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The Death Cure

by James Dashner

The Death Cure is the third published novel in James Dashner's Maze Runner series, a young adult dystopian science fiction saga. As the trials orchestrated by the organization WICKED finally reach their end, protagonist… more

First published 2011 · 325 pages · English

27 quotes ★ 3.78 (511,603) Science Fiction

Quotes from the Book

Kill me. If you’ve ever been my friend, kill me.
Minho looked at Thomas, a serious expression on his face. "If I don't see you on the other side," he said in a sappy voice, "remember that I love you.
Awww," Minho said. "That's almost as sweet as that time she slammed the end of a spear into your shuck face.
KILL ME!" And then Newt's eyes cleared, as if he'd gained one last trembling gasp of sanity, and his voice softened. "Please, Tommy. Please." With his heart falling into a black abyss, Thomas pulled the trigger.
Dude, you tried to slice my you-know-what's off!" Thomas laughed, something that he hadn't done in a long time. He welcomed it happily. "Too bad I didn't. Could've saved the world from future little Minhos.
Sometimes they do things to make me do the opposite of what they think, I think, they think, I am going to do.
I don't think there is a right or wrong anymore. Only horrible and not-quite-so-horrible.
Thank you for being my friends
He pulled the envelope out of his pocket and ripped it open, then took out the slip of paper. The soft lights that ringed the mirror lit up the message in a warm glow. It was two short sentences: " KILL ME. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN MY FRIEND, KILL ME.
So let's say our bloody goodbyes, and then you can promise to remember me from my good old days. "I can't do that," Minho said.
And you, Tommy” the boy said, lowering his voice. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here and asking me to leave with you. A lot of bloody nerve. The sight of you makes me sick
Thomas: Is it [my brain] fixed? Brenda: It worked, judging from the fact that you're not trying to kill us anymore...
What was the point of even having a conversation when words couldn't be trusted?
Next time I'll pat you on the freaking back for stating the obvious.
I hated the place, Tommy. I hated every second of every day. And it was all … your … fault!
You're either the bravest kid I've ever met or plain crazy.
I watched as that kid died. In his last few seconds there was pure terror in his eyes. You can't do that. You can't do that to a person. I don't care what anybody tells me, I don't care how many people go crazy and die, I don't care if the whole shuck human race ends. Even if that was the only thing that had to happen to find the cure, I'd still be against it.
I'd love to see that rat nose smashed!
We'll start firing till they drop or we drop.
.... Just don't plan on hugs every time I see you." "The feeling's mutual.
I ought to come up there and break your shuck nose.
You’ve seen what I can do,” Thomas replied, trying to sound as dangerous as he felt. “You’ve watched me in the Maze and the Scorch.” He almost wanted to laugh at the irony. They had made him into a killer … to save people?
Fear of the unknown no longer controlled him. Hope had found its way in and taken hold.
Minho looked at Thomas, a serious expression on his face, "if I don't see you on the other side," he said in a sappy voice, "remember that I love you." Snickering at Thomas's eye roll, he went through the doors and they closed.
Vince couldn't stop talking, spilling thoughts that had obviously churned inside him for years. "We could've stopped the spread of the disease a lot better than we've been able to cure the disease... Thought the magical cure would save them in the end. But if we wait any longer we'll run out of people to save.
Whoa," Thomas said, feeling bolder by the minute. "Slim it nice and calm there, old fella. You look three steps away from a heart attack.
You're going to shoot me? Old pal?

Did you know?

  • The Death Cure is the third book published in James Dashner's Maze Runner series, following The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials.
  • It was published by Delacorte Press on October 11, 2011.
  • The series' fictional organization is called WICKED, and the deadly disease driving the plot is known as the Flare.
  • The novel was adapted into the 2018 film Maze Runner: The Death Cure, directed by Wes Ball.

About James Dashner

James Dashner is an American author of young adult and middle grade speculative fiction, best known for the Maze Runner series. His books have been New York Times bestsellers and adapted into major motion pictures.

More about the author →

About the book

The Death Cure is the third published novel in James Dashner's Maze Runner series, a young adult dystopian science fiction saga. As the trials orchestrated by the organization WICKED finally reach their end, protagonist Thomas learns that he remembers far more of his stolen past than his captors realize—enough to convince him he cannot trust anything they say. Refusing WICKED's offer to restore his memories, he and his fellow survivors break away to expose the truth and fight for those still held captive.

The book turns on themes of memory, trust, and the moral cost of survival, asking how much cruelty can be justified in the name of saving humanity from a world-devastating disease known as the Flare. Thomas must weigh loyalty to his friends against the possibility that WICKED's brutal experiments are genuinely humanity's last hope, and the story confronts the reader with sacrifice, betrayal, and the loss of innocence.

As the concluding volume of the original Maze Runner trilogy, The Death Cure was a New York Times bestseller and helped cement the series as a fixture of the post-Hunger Games wave of dystopian YA fiction. Its popularity fed a wider franchise that grew to include prequels and a film trilogy, culminating in the 2018 movie adaptation Maze Runner: The Death Cure.

Key characters

  • ThomasProtagonist who refuses to trust WICKED and fights to expose the truth
  • NewtThomas's close friend, infected with the Flare
  • MinhoFellow Glader and loyal companion
  • TeresaFemale Glader tied to Thomas's past
  • BrendaAlly who helps Thomas outside WICKED's control
  • JorgeRebel pilot who aids the survivors
  • Ava PaigeChancellor of WICKED

Book details

First published
2011
Length
325 pages
Reading time
6 hours
Goodreads rating
3.78 (512k ratings)

Series & reading order

  1. 1 The Maze Runner
  2. 2 The Scorch Trials
  3. 3 The Death Cure
  4. 4 The Kill Order
  5. 5 The Fever Code

Movie & TV adaptations

  • IMDb
    Maze Runner: The Death Cure 2018

    Film directed by Wes Ball concluding the Maze Runner movie trilogy

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  2. 2
    The Knife of Never Letting GoYA dystopia driven by memory, trust, and flight from a controlling power
  3. 3
    LegendPost-collapse dystopian series pitting young protagonists against a manipulative regime

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