The Death Cure by James Dashner
Maze Runner Trilogy: 1. Maze Runner, 2. Scorch Trials
Genre: Young adult apocalyptic dystopian science fiction
Length: 8h 55m
Audio publisher: Listening Library, 2011
Read by: Mark Deakens
From: Library OverDrive
Story: They've gotten out of the maze and out of the scorch. Thomas and his friends are now at WICKED headquarters. What final trial awaits?
Thoughts: I'm a big fan of this trilogy. I was surprised by how much I liked The Maze Runner. Then The Scorch Trials stepped up with non-stop action. For the third installment, I wanted explanations of why these trials were necessary. A lot of questions were raised in the first two books, and I eagerly anticipated the answers.
The Death Cure gave me my explanations, but I came away unsatisfied. The story behind WICKED and their trials didn't make a lot of sense to my public-health training. There are a lot of new characters and a lot of running around for a final book. Thomas' choices add to the confusion. I liked that not everything was explained, but it seems that many threads were left for Thomas to learn off-page. The last book is always the hardest since it has to tie everything together, but my expectations exceeded the reality for The Death Cure.
Reading: Mark Deakens gave a solid reading every bit as good as the last two books. I'm looking forward to hearing him read other titles.
Cover: I love the snow on this cover. Brings in feelings of bleakness and chill. Brr.
Final thoughts: I was a little disappointed by this final installment to the Maze Runner Trilogy. My vote is for Scorch Trials as the best book of the three.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5
Jenn is finishing up Mx3 over at her bookshelves and RIP VI is still going strong at Stainless Steel Droppings. Jen hosts Sound Bytes every Friday at Devourer of Books.
