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{{Short description|2009 novel by James Dashner}}
{{For|the 2014 film|The Maze Runner (film)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox book |
{{Infobox book
| name = The Maze Runner
| image = [[File:The Maze Runner cover.png|200px]]
| name = The Maze Runner
| author = [[James Dashner]]
| image = The Maze Runner cover.png
| caption = 2009 edition cover
| cover_artist = Philip Scrub
| country = United States
| author = [[James Dashner]]
| website = <!-- official series website or none; not jamesdashner.com -->
| language = English
| cover_artist = Philip Straub
| genre = [[Young-adult fiction|Young-adult]], [[science fiction]], [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]]
| publisher = [[Delacorte Press]]
| country = United States
| pub_date = October 21, 2009
| language = English
| series = [[The Maze Runner (series)|''The Maze Runner'' series]]
| pages = 374
| genre = [[Young adult fiction|Young adult]], [[science fiction]], [[Post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]]
| isbn = 978-0-385-73794-4
| published = October 6, 2009
| dewey=
| publisher = [[Delacorte Press]]
| congress= PZ7.D2587Maz 2007
| media_type = Print ([[hardcover]] and [[paperback]]), [[audiobook]], [[e-book]]
| oclc=
| pages = 375&nbsp;pp.<ref name=LCC/>
| followed_by = [[The Scorch Trials]]<ref name="desnews-nov2009">{{cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705347173/Maze-Runner-on-right-track.html|title='Maze Runner' on 'right track'|first=Aaron|last=Shill|publisher=[[Deseret Morning News]]|date=November 25, 2009|accessdate=December 19, 2009|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5m8K6eosT|archivedate=December 19, 2009}}</ref>
| isbn = 978-0-385-73794-4
| isbn_note = (first edition, hardcover)
| congress = PZ7.D2587Maz 2009<ref name=LCC>[https://lccn.loc.gov/2009001345 "The maze runner"] (first edition). LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 13 November 2016.</ref>
| oclc = 299381315
| preceded_by = [[The Fever Code]] (in narrative order)
| followed_by = [[The Scorch Trials]]<ref name="desnews-nov2009">{{cite web |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705347173/Maze-Runner-on-right-track.html |title='Maze Runner' on 'right track' |first=Aaron |last=Shill |publisher=[[Deseret Morning News]] |date=25 November 2009 |access-date=19 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200943/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705347173/Maze-Runner-on-right-track.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''The Maze Runner''''' is a 2009 [[Utopian and dystopian fiction#Dystopian fiction|dystopian]] novel by American author [[James Dashner]]. It takes place in a world suffering from a [[coronal mass ejection]] and whose surviving civilians fight to avoid an [[Apocalypse|apocalyptic]] illness called the Flare. It is written from the perspective of Thomas, a 16-year-old boy who wakes up with no memories inside an artificially produced maze. An organization called WICKED controls the world politically, seeks a cure to the Flare, and uses the youngest generation of civilians who are immune to it as test subjects.


The book received critical acclaim from major reviewers and authors. It won the [[Young Adult Library Services Association]] Best Fiction for Young Adults award in 2011,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults |url=https://www.ala.org/yalsa/2011-best-fiction-young-adults |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=Young Adult Library Services Association |publisher=American Library Association |language=en}}</ref> is a #1 [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' Best Seller]] and was on the list for 148 weeks,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 23, 2015 |title=Children's & Young Adult Series Books - Best Sellers - Books |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2015/08/23/series-books/. |access-date=2024-09-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and was a ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' Teen Book of the Year. ''The Maze Runner'' is a popular pick by educators teaching middle-grade readers in schools.
'''''The Maze Runner''''' is the first book in a [[Young-adult fiction|young-adult]] [[post-apocalyptic]] science fiction trilogy of the same name by [[James Dashner]].<ref name="desnews-nov2009" /><ref name="pubweek-may2009">{{cite web |url=http://sucial.com/the-maze-runner-review-hollywood-movie-2014/ |title=The Maze Runner 2014 Full Movie Review |publisher=[[Publishers Weekly]] |first=Enric |last=Dig |date=September 24, 2014 |accessdate=September 24, 2014}}</ref> The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by [[Delacorte Press]], an imprint of [[Random House]], and was made into a [[The Maze Runner (film)|2014 major motion picture]] by 20th Century Fox. The novel spawned two sequels: ''[[The Scorch Trials]]'' (2010) and ''[[The Death Cure]]'' (2011).


The novel was published in 2009 by [[Dell Publishing|Delacorte Press]], an imprint of [[Penguin Random House]] with cover art by Philip Straub. ''The Maze Runner'' is the first novel in ''The Maze Runner'' series, followed by ''[[The Scorch Trials]]'' (2010) and ''[[The Death Cure]]'' (2011). A [[The Maze Runner (film)|film adaptation]], directed by [[Wes Ball]], was released in 2014 by [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] and stars [[Dylan O'Brien|Dylan O’Brien]] as Thomas.
Dashner also wrote a prequel to ''The Maze Runner'', entitled ''[[The Kill Order]]'', that came out in 2012.<ref name="KillOrder">{{cite press release|url=http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/kill-order-press-release.php|title=The Kill Order to be published in August 2012|publisher=Delacorte LShakshahxjdPress|location=New York|date=November 21, 2011|accessdate=November 24, 2011}}</ref> He also announced that another prequel, ''[[The Fever Code]]'', is set to be released in 2016.


==Plot==
== Plot ==
A boy named Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator that brings him to a place called the Glade. He has no memory of how he got there or who he is aside from his name. He gradually discovers that the Glade is run by two boys: Alby, the leader, and Newt, his second-in-command, who maintain order by enforcing simple rules. The elevator box surfaces from under the ground once every week and brings supplies of food, tools, clothes, medicine, and sometimes weapons. Every month, a new boy with no memory of anything but his first name also appears in the box.
Thomas arrives in a place known as the Glade, left with no memories except his name. He meets other teenage boys called Gladers who have created a community. Each Glader is assigned to a task in different departments headed by a Keeper. Shortly after arrival, Thomas gets a tour by Alby, the oldest and the leader, and some other Gladers.


