Die Auserwählten - Maze Runner 1: Maze Runner: Die Auserwählten im Labyrinth: Die Auserwählten im Labyrinth

TW/CW: Violence, injury, death, language,RATING: 4/5REVIEW: The Maze Runner is the story of a group of boys who have had their memories wiped, and who are trapped inside a giant maze filled with deadly monsters. It is the first of five books in the series and the first book of the main trilogy.This book was a reread for me, because my mother and I watched the movies last week, which led me to realize just how much I’d forgotten of the books.I’m a sucker for Dystopian stories, and this has always been one of my favorites. Although at times it can be a little slow, the world building is fascinating and the story is exciting and engaging. The fact that none of them can remember who they really are adds to the excitement and mystery of the story.I definitely recommend this book (and series) to other people who like dystopian fiction!

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this, but I finally got hooked on it and plowed through to the end as fast as I could read. Only to be disappointed. There was no explanation of the mechanisms by which things work in the universe of the characters. Nor was it reasonable to discover that their tormentors and their rescuers were not only one and the same, but as cold-hearted as they were.
Vaguely reminds me of Lord of the Flies, and Ender's Game.

Thomas awakens with no memory in a box. He finds himself drawn to the Maze. The boys speak with made up slang. It didn't bother me that I didn't know the slang because learn it along with Thomas.I really enjoyed the ending. I look forward to reading the next book

Thomas wakes up in a strange place with no memory of who he is, where he's from, or why he's there. As he quickly learns, there's something sinister going on and it is likely the exact reason he can't remember anything from his past. So he joins with the rest of the guys - the Gladers - in trying to find a way out of the Glade and through the maze that is serving as their prison. But it's not as easy as it sounds. And when a girl shows up not long after Thomas with a note that changes everything, the need to overcome that challenge and find a way out is more important than ever...

I did something here I don't normally like to do and saw the movie before reading the book. But it worked this time because doing so meant I actually was able to enjoy the movie and then enjoy the book because the book is SO MUCH BETTER. If I'd read the book first, I feel like I would have spent large portions of the movie rolling my eyes and going 'That's ridiculous.' The story in the book is richer and more detailed and (though this is science fiction, so it's not always a requirement) makes so much more sense. I guess that's one of the advantages to being able to tell a story with words instead of needing to have a fast-paced, visually stunning action film that is marketed to people with relatively short attention spans.

But enough on that. Dashner has created a very interesting world here and while there are some of the expected YA dystopia cliches, this one does stand out as unique to me in a number of ways. I do appreciate that there isn't a huge focus on romantic elements (at least in this book) and more on actual survival and trying to solve the problems that are in front of them. I certainly jumped on the next installment as soon as I was able to do so...

Meh. It was fine. I enjoyed listening to it with my kid but it's not something I would have finished if it were just me. We'll be listening to the second one in the near future.

This book was very suspenseful and seeded some very interesting ideas that will hopefully pan out in the sequels. Reading some other reviews, I saw that people were annoyed by the lack of information and there is a definite "huh?" quality as you read it. However, I found that to perfectly reinforce the main characters confusion/ memory loss and served to heighten the suspense.

Page turner, yet boring at the same time - and in the end, no point to this book - key questions never answered. Poorly written, and drove me crazy how inconsistent and inhuman the characters behaved.

It was a pretty good book. The author did a good job of not revealing too much and let the plot build itself. I liked the characters and they were nicely made. I really started to like it around the middle part, that is when things started to really happen. I loved the ending because you can tell in the next book that some serious stuff is about to go down and I can't wait to read on and find out what's going to happen next.

Overall I was very pleased and I can see why people like this book/series.

A fascinating dystopic commentary on warfare and treatment of humans. Warning: it's incredibly violent. I have no idea how they're adapting this into a movie.

My husband has watched this movie over and over, but I've only caught about five minutes of it, which didn't mean anything to me with no frame of reference. But mostly I started listening to this book because Mark Deakins was reading it. Love it and would definitely listen to it again if the waiting list wasn't so long. I saw some comments that a few people didn't like the way it ended. I'm wondering if they didn't realize it's a trilogy? With that in mind, the ending makes perfect sense. There are still a lot of questions, but some of the big ones are answered! I'm really looking forward to The Scorch Trials!

This book was...perfectly adequate. Really engaging, well-written...but it just...just didn't have that extra something.
I would still recommend it, but it just...wasn't super special, I guess.

This just wasn't really my type of book. The plot and incumbent suspense made it a quick and semi-enjoyable read. However, character development is something that was definitely lacking. Three characters stand out, and they were the same at the end of the novel as at the beginning. Or at least, I understand them the same at both points. The rest of the cast all blurs together.

Not bad, just... meh.

