Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Scorch Trials: By James Dashner

THE SCORCH TRIALS

SUMMARY

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. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?
REVIEW

James Dashner took the nation by storm last year with his New York Times Bestselling young adult novel The Maze Runner. It was hailed as original, action-packed, and a fantastic read for kids of all ages.

Now in this season of sequels Dashner is back with The Scorch Trials, the much awaited sequel to The Maze Runner.

The Scorch Trials begins minutes after The Maze Runner ends. The Gladers are finally out of the Maze and are ready for the nightmares to end. But WICKED isn’t ready for their trials to end. Now instead of the maze WICKED is giving the Gladers a new trial, the Scorch Trials. They must travel across the Scorch, the ravaged aftermath of this post-apocalyptic Earth, and survive against the disease ridden cranks, people inflicted with the incurable disease, the Flare.

But the catch is if the Gladers don’t make it across the Scorch in time they wont make it at all, as WICKED has infected them all with the Flare. Now as they trek across the Scorch, Thomas and the other will be tested in ways they have never experienced, making the Maze seem like paradise when they’re done.

Fans of The Maze Runner will be shocked as dozens of secrets are unearthed for every secret revealed from The Maze Runner. Dashner does a fantastic job of employing intricate twists and turns in the story, making it so even the most astute reader wont be able to guess what’s happening next. Because of this, the break neck speed of the book, and the attachment readers will feel with Thomas, this book is a great read.

The one thing I would warn readers about beforehand though is that this book doesn’t solve everything. In fact, it creates more questions that it answers secrets. Because of this some readers may want to opt to wait for the third book before reading The Scorch Trials. But most likely if you’ve read The Maze Runner, than you’re already hooked into the series, so just be aware that the minute you finish The Scorch Trials you’ll be counting down the days to the third book in this epic series.

RATING
8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: October 12, 2010

Price: $17.99

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