The Glade is enclosed by concrete walls several hundred feet high. The walls have openings in them which slide shut every night. Outside the walls is the Maze, a labyrinth made of high concrete walls covered in ivy that change configuration every night. The Maze houses strange, lethal creatures of metal and flesh known as Grievers. The group of boys, who call themselves Gladers, try to stay alive as well as to solve the Maze by appointing "Runners" to run through it as fast as they can while tracking the movements of the walls and trying to find an exit.
A gigantic maze surrounds the Glade. Inside, mechanical creatures called Grievers roam it at night. The huge doors into the maze close at sunset and reopen in the morning. Every week supplies are sent, and every month a new boy arrives in an elevator called, "the Box," It is the same elevator Thomas arrived in. There are also Beetle Blades, mechanical bugs which spy on the Gladers, with "WICKED" (World in Castastrophe - Killzone Experiment Department) written on them.


After Thomas arrives, an unconscious girl arrives carrying a note reading, "She's the last one." She is taken to the infirmary to recover from a coma before being questioned. Meanwhile, Thomas learns that the Gladers have unsuccessfully been trying to solve the Maze for two years, and that the antidote to a Griever sting revives small bits of memory.
One day, after Thomas' arrival, a girl named Teresa, is delivered through the elevator into the Glade. She is the first girl to arrive at the Glade and is clutching a note that says, "She's the last one. Ever." She says Thomas' name at one point during a week-long coma. Later that day a boy named Ben, who was stung by a Griever and went through the "Changing", tries to kill Thomas. Alby saves Thomas and Ben is banished.
Chuck (a twelve year old boy), and Newt (the Gladers' second-in-command), befriend Thomas. Gladers exploring the Maze are called "Runners." Minho, the Keeper of the Runners, and Alby, the Gladers' leader, search for a dead Griever that Minho found while running the maze the day before. However, the Griever is found to be not dead and it stings Alby. Minho struggles to carry Alby back to the Glade, but as the doors close on them, Thomas runs into the Maze to help.


Minho, the Keeper of the Runners, goes into the Maze with Alby to see what they think might be the first dead Griever. Alby is stung by the creature and attacks Minho, who knocks Alby out. Minho carries Alby back to the Glade but by the time they arrive, the doors to the Glade are already closing. Thomas runs into the maze to help, becoming stranded with Minho and Alby. When they hear the sounds of Grievers approaching, Minho runs away, knowing they don't have a chance of survival, while Thomas uses the ivy on the maze walls to pull Alby up. Minho later comes back to help Thomas, and by morning they have killed four of the Grievers by leading them off a cliff.
Hearing approaching Grievers, Minho leaves Thomas with an unconscious Alby. Thomas saves Alby and, finding Minho, tricks pursuing Grievers into falling off "the cliff" (an abyss within the Maze). Minho and Thomas return to the Glade as the doors open the next morning.


After returning to the Glade the next morning, Newt calls a Gathering of the Keepers to discuss what to do with Thomas. Some of the Keepers vote to grant him clemency, but others, specifically Gally, vote to lock him up as a punishment. Minho nominates Thomas to become the Keeper of the Runners, but Gally disagrees with this. Gally and Minho threaten each other, and the discussion ends with Gally storming off. Newt, as interim head of the Gathering due to Alby's condition, proposes sending Thomas to the Slammer (their version of prison) for a day, and then having him start training to become a Runner. Without an official vote, the Keepers decide to go with Newt's plan.
As the acting leader, Newt calls a "Gathering" to decide Thomas's fate for entering the Maze without permission. It is decided to make Thomas a Runner after serving one day in "the Slammer" (jail).


Alby asks to see Thomas alone and tries to tell him something he has seen during the Changing that had to do with Thomas. Before he can give Thomas any real information, Alby starts trying to choke himself. With Newt's help, Thomas manages to stop him. Alby then says that someone was controlling his actions.
The day after, Thomas joins Minho running the Maze. They quickly discover a "Griever Hole" through a cliff, exposing the outside world. He also discovers words covered in vines that say, "World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department", assuming that WICKED is the acronym.


After returning to the Glade, Thomas is shocked that the girl speaks telepathically to him. Her name is Teresa, and she says she has triggered an "Ending." Soon afterward, Teresa awakes and befriends Thomas. The same day, the sky turns a dull gray, which Thomas attributes to the Creators of the Glade. That night, the Maze doors remain open, leaving the Gladers unprotected from the Grievers. The Grievers start taking one person each night. Alby also burns down the map room, but Minho and the other Runners had moved all the maps to a secret room. The Gladers align the maps, which spell out words. They have no relation to each other, and the Gladers determine it is a code.
Teresa wakes from her coma, and tells Thomas telepathically that she triggered the Ending. The food is running low, the sky is permanently gray, the box is not coming up, and at night the Maze doors stay open. Alby decides that he'll go into the Map Room and analyze the maps to see if he can find any patterns. Gally comes back that night and says that the Grievers will come every night now, killing them all off one by one. When the Grievers enter the Homestead, where the Gladers have been hiding, Gally throws himself at them and they leave.


The next morning, they find out that Alby has tried to burn all the maps. Thomas later discovers that Minho and Newt secured the maps in the Weapons Room a couple of hours earlier, saving them. Thomas gets the idea to compare each map to the maps of other sections as opposed to with other days, and, after copying a few maps onto wax paper and layering them by day, they find that the first combination spells FLOATCAT. After copying more maps and layering them, they find that the complete code spelled out by the Maze is: "FLOAT CATCH BLEED DEATH STIFF PUSH".
Desperate to retrieve his lost memories, Thomas allows a Griever to sting him. After recovering, Thomas explains that he and Teresa were forced to help the Creators design the Maze. He says he and Teresa share a telepathic link. The way out of the Maze is over a cliff face and that it is an illusion to trick them. This is where the Grievers enter and exit the Maze. By following the Grievers, they can escape by punching the code words into a computer on the other side. Thomas leads the Gladers into the Maze and they confront a small army of Grievers. About half the Gladers die, but Thomas, Teresa, and Chuck escape down the hole and punch in the code and shut down the Maze. A door opens nearby.


During the following nights, the Grievers come back and take one Glader per night.
The 21 remaining Gladers descend down a spiraling slide that dumps them into a massive underground bunker. There they meet the Creators: thin, pale, joyless adults who take copious notes while observing them from behind glass. A woman greets the Gladers, telling them they have done well. Gally appears, pulls a knife on Thomas, and throws it at him. Chuck dives in front of it, sacrificing his life to save him. Enraged, Thomas strangles Gally by punching him repeatedly while choking him.


