Review: The Maze Runner: James Dashner

Book: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1)
By: James Dashner
Published: October 6, 2009
Published By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Description: The first book in the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series—The Maze Runner is a modern classic, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

My Thoughts: This was one of those books I picked up because I heard a lot of hype about it, and then got afraid that it wouldn’t quite stack up, so it stayed on my shelf for forever. I finally picked it up the other day, and I read through it in a day. All in all, it was a pretty good book.

We follow Thomas, who’s been dropped in the center of this Maze with all these other guys. The ultimate goal of course, is to get out. Unfortunately, it’s been 2 years, and none of the other guys have been able to find a way out, so they doubt the possibility that Thomas will be able to. The difference between then and now though is, Thomas has been able to do things no others can do, he has secrets in his mind that imply that he knows more than others, and they no longer have as much time as they want. With the addition of a Female to the environment, things in the maze begin to change, and the lives of everyone are at stake.

The story started out pretty slow. We were dropped in the story and were just as clueless as Thomas. Though I understand the author’s reasoning, this was utterly frustrating. I hate not knowing what’s going on, and as Thomas asked questions that went unanswered by people that knew the answer, I grew pretty annoyed. It got better as I went on though, and more things were revealed. The storyline was well thought out and it was an interesting book. That being said, I don’t like Thomas. I can’t quite put my finger on why though; I just know I don’t like him. I think if I met him in real life, I would ignore every word out of his mouth.

I think the hype surrounding this book messed it up for me. If I had just picked it up with no expectations, I would probably have given it 5 stars. It was certainly good, just not as good as I’d hoped. I give it 4 stars.

Review: Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Book: Breathe (Breathe #1)
By: Sarah Crossan
Published: October 2, 2012
Published by: Greenwillow

Description: Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe . . .The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alinahas been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinnshould be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Beawants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

My Thoughts: Breathe was a good book with an interesting premise. In an effort to advance technology and society trees in the natural world have been cut down to build towers. As a result, much of the world's oxygen supply has been depleted causing many to suffocate or go crazy from lack of oxygen to the brain. Breathe, a company who had found ways of manufacturing oxygen, has created a pod and allowed some of the population (the rich people, the important people, and those who won lotteries) to live under their protection. Here, you much pay for the use of oxygen, much like we currently pay for electricity or air conditioning. Society is spilt into classes based upon their benefit to the Pod, but as most dystopians go, its this control over society that ultimately becomes Breathe's downfall.

We follow three characters. Bea, Alina, and Quinn. Bea is an auxiliary, pretty much the bottom of the totem pole in the Pod society. Her parents are struggling to pay for air for them to survive, for that reason, she can't run, or kiss or work out, or do anything that would use up more oxygen than necessary. She's determined to pass a test that would allow her to join the ranks of Breathe and become a Premium so that her family would no longer have to struggle.Quinn, on the other hand, is Bea's best friend and the man she's been pining for since forever. He's a premium, and life is pretty much easy for him since his father works for Breathe. He too, wants to work for breathe and has been practicing with Bea so that they both can make it. Finally, there's Alina, the one person who causes the whole story to go in a completely different direction than everyone else meant it to. She's part of the Resistance. She's practiced her ability to survive off of low oxygen levels so that she can eventually survive outside of the Pod. She practices running in areas where speed cameras aren't located (yep, speed cameras) and after something horrible happens, she must flee the Pod or die, an action that brings all our characters together.

I enjoyed seeing Breathe develop. It was an interesting story. The corruption that filled Breathe was absolutely believable and the events that took place outside of the Pod were as well. I can see us as humans ruining the world's oxygen supply due to the excessive way we cut down trees and I can see a corporation using it to their benefit. All of it was realistic and I loved reading about it.

Though there were some parts that weren't completely realistic in that they were a little too convenient, or I couldn't see the attraction between some of the characters, it didn't take away from the appeal of the story at all. There was a bit of a love triangle, but not in the sense that one guy loved two people and vice versa, but in the sense that there was tons of unrequited love/like between characters. I would give this story 3.5 stars. It was a good story, but didn't keep me on the edge of my seat like I'd hoped and besides an interesting premise, it didn't offer anything that I didn't already expect from normal dystopians.

 

Random Rant Thursday : The Dystopian Obsession

Lately, I have been reading a lot of Dystopian novels and it has me thinking, why exactly do I like reading them so much? Is it the utter hopelessness of the society that does nothing but make you want a hero to rise from the ashes and fix it all? Maybe. Is it the fact that society has been brought so low that baser instincts for human survival are the only thing we, as a society can focus on? Probably. Is it the fact that the worlds have been developed in such a way that we can see the path our society would have to take in order to get there and all the governing principles seem probable? Definitely!

Its strange. I enjoy reading about a hero who, despite all odds, can rise up and defeat an entire society. It interesting to read about the following they receive along the way, the things they learn about themselves. I love the way that despite whatever happened with the world, the appearance of this one character can eventually make everything okay.

