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A review by sphynxreads
The Maze Cutter by James Dashner
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I received an audio ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nope nope nope absolutely not. At this point James Dashner is just utterly desperate to milk the now-expired success of the Maze Runner series for all its worth. But frankly, it's not going to work. I honestly would be surprised if this spin-off will get past a second book because this was just bad. In my opinion, the original trilogy stood strong on its own. The Kill Order was a good addition since it provides a familiar character's backstory and a completely new cast so there was still a lot of fresh perspectives to explore. The Fever Code was a mediocre installment but at least it somehow bridged the gap between The Kill Order and the original trilogy.
What Dashner so obviously tries to do with this spin-off is to pull something along the lines of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Era 2. That is, this is an attempt to look further into the future of the original story and introduce more "evolved" circumstances that arise from unresolved problems from the past storyline. At this attempt, Dashner fails miserably since in the first place, the original trilogy has never pretended to have more depth than it actually does. I just wish this new story was just a thrilling adventure like the previous books, instead of trying so hard to be something more. Furthermore, it is clear that Dashner wants to "give the fans what they want" by attempting to evoke nostalgia through character references to the original cast, but I don't think they were done well at all and ultimately fell emotionally flat.
What we do get here is a confusing story which introduces way too many new concepts that suggest that previous fans are just that die-hard over the series that they will just trust whatever Dashner writes enough to consume this and wait for a sequel. But when this new series introduction is so weak, I honestly doubt there will be much interest in it going forward. On top of that, one of the biggest gripes that Maze Runner critics have with the series is the persistent heightening of stakes and thrills without satisfying answers or a good payoff at the end. This new installment amplifies that weakness of the series.
A huge part of the appeal of the original series aside from the edge-of-your-seat pacing are the endearing characters and the meaningful character relationships. This book, with the possible exception of the Orphan and Roxy, does not have that. We get the blandest and most uninteresting characters, uneven pacing, and a yawn-worthy plot at best. I will not be continuing this series.
Nope nope nope absolutely not. At this point James Dashner is just utterly desperate to milk the now-expired success of the Maze Runner series for all its worth. But frankly, it's not going to work. I honestly would be surprised if this spin-off will get past a second book because this was just bad. In my opinion, the original trilogy stood strong on its own. The Kill Order was a good addition since it provides a familiar character's backstory and a completely new cast so there was still a lot of fresh perspectives to explore. The Fever Code was a mediocre installment but at least it somehow bridged the gap between The Kill Order and the original trilogy.
What Dashner so obviously tries to do with this spin-off is to pull something along the lines of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Era 2. That is, this is an attempt to look further into the future of the original story and introduce more "evolved" circumstances that arise from unresolved problems from the past storyline. At this attempt, Dashner fails miserably since in the first place, the original trilogy has never pretended to have more depth than it actually does. I just wish this new story was just a thrilling adventure like the previous books, instead of trying so hard to be something more. Furthermore, it is clear that Dashner wants to "give the fans what they want" by attempting to evoke nostalgia through character references to the original cast, but I don't think they were done well at all and ultimately fell emotionally flat.
What we do get here is a confusing story which introduces way too many new concepts that suggest that previous fans are just that die-hard over the series that they will just trust whatever Dashner writes enough to consume this and wait for a sequel. But when this new series introduction is so weak, I honestly doubt there will be much interest in it going forward. On top of that, one of the biggest gripes that Maze Runner critics have with the series is the persistent heightening of stakes and thrills without satisfying answers or a good payoff at the end. This new installment amplifies that weakness of the series.
A huge part of the appeal of the original series aside from the edge-of-your-seat pacing are the endearing characters and the meaningful character relationships. This book, with the possible exception of the Orphan and Roxy, does not have that. We get the blandest and most uninteresting characters, uneven pacing, and a yawn-worthy plot at best. I will not be continuing this series.