Realizing that they need to get their memories back, Thomas voluntarily gets stung by a Griever and spends a couple of days unconscious as he goes through the Changing. When he wakes up, he knows they have to go down the Griever Hole to escape the Maze and insert the code into a machine they will find. He also remembers part of the world they came from, including about WICKED (World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department) and his own participation in the creation of the Maze.
Suddenly, a group of gunmen storm the room and shoot the woman and the Creators. The Gladers are taken out of this facility and put into a large bus. As they are boarding, a hideously scarred woman grabs Thomas and tells him that he is here to save everyone from the Flare before the driver runs her over. Thomas and Teresa learn from a rescuer that the world was ravaged after solar flares slammed Earth, killing millions within days, leaving the world a wasteland. A disease known as the Flare now threatens humanity. The group's goal is to stop the tests WICKED is doing, and find the cure for the Flare.


Using this new information, most of the Gladers leave to try and jump down the Griever Hole. Almost half of them die in the fight against the Grievers, but Thomas and Teresa manage to insert the code, with help from Chuck to realize that "PUSH" means to push a button instead of being the last word of the code.
After two hours, the bus stops at a dormitory-like building. Inside, the Gladers find bunk beds with blankets, bathrooms, and food. They finally feel safe. Thomas drifts off to sleep feeling there is hope for the future.


After exploring the facility, the remaining Gladers find themselves in a room with scientists watching them. One of the scientists walks out, accompanied by Gally. Gally throws a knife at Thomas, but Chuck dives in front of him, sacrificing himself for Thomas.
In an epilogue, it is suggested that the apparent rescue of the Gladers is yet another test masterminded by the Creators of the Maze and that the one Thomas escaped is not the only one WICKED have been observing.

A rescue team comes crashing in seconds later, killing all the scientists and taking the Gladers with them to another facility, where they have dinner and go to sleep.

The epilogue is written in the voice of Chancellor Ava Paige, a feature that recurs in of all the trilogy's novels. She reveals that the group that rescued the Gladers is just another variable in the experiment and that the Gladers were not the only group being evaluated; the next day, the second phase of their trials will begin.


==Characters==
==Characters==
; '''Thomas''': The [[protagonist]] of the novel. The only thing he can remember when he comes into the Glade is his name, a common pattern amongst the Gladers. Chuck describes him as about 16 years old, of average height, and brown-haired. He is called "Greenie", a nickname given to new arrivals. He becomes a Runner with Minho after he and Minho are the first to spend the night in the Maze, and saves Alby when he is about to die.
* '''Alby''': A boy who is the eldest and the leader of the Gladers, he tries to keep order within the group by having all the boys follow the rules they've set down to survive. He is in a very close relationship with his second in command, Newt. He was in the group of 30 people who first arrived in the glade
; '''Teresa''': One of the main characters. The first girl and last person to enter the Glade. When she enters the Glade she is in a [[coma]]. She calls "Tom". She helps Thomas get out of the maze and fight the Grievers in the Griever Hole. She is thin and has black hair, blue eyes, and relatively pale skin.
* '''Ben''': A Builder and good friend of Gally's who was stung by a Griever. He becomes very violent and tries to kill Thomas. He is then banished from the Glade.
; '''Alby''': The eldest and the leader of the Gladers. He is described as a "dark-skinned boy with short-cropped hair, his face clean-shaven." He tries to keep order within the group and keep them all alive by having all the boys follow rules. He has a close relationship with Newt, his second-in-command. He was in the group of 30 who first arrived in the Glade. Alby commits suicide by walking into a group of Grievers, thinking that he should die there rather than outside the Maze.
* '''Chuck''': A young and chubby boy with a curly hair who was the newest Glader until Thomas arrived. He immediately becomes friends with Thomas and acts like a little brother towards him. Around 12 years old.
; ''' Newt''': One of the main characters. He is good friends with Thomas and Minho. He used to be a Runner but is no longer able since he was nearly attacked by a Griever. He is kind, friendly, and welcoming to Thomas. He is Alby's closest friend and second-in-command and takes over as leader when Alby is no longer capable. Newt is described as being "tall and muscular," with blond hair that comes down over his shoulders and a square jaw. He has a limp that he says is from running from a Griever, but the real reason is revealed in the third book to be an attempted suicide. Newt is older than Thomas.
* '''Clint''': One of the two Med-jacks and the keeper of the Med-jacks. He works closely with Jeff healing victims of the Griever's sting with "The Grief Serum".
;''' Minho''': One of the main characters. He is the Keeper of the Runners, and is in charge of navigating and mapping out the Maze. As a Runner, he is in very good shape and is described as "an Asian kid with strong, heavily muscled arms and short black hair." He is sarcastic and a jokester. He tends to react without thinking, which leads him into trouble. He and Thomas quickly become good friends.
* '''five''': A minor member of the Gladers who appears to be the group's weapons specialist. He is shown several times sharpening spears.

