The Maze Runner is a 2009 book written by American author James Dashner. The story takes place in a world affected by a powerful solar event and a deadly disease called the Flare. The book is told from the viewpoint of Thomas, a 16-year-old boy who wakes up with no memories inside a man-made maze. A group named WICKED controls the government, searches for a cure to the Flare, and uses children who are immune to the disease as test subjects.
The book received praise from important reviewers and authors. It won the Young Adult Library Services Association Best Fiction for Young Adults award in 2011, was a top-selling book on the New York Times list for 148 weeks, and was named a Kirkus Reviews Teen Book of the Year. Educators often choose The Maze Runner to teach middle-grade readers in schools.
The novel was published in 2009 by Delacorte Press, a part of Penguin Random House. The cover art was created by Philip Straub. The Maze Runner is the first book in a series, followed by The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011). A movie version, directed by Wes Ball, was released in 2014 by 20th Century Fox. Dylan O’Brien plays Thomas in the film.
Plot
A boy named Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator that takes him to a place called the Glade. He does not remember how he arrived or who he is, except for his name. Over time, he learns that the Glade is managed by two boys: Alby, the leader, and Newt, who helps lead. They keep order by following simple rules. The elevator rises from underground once a week and brings supplies like food, tools, clothes, medicine, and sometimes weapons. Every month, a new boy with no memory of anything except his first name also arrives in the elevator.
The Glade is surrounded by tall concrete walls that are hundreds of feet high. The walls have openings that close every night. Outside the walls is the Maze, a complex of high concrete walls covered in ivy that changes shape every night. The Maze is home to dangerous creatures called Grievers, which are made of metal and flesh. A group of boys, called Gladers, try to survive and solve the Maze by sending "Runners" to explore it, track the walls, and search for an exit.
After Thomas arrives, a girl named Teresa is brought to the Glade through the elevator. She is the first girl to arrive and holds a note that says, "She's the last one. Ever." During a week-long coma, she says Thomas' name. Later that day, a boy named Ben, who was stung by a Griever and went through the "Changing," tries to hurt Thomas. Alby saves Thomas, and Ben is sent away from the Glade.
Minho, who is in charge of the Runners, goes into the Maze with Alby to investigate what might be the first dead Griever. Alby is stung by the creature and attacks Minho, who knocks him out. Minho carries Alby back to the Glade, but the doors are already closing. Thomas runs into the Maze to help, becoming stranded with Minho and Alby. When they hear Grievers approaching, Minho runs away, knowing they cannot survive, while Thomas uses ivy on the Maze walls to pull Alby up. Later, Minho returns to help Thomas, and by morning, they kill four Grievers by leading them off a cliff.
After returning to the Glade, Newt calls a meeting of the Keepers to decide what to do with Thomas. Some Keepers want to forgive him, but others, like Gally, want to punish him. Minho suggests Thomas become the Keeper of the Runners, but Gally disagrees. Gally and Minho argue, and the meeting ends with Gally leaving. Newt, acting as the temporary leader because Alby is injured, suggests sending Thomas to the Slammer (their prison) for a day and then training him as a Runner. The Keepers agree without voting.
Alby asks to speak with Thomas alone and tries to tell him something he saw during the Changing, which relates to Thomas. Before he can explain, Alby tries to choke himself. Thomas stops him with Newt's help. Alby says someone was controlling his actions.
Teresa wakes from her coma and tells Thomas telepathically that she triggered the "Ending." Food is running out, the sky is always gray, the elevator is not coming, and the Maze doors stay open at night. Alby decides to study maps in the Map Room to find patterns. Gally returns and says the Grievers will attack every night, killing the Gladers one by one. When the Grievers enter the Homestead, where the Gladers hide, Gally sacrifices himself to drive them away.
The next morning, the Gladers learn Alby tried to burn all the maps. Later, Thomas discovers Minho and Newt had hidden the maps in the Weapons Room earlier, saving them. Thomas compares maps from different sections instead of different days. After copying maps onto wax paper and layering them by day, they find the first word is "FLOATCAT." Continuing this process, they discover the full message: "FLOAT CATCH BLEED DEATH STIFF PUSH."
