The Maze Runner by James Dashner is about Thomas, a teen boy who suddenly awoke in a small, dark metal box without any recollection of how he got there, nor who he was before arriving. When the box begins moving, Thomas is delivered into the Glade, the heart of a giant maze (at least 100 feet high). The other 50 or 60 teens who live in the Glade arrived in much the same way as Thomas - one each month for the last two years. The boys have made the most of their imprisonment, by developing a system of order and jobs - everything from farming to medical positions! The only problem is, no one will talk to Thomas, nor answer his questions... who is he? who are they? why are they here? what is the maze? is there a way out? what are the dangerous creatures haunting the maze at night the boys have named Grievers? who is buried in the graves at the back of the forest? Thomas tries to settle in, but strange things keep happening that cause the other Gladers to resent him. Thomas begins getting snippets of memories from his past, but nothing concrete. All he knows is that he feels a strong compulsion to be a Runner, one of the boys who spends his day running and mapping the ever changing maze beyond the walls of the Glade. This is a dangerous position, only reserved for the most trustworthy and fit. Thomas proves his worth, however, when he jumps through the closing doors that protect the Glade from the Grievers over night to save two boys who didn't make it back in time. Thomas, Minho, and Alby do something that has never been done before... survive in the maze overnight. With the sudden arrival of the only girl, Alby's illness from his Griever attack, the disappearance of their nightly protection from the Grievers, and the constant accusations Thomas receives from one of the other Gladers, things take a turn for the worse. As a team, they must figure out the mystery of the maze before anymore Gladers are taken and killed.This book was AMAZING!!! I finished it in one night - I couldn't put it down. It was full of everything I love in books... humor, mystery, adventure, fantasy, suspense, great characters, etc. This is the first book in a series, so I can hardly wait until the second book, The Scorch Trials, arrives in October!