* '''Frypan''': The Gladers' cook and Keeper of the Cooks. He is described as very particular and a very talented cook.
* '''Gally''': A Glader who lives by the rules Alby put in place. He does not trust Thomas and shows an immense dislike for him. Keeper of the Builders. Estimated to be around 15 years old. He runs away from the glade and eventually kills Chuck.
; '''Chuck''' ''(deceased)'': A young and chubby boy with curly hair who was the newest Glader until Thomas arrived. He immediately becomes friends with Thomas and acts like a little brother with him. Chuck is a "Slopper", one of the Gladers who handle the distasteful jobs the others do not want. He is around 13 years old. He is killed by Gally after the latter throws a dagger at Thomas and Chuck saves him.
; ''' Gally''': The main antagonist. Gally is a Glader who lives by the rules Alby put in place. He does not trust Thomas and shows an immense dislike for him. He is the Keeper of the Builders. He runs away from the Glade in a fit of rage after an argument at the Gathering about Thomas. At the end of the book, he throws a dagger at Thomas and ends up killing Chuck when the latter throws himself in front of it.
* '''
; '''Ben''': A Builder. After undergoing the Changing and attempting to kill Thomas, he is banished to the Maze and dies overnight.
''': One of the two Med-jacks. He works closely with Clint healing victims of the Griever's sting with "The Grief Serum".
; '''Ava Paige''': The chancellor of WICKED and the person responsible for sending teenagers into the Maze. She appears in the epilogue in an e-mail.
* '''Minho''': The Keeper of the Runners - in charge of navigating and mapping out the Maze. He is very sarcastic, hotheaded and impulsive, but at the same time charming, smart and loyal towards his friends. As a Runner, he's in very good shape and is described as "dark-haired with strong arms." He and Thomas become best friends.
; ''' Grievers''': Biomechanical creatures that hunt and kill the Gladers in the maze. They are described as "large, bulbous creature[s] the size of a cow but with no distinct shape." In the Ending, they are let into the Glade to kill one person every day.
* '''Newt''': A tall, strong, smart boy with blond hair and a British accent. He often uses the British curse "bloody". He used to be a Runner, but had to quit when he injured his leg a while ago by trying to kill himself by jumping off one of the maze walls. He is very kind, friendly and welcoming to Thomas. He calls Thomas for Tommy and they end up being best friends. He is Alby's closest friend and second-in-command and takes over as leader when Alby no longer feels capable.
* '''Teresa''': The only girl to enter the glade, she has black hair, blue eyes and is very beautiful. She is the last person who was put in the glade. She has a telepathic connection with Thomas, and Aris.
* '''Thomas''': A teenage boy who wakes up in a lift that takes him to The Glade, he has no memory of his life before except his name. He has a telepathic connection with Teresa and Aris. He has dark hair and is in good shape. He becomes a Runner and runs together with Minho.
* '''Winston''': The Keeper of the Slicers - in charge of slaughtering livestock for food. Described to have acne.
* '''Zart''': A big, brooding boy and keeper of the Track-hoes who are in charge of farming. Very smart and kind to Thomas. He is often made fun of by the other Gladers.


==Development==
==Development==
In late 2005, Dashner had published four books to complete ''The Jimmy Fincher Saga'', which had been with a small regional publisher. His publisher wanted him to write another book, but he decided he would try for a national book market instead. In November of that year he had an idea when going to bed about, "a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable Maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment, to study their minds. Terrible things would be done to them. Awful things. Completely hopeless. Until the victims turn everything on its head."<ref name="tale">{{cite web|first=James|last=Dashner|url=http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com/2008/07/tale-of-maze-runner.html|title=The Tale of The Maze Runner|publisher=The Dashner Dude|date=July 16, 2008|accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> Dashner wrote the book from December 2005 to March 2006.<ref name="tale" />
In November 2005, Dashner had an idea for a book "about a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable Maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment, to study their minds. Terrible things would be done to them &ndash; awful things; completely hopeless &ndash; until the victims turn everything on its head." During his writing process, he envisions the novels as movies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raman |first=Kaavya |date=2015-11-23 |title=James Dashner: A Brilliant Mind |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-dashner-a-brilliant_b_8616972 |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> One of the influences for the book was ''[[Lord of the Flies]]''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Wasley |first=Alice |date=2015-09-17 |title=Talking to Author James Dashner about Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials |url=https://www.motionpictures.org/2015/09/talking-to-author-james-dashner-about-maze-runner-the-scorch-trials/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=Motion Picture Association |language=en-US}}</ref> Dashner wrote ''The Maze Runner'' from December 2005 to March 2006 and it was published in 2008.<ref name="tale">{{cite web |last=Dashner |first=James |date=16 July 2008 |title=The Tale of The Maze Runner |url=http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com/2008/07/tale-of-maze-runner.html |access-date=February 5, 2012 |website=The Dashner Dude |publisher=}}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' wrote, "Hard to put down, this is clearly just a first installment, and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-dashner/the-maze-runner/|title=The Maze Runner|work=[[Kirkus Reviews]]|date=September 15, 2009|accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref>
''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' wrote of ''The Maze Runner'': "Hard to put down, this is clearly just a first installment, and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-dashner/the-maze-runner/ |title=The Maze Runner |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=15 September 2009 |access-date=5 February 2012}}</ref> Jessica Harrison of the ''[[Deseret News|Deseret Morning News]]'' labeled ''The Maze Runner'' as "a thrilling adventurous book for kids ages 13+ that will get readers' hearts pumping and leave them asking for more," though she noted the "fictionalized slang" as a drawback.<ref name="des news-oct2001">{{cite web |last=Harrison |first=Jessica |date=3 October 2009 |title=''Maze Runner'' provides a thrilling adventure |url=https://www.deseret.com/2009/10/4/20343925/maze-runner-provides-a-thrilling-adventure/ |access-date=27 September 2024 |website=[[Deseret News]] |publisher=}}</ref>


The novel won the 2011 [[Best Fiction for Young Adults]] Award presented by the [[Young Adult Library Services Association]].<ref name=":0" /> It won the Charlotte Award in 2012, an award given to outstanding literature for children as voted on by students in [[New York (state)|New York State]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date= |title=The Maze Runner |url=https://penguinrandomhousesecondaryeducation.com/book/?isbn=9780385737951 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=Penguin Random House Secondary Education |language=en}}</ref> It also won the Lincoln Award in 2012, an award sponsored by the Illinois School Library Educators for literature encouraging high school readers to read for personal enjoyment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award |url=https://www.librarything.com/award/130/Lincoln-Award-Illinois-Teen-Readers-Choice-Award+. |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=LibraryThing |language=en}}</ref> ''The Maze Runner'' won the Truman Readers Award in 2012, an award for literature which encourages young readers between the sixth and eighth grades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Truman Readers Award |url=https://www.librarything.com/award/684/Truman-Readers-Award. |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=LibraryThing |language=en}}</ref> The book also received the Evergreen Teen Book Award in 2012 and Georgia Peach Book Award in 2009. It was nominated for the Utah Book Award for Young Adults in 2009 and the Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award in 2011.<ref name=":1" />
Jessica Harrison of the ''[[Deseret Morning News]]'' labeled ''The Maze Runner'' as "a thrilling adventurous book for kids ages 13+ that will get readers' hearts pumping and leave them asking for more." She noted that it "starts out a bit slow" but as it matched Thomas's confusion and picked up pace as he became more accustomed, she wrote that "it's almost as if Dashner is easing the reader into what becomes a fast-paced, nonstop action." However, she thought the "only drawback" was the "fictionalized slang" that although it "feels realistic and fits with his characters, it gets old pretty fast. On the plus side, however, it's used so often that the reader almost becomes desensitized and learns to ignore it."<ref name="desnews-oct2001">{{cite web|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705334045/Maze-Runner-provides-a-thrilling-adventure.html|title='Maze Runner' provides a thrilling adventure|first=Jessica|last=Harrison|publisher=[[Deseret Morning News]]|date=October 3, 2009|accessdate=December 19, 2009|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5m8LCdiKP|archivedate=December 19, 2009}}</ref>

