The Scorch Trials
by James Dashner, the second book in The Maze Runner series is becoming
very popular: with the first book being turned into a movie in September and The
Scorch Trials being released as a movie next year, this book is destined
for fame. This book isn’t exactly a new book with new ideas though. Here’s 5
ways The Scorch Trials is similar to other books trending now.
1: Protagonist who saves the day
Thomas is very similar to other
heroes such as Tris in the Divergent series. He is in charge of leading
Gladers through the Scorch. Of course he doesn’t realize it at first and Minho
is leading them, but after he sees a sign that says “Thomas, You’re The Real
Leader” he figures he should start deciding what needs to get done.
Thomas then helps the Gladers reach the cure by fighting off Cranks and
directing them away from danger.
2: Going through the impossible
Comparable to Katniss fighting in
the arena, Thomas and the Gladers have to cross the Scorch, “the most
burned-out section of the world”. While they are there, they’re faced with many
challenges like Cranks (people who’ve caught the deadly disease the Flare).
Their goal? Get to the cure because the creators gave them the disease. They
need to get the cure within 2 weeks otherwise they won’t get it period. If they
don’t get it they’ll all turn to Cranks.
|
|
|
|
3: Love triangle
 |
| Brenda |
 |
| Teresa |
Resembling Twilight which has
a love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jake, during this book there is a
love triangle between Thomas, Teresa, and Brenda. Thomas doesn’t know where
Teresa is in the Scorch, but he meets a Crank named Brenda. Brenda flirts with
Thomas and gives him little hints that she likes him. Throughout all of Thomas
can’t help but think of Teresa.
|
||
|
|
4: People die
The Fault in Our Stars is very comparable to this book.
Similarly both books have people that die in them. In The Scorch Trials it isn’t a major character that dies, but some Gladers
do die. One way to die in the Scorch is getting struck by lightning. For a
Glader named Jack, when he got struck it did a lot of permeant damage, “shin,
ankle, and foot obliterated by the burst of pure electricity from the sky”.
There are other obstacles such as liquid metal balls attaching to your face and
Cranks who want you dead so they can have your nose.
5: Dystopian society
Many books
are now taking place in a dystopian setting. There’s Panem, a dystopian
Chicago, and many others. This book’s setting takes place in the future after
the flare has killed almost everyone. The people from WICKED are pretty much
the only people that survived, and “exist for one purpose and one purpose only:
to save the world from catastrophe”. They are doing trials such as the maze
trial and the scorch trial to see what’s different about the groups of kids
they’re testing the trials on. They want to figure out how each one of their
brains work so they can save the world, but to Thomas and his friends the
trials seem more like a punishment.
While The Maze Runner and The
Scorch Trials were both very good books, they’re also very cliché at the
same time. To compare it to other young adult books is like comparing The Hunger Games and Twilight, different books with different ideas but some similar
elements. Most people enjoy these dystopian books or series which is probably
why a majority of books on the best sellers list seem to have similar topics or
details.
