Post 6: Book 3 Listicle

   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.

Thomas

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.