Christy Goldsmith of the [[University of Missouri]] noted that she used ''The Maze Runner'' in her secondary classroom to teach [[independent reading]], how to interact with fiction, and that “reading doesn’t have to be painful.”<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goldsmith |first=Christy |date=2016 |title=Speaking My Mind: Why All Students Need Literature More Than Ever |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26450225 |journal=The English Journal |volume=106 |issue=2 |pages=111–113 |doi=10.58680/ej201628820 |jstor=26450225 |issn=0013-8274}}</ref> In the ''[[Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy]]'', Sara Abrams of [[Arizona State University]] recommended ''The Maze Runner'' to middle school students, writing, "readers who seek adventure and are curious about living on their own will find ''The Maze Runner'' an engaging read” and comparing it to ''Lord of the Flies''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abrams |first=Sara |date=2010 |title=Review of The Maze Runner |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20775378 |journal=Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=158–159 |jstor=20775378 |issn=1081-3004}}</ref> Sandra Bennet wrote in ''[[The School Librarian]]'' that the book is "an absorbing and tense novel which mid to older teens will devour."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bennett |first=Sandra |date=2010 |title=Dashner, James: The Maze Runner |journal=The School Librarian |volume=58 |issue=3}}</ref>


== Film adaptation ==
== Film adaptation ==
{{main|The Maze Runner (film)}}
{{Main|The Maze Runner (film)}}
[[20th Century Fox|Fox]] released a film adaptation of the book, titled ''[[The Maze Runner (film)|The Maze Runner]]'', on September 19, 2014. Wes Ball signed on as director and [[T.S. Nowlin]] wrote the screenplay.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steven|last=Zeitchik|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/01/the-maze-runner-james-dashner-noah-oppenheim-catherine-hardwicke-movie.html|title=Young-adult sensation 'The Maze Runner' gets ready to run the movie gantlet (Updated)|work=The Los Angeles Times|date=January 4, 2011|accessdate=February 5, 2012}}</ref> [[Dylan O'Brien]] played the lead role of Thomas,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2013/04/18/the-maze-runner-dylan-obrien |title='Maze Runner' Finds Its Thomas |work=[[MTV]] |date=April 18, 2013 |first=Amy |last=Wilkinson |accessdate=June 28, 2013}}</ref> and [[Thomas Sangster|Thomas Brodie-Sangster]] portrayed Newt<ref>{{cite web|title=Movie Casting Round-Up: Thomas Brodie-Sangster Joins ‘Maze Runner’; Scott Glenn Added To ‘Trigger’|url=http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/movie-casting-thomas-brodie-sangster-maze-runner-scott-glenn-trigger-game-of-thrones/|publisher=deadline.com|accessdate=March 13, 2013}}</ref> and [[Kaya Scodelario]] Teresa,<ref>{{cite web|title=Kaya Scodelario Joins The Maze Runner|url=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.aspNID=37078/|publisher=empireonline.com|accessdate=April 8, 2013}}</ref> respectively. [[Ki Hong Lee]], [[Blake Cooper]], [[Will Poulter]] and [[Aml Ameen]] were added to the cast as Minho, Chuck, Gally and Alby. Patricia Clarkson played the role of main antagonist Ava Paige, while Jacob Latimore portrayed Jeff and Randal Cunningham portrayed Clint. Chris Sheffield played Ben and Dexter Darden was Frypan, while Joe Adler portrayed Zart. A few of the stars for ''The Scorch Trials'' have recently been announced.
[[20th Century Fox]] released a [[film adaptation]] of the book titled ''[[The Maze Runner (film)|The Maze Runner]]'' on September 19, 2014. [[Wes Ball]] directed and [[T. S. Nowlin]] wrote the screenplay.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zeitchik |first=Steven |date=4 January 2011 |title=Young-adult sensation ''The Maze Runner'' gets ready to run the movie gantlet |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/24-frames/story/2011-01-04/young-adult-sensation-the-maze-runner-gets-ready-to-run-the-movie-gantlet |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> [[Dylan O'Brien]] played the lead role of Thomas,<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Amy |date=April 18, 2013 |title='Maze Runner' Finds Its Thomas |url=http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2013/04/18/the-maze-runner-dylan-obrien |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420013153/http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2013/04/18/the-maze-runner-dylan-obrien/ |archive-date=20 April 2013 |access-date=28 June 2013 |work=Hollywood Crush |publisher=[[MTV]]}}</ref> [[Thomas Brodie-Sangster]] portrayed Newt,<ref>{{cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=13 March 2013 |title=Movie Casting Round-Up: Thomas Brodie-Sangster joins 'Maze Runner'; Scott Glenn added to 'Trigger' |url=https://deadline.com/2013/03/movie-casting-thomas-brodie-sangster-maze-runner-scott-glenn-trigger-game-of-thrones-453367/ |access-date=13 March 2013 |website=Deadline |publisher=}}</ref> and [[Kaya Scodelario]] portrayed Teresa.<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=James |date=8 April 2013 |title=Kaya Scodelario Joins The Maze Runner |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/kaya-scodelario-joins-maze-runner/ |access-date=27 September 2024 |website=Empire |publisher=}}</ref> [[Ki Hong Lee]], [[Blake Cooper]], [[Will Poulter]], and [[Aml Ameen]] were added to the cast as Minho, Chuck, Gally, and Alby, respectively. [[Patricia Clarkson]] played the role of the Ava Paige. [[Dexter Darden]] portrayed Frypan, Alexander Flores portrayed Winston, [[Jacob Latimore]] played Jeff, Randal Cunningham portrayed Clint, [[Chris Sheffield]] portrayed Ben, and [[Joe Adler]] played Zart.

