The Scorch Trials (Book 2 in the Maze Runner Trilogy) by James Dashner ~ Started: 18.12.10 ~ Finished: 26.12.10
Synopsis ~
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?
Following on from 'The Maze Runner', Thomas and the rest of Gladers find myself facing another trial at the hands of WICKED (which stands for 'World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department'), this time they must survive 'The Scorch', a bleak and unforgiving stretch of land which along with the rest of Earth suffered the devastation of the sun flares. Whilst travelling across The Scorch, the Gladers face Cranks, individuals who suffer from the disease known as 'The Flare', a virus which up until the sun flares occurred had remained locked in a laboratory, only to be released following the chaos from the sun flares. The Cranks have been left there by WICKED to survive the best way they can, by fighting and killing each other and anyone else who crosses their paths.
Thomas and the rest of the Gladers are told they have also caught 'The Flare', due the memory loss which WICKED has caused, the group do not know if this is the truth or not, so they must face 'The Scorch' by any means possible, while at the same time dealing with WICKED's actions to work out the variables, who is the strongest member of the group.
My thoughts on 'The Scorch Trials' ~
'The Scorch Trials' is more exciting than 'The Maze Runner' but the story is as strong as ever, WICKED have found more ways to torment Thomas and his friends which was sad to read because despite their skills, Thomas and his friends are children being made to make decisions they should never have to make until they are adults. WICKED uses Thomas and his friends to achieve their goals, any death is another variable which I found cruel. The story engrosses you from page one and I have said before, it is always the sign of a excellent writer when you care about the characters and you will with both books. The final book's title has not been announced as yet but I am looking forward to finding out how the trilogy ends.
A great read.
x