The Maze Runner by James Dashner

  --> Disclaimer:  Since I initially posted this review, I have had a few people tell me that they started the series and were a little disappointed. While this series is dystopian (like The Hunger Games), it is different.  The main character is a boy and it is quite a bit more gruesome.  Romantic elements are also not as prevalent as some other dystopians that are currently on the market.  That being said, I think this is a very good series, but it may be more appealing to the male gender! :) 

James Dashner's The Maze Runner is the first in his post-apocalyptic trilogy. The main character, Thomas, wakes at the beginning of the novel to find that he has been transported to a world created by a group of scientists.  Those transported (all boys and one girl) have had their memories wiped and their only goals are to survive and escape. Within this world there are two main areas, the glade and the maze.  The glade is where they eat, sleep, and work and is protected by walls that close each night.  The maze is the test they have been given by the scientists and each day runners go out into the maze to try and figure out a way to escape. They regularly encounter Greivers, creatures that are a "horrific mix of animal and machine" and have instrument tipped appendages including saw blades, shears, and rods. As they attempt to survive and find a means of escape, Thomas and his friends contemplate possible reasons for why they have been sent to the glade in the first place. 

Since I read Suzanne Collin's, The Hunger Games, I have become a huge fan of dystopian literature. I am not sure what it is about these types of books that intrigue me so much, but I will say that I love how the authors attempt to paint a picture of what life could be like in the future.  The Maze Runner trilogy is a great dystopian series that attempts to show what life might be like post-apocalypse.   This first installment is basically a huge science experiment conducted using adolescents.  The reasons for this experiment are not fully explained in the first novel, but are expounded upon in the two additional books within the trilogy: The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure.   After reading The Maze Runner, it is almost impossible to not pick up the other two.  So, if you loved The Hunger Games trilogy and are looking for more good books to read, check out The Maze Runner trilogy.