You know how the saying goes.  The book is always better than the movie.  Well, in the case of The Maze Runner by James Dashner, the movie made the book better.

A dystopian set tale, The Maze Runner opens with a young man (Thomas), suffering from temporary amnesia, arriving in what he believes to be a type of prison called The Glade.  Through the course of the story, Thomas pieces together memories to solve the mystery behind the Glade and his role in it.

Would I recommend it?  Yes, I would.  It’s not the best dystopian fiction I’ve read, and I felt it was light in depth, but the concept of the prison on the page and the inner-workings of the Glade society kept me interested.

What I liked about it:

• The concept of the Glade.  The massive walls, the contained society, the magic box that delivered whatever they needed and the Wicked creeper bugs on the walls – it was just the right touch of creepy, big brotherness that made me look over my shoulder every now and then.
• Some of the descriptions were spot on.  There’s a moment where a character is pleading for his life and the description of snot made me think, “I’ve seen that snot!  I know that snot!”  Ah, momhood.
•  “He finally pulled his grief back into his heart.”  Love that line.  Didn’t see what brought it on coming, either.  Well done.

What I found distracting:

• The Gladers have a slang language that hit me in the face right off the bat.  Interestingly enough, though, Thomas comments how he gets used to the language and I realized, I did as well.
• Three years have passed since the first Glader arrived and in that time, curiosity has given way to survival and complacency.  Thomas arrives and is full of questions that aren’t being asked.  As an adult, I wanted to shout at them, “Don’t quit!  Keep asking!”
• Some of the answers seemed a little too simple and some of the leaps of faith annoyed me.  But I realize some of these may be explained in the next two books which I have not read.  I wanted a few more answers.
• The ending was too good to be true, which it’s supposed to be, but it annoyed me.  Come to find out, it annoyed my son who read it in 6th grade as well.

What I would consider before giving this to my kid:

• It’s violent and the violence is close, not just something off in the distance.  Also, as I mentioned, the slang take a while to get used to and translation might be difficult at first for some.

Now, back to the movie which truly made me appreciate the book more.  The movie just doesn’t have the time to develop the characters.  It also depicts several locales (the map room, the cliff) differently than the book which I found disappointing.  Overall, it’s an entertaining two hours, however, if you’ve read the book, it’s hard not to walk out of the theater filling in the holes with what you know from the page.

As you might have already figured out, Cinder is a retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella with a sci-fi, fantasy twist which makes this version quite readable for an adult.  Instead of a fairy godmother, our heroine has a research doctor looking out for her.  Her side kicks aren’t talking mice or birds, but an android with a celebrity crush on the prince.  And instead of a slipper, Cinder’s downfall is a metal foot.

Would an adult like it?  Yes, this one is worth reading, as are the sequels Scarlet and Cress.

What was good about the story:

• Prince Kai first meets Cinder at her stall in the marketplace.  She’s a mechanic, not a princess or a marriage prospect.
• The setting is interesting, futuristic, post-apocalyptic but in a world trying to rebuild.
• Cinder, as a character, is sympathetic, but she doesn’t let anyone pity her, including the reader.
• Yes, Cinder wants a dress to go to the ball (what girl wouldn’t?), but it’s so she can check out the food, not to find a husband.
• Prince Kai scoffs at the idea he’ll meet a girl and fall in love at the ball.
• When Cinder hits bottom, you feel for her.  You hate the step mother, the evil Queen, and mourn for her losses.
• The ‘romance’ between the Prince and Cinder is one of those great ones where by the end of the book, you know these two are meant to be even if they haven’t even kissed yet.

What I found distracting:

• This story comes with an evil queen who wants to rule the world.  In order to understand that world, there is a political storyline and a plague woven through the fairy tale story that at times made me want to make a flow chart to keep the factions straight.  That being said, it lends backbone to the tale and provides a great story as the series goes on to hang the fairy tales on.

Good story, great characters, strong female role model, male protagonist dealing with struggles and trying to do the right thing.  This is a good one and worth the space on your bookshelf.