Review # 2: "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Last week I read The Maze Runner by James Dashner which was a New York Times Best Seller published in 2009.

The Maze Runner is a strange book; to be honest, I've never really read anything like it.  The story begins with Thomas, a 16 year old boy who wakes up in an elevator with absolutely no memory of how he got there.  This elevator brings him up to a compound, the 'Glade,' home to 50 other young boys in the same situation, one arriving every month.  For two years, the 'Gladers' have been attempting to escape the Glade by exploring the ever-changing maze which surrounds the compound and fighting the half-animal, half-machine beasts (called 'The Grievers') which terrorize them.  Despite his attempts Thomas is never really accepted into this society, and it soon becomes clear that his arrival is just the first of a series of strange events in the Glade, including the appearance of the first girl, and the first real possibility of escape.

In writing a cast of characters which have no prior memory of their lives, Dashner sets himself a formidable task as an author.  Essentially, Dashner is attempting to create personalities for characters out of nothing, and, in my (totally unauthorized) opinion, fails.  For example, while Thomas' narrative focuses on only a few named Gladers (Alby, Newt, and Minho, for example), take away their names and they could easily be one person.  For the most part, the Gladers are very flat characters, displaying the same mix of pent up rage, fear, bossiness and malice so much so that even with names it was difficult to distinguish one boy from the next, and I felt a little overwhelmed by the bravado.  

Yet, even when Dashner attempts to grant certain characters unique qualities, it is far from subtle.  For example, Thomas' compulsion to sacrifice himself for others.  While such sacrifices move the plot forward, they occurred so often that I was annoyed and quite unimpressed.  Perhaps this tendency of Thomas' is explained more in the series' other books, but here in The Maze Runner, it seems out of place, as though Thomas is simply too extraordinary for his own situation.  Also, Thomas' personality doesn't change in the slightest throughout the course of novel, nor do the personalities of his friends.  Of all the characters, meek Chuck is the only one to show some growth, and even that is cliched and entirely predictable.

Well, now that I have ranted about all of this, I should say that there were some things I enjoyed about the novel.  For example, I thought that the society of the Gladers was well planned out and fairly realistic, with all of the different jobs explained in satisfactory detail. Also, I was glad that 'The Girl' does not turn out to be a damsel-in-distress archetype and can stand up for herself--although she is in some sort of passive state for about 3/4 of the plot.

In conclusion, I can't help but be intrigued to read the next book in the series, The Scorch Trials, if only out of the hope that the problems which I have identified above will be resolved in the sequel.

Genre:  YA Dystopian Fiction
Recommended to:  Fans of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
Rating: 6.0/10
Favourite Quote: "Such a display of death-- how could it be considered a victory?"

     


 

Review # 1: "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

For my first review of the summer, I read I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, author of the best selling 2006 novel The Book Thief.  Published in 2002 and winner of various young adult fiction awards, I Am the Messenger is the story of Ed Kennedy, a 19 year old cab driver from Australia.  Residing in an apartment with his perpetually stinky dog (brilliantly named 'The Doorman'), Ed spends his free time playing cards with his friends, running errands for his recently widowed mother, or else falling even more hopelessly in love with his best friend Audrey.  However, Ed's apathetic, boring life is interrupted by the arrival of a playing card, an ace of diamonds, with the addresses of three houses.  With the help of a mysterious stranger, Ed must confront his greatest fears in order to make a difference in the lives of complete strangers, and learns that even someone as ordinary as he is can become extraordinary if only given a little push in the right direction.

After reading The Book Thief last year, I had high expectations for I Am the Messenger and was not disappointed.  From the very first page, Zusak's prose reaches out and pulls you into a fast-paced and engaging first person narrative.  Throughout the book, Ed's narration is direct and conversational, but without seeming too informal, and reminded me strongly of both JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and John Green's Looking for Alaska*  

Compared to Book Thief, I was surprised how light and funny the first few chapters of Messenger were.  However, with the arrival of the first ace card, Ed is forced to deal with some very serious issues and the book begins to display the emotional depth I expected from Zusak.  For a novel of only ~300 pages, Zusak manages to discuss an impressive array of topical issues, including the death of a family member, sexual violence, ageism, apathy, sex vs. love, immigration, and religion, among others.  I felt that the author dealt with all of these issues with care and sensitivity, yet without losing the narrator's original sense of humor or seeming overly didactic.

My only critique of this novel would be the ending.  I won't spoil it, still, I felt that it was a bit rushed, and I would have appreciated a few more pages to let Ed's final revelation sink in a little.  I appreciated the ambiguity of the ending, but found it to be a little unbelievable due to the length.  If you read it, you will understand.    

In conclusion, I would recommend this book to all readers.  Even if you haven't read The Book Thief, I Am Messenger is a delight.  With equal parts light and dark, this book is an emotionally engaging read that will keep you interested whether at the beach or on a rainy day indoors and will show you that you don't have to be a 'hero' to be heroic.

Rating:  9/10
Genre:  Young Adult/Teen Fiction
Favourite Quote: "Believe it or not--it takes a lot of love to hate you like this."
        
-AA Spence


*Sadly, I won't be writing reviews of either of these novels, but if you haven't read them (in the words of a certain beloved English Honours professor), "Rush out!"

The Challenge

Before I begin my first review, I think I should say a few words.

First, hello, and welcome to my blog.  If I know you in real life, I thank you for your patience with all of my various internet endeavors.  

Second, you should know that this blog constitutes my first attempts at writing reviews and recommendations for the book I read.  This is a learning experience, so please be patient with me and I hope that I will improve over these next four months.

Third, the books I read and review will come from a variety of genres.  Although I tend to read a lot of YA (Young Adult) fiction, look for reviews on classical novels and contemporary fiction as well.  

Fourth, although I will try my best to make all of my reviews spoiler-free, some aspects of the plot may be revealed for the sake of clarity.  Any major spoiler will be preceded by an obnoxiously obvious  *SPOILER ALERT* tag.

Finally, if you have any suggestions on books for me to read, please email me at amy.a.spence@hotmail.com

Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you stick with me throughout the summer as I attempt to complete this challenge!  

-A.A. Spence