The Maze Runner, a series worth the wait

On a random weekend in the middle of last year, I decided to crack open the first book of the Maze Runner series. I downloaded it on my kindle and began to read with plans of only reading a couple pages. After that, I planned on stopping, and getting on with my day. But, once I read the first couple of pages I couldn’t stop. Immediately, I was thrown right into the storyline, and fell in love with the characters. I was easily able to follow along with them on their journey. I took small breaks to go to the bathroom and eat but ended up finishing the entire three hundred-page book in less than twelve hours.

Maze Runner by James Dashner Original Cover

I remember calling my parents after I finally finished the book. I was in this magical haze of excitement and couldn’t wait to tell them all about this incredible book I had just finished. I truly loved it, and I wanted to and couldn’t wait to tell everyone I knew.

The book was one that I had waited an extremely long time to read in fear of the book being a bit too scary for me, and simply out of worry that the book wouldn’t crack up to be as good as I thought it would be. I avoided watching the films as they came out for the very same reason. I also had hoped for myself that eventually, I would gain the bravery to read them, and I’m so glad I did.

The book is filled with these amazing male characters who are all completely different in many ways but are forced to work together due to extenuating circumstances, making them closer than the average group of friends. The way that things are described within this book makes you feel like you are in the story, right there alongside each of the characters. That’s truly part of the magic of the book is how connected you get.

When I first started reading this book, I had anticipated that I would be frustrated with the lack of female characters. Somehow, the minimal amount of female characters left little to no room for romance in the books, which I enjoyed. And, when female characters were incorporated they only served to create drama, so I didn’t mind the fact that they were left out. Overall, with the nature of the book, the characters had a relationship more like brothers than friends which made it interesting and unique in many ways. Though, I do wish that a book all about the female version of the maze would be created.

Now, I have to share that this book has one of the most frustrating endings of books that I have ever read. It made me so frustrated that I waited a solid couple of months before I read the next book out of pure anger at how the book had disappointed me. But, I eventually read the rest of the series, but have elected not to read the prequels out of absolute fear of disappointment.

The moral of the story.: The series-ending made me just as angry as the ending of the first book. Initially, after I completed the series, I was extremely angry, I felt like I had massively wasted my time, especially since each of the books seemed to repeat the last. But upon further reflection, I realized that the books were interesting, and were a good experience to read.

My biggest regret is that I didn’t read the books a bit sooner. I had really overestimated the potential scariness of the books, and avoiding reading them. If I would have read the books in their prime, I would have been able to be part of the fandom, attend all the movie showings, and get involved with the whole process. But, even though I missed out on the glory of reading them in their prime, there was something special about reading them in my old age (aka my twenties). I feel like being able to read them at my age allowed me to embrace the experience a bit better, and not get so enthralled in the books that I had horrible nightmares. It was glorious, and a big part of me was happy that I waited.

If your interested in watching the movie trailer (though in all honesty it is a fair bit different than the book) you can watch it below!

Maze Runner Film Trailer