During the following nights, the Grievers take one Glader each night. Realizing they need to recover their memories, Thomas voluntarily lets a Griever sting him and spends several days unconscious, going through the Changing. When he wakes, he remembers they must go to the Griever Hole to escape the Maze and insert the code into a machine. He also recalls details about WICKED (World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department) and his role in creating the Maze.
Using this information, most Gladers attempt to jump into the Griever Hole. Many die in the fight with the Grievers, but Thomas and Teresa succeed in inserting the code with help from Chuck, who realizes "PUSH" means to press a button.
After exploring the facility, the remaining Gladers find scientists watching them. One scientist, accompanied by Gally, walks out. Gally throws a knife at Thomas, but Chuck jumps in front of him, dying to save Thomas.
A rescue team arrives shortly after, killing the scientists and taking the Gladers to another facility, where they eat dinner and sleep.
The story ends with a message from Chancellor Ava Paige, a character who appears in all books of the trilogy. She explains the rescue team is part of an experiment and that the Gladers were not the only group being tested. The next day, the second phase of their trials begins.
Development
In November 2005, Dashner thought of a book about teenagers living in a maze that cannot be solved, filled with scary creatures, in a dark, future world. The story would explore how their minds react to difficult and hopeless situations. Terrible events would happen to them until they find a way to change everything. While writing, he imagined the books as movies. One influence for the book was Lord of the Flies. Dashner wrote The Maze Runner from December 2005 to March 2006, and it was published in 2009.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews described The Maze Runner as "difficult to put down, clearly the first book in a series, and will make readers eager to learn what happens next." Jessica Harrison of the Deseret Morning News called the book "a thrilling adventure for readers aged 13 and older that will excite readers and make them want more," though she mentioned that the use of "made-up language" was a weakness.
The book received the 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association. It also won the Charlotte Award in 2012, which honors excellent books for children as chosen by students in New York State. In 2012, it received the Lincoln Award, given by the Illinois School Library Educators for books that encourage high school students to read for fun. The Maze Runner earned the Truman Readers Award in 2012, which recognizes books that inspire young readers in grades six through eight. The book also received the Evergreen Teen Book Award in 2012 and the Georgia Peach Book Award in 2009. It was nominated for the Utah Book Award for Young Adults in 2009 and the Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award in 2011.
Christy Goldsmith of the University of Missouri used The Maze Runner in her classroom to teach students about reading independently and how to engage with fictional stories, stating that "reading does not have to be difficult." In the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Sara Abrams of Arizona State University suggested The Maze Runner for middle school students, noting that "readers who enjoy adventure and are interested in living on their own will find this book interesting" and comparing it to Lord of the Flies. Sandra Bennet wrote in The School Librarian that the book is "a captivating and exciting story that middle and older teens will enjoy reading."
Film adaptation
On September 19, 2014, 20th Century Fox released a movie version of the book The Maze Runner. Wes Ball directed the film, and T. S. Nowlin wrote the script. Dylan O'Brien played the main character, Thomas, Thomas Brodie-Sangster played Newt, and Kaya Scodelario played Teresa. Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Will Poulter, and Aml Ameen joined the cast as Minho, Chuck, Gally, and Alby, respectively. Patricia Clarkson played Ava Paige. Dexter Darden portrayed Frypan, Alexander Flores played Winston, Jacob Latimore played Jeff, Randal Cunningham played Clint, Chris Sheffield played Ben, and Joe Adler played Zart.
Wayne Haag worked as a concept artist for the film, and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein was a producer. Ken Barthelmey, the creature designer, created the Grievers for the movie. Filming began in May 2013 and ended in July of the same year.
In March 2019, Disney purchased 21st Century Fox. In April 2019, Disney announced at a CinemaCon event that new Maze Runner films were being planned.
In May 2024, it was reported that a reboot of the series was in development. Wes Ball will return as a producer, and Jack Paglen will write the new story. The film will not repeat the original story or be a direct sequel to the first trilogy. Instead, it will continue the story while returning to the elements that made the first movie popular.