a chord with me, I just love these kind of books. Those of you who have read The Hunger Games will know what I’m talking about. A dystopian society is dangerous and alienating, it is a culture where the condition of life suffers from terror, oppression and deprivation. Which sums up the world James has created so perfectly.
The story rocks the male lead surprisingly well, I loved Thomas as a character. He was strong and level headed despite the traumas he’s been through. After waking up in the lift and being introduced into like in the Glade, you can almost hear the clogs turning in his mind. How to figure out a maze that the Gladers have been studying for two years and why everyone was placed there in the first place.
I loved the Maze in this book, even if it did frighten me more than I like to admit. The Shining marked Mazes as a bad thing for me a long time ago. The way the Gladers can only go into the Maze during daylight before the walls are closed. How the walls move during the night, so any sense of direction or purpose is destroyed. James did a very good job of making the Maze a dark and dangerous place, something to be feared, but also seen as something important, a way out of the world the characters are trapped in. The Gladers work hard to unlock the key to the Maze, trying desperately to find a way home. The determination in these characters was amazing, how day after day they worked together, never giving up hope
I wont say anything more about the plot, because I’ll get carried away with myself and spoil it for those of you who haven’t read it yet. However, I will add that this book far surpassed my expectations. The world James has created seems so real, even though the society the characters live in is as unrealistic as they come. You can almost see the High stone walls of the maze, covered in crawling ivy, smell the fear in the air. I loved how the descriptions of the Glade were so vivid, you could fully form how everything looked in your mind.
The characters are a credit to James writing skills. I loved learning the secrets of the Maze through Thomas’s eyes and how fully formed a character he was. I never once thought the book would be better from a females perspective. My favourite character was Newt, how even at such a young age he took on the responsibility of leading the boys, making sure they never gave up hope, keeping them going when the answers they so desperately needed were never given.
This book is the best start to a series I have read in a long time. I am truly amazed at how much I was sucked into this book and riveted until the last page. Every time I thought I figured out what was going on, another spanner was thrown in the works. I have never questioned what the writers intention was so much when reading a book. I couldn’t put this book down, the twists and turns keep you glued to your seat. An outstanding novel and I cant wait to read the sequel. I ask again, is it 2010 yet??