[[Wayne Haag]] served as a concept artist for the film,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artist - Wayne Haag |url=https://ixgallery.com/artists/waynehaag/ |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=IX Gallery}}</ref> and [[Ellen Goldsmith-Vein]] as a producer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Halligan |first=Fionnuala |date=2018-01-17 |title='Maze Runner: The Death Cure': Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/maze-runner-the-death-cure-review/5125602.article |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=Screen Daily |language=en}}</ref>

Creature designer Ken Barthelmey designed the Grievers for the film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Maze Runner |url=https://theartofken.com/gallery/the-maze-runner-21 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=The Art of Ken Barthelmey |language=en}}</ref>


Filming started in May of 2013,<ref>{{cite web |last=Dashner |first=James |date=29 March 2013 |title=Much more casting news should be coming very soon. They start filming in May. Release date of Feb 14th 2014 #dashnerchat |url=https://twitter.com/jamesdashner/status/317443010306654209 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110041547/https://twitter.com/jamesdashner/status/317443010306654209 |archive-date=10 January 2014 |access-date= |website=[[Twitter]] |publisher=}}</ref> and ended in July of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Amy |date=9 July 2013 |title=Gawk At The Gladers In New 'Maze Runner' Image |url=http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2013/07/09/maze-runner-image/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815024448/http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2013/07/09/maze-runner-image/ |archive-date=2013-08-15 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=Hollywood Crush |publisher=MTV}}</ref>
Wayne Haag served as an artist on the film, and [[Ellen Goldsmith-Vein]], [[Lindsay Williams]] and Lee Stollman as producers.<ref>{{cite web|first=|last=|url=https://twitter.com/Melihasnewideas/status/276725770322321409|title=We have @jamesdashner The Dashner Dude, then we got @wesball Mr Director Dude and now we have @ankaris Mr Designer Dude!! Good that|work=[[Twitter]]|date=December 7, 2011|accessdate=December 22, 2012}}</ref>


Following the [[acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney]] in March 2019, Disney confirmed in April 2019 at their [[CinemaCon]] presentation that new ''Maze Runner'' films were in development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Justin |date=April 3, 2019 |title=Fox Plans More Sequels to Popular Movie Franchises Post-Disney Merger |url=https://www.cbr.com/fox-plans-more-sequels-to-popular-movie-franchises-post-disney-merger/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404134359/https://www.cbr.com/fox-plans-more-sequels-to-popular-movie-franchises-post-disney-merger/ |archive-date=April 4, 2019 |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=CBR}}</ref>
Creature designer Ken Barthelmey designed the Grievers for the film.<ref>http://theartofken.com/viewgallery.php?galleryID=the-maze-runner-21</ref>


In May 2024, it was announced that a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] was in development, with Wes Ball returning as a producer and Jack Paglen hired as writer. The new installment was described as "not a redo of the story nor{{Nbsp}}[...] a direct sequel to the original trilogy" but "a sort of continuation{{Nbsp}}[...] yet also return to the elements that made the first movie connect with its audience."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-maze-runner-reboot-in-the-works-1235889793/|title='The Maze Runner' Reboot in the Works with 'Transcendence' Scribe Jack Paglen in Talks to Write (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=May 3, 2024|access-date=May 3, 2024}}</ref>
Filming started on May 13, 2013,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/jamesdashner/status/317443010306654209 |title=Much more casting news should be coming very soon. They start filming in May. Release date of September 19, 2014 #dashnerchat |last=Dashner |first=James |date=March 29, 2013 |work= |publisher=[[Twitter]] |accessdate=March 30, 2013}}</ref> and ended July 12, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last1=simg|first1=murphy|title=The Maze Runner Review|url=http://azim.org/movies/422-the-maze-runner|website=http://azim.org/movies/422-the-maze-runner|accessdate=15 September 2014}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|Children and Young Adult Literature|Novels}}
* [http://www.jamesdashner.com/ James Dashner (author) site] (official)
* [https://www.jamesdashner.com/the-maze-runner-series.html#/ The Maze Runner series page]
* {{YouTube |id= Os6pZvKbxqI |title= ''The Maze Runner'' book trailer }}


{{The Maze Runner}}
{{The Maze Runner}}
{{James Dashner}}
{{James Dashner}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Maze Runner}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maze Runner}}
[[Category:2009 novels]]
[[Category:The Maze Runner| ]]
[[Category:2009 American novels]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:Dystopian novels]]
[[Category:American post-apocalyptic novels]]
[[Category:American post-apocalyptic novels]]
[[Category:Books by James Dashner]]
[[Category:Books by James Dashner]]
[[Category:The Maze Runner]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Fiction about orphans]]
[[Category:Science fiction novels adapted into films]]

Latest revision as of 19:15, 6 January 2025

For other uses, see The Maze Runner (disambiguation).

The Maze Runner
2009 edition cover
AuthorJames Dashner
Cover artistPhilip Straub
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Maze Runner series
GenreYoung adult, science fiction, post-apocalyptic
PublishedOctober 6, 2009
PublisherDelacorte Press
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages375 pp.[1]
ISBN978-0-385-73794-4 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC299381315
LC ClassPZ7.D2587Maz 2009[1]
Preceded byThe Fever Code (in narrative order) 
Followed byThe Scorch Trials[2] 

The Maze Runner is a 2009 dystopian novel by American author James Dashner. It takes place in a world suffering from a coronal mass ejection and whose surviving civilians fight to avoid an apocalyptic illness called the Flare. It is written from the perspective of Thomas, a 16-year-old boy who wakes up with no memories inside an artificially produced maze. An organization called WICKED controls the world politically, seeks a cure to the Flare, and uses the youngest generation of civilians who are immune to it as test subjects.

The book received critical acclaim from major reviewers and authors. It won the Young Adult Library Services Association Best Fiction for Young Adults award in 2011,[3] is a #1 New York Times Best Seller and was on the list for 148 weeks,[4] and was a Kirkus Reviews Teen Book of the Year. The Maze Runner is a popular pick by educators teaching middle-grade readers in schools.

The novel was published in 2009 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House with cover art by Philip Straub. The Maze Runner is the first novel in The Maze Runner series, followed by The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011). A film adaptation, directed by Wes Ball, was released in 2014 by 20th Century Fox and stars Dylan O’Brien as Thomas.

Plot

[edit]

A boy named Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator that brings him to a place called the Glade. He has no memory of how he got there or who he is aside from his name. He gradually discovers that the Glade is run by two boys: Alby, the leader, and Newt, his second-in-command, who maintain order by enforcing simple rules. The elevator box surfaces from under the ground once every week and brings supplies of food, tools, clothes, medicine, and sometimes weapons. Every month, a new boy with no memory of anything but his first name also appears in the box.

