by James Dashner
"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?"
Mediocre. That's about the sum of book #2 in the Maze Runner Trilogy. While The Maze Runner was difficult for me to get into, but easy for me to finish, The Scorch trials was just the opposite. I was optimistic in during the first several chapters, but eventually it just kind of fizzled. Book two brought up even more questions, and it ended with even fewer answers.
Once again, Dashner shows his love of words, but also his lack of finesse. His imagery simply falls short. He creates this epic story filled with too many faceless, nameless characters. He does occasionally introduce these characters, graces them with a name for all of two paragraphs and then back to anonymity. He also did himself a disservice in giving the old characters that endeared themselves to the reader less of a voice in this sequel. He focuses on yet another new set of characters and the inevitable climax blazes in out of nowhere only to leave us confused and unimpressed. Also, Thomas is obviously talented in inspiring others to action, but he's also kind of a wimp.
I'm not rushing out to read the third, although, I do think I will finish the series eventually.