There are better YA novels but this is pretty good. An interesting story, but the characters don't always feel real. Particularly the main character's actions and dialog don't always ring true. It is possible that given the overall situation that I really don't know how that characters should sound, but I feel like if that's the case the author didn't do enough to convince me. Ultimately, I'm going to continue the series because it is interesting, so worth the read.

So much more involved than the movie. Movie was good, but this book had way more adventure and plot twists!!

Hopefully the movie is as good, and I can't wait to read the next 3 books.

Well that was frustrating.

Why were the other boys so rude to Thomas when he asked questions? I would have been asking a million questions all the time!

Stupid Gally.

I liked Chuck.

They’re all just doing their best.

Enjoyed this much more than the prequel "The Kill Order". Still very simply written and like a string of action sequences rather than a more thorough narrative. Fun to skim and pass the time with.

Wow this was a pretty good book. It was hard to get into towards the beginning but as everything within the maze steers to fall apart that is when things started to pick up. The Creators seem to have something else up their sleeves. I van wait to read the second book to find out what they have in store for the Gladers.

This is the first book in a series. I found the story creative and interesting. I felt for the characters and enjoyed the book. The aspects of telepathy and partial mind wipe are maybe not needed

The first time I read this I didn't review it. So now that I've read it again I'll review it! It was very interesting and I really want to know what happens! I'm seriously disturbed by what WICKED does to these teens. I hope they go more into their memories in the future books bid like to know what or why all of this is ok and what they are hoping to achieve .
And I liked Chuck!

Honestly. I don't have too much to say about this. I watched all the movies first and really enjoyed them. I feel like they (at least in the case of the first one) pretty accurately represented the books (at least the atmosphere and most plot points), so I don't really have any new feelings. In some ways, I think I might actually prefer the movie.

The writing style was alright; very easy to read, but a little too simple for my tastes, but I suppose it's perfect for a reluctant reader. The world is definitely the best part. I was always pretty confused about the explanations in the movies about why the Maze even exists in the first place, and the book definitely did a much better job there.

Character-wise, I'm fairly neutral. I liked Thomas but feel that he's also fairly generic. I'm pretty sick and tired of female protagonists, so it was nice to read about a boy for once, in a story that I'm sure was great for young male readers, who aren't written about and for nearly enough in my opinion. Chuck was great, but I liked him better in the movie. Newt's always fun though, and I liked him a lot. I did appreciate that Gally wasn't just some angsty villain like he was in the movie; that added a bit of depth.

I'll definitely finish the series, if not just to get to the prequels, since those didn't get movies, and I do really love the world. I'm trash for unique zombie apocalypses, what can I say? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

X meets Y: Average dystopian YA novel meets LOST

My thoughts: The book is ok but I feel like it was meant to make you buy the 2nd and 3rd ones. Like it was meant to work best as a trilogy and not as a standalone novel. Who knows?

After 91 pages of frustration and eyerolling, I decided to forego powering through the rest of the story. I could not have cared less about the main character, Thomas, or any of the rest of the cast. I can't speak to the treatment of The Maze Runner's single female character because she was still in a coma, but the rest of the boys' mindset toward her did not bode well for her three-dimensionality.

The premise is interesting but Thomas is an arrogant shithead. He has no respect for his only friend, and his reactions are all over the place. Overall I would say this wasn't the price of a paperback book and I wish I hadn't spent the money.

This is, unsurprisingly, a far better experience than the movie, though I definitely enjoyed the movie well enough and found that it actually followed the book pretty well. It's a fast, engaging read, and worth it if you found the movie plot at all intriguing.

This is a fun little book, and I can see why it's grown in popularity lately. A little predictable, but I had some fun reading it. Might pick up the next one, but I'm not certain right now.

2.5 stars. Wish I could say I loved the book. Rare case where I thought the movie was much better than the book.

I was agreably surprised by the plot of this YA novel - indeed, the way it is written leaves readers with more questions than answers and the ending does everything to leave us wanting more. The suspens is well crafted and the characters, while a bit stereotypical, well defined in their interactions and characterisation. On the whole, I liked it, mostly as a leisure read, nothing more; I’ll read the following novels, if only for closure and wanting to know how everything fits together.

Best YA book I've read in a long time. This series has a Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale feel to it and is surprisingly dark and violent for a YA series. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next installment.

I enjoyed it a lot. I liked trying to figure out the central mystery and really look forward to where it might go next. I will admit some of the made up slang bothered me a little in the begining but I got over it. A solid thriller and worth a read.

3 1/2 stars. Not a great book but not bad. I felt like the descriptive language was repetitive and lacking depth. How many times can you call the grievers disgusting and squishy?

But the story was fun, fast paced, a quick read. Similar in ways to the hunger games but not nearly as emotionally gripping. I will probably read the next book on the series when I find a used copy.