The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

The Maze Runner is another book I picked up from Target just because I thought the cover looked cool. I finished it the next day, and my husband finished in one night. The general premise is very similar to The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. It is quite rough (violent), but not as "in your face" about it as the Collins series.

Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator with no memory of who he is or where he's from. Basically, the only thing he can remember is his name. The elevator eventally takes him to a huge outdoor courtyard enclosed by massive stone walls. Outside the walls lies a gigantic maze. There are other boys here, none of whom remember who they are.

The boys have set up a society, of sorts. They are provided with some supplies, grow their own food, raise animals, etc. But there is just one thing they all want more than anything...to get out. Eight of them are assigned to be Runners, studying the Maze every day. The only problem? The walls move, and you do NOT want to be caught out in the Maze after dark.

Mystery abounds as you wonder why they were brought here. Are they criminals? Is there a way out at all? And why does Thomas have the oddest feeling that he's been here before?

This book has a great ending, making me sorry the next installment doesn't come out until October 2010!

Catching Fire

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, was a hotly anticipated book in our house. I read the first in this series, Hunger Games, after hearing so much about it online, and convinced my husband to give it a try after liking it so much. Hunger Games details the harsh lives of citizens living in a starvation-riddled post-apocalyptic nation that was previously North America. Panem, the new country, is divided into twelve districts, each of which must give two "tributes", a boy and a girl, for the annual Games. The Games are punishment by the Capitol for attempted uprisings in the past. Tributes are selected by lottery, and everyone under the age of 18 is in the pot. The Hunger Games are a fight to the death in a televised arena, with the winner receiving food and comfort for the rest of his or her life. This sequel takes up shortly after the first ends.

This was a good book, but clearly served as a bridge to set up future events. It didn't grab and hold my attention the way Hunger Games did. Granted, the danger is still real. Sudden death is still a very real possibility for the citizens of Panem. Even more striking than the Capitol's undiluted cruelty is the tributes' acceptance that the rest of their lives are most likely measured in hours. The last few pages, however, set the stage for an explosive third installment.

This is a young adult series, but don't be put off by that. It is gritty and realistic, brutal but starkly touching. Be warned, though: the fight scenes are bloody and quite graphic.

Foundling

Foundling, by D.M. Cornish, was such a nice surprise. Several of the books on my shelves were bought soley because their covers looked cool or interesting. I purchased this one for my husband with the vague thought that I might read it if he liked it. He powered through it, and handed it off to me.

Rossamund has grown up at Madam Opera's Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls. He is getting to the (quite young) age when he must go into a profession, and has been recruited as a lamplighter. (The story takes place during a time when there is no electricity, so lamps along the roads must be lit and extinguished by hand.) His journey to take up his position, though, covers land and sea, friend and enemy, adventure and danger. Cornish has imagined an entirely new world, the Half Continent, where monsters roam, the vinegar seas will erode your body like acid, and people will undergo multiple surgeries in order to harness the power of lightning. This world lives and breathes in the book, helped along by the many appendices, including an extensive glossary, a calendar, several illustrated examples of the uniforms worn by different professions, a conversion table, schematics of the many types of ships, etc. And speaking of the illustrations, they are by the author, and are incredible.

This is a story with weight, so nice to find in a book directed towards young adults. I really look forward to reading the sequel, Lamplighter.