Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The story, itself, I really liked, but James Dashner seemed to really pander to the lowest common denominator at times, which is supposedly about 12 years old. Things that were supposedly a mystery to the characters throughout the entire story were completely obvious within seconds of reading whatever it was and before even realizing it was supposed to be some big mystery. This is, to me, a very small gripe and wasn't really all too important to the entire story. There were a few other gripes along these lines that although they did detract from the story, it was still a great book to read. I would have definitely given it a 5 star rating if it wasn't for these small issues.

I look forward to reading the next story in the series (The Scorch Trials). Hopefully it doesn't die off like so many other series do after the first book.



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Review: Next

Next by Michael Crichton

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Crichton is always amazing at his research. And all of the information that was given about genes, DNA, etc. in this book continues his quality of research. The problem with this book is that I basically felt that I was reading only his research and it lacked a real cohesive story. To say it wasn't interesting would be false and for that reason I didn't give it one star. But something that is interesting doesn't necessarily make a good story. This definitely isn't the case with Next.



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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's weird to think that it took me this long to read the story that was the inspiration to one of my favorite movies of all time. And one thing that I love about it is that it's just that, the inspiration. The two stories are completely different and yet the same. Both seem to take place in a very similar world with subtle changes. The book has quite a bit more inner conflict and quite a few more future techs that you never hear about in the movie. Also, there is a much much larger emphasis placed on the tragic loss of most all animals that thrived once before on our planet and helps me understand why the story is named so completely different than the movie. It may not sound as cool as "Blade Runner" does, but it's a catchy title in how odd and original it is.

What's so great about this book, along with the movie, is that while they are so similar and different at the same time, it's their similarities that make you love the stories and it's the differences that allow you to have a completely different and great experience. Neither story tells you what is going to happen in the other before you read or see it.

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