I also like reading about the fights, the fact that society no longer focuses on shopping and partying (though at times those are elements of the stories) but instead it focuses on the acquisition of food, water, air, and just attempting to live. However, those arent the things I like the most about dystopians. It's the fact that the world, despite everything, has been brought to it's knees by the stupid actions of us as a society, and I can see how we could get there. It's the corruption, and greed of people in our world who I can see using destruction as a means to gain more power over us. It's the fact that, in order to keep that power, those governing bodies will do anything to keep society weak and make themselves stronger. I love reading it because it's so horrible, but I can see it happening.

In my opinion, everyone has a bit of bad in them, even if it's just the hate we feel for the truly horrible people. Everyone seeks power in some way, even if it's just seeking the power to overcome obstacles. It's for that reason that we can see society advancing to dystopian levels. We can understand that people have varying levels of power and evil, and sometimes, despite the purest efforts, those people can take something that's perfect and turn it into something horrible, and I love reading about that.

Though dystopians are often lessons taken to the extreme, and thus do not necessarily compare to our world, I like to use the lessons I learn, and the things I read about when forming opinions in my own world, and I hope that enough people read the books that we can eventually prevent something similar happening in the future.

What do you think? Do you like Dystopians? Why? Let me know your thoughts on this topic.

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Book: The Pledge (The Pledge #1)
By: Kimberly Derting
Published: November 15, 2011
Published By: Margaret K. McElderry

Description: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

My Thoughts: The Pledge was an interesting book that really made me think.The Pledge is an interesting Dystopian novel in that the dividing factor between the classes in society is Language. There are different languages based upon your class, and as such, if one hears a language their class does not speak, he/she is forced to look down in a sign of inferiority. The theory behind it is that if everyone doesn't speak the same language, there is no way for them to ban together and try to revolt. Unfortunately though, there is a common language, since everyone has to be able to understand something to interact in marketplaces, or if there is an announcement for everyone to understand. This common language though is all the resistance needs to get their foot in the door.

We follow Charlaina (Charlie) a 17 year old girl who has a secret she must die to protect. She has the power of speech. She can understand every single language, even if she has never heard it before. If anyone learns of this power. she will be killed. Her younger sister, although unable to speak at all, has the ability to heal with the touch of her hand. Their parents attempt to hide them from the view of the powerful queen, the only other person in society who has powers. Soon, we find that Charlie and her sister's powers stem from something buried deep inside them, and that secret is the one and only thing that can save the entire society.

I enjoyed reading this book. Charlie is realistic and like-able, as is her sister and though I wish she would have had a bit more backbone, the brutal society they live in explains her actions and she is quite strong considering the way she had to grow up. Max, the love interest, is quite interesting, though I didn't like the insta-love that seemed to flare between he and Charlie.

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book, though there were a few things I didn't quite understand or didn't quite make sense to me. I am definitely going to read the next book in the series, The Essence (I just picked it up  from the library yesterday). This was an interesting series that I would recommend to lovers of dystopian Novels. I give it 3.5 stars.

Review: Feed by M.T. Anderson

Book: Feed
By: M.T. Anderson
Published: September 23, 2002
Published by: Candlewick Press

Description: Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.


For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now

My Thoughts: Feed is a book that borders dangerously close to what could happen if America continues to progress technologically and continues to be the "superpower" it is today. It's slightly frightening but also interesting. It's everything that's going on now, but to the extreme and with a few things added here and there. I'm glad I picked up this audiobook from the library.

In society at this time, there are these things called Feeds implanted in people's brains. The Feed is basically a computer, telephone, and television all in one that projects things into your brain/body. You watch shows without moving a muscle, can chat internally with your friends, and can look up anything and everything right on the spot. Everyone's smart, and no one is. It controls everything you do. It cures headaches you may have, can direct you or your "up-car" (flying car) to a destination, controls your bodily functions, everything. The best way I can hope to explain this world is perhaps by showing you this quote:

“I don't know when they first had feeds. Like maybe, fifty or a hundred years ago. Before that, they had to use their hands and their eyes. Computers were all outside the body. They carried them around outside of them, in their hands, like if you carried your lungs in a briefcase and opened it to breathe.”

That's how big the feed is in this world, and as in any dystopian, we eventually learn the atrocities this type of development can create.

