The Scorch Trials pt. 2

Okay, kids. Part 2 of my Scorch Trials saga begins now.

The What and When of Chapters 29-33

At the start of Chapter 29, the Gladers have joined forces with Jorge and his fellow Crank Brenda. Jorge comes up with a plan to ditch the rest of his Crank crew. They then head to the place where Jorge has stashed their food. The Gladers get some food in them for the first time in a while.

Immediately following the meal, there is an explosion that caves in the roof of the underground room they are in. Of course there was an explosion. Why wouldn't something bad happen? Thomas is separated from the rest of the group with Brenda.

Brenda then leads Thomas through the underground tunnel system, called the Underneath. The people in this book are terrible at naming things. While in the Underneath, Thomas and Brenda are chased by a group of Cranks that are really Gone (meaning that the Flare has taken hold and they have lost their minds). The leader of the group taunts Thomas and Brenda, saying that he is going to cut off their noses. What a creep. Thomas and Brenda run and find a hiding place in a wall. They think they are safe for a while.

After a bit, they decide it's safe to leave the hiding place. One of the Cranks, the one with the odd fixation on noses, had waited for them. He attacks them there is a brief struggle, then Thomas kills the Crank. This marks the end of Chapter 33.

Analysis

I'd like to discuss with you something I've noticed popping up time and again in this book. A fair number of scenes take place in complete darkness. Every time the Gladers enter a new space, it is completely pitch black. This is a device used to symbolize the metaphorical darkness the Gladers are being kept in. Every time they think they are getting somewhere, they are met with a void. They are never given any information, so they are in the dark about their situation. Using physical darkness at a symbol for the metaphorical darkness drives home for the reader how hopeless and confusing their predicament really is.

That's going to be it for today. Apologies for the lack of pictures and the incredible delay. My internet is still not working, so I've had to type this all out on my phone. That's how much I love you.

Until next time. And, as always, happy reading.

Yet Another Delay

Shit. My internet is down again, so I won't be able to post an update until Monday when the new router gets here.

I'm super sorry about all of the time delays. I promise, first thing Monday we'll talk about the constant darkness in the book and what it represents. I know, a rousing discussion of symbolism makes every Monday better.

Until then, happy reading.

Back on Track

Okay, found another copy of The Scorch Trials, so I am back on track. I will post an update sometime tomorrow. Until then, happy reading.

Hiccup

Okay, tiny spot of bother to deal with. I have to return The Scorch Trials to the library today. I'm currently looking for a service to read online for free (I'm equal parts cheap and broke). Until then, I'm putting a pause on the book. I don't anticipate this lasting longer than a couple of days.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Or wait time. Whatever you want to call it.

If anyone could recommend a service, I would really appreciate it.

The Scorch Trails

Book Selfies are a thing, right?

Okay, now I'm going to catch you up to where I am in The Scorch Trials. I'm on page 164, on the first page of chapter 29. Read to that point and we'll discuss from there.

Just kidding. I'm totally going to give you a summary.

Fair Warning: obviously I haven't finished yet, so I'm not positive on what is going to be relevant later in the book. I will try my best, though, to include everything that might be important. And if I haven't discussed here becomes relevant, I will do my best to catch you up then.

Okay, here we go.

Summary of Events

Okay, I left out a small piece of relevant information from The Maze Runner. I left it out on purpose, because it's more relevant here.  Anyway, after the "rescue," the Gladers are told about the purpose of the maze. There was a disease called the Flare that hit Earth after massive sun flares burned the Earth's surface. Basically, the Earth is looking pretty shitty. The maze was created as a sort of trial to test these young people and see if they could possibly bring an end to the massive horror show that is the present state of the Earth. Basically, the maze was way safer than anything outside of it. And the boys in the trial are the best chance humanity has for survival. No pressure.

The Maze Runner

This book. This fucking book. I just... Lordy.

This is what the first book of a series should be. Bewildering, traumatizing, and exciting, The Maze Runner by James Dashner is fantastic. Let's look at the specifics.

Plot

Thomas, the main character, awakes in a dark box that is moving slowly upwards. Moving towards what, he has no idea. In fact, he has no idea who he is, where he is, or how he got there. All he remembers is his first name and some basics about the world. He doesn't have any memories of his life at all. You will be reminded of this constantly throughout the first half of the book. It gets really irritating after a while, but after a bit, the constant reminders stop. Which is nice. But I digress.

After the box stops and  the lid opens, Thomas is met by sixty-ish teenage boys who are living in a glade at the center of a massive maze. Throughout the novel, Thomas makes friends (Minho, Chuck, Newt, Alby) and enemies (that motherfucker Gally) in this group. In fact, more than one person tries is kill him.

The day after Thomas arrives, a girl in a coma comes up in the box with a note saying that everything is about the change. This is the first girl that has ever been in the maze. We know nothing about her, but Thomas has an immediate connection with her, despite the fact that she is in a coma. She stays in a coma from a solid portion of the book. But there is something strange about her. For some unknown reason, the girl can speak in Thomas's head. This is how we learn that her name is Theresa, that she knows Thomas from before the maze, and that she is bringing about the end of the maze situation. Basically, Theresa is the catalyst for the end of the book.

Inside the maze live these nasty, horrifying creatures called Grievers. They attack and kill people who enter the maze (not all the time, but there are attacks). When Gladers are attacked by the Grievers, they are given a serum that keeps them from dying, but they experience intense pain and regain some of their memories.

Opinion Time

Okay, so I started this blog at an odd time. I am currently in the middle of the second Maze Runner book by James Dashner (the Scorch Trials). So I need some input. Should I start out with a review of how I found the Maze Runner, then get you caught up on where I am in the Scorch Trials and go from there? Or should I start a new book just for all of you lovelies?

If helps your decision at all, the Maze Runner is really great and, so far, the Scorch Trials is even better.

Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments.

Introductions are Always Tough

Hello!

You may not know me but you seem to have stumbled across my blog. Let me tell you about myself.  I am a 25-year-old literature enthusiast with a degree in English. I love reading books and thinking about books and talking about books. So that it what this blog is going to be about. Books. I will endeavor to read as many classic novels as I can and give you my take on them. I will give you updates (I'm going to shoot for daily, but you never know) on my progress and thoughts. Sound good?

Thanks,
Katie