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The Maze Runner

by James Dashner · 2009

"The Maze Runner" is the first novel in James Dashner's young-adult science-fiction series, published by Delacorte Press in 2009. A teenage boy named Thomas wakes in a rising metal lift with no memory beyond his own name and… more

First published 2009 · 375 pages · English

28 quotes ★ 4.06 (1,728,080) Science Fiction

Quotes from the Book

If you ain’t scared… you ain’t human.
You are the shuckiest shuck faced shuck in the world!
Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?" Minho asked, pulling Thomas's attention away from Alby. "Go ahead," Newt replied. Minho nodded and faced the crowd. "Be careful," he said dryly. "Don't die.
It's kind of hard to ask a dead guy what he did wrong.
Just follow me and run like your life depends on it. Because it does.
I've been shucked and gone to heaven.
I promised him!" he screamed, realizing even as he did so that his voice was laced with something wrong. Almost insanity. "I promised I'd save him, take him home! I promised him!
Maybe you should just press the button
You get lazy, you get sad. Start givin' up. Plain and simple.
It was you and me, Tom. We did this to them. To us.
Holy crap, I’m scared.” “Holy crap, you’re human. You should be scared.
You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck there ever was.
Thats called hypocrisy, you shuck face piece of -!
But there was something about the largest object in the solar system vanishing that tended to disrupt normal schedules.
Such a display of death - how could it be considered a victory?
I just...feel like I need to save everyone. To redeem myself.
Minho snickered and leaned back in his chair. “Man, you are one butt-load of sunshine, let me tell you.
If you're going to decipher a hidden code from a complex set of different mazes, I'm pretty sure you need a girl's brain running the show.
She smiled for the first time, and he almost had to look away, as if something that nice didn’t belong in such a glum and gray place, as if he had no right to look at her expression.
Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?' Minho asked... "Go ahead," Newt replied. Minho nodded and faced the crowd. 'Be careful,' he said dryly. 'Don't die.' Thomas would have laughed if he could, but he was too scared for it to come out. 'Great. We're all bloody inspired,' Newt answered.
All the same, Thomas now had a plan. As bad as it was, he had a plan. They needed more clues about the code. They needed MEMORIES. So he was going to get stung by a Griever. Go through the Changing. On purpose.
She paused. That's just my way of saying I would've killed you if you'd died.
Ah, my Knight in Shining Armor. What, you don't think I can fend for myself?
I didn't do anyting wrong. All I know is I saw two people struggling to get inside these walls and they [Minho and Alby] couldn't make it. To ignore that because of some stupid rule seemed selfish, cowardly, and... well, stupid. If you want to throw me in jail for trying to save someone's [Alby] life, then go ahead. Next time I promise I'll point at them and laugh, then go eat some of Frypan's dinner. -Thomas
sometimes you don't look very hard for things you don't believe will or can happen.
Tonight, they’d make their stand, once and for all.
You’re disgusting when you eat,” Chuck said, sitting on the bench next to him. “It’s like watching a starving pig eat his own klunk.
Quit voting me down before you even think about what I'm saying.

Did you know?

  • The Gladers use their own invented slang, including terms like "shank" and "klunk."
  • WICKED, the organization behind the maze, stands for World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department.
  • The novel launched a five-book series including two prequels.
  • A film adaptation directed by Wes Ball and starring Dylan O'Brien was released in 2014.
  • The book spent many weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.

About James Dashner

James Dashner is an American author best known for young-adult science fiction, most notably The Maze Runner series, which became a New York Times best seller and was adapted into a film franchise.

More about the author →

About the book

"The Maze Runner" is the first novel in James Dashner's young-adult science-fiction series, published by Delacorte Press in 2009. A teenage boy named Thomas wakes in a rising metal lift with no memory beyond his own name and emerges into the Glade, a walled sanctuary populated entirely by boys who arrived the same way. Surrounding the Glade is a vast, shifting stone maze patrolled at night by deadly biomechanical creatures, and the only hope of escape is to solve it. The arrival of the first girl, carrying a cryptic message, sets the mystery in motion.

At its core the book explores memory, survival, and the ethics of a community forced to govern itself under constant threat. The Gladers organize into roles and enforce their own rules, while Thomas's presence disrupts a fragile order and forces the group to confront the shadowy organization behind their imprisonment. Fast pacing, an escalating puzzle, and the slow revelation of who is watching and why drive the narrative.

"The Maze Runner" became a major commercial success, spending an extended run on the New York Times best-seller list and helping cement the dystopian young-adult boom of the early 2010s. It launched a five-book series and was adapted into a popular film trilogy beginning in 2014. The novel is frequently recommended alongside other survival-driven dystopian YA works for its propulsive mystery and cliffhanger structure.

Key characters

  • ThomasThe teenage protagonist who arrives in the Glade with no memory and becomes a Runner
  • TeresaThe first and only girl to arrive, connected to Thomas's past
  • AlbyThe leader of the Gladers
  • NewtSecond-in-command and a former Runner
  • MinhoKeeper of the Runners who maps the maze
  • ChuckThe youngest Glader and Thomas's loyal friend
  • GallyA hostile Glader who distrusts Thomas

Book details

First published
2009
Length
375 pages
Reading time
6 hours
Goodreads rating
4.06 (1.7M ratings)
First line
“He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.”

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
    The Maze Runner 2014

    Film directed by Wes Ball, starring Dylan O'Brien as Thomas

  • IMDb
    Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 2015

    Film sequel

  • IMDb
    Maze Runner: The Death Cure 2018

    Final film in the trilogy

If you liked this, read…

  1. 1
    The Hunger GamesSurvival-driven dystopian YA with teens forced into a lethal arena
  2. 2
    DivergentYA dystopia about young people navigating a controlled, faction-based society
  3. 3
    Lord of the FliesBoys isolated from adults must build their own fragile social order

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