The Maze Runner: Week of 1-21-14

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Pages Read: 0-40
Prompt: Describe the characters and setting

There has been a lot of hype about this series, especially after the movie came out and I had my interests in this book. I could never find it though, because everyone else wanted to read the book too. Well now I have it and I saw the movie already and although that tends to be a bad thing, it allows me to understand the beginning a little better. So Thomas is the main character and the beginning of the book is him traveling up this cage mechanism and all of a sudden he appears in this place. He knows nothing of the past except his name. This place that he arrives in is filled with teenage guys and the ones who he first meets are Alby and Newt who seem to be the leaders of the camp. Alby is mean but not where he is bullying him. It just seems like he has a lot going on and doesn't have time for him. Thomas is so confused and scared because he is in the place they call the Glade and is confused by what they are talking about.

Thomas gets assigned to Chuck, who is this smaller, younger, chubbier kid. He has this innocence to him because he says he has only been here for a month and doesn't really seem tough like the rest of the guys. He hides facts from Thomas not only because its too confusing but I think also to protect him from freaking out. The problem is Thomas is extremely curious and wants to know everything that is going on. He bumps into this jerk whose name is Gally. From his description he isn't too big like the others but he thinks he is all that. He even tells him he is the real leader of the place, not Alby which from what I've read is simply not true. Well anyway Thomas goes looking for answers and this guy just starts picking on him. Thomas is trying to see Newt who is with Alby. He had heard horrible screams from the building he is currently in. Apparently someone had been stung, which has no meaning to Thomas.

Gally lets Thomas go upstairs because he knows he is going to get in trouble and get embarrassed. Thomas goes up and he sees a terrible site, the boy who had been stung. Gally says he remembers Thomas from like these visions or things he had. He said he had gotten stung by the greivers and that it brings like memories or something. Later on Thomas has his own memory and tells Chuck he thinks he has been here before and he begins to not feel as panicked for some reason. Then he gets yelled at and leaves. Chuck at this point is his only friend and now they are going to sleep. The setting of this place is very weird. There are huge walls that close at night and beyond those walls there is a maze. The maze moves on the inside so from what I've gotten they are trapped in this large area of space where they have build like little shelters and a way of life on the inside.