The Maze Runner, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Maze Runner by James Dashner. 

How did you like the beginning of the book? I felt like the beginning of the book is pretty slow, but after the first ten chapters or so, the action really picked up. I also needed to learn about the boys and their vocabulary before I could focus on the story. Did you have a problem understanding all of the weird words that the boys used? Did you feel Thomas's frustration because he didn't know anything about the society and no one was answering any of his questions? 

As soon as I started reading, I was reminded of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. And then, I read in this Guardian article that James Dashner gained a lot of inspiration for The Maze Runner from that book, as well as Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Have any of you read Lord of the Flies? Did you see echoes of Lord of the Flies in this story? The boys in The Maze Runner definitely created a much more efficient and peaceful society than the boys in Lord of the Flies. Could you believe how orderly the boys in The Maze Runner were? It was cool that they all had specific jobs and were able to figure out so much without much outside information. 

How shocked were you when a girl showed up in the Box? She is definitely going to bring change with her, don't you think? 

The last couple of chapters in this section were intense, weren't they? Thomas was so brave. First of all, he risked his life by going into the maze, even though he knew that it would close around him. Then, he didn't abandon Alby, even after Minho runs away scared. Thomas's whole vine routine of lifting and hoisting Alby was pretty cool. And, the way that Thomas and Minho killed the Griever was really interesting. How do you think that this night in the maze will affect the other boys? Do you think it will help them figure out a way out of the maze? 

What do you think will happen now that the boys know they can live through the night in the maze? How do you think the girl will change their society? What do you think is next for Thomas? 

I hope you'll leave me a comment in the comments section to let me know what you thought of this section. And, if you have any guesses about the rest of the book, make sure to tell me about that, too. 

If you want to keep with our pace, make sure to read the next 21 chapters before next week. I hope to hear from you in the comments section!