The Glade is enclosed by concrete walls several hundred feet high. The walls have openings in them which slide shut every night. Outside the walls is the Maze, a labyrinth made of high concrete walls covered in ivy that change configuration every night. The Maze houses strange, lethal creatures of metal and flesh known as Grievers. The group of boys, who call themselves Gladers, try to stay alive as well as to solve the Maze by appointing "Runners" to run through it as fast as they can while tracking the movements of the walls and trying to find an exit.

One day, after Thomas' arrival, a girl named Teresa, is delivered through the elevator into the Glade. She is the first girl to arrive at the Glade and is clutching a note that says, "She's the last one. Ever." She says Thomas' name at one point during a week-long coma. Later that day a boy named Ben, who was stung by a Griever and went through the "Changing", tries to kill Thomas. Alby saves Thomas and Ben is banished.

Minho, the Keeper of the Runners, goes into the Maze with Alby to see what they think might be the first dead Griever. Alby is stung by the creature and attacks Minho, who knocks Alby out. Minho carries Alby back to the Glade but by the time they arrive, the doors to the Glade are already closing. Thomas runs into the maze to help, becoming stranded with Minho and Alby. When they hear the sounds of Grievers approaching, Minho runs away, knowing they don't have a chance of survival, while Thomas uses the ivy on the maze walls to pull Alby up. Minho later comes back to help Thomas, and by morning they have killed four of the Grievers by leading them off a cliff.

After returning to the Glade the next morning, Newt calls a Gathering of the Keepers to discuss what to do with Thomas. Some of the Keepers vote to grant him clemency, but others, specifically Gally, vote to lock him up as a punishment. Minho nominates Thomas to become the Keeper of the Runners, but Gally disagrees with this. Gally and Minho threaten each other, and the discussion ends with Gally storming off. Newt, as interim head of the Gathering due to Alby's condition, proposes sending Thomas to the Slammer (their version of prison) for a day, and then having him start training to become a Runner. Without an official vote, the Keepers decide to go with Newt's plan.

Alby asks to see Thomas alone and tries to tell him something he has seen during the Changing that had to do with Thomas. Before he can give Thomas any real information, Alby starts trying to choke himself. With Newt's help, Thomas manages to stop him. Alby then says that someone was controlling his actions.

Teresa wakes from her coma, and tells Thomas telepathically that she triggered the Ending. The food is running low, the sky is permanently gray, the box is not coming up, and at night the Maze doors stay open. Alby decides that he'll go into the Map Room and analyze the maps to see if he can find any patterns. Gally comes back that night and says that the Grievers will come every night now, killing them all off one by one. When the Grievers enter the Homestead, where the Gladers have been hiding, Gally throws himself at them and they leave.

The next morning, they find out that Alby has tried to burn all the maps. Thomas later discovers that Minho and Newt secured the maps in the Weapons Room a couple of hours earlier, saving them. Thomas gets the idea to compare each map to the maps of other sections as opposed to with other days, and, after copying a few maps onto wax paper and layering them by day, they find that the first combination spells FLOATCAT. After copying more maps and layering them, they find that the complete code spelled out by the Maze is: "FLOAT CATCH BLEED DEATH STIFF PUSH".

During the following nights, the Grievers come back and take one Glader per night.

Realizing that they need to get their memories back, Thomas voluntarily gets stung by a Griever and spends a couple of days unconscious as he goes through the Changing. When he wakes up, he knows they have to go down the Griever Hole to escape the Maze and insert the code into a machine they will find. He also remembers part of the world they came from, including about WICKED (World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department) and his own participation in the creation of the Maze.

Using this new information, most of the Gladers leave to try and jump down the Griever Hole. Almost half of them die in the fight against the Grievers, but Thomas and Teresa manage to insert the code, with help from Chuck to realize that "PUSH" means to push a button instead of being the last word of the code.

After exploring the facility, the remaining Gladers find themselves in a room with scientists watching them. One of the scientists walks out, accompanied by Gally. Gally throws a knife at Thomas, but Chuck dives in front of him, sacrificing himself for Thomas.

A rescue team comes crashing in seconds later, killing all the scientists and taking the Gladers with them to another facility, where they have dinner and go to sleep.

The epilogue is written in the voice of Chancellor Ava Paige, a feature that recurs in of all the trilogy's novels. She reveals that the group that rescued the Gladers is just another variable in the experiment and that the Gladers were not the only group being evaluated; the next day, the second phase of their trials will begin.

Characters

[edit]
Thomas
The protagonist of the novel. The only thing he can remember when he comes into the Glade is his name, a common pattern amongst the Gladers. Chuck describes him as about 16 years old, of average height, and brown-haired. He is called "Greenie", a nickname given to new arrivals. He becomes a Runner with Minho after he and Minho are the first to spend the night in the Maze, and saves Alby when he is about to die.
Teresa
One of the main characters. The first girl and last person to enter the Glade. When she enters the Glade she is in a coma. She calls "Tom". She helps Thomas get out of the maze and fight the Grievers in the Griever Hole. She is thin and has black hair, blue eyes, and relatively pale skin.
Alby
The eldest and the leader of the Gladers. He is described as a "dark-skinned boy with short-cropped hair, his face clean-shaven." He tries to keep order within the group and keep them all alive by having all the boys follow rules. He has a close relationship with Newt, his second-in-command. He was in the group of 30 who first arrived in the Glade. Alby commits suicide by walking into a group of Grievers, thinking that he should die there rather than outside the Maze.
Newt
One of the main characters. He is good friends with Thomas and Minho. He used to be a Runner but is no longer able since he was nearly attacked by a Griever. He is kind, friendly, and welcoming to Thomas. He is Alby's closest friend and second-in-command and takes over as leader when Alby is no longer capable. Newt is described as being "tall and muscular," with blond hair that comes down over his shoulders and a square jaw. He has a limp that he says is from running from a Griever, but the real reason is revealed in the third book to be an attempted suicide. Newt is older than Thomas.
Minho
One of the main characters. He is the Keeper of the Runners, and is in charge of navigating and mapping out the Maze. As a Runner, he is in very good shape and is described as "an Asian kid with strong, heavily muscled arms and short black hair." He is sarcastic and a jokester. He tends to react without thinking, which leads him into trouble. He and Thomas quickly become good friends.
Chuck (deceased)
A young and chubby boy with curly hair who was the newest Glader until Thomas arrived. He immediately becomes friends with Thomas and acts like a little brother with him. Chuck is a "Slopper", one of the Gladers who handle the distasteful jobs the others do not want. He is around 13 years old. He is killed by Gally after the latter throws a dagger at Thomas and Chuck saves him.
Gally
The main antagonist. Gally is a Glader who lives by the rules Alby put in place. He does not trust Thomas and shows an immense dislike for him. He is the Keeper of the Builders. He runs away from the Glade in a fit of rage after an argument at the Gathering about Thomas. At the end of the book, he throws a dagger at Thomas and ends up killing Chuck when the latter throws himself in front of it.
Ben
A Builder. After undergoing the Changing and attempting to kill Thomas, he is banished to the Maze and dies overnight.
Ava Paige
The chancellor of WICKED and the person responsible for sending teenagers into the Maze. She appears in the epilogue in an e-mail.
Grievers
Biomechanical creatures that hunt and kill the Gladers in the maze. They are described as "large, bulbous creature[s] the size of a cow but with no distinct shape." In the Ending, they are let into the Glade to kill one person every day.