In Feed, we follow Titus, a young well-to-do boy on his way to the moon for spring break. He's going with his friends and they're planning on having a totally "brag" time. They get there and realize the moon sucks these days but decide to have fun at the clubs and stuff. Before one trip to the club, Titus meets Violet. Violet seems to ooze sex appeal in Titus's mind and he really wants to get to know her. She seems really smart and exciting, and not at all like anyone he's used to. He decides he should probably make her his girlfriend on this trip, maybe have a little fun. Titus, Violet, and his friends then go out to the Ricochet lounge to play around in the low-grav when this hacker guy shows up and causes their feeds to malfunction. As the police arrive, their feeds are disabled and they are taken to the hospital for several days. During these days, Titus and Violet get closer but we also really see how big a part of everyones lives the feed really is. They don't really know how spend time doing nothing with nothing in their heads. They begin to feel lonely and are really pretty stupid. (Everyone except Violet of course) They don't know how to write. They don't really know how to verbally talk to each other, and definitely don't know how to form full sentences. The sentences are kind of summarized like, "Went to the store, da da da, saw the guy, da da da, he kissed me, da da da, epic romance, da da da" It's actually a bit ridiculous. Soon though, their feeds get turned on and everything goes back to (semi) normal. Everyone except Titus and Violet seem to be normal. It's like, the traumatic experience they had on the moon didn't occur. Only, it did. Soon, we realize Violet's feed didn't come back correctly. Somethings happening to Violet. Titus doesn't seem to understand why, he doesn't seem to know what to do, he doesn't even seem to know how to care. Violet's losing the ability to function properly, she's starting to shut down, and Titus doesn't understand why she keeps bringing him down, can't figure out how to bring her up, nor how to try to be there for her, nor why he should even try to be there for her. He wants to have fun, not think of bad stuff, and from there we learn what's really wrong with the world.

Feed was very interesting. Society/America has developed to a point where there are no longer any plants left on the planet. Clean Air factories produce the air we breathe. Every single thing we eat, use, and wear is made from processed items. There are Fillet Mignon Farms where Fillet Mignon is made. People wear lots of plastic clothes, and plates, tables, and almost everything is disposable. The Feed projects the news, TV shows, and everything into your brain, including tons of commercials and ads and banners. You see someone in a skirt you like and instantly the feed pulls up the skirt with the price so you can buy it and get it shipped to your house within the hour. Much like how Amazon can figure out things you may want before you really know you want it, the feed categorizes everyone so that they can come up with things you may want to buy or listen to or see. Everyone is placed in these neat little categories based on their bookmarks and likes and dislikes. Check out this quote:

“…It’s like a spiral: They keep making everything more basic so it will appeal to everyone. And gradually, everyone gets used to everything being basic, so we get less and less varied as people, more simple. So the corps make everything even simpler. And it goes on and on.”

The feed tells you what you want, may want, and gotta have. It seems almost unreal.

Earth has branched out and been able to start settlements on other planets like Mars and the Moons of Jupiter, and Venus (unlikely in real life, but still interesting to read about.) Life is about Fun, there's not much thinking. If you don't know what that word means, your feed'll tell you. The feed gives you all the hip new words and all the hip new hairstyles and fashions. Everything though, is owned by corporations. School is School Inc. where you learn how to be a good consumer and how to market things and all that. The feed is controlled by big corporations. The issue comes though when you ask yourself, if everyone in America is on the feed and spending life having a totally "brag time" and not caring about anything other than our own instant satisfaction and going "mal" (basically going to like a malware site that gives you a feeling of like being high on drugs or something), then who is providing the tons and tons of products we buy, who's working to the bone to get everything to us? How are we enforcing it? Who's voting? Do we even still live in a democracy? Additionally, why are people beginning to get lesions on their bodies, and losing muscle and skin and hair? What the hell is going on, and why does no one seem to care?

This book is crazy. It's written in a teen, hippie, chatty, somewhat simplified style language that's not at all as horrible as you may think it is. It helps to understand how far society has fallen in its attempt to move forward. It's not one of those books where the main character attempts all these big feats and "sticks it to the man." Big issues aren't solved. It is one of those books though that tells you the dangers of progressing too far and losing everything that makes us human. Everyone wants their heart's desires. They want to live in their dream world, but someday, you have to open your eyes from your dream world, and see the real world for what it really is. You can't have everything.

This has been a long review, but I promise I'm almost done. As you can see by this quote that I'm including only because I thought it was hilarious,

“…what the President meant in the intercepted chat. This was, uh, nothing but a routine translation problem. It has to be understood, that…It has to be understood that when the President referred to the Prime Minister of the Global Alliance as a ‘big sh*thead,’ what he was trying to convey was, uh—this is an American idiom used to praise people, by referring to the sheer fertilizing power of their thoughts. The President meant to say that the Prime Minister’s head was fertile, just full of these nutrients where ideas can grow. It really was a compliment…”

Most of the society has gotten, well, basic and unfocused, and stupid. There was quite a bit of cursing in this book, "drug" use and did make me tear up a bit at the end. The main character annoyed me a bit, but almost every character did due to the general nature of the feed and the way it made people react. Violet seemed to be the best character, but even she was affected by the "strangeness" of her personality and her feelings about the feed and so sometimes I was annoyed at her passiveness and vulnerability.

I loved Feed. It made me think a lot about where we are as a society and where we're going.  I would suggest it to everyone who loved dystopians but want a bit of the unreal at the same time. Oh, and the audiobook is pretty amazing. I'd suggest listening to it in audio format. It includes sections that make you really understand how the feed really is, inserting ad's at the end of chapters and all that. It really made me feel connected. My rating is 4.5 Stars.