The concept behind The Maze Runner is intriguing but unfortunately, I became less interested in the novel as it went on due to poor pacing and characters that were rather lacking in development. Thomas arrives in the Glades one day with no memory of his past though he feels like the place may be vaguely familiar. He joins a group of fifty or so very well organized boys ranging from 11-17. None of them remember who they are, either, beyond their names, and they have arrived a month apart at the Glade for the past two years.
Thomas tries to get answers the first day he is there, and while I understand his desire, I’m not sure if I was more annoyed with him or the other characters when they told him he would get his answers on a tour of the Glade on his first full day. I understand Thomas wanting answers before then but maybe he could have been a bit less obnoxious about it given that they promised him answers on their own time line. The area is surrounded by a maze, and a group of the boys are maze runners, who chart and run through the maze daily, looking for clues or an exit. Every night the walls to the maze close, keeping the boys locked in the Glade and the monsters (things called grievers) outside in the maze. Despite these creatures and the danger they pose, Thomas develops a feeling early on that he is meant to be a maze runner.
Cannonball Read V 