Development

[edit]

In November 2005, Dashner had an idea for a book "about a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable Maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment, to study their minds. Terrible things would be done to them – awful things; completely hopeless – until the victims turn everything on its head." During his writing process, he envisions the novels as movies.[5] One of the influences for the book was Lord of the Flies.[6] Dashner wrote The Maze Runner from December 2005 to March 2006 and it was published in 2008.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Kirkus Reviews wrote of The Maze Runner: "Hard to put down, this is clearly just a first installment, and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next."[8] Jessica Harrison of the Deseret Morning News labeled The Maze Runner as "a thrilling adventurous book for kids ages 13+ that will get readers' hearts pumping and leave them asking for more," though she noted the "fictionalized slang" as a drawback.[9]

The novel won the 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults Award presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association.[3] It won the Charlotte Award in 2012, an award given to outstanding literature for children as voted on by students in New York State.[10] It also won the Lincoln Award in 2012, an award sponsored by the Illinois School Library Educators for literature encouraging high school readers to read for personal enjoyment.[11] The Maze Runner won the Truman Readers Award in 2012, an award for literature which encourages young readers between the sixth and eighth grades.[12] The book also received the Evergreen Teen Book Award in 2012 and Georgia Peach Book Award in 2009. It was nominated for the Utah Book Award for Young Adults in 2009 and the Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award in 2011.[10]

Christy Goldsmith of the University of Missouri noted that she used The Maze Runner in her secondary classroom to teach independent reading, how to interact with fiction, and that “reading doesn’t have to be painful.”[13] In the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Sara Abrams of Arizona State University recommended The Maze Runner to middle school students, writing, "readers who seek adventure and are curious about living on their own will find The Maze Runner an engaging read” and comparing it to Lord of the Flies.[14] Sandra Bennet wrote in The School Librarian that the book is "an absorbing and tense novel which mid to older teens will devour."[15]

Film adaptation

[edit]
Main article: The Maze Runner (film)

20th Century Fox released a film adaptation of the book titled The Maze Runner on September 19, 2014. Wes Ball directed and T. S. Nowlin wrote the screenplay.[16] Dylan O'Brien played the lead role of Thomas,[17] Thomas Brodie-Sangster portrayed Newt,[18] and Kaya Scodelario portrayed Teresa.[19] Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Will Poulter, and Aml Ameen were added to the cast as Minho, Chuck, Gally, and Alby, respectively. Patricia Clarkson played the role of the Ava Paige. Dexter Darden portrayed Frypan, Alexander Flores portrayed Winston, Jacob Latimore played Jeff, Randal Cunningham portrayed Clint, Chris Sheffield portrayed Ben, and Joe Adler played Zart.

Wayne Haag served as a concept artist for the film,[20] and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein as a producer.[21]

Creature designer Ken Barthelmey designed the Grievers for the film.[22]

Filming started in May of 2013,[23] and ended in July of the same year.[24]

Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in March 2019, Disney confirmed in April 2019 at their CinemaCon presentation that new Maze Runner films were in development.[25]

In May 2024, it was announced that a reboot was in development, with Wes Ball returning as a producer and Jack Paglen hired as writer. The new installment was described as "not a redo of the story nor [...] a direct sequel to the original trilogy" but "a sort of continuation [...] yet also return to the elements that made the first movie connect with its audience."[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "The maze runner" (first edition). LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ Shill, Aaron (25 November 2009). "'Maze Runner' on 'right track'". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b "2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association. American Library Association. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Children's & Young Adult Series Books - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. 23 August 2015. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  5. ^ Raman, Kaavya (23 November 2015). "James Dashner: A Brilliant Mind". HuffPost. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ Wasley, Alice (17 September 2015). "Talking to Author James Dashner about Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. ^ Dashner, James (16 July 2008). "The Tale of The Maze Runner". The Dashner Dude. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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  9. ^ Harrison, Jessica (3 October 2009). "Maze Runner provides a thrilling adventure". Deseret News. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
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  11. ^ "Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award". LibraryThing. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
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  13. ^ Goldsmith, Christy (2016). "Speaking My Mind: Why All Students Need Literature More Than Ever". The English Journal. 106 (2): 111–113. doi:10.58680/ej201628820. ISSN 0013-8274. JSTOR 26450225.
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  17. ^ Wilkinson, Amy (18 April 2013). "'Maze Runner' Finds Its Thomas". Hollywood Crush. MTV. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  18. ^ Patten, Dominic (13 March 2013). "Movie Casting Round-Up: Thomas Brodie-Sangster joins 'Maze Runner'; Scott Glenn added to 'Trigger'". Deadline. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  19. ^ White, James (8 April 2013). "Kaya Scodelario Joins The Maze Runner". Empire. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
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  23. ^ Dashner, James (29 March 2013). "Much more casting news should be coming very soon. They start filming in May. Release date of Feb 14th 2014 #dashnerchat". Twitter. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014.
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  26. ^ Kit, Borys (3 May 2024). "'The Maze Runner' Reboot in the Works with 'Transcendence' Scribe Jack Paglen in Talks to Write (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
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