Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner


Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. That’s what Thomas thought, but experienced young adult dystopian readers knew better and hoped for another installment in the story.  James Dashner did not disappoint.  The story of Thomas, Teresa and the other Gladers continues in The Scorch Trials.  They thought Teresa had triggered the end in The Maze Runner, but the truth is the end for the outside world was triggered long ago.  Burned by a scorching sun and infected by a mysterious disease known as the flare, the world is a wasteland.  The government has disintegrated, replaced by something called WICKED.  The Gladers have only just begun to run.  Can they make it through another trial to the safe haven and the promised cure for the Flare? And will they ever figure out who the good guys are?

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy, you will enjoy this series.  It has a somewhat more edgy sharpness to it.  This highlights the danger the characters are constantly facing. The reader can feel Thomas’ confusion, frustration and fear leap off the page.  The action never slows down in this second book.  At the end I felt almost as exhausted as Thomas and I can’t wait for the next installment.

1 comment:

Pris said...

This sounds like a series I would really enjoy. I have been meaning to read the Hunger Games for quite some time now, and I will have to put this series on the list as well! Thanks!