It is evident to avid readers that literature genres go through popularity cycles every few years. After all, trends come and go. However, even amidst the countless options available, only the genuinely exceptional works retain their popularity and acclaim in the following years once the trends settle down.
For example, the late 00s and early-to-mid 10s were undoubtedly the golden days of young adult dystopic literature. And even though many works were published, few managed to cause a bigger impact than The Maze Runner book series, crafted by James Dashner in 2009 and still ongoing.
Often unfairly compared to The Hunger Games for the sin of coexisting as books of the same genre, The Maze Runner book series stands on its own thanks to its intriguing premise, fantastic world-building, and compelling characters.
Although this review will try to be as neutral as possible, beware of spoilers if you wish to dive in entirely blind to the dark yet intriguing depths of the Maze.
- The Setting
- The Main Trilogy: the Maze Runner Book Series
- The Prequel Series
- The Maze Cutter Series
- Novellas and Supplementary Books
The Setting
As expected of a dystopian setting, the world of The Maze Runner book series is a post-apocalyptic one where civilization ceases to be what you may be familiar with, which leads to a new set of rules and, with them, new dangers and enemies.
| If you’d rather avoid spoiling yourself the premise for the apocalypse, please skip the next paragraph—it’s a mystery that will be unveiled as the books move along. |
In The Maze Runner world, Earth was overwhelmed by devasting solar flares and subsequent coronal mass ejections. The few survivors now also have to face the Flare—a terminal illness that might as well consume the rest of humanity—unless a cure is found. And authorities are not beyond human experimentation to achieve their goals.
So far, the Maze Runner book series consists of seven main books and a collection of supplementary novellas and stories that go into more depth on aspects of the world.
However, these stories are not released chronologically and span different stories and timelines. The books consist of the main trilogy, two prequel books, three sequels, and further supplementary content.
The Main Trilogy: the Maze Runner Book Series
The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner is the first book in the series follows Thomas, an amnesic 16-year-old boy who wakes up In the Glade—a vast courtyard inhabited by other amnesic guys. A massive labyrinth surrounds them, the only obstacle between imprisonment and freedom. Well, the maze and the monsters that dwell within.
They get enough supplies, and they organize themselves with a set of rules. Most notably, the Gladers appoint “runners” among their members—the ones in charge of venturing inside the maze to decipher its secrets and find a way out.
But then a girl—the first girl ever—arrives. And she brings the end with her.
The Scorch Trials
The second entry in The Maze Runner book series begins immediately after the first one.
Defeating the maze was supposed to be their ticket to freedom, but nothing further from the truth. After overcoming their first challenge, the next one rises—more devastating than the first.
The Scorch Trials places the Gladers against the elements by making them cross the hottest, driest, and most dangerous desert in the world, the Scorch. They have two weeks to complete the challenge and reach the other end. This time, there are no rules other than pure survival—against the heat, the desolation, the Cranks, and a group of mercenaries that want to take them down.
The Death Cure
The Death Cure is the third and last entry within the main The Maze Runner book series, and the conclusion of the primary storyline focused on Thomas and his challenges.
The book starts immediately after the conclusion of The Scorch Trials. Now alone and separated from his friends, Thomas must move forward on his own to end the challenges and recover everything he lost. The lost memories he recovered play a key role; through pain and losses, they move forward to reach safety once and for all.
A dark and intense book, it highlights Machiavellian concepts and whether or not the end justifies the means—even if it is unfathomable evil committed for the greater good.
The Prequel Series
Set long before the start of the main series, the two prequels showcase the beginning of the end: the apocalyptic event that changed the world long before Thomas sought to understand it.
The Kill Order
The Kill Order book describes how Mark and Trina are together on the subway when the world ends. However, now they have to navigate this chaotic world on their own as a new disease spreads far and wide, creating chaos and turning humans into mindless husks.
But before discovering secrets and finding solutions, they have a bigger challenge: surviving.
The Fever Code
Perhaps the most revealing book, The Fever Code is the key to understanding The Maze Runner book series.
The protagonist is, once again, Thomas. But it’s not the Thomas you knew in the main series—this is who he was. The Thomas from before losing his memories: what he did, what he built, who he knew, and what he forgot.
The Maze Cutter Series
A sequel series set in the far future, The Maze Cutter begins 73 years later—long after Thomas’ actions and challenges. A few generations later, the Book of Newt and the tales of Old Man Frypan are the only accounts of what happened with the Gladers so many years earlier. Peace is the norm for them.
Or at least it was. When a boat called The Maze Cutter arrives, it brings bad news. The world is more unkind than ever before.
The series is ongoing, and it’s planned to be a trilogy. So far, The Maze Cutter and The Godhead Complex have been released.
Novellas and Supplementary Books
Although they are not part of the main story, The Maze Runner book series has a small group of stories that expand upon the story and explore character motivations or world-building events.
The first of them all, Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare, is a short three-page extract that explores a flashback memory Thomas has between the second and third books of the main series.
Next comes Crank Palace, a novella that takes place during the events of The Death Cure, yet has effects that connect it to the sequel series The Maze Cutter.
Finally, The Maze Runner Files is a book meant to provide in-universe classified information to expand the readers’ knowledge about the world and the events of the book series.
Conclusion: If You Ain’t Scared… You Ain’t Human
The Maze Runner book series is one of the best books for young adults and an ambitious YA project that combines dystopian elements, science-fiction, and thriller tropes to create an adventure that is as intriguing as it is gut-wrenching.
With creative world-building and memorable characters, it is unsurprising that many readers were inevitably drawn to the Gladers and their hopes for a peaceful and free life.
If you found our book series review intriguing, explore these additional reviews for more captivating reads: the Silo book series, the Firefly Lane book series, the Stranger Things book series, and the Cartel Book Series.
