The Maze Runner is the first book in a young-adult post-apocalyptic science fiction trilogy of the same name by James Dashner.
The novel was published October 2009 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House and is being made into a 2014 major motion picture by 20th Century Fox. The novel spawned two sequels:
The Scorch Trials and
The Death Cure.
James Dashner has also written a prequel to
The Maze Runner entitled
The Kill Order, that came out in 2012.
Plot summary
Thomas is brought into a place known as the Glade, with no memories
of his life or the world. The only thing he remembers is his name. He
and a lot of other teenage boys inside the Glade call themselves
Gladers, and have made a community in which every Glader is assigned to
his own job. The Glade is surrounded by a gigantic Maze in which
mechanical creatures called Grievers roam at night. Huge doors all
around the Glade protect the Gladers from these creatures by closing
every night.
Supplies are brought to the Glade every week. Also once every month a
new boy is sent through an elevator that is called the Box. The day
after Thomas is brought to the Glade, a girl is sent with a message
saying that she is the "last one ever." A girl has never been brought in
before and the Gladers are excited and confused by her arrival. Right
after arriving, the girl falls into a coma.
Meanwhile, Thomas learns more about the Glade, and he feels like he's
been there before. He learns that the Gladers have been trying to solve
the Maze for two years and that a Griever's painful sting can cause one
to recall almost complete memories from the past. He feels oddly
connected to the new girl and also befriends a young Glader named Chuck,
as well as a boy named Newt. On the other hand, he has a somewhat
negative relationship with Gally, who is suspicious of Thomas and claims
that he has seen him, after he was stung by a Griever, in a process
known as the Changing. Thomas also feels a sudden urge to be a Runner,
the people who explore, map out, and try to find a way out of the Maze.
One day, one Runner, Minho, and the leader of the Glade, Alby, return
late from inspecting a dead Griever. Alby has been stung by the
Griever. As the doors are about to close with Minho and Alby outside,
Thomas runs to join them in the Maze. Hearing the approaching Grievers,
Minho tells Thomas that they must split up and run away, leaving Thomas
with an unconscious Alby. Thomas manages to save Alby by tricking the
Grievers into falling off the edge of the Maze, or the Cliff. Minho
realizes Thomas could be the best Runner they have, and the two become
friends.
The next morning, the three Gladers arrive back in the Glade as the
doors open, to the amazement of the other Gladers. As acting leader,
Newt decides to call a gathering to decide the fate of Thomas for
breaking the first rule of the Glade. During the meeting, Gally again
states his suspicions about Thomas. Others defend Thomas. Minho suggests
Thomas be made the keeper of the runners. Gally tells Minho that his
idea is ridiculous, and after arguing back and forth, Minho shoves
Gally. Gally then leaves and goes missing.
It is decided that Thomas be made a Runner. Minho and Thomas set out
for running the maze and the two find a transparent hole which leads to
what Thomas calls the Griever Hole. After returning to the Glade, Thomas
is shocked to hear the girl speak through his mind to him. He realizes
her name is Teresa, and she tells him she has triggered the Ending. Soon
afterwards, Teresa wakes up from the coma and finds Thomas. The two
begin to talk and realize they feel connected to each other in a way
that is close to remembering their lives before the Glade. The same day
Teresa wakes up, the sky turns a dull grey. Thomas realizes that it must
be fabricated by the Creators who put them in the Glade. That night,
the Doors do not close, meaning the Gladers are completely unprotected
from the Grievers.
After Alby has gone through the Changing, he talks about the outside
world and how it is far worse than any of them could imagine. Alby
reminds Thomas and begins to speak about his memories. During his
conversation with Thomas, Alby suddenly starts choking himself, and
Thomas calls on Newt to help stop Alby. The Gladers go into a state of
protection and Gally returns in a frightened state, telling the Gladers
that one of them will die every night. After the slug-like creatures
enter the Glade, Gally throws himself on to one and the slugs retreat.
It is discovered that all the Maps of the Maze made by the Runners over
the past two years have been burned. Thomas is discouraged as he and
Teresa had an idea about the maps revealing a code, allowing the Gladers
to find a way out. After Thomas has his distress at the maps being
burnt, Newt and Minho tell him that they hid the Maps in the Weapons
Room in case something like this happened, and that they left decoys.
With Teresa, Minho and Newt’s help, Thomas finds a code in the Maps, but
they are all unsure of how to use it.
Desperate for answers, Thomas decides that he must be stung by a
Griever to use any memories revealed in the Changing. When he wakes up
after the Changing, he realizes that the Maze was never meant to be
solved, but that they have been placed in a kind of experiment by the
Creators to test their strength. He tells the other Gladers that they
need to go down the Griever Hole and enter the code in a computer. After
some deliberation, most of the Gladers decide to go through with the
plan, and after preparing, they enter the Maze for what they hope is the
last time.
Upon reaching the Hole, they realize that the Grievers are waiting
for them. The Gladers attack the Grievers while Thomas, Teresa and Chuck
attempt to get to the Hole. They eventually get through and Teresa
enters the code while Thomas and Chuck fend off the Grievers. After
entering the code, the Grievers are shut down and the remaining Gladers
join them. About half of the Gladers who chose to fight were killed.
A door opens at the end of the Hole and the Gladers, including
Thomas, Teresa, Chuck, Minho and Newt exit to find the Creators. A woman
comes to greet the Gladers, but they feel hostile towards her for
putting them through the test. She is joined by a hooded figure who is
revealed to be Gally, and as a final part of the test, he pulls out a
knife from his pocket and throws it at Thomas. Before he can react,
Chuck throws himself in front of Thomas. Thomas attacks Gally before
breaking down in tears, since he had promised Chuck he would get him
back to his family.
Suddenly, a group of armed people rush into the building and attack
the Creators. The leader says there is no time to explain and asks the
Gladers to follow him to a bus. Before Thomas can get on, a woman grabs
him, saying, "You have to save us from the flare," before being dragged
away. Thomas gets on the bus and the leader runs the woman over. The
Gladers are taken to a dormitory where they are fed and given a
comfortable safe haven for the time being.
