The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2) Review

 
 Title: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Series #2)

Author: James Dashner

Price: $17.99 ($12.23-Amazon)

Rating: 2 out of 5/ Constipation









 The apocalypse has been a prevalent theme in our generation. The y2k's, the Mayans, even all those crazy religious groups have thrown an end of the world party for their own version. But now I know these guys were just wusses complaining about their farts. Why you ask? Because I have endured the real apocalypse. It's an apocalypse of the brain and it has left my mind a scorched wasteland filled with terrible dialog and slang I can't forget. So if your a teacher, a fan of James Dashner, or pregnant please shut your computer down now. If your still reading then your a damned fool with a set of steel balls.

The Scorch Trials begin at the exact moment that The Maze Runner ended. The survivors of the maze are shuttled to a safe haven, patted on the back, and then subsequently infected with some zombie virus and starved to death amongst a room of hanging corpses. Their only chance to survive and receiving a cure is to cross an endless desert known only as the scorch while defeating the diseased along with some other fun man made monsters. Why are children forced to endure so many trials of horror...FOR SCIENCE!!!

The majority of pain received when reading this book will be from the terrible dialog. If children are really speaking like this then it is already too late to stop the end of the world. The slang includes gems like clunk, shuck, crank, and shank. But instead of feeling like you've entered a new culture you simply feel as though your watching a group of pre-teens trying to impress you. The characters also have a habit of speaking their every thought out loud. Nothing is ever implied or even hinted at, leaving the reader no room to wonder what motives might be moving these children (and what fun is that?). The children also seem to act and think in a completely brainwashed manner, leaving me to wonder whether that is intended or not. The main character particularly seems to suffer from a lack of complete faith, often believing only what he sees at that exact moment. For example: He is told to trust his best friend no matter what happens and he agrees. Then when his friend hits him he decides to hate her for the rest of the novel. When everything is finally combined this book turns its readers into zombies more efficiently than the T-Virus.

A great story will take even the worst author a long way and this is another perfect example. The idea that scientist are willing to do any evil for their results has always been a surefire classic. James Dashner is also able to successfully harness the reader's curiosity and keep those pages turning. The balance of giving just enough to keep the reader biting but not annoyed is a fine line that this author knows how to walk. Still there is a limit to how much the reward of the story compensates for the amount of brain damage that is received reading it.

 In the end I decided to give the Scorch Trials a 2 out of 5/ Constipation. I was tempted to go lower but I still feel strongly that there is a book even worse than this out there, and that someday we will meet in a glorious battle. Until then I feel satisfied that I have saved the world yet again from the apocalyptic destruction of terrible literature. Just another day at the office....


Picture Reference:
http://ftbotbblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/scorch-trials.html