The Death Cure (Maze Runner Series #3)

by James Dashner

Overview

Don’t miss book three in the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, now a major motion picture starring Dylan O’Brien!
 
WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

The first two books, The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, are also #1 worldwide blockbuster movies featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster!

Also look for The Fever Code, the much-buzzed-about series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built, and James Dashner's other bestselling series, the Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives.
 
Praise for James Dashner and the Maze Runner series: 
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series
A USA Today Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick
 
“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.” —EW.com

“Wonderful action writing—fast-paced . . . but smart and well observed.” —Newsday
 
“[A] nail-biting must-read.” —Seventeen.com
 
“Breathless, cinematic action.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Heart-pounding to the very last moment.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Exclamation-worthy.” —Romantic Times

“Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.” —Deseret News

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385738781
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/08/2013
Series:	Maze Runner Series
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	4,353
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

James Dashner is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order and The Fever Code, as well as the bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. Dashner was born and raised in Georgia, but now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains. To learn more about him and his books, visit JamesDashner.com, follow @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find dashnerjames on Instagram.

From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for James Dashner and the Maze Runner series:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series
A USA Today Bestseller
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick
 
“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.” —EW.com

“Wonderful action writing—fast-paced . . . but smart and well observed.” —Newsday
 
“[A] nail-biting must-read.” —Seventeen.com
 
“Breathless, cinematic action.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Heart-pounding to the very last moment.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Exclamation-worthy.” —Romantic Times

“Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.” —Deseret News

From the Publisher

Dashner illustrates how science and logic do not always partner up together. In this tale our young hero, Thomas, discovers he carries a deadly disease that the scientific world, Wicked, decides to exploit through physical trials and research. Wicked takes a handful of young people and puts them together where they face death on a continual bases until the climax builds and explodes all over the final chapters. The shocking ending through this world of twist and turns amazes all. Starting at the end of the series takes away from understanding character development and whether this story satisfies the reader's need to know theory. Sometimes I felt like I missed something important and had to go back and reread. I appreciate the originality and how well the book read, but the concept seems so farfetched that on a believable scale I would give it a three out of 10 being the most believable. This book is part of the "Maze Runner" trilogy. Reviewer: Julia Beiker

Children's Literature - Julia Beiker

Fans of Dashner will not be disappointed in the final book of this trilogy. After surviving the maze and scorch trials, Thomas is again forced to confront his beliefs regarding the "cure" that WICKED claims to have within their grasp. Without understanding his importance to the cure and subsequent survival of the human race, he defies the government organization at every turn while trying to determine along the way who is friend and who is foe. As his list of friends grows smaller, Thomas relies on survival instincts to help him last just one more day in a world gone amuck with madness. When offered the chance to have his memories returned, Thomas decides that he does not want to remember who he was before. If he was actually involved in setting up the trials, as WICKED implies, he really does not want to return to being that person. Setting up experiments and then actually living them has changed him in ways he could not have possibly predicted. Readers will find themselves rooting for Thomas and his friends as they take this final journey into the unknown. A fast-paced, intense, and emotional ending will have readers eagerly anticipating the final chapters. There are graphic scenes of fighting, injuries, and death, similar to the previous two novels, as the groups find themselves questioning their survival. Teens will be drawn to the underlying theme of good versus evil, but the ultimate decision is one that will stay with them long after they finish reading. Is redemption even possible after unleashing such horror on the world? Reviewer: Valerie Burleigh

VOYA - Valerie Burleigh

Gr 7 Up—In this final book in the series, Thomas and his friends learn that the World in Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department (WICKED) wants to devise a blueprint for a cure for the lethal Flare disease by analyzing their brain patterns. Although Thomas knows that he was partially responsible for the creation of the Maze, a brutal experiment that forces its subject to undergo trials and tribulations, he no longer thinks the end justifies the means—even if the goal is to save mankind. Despite his friend Teresa's continued protestations that WICKED is good, Thomas disagrees. His memories have started to come trickling back. He decides, with a few others, to break out of its headquarters. The group journeys to Denver, a city fruitlessly trying to keep the Flare at bay. Without a maze to escape from or a predetermined location to journey toward, the plot meanders. Thomas and his allies join forces with the Right Arm, a revolutionary organization determined to bring WICKED down. Like most things in the gripping series, good and evil are not black and white. WICKED, the Right Arm, and even Thomas all initially act with good intentions but make questionable moral choices along the way. Thomas's struggle to understand this contradiction makes the novel interesting. Fans of the previous books may be disappointed that many questions are left unanswered, but most of them will be satisfied with the conclusion.—Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

School Library Journal

An explosive ending to The Maze Runner trilogy.

Thomas and the rest of the survivors of the Maze and the Scorch Trials are being held at WICKED (World in Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department) headquarters. Subjected to even more tests, they've learned enough to know that they're all part of a massive experiment to find a cure for the pandemic Flare disease. But does any cure justify what they've been put through? Or the engineered deaths of their friends? It's hard to believe that "WICKED is good," even though that's the message they're bombarded with. Discouraged, rebellious and definitely not trusting, Thomas, Newt, Minho, Brenda and Jorge break out and escape to Denver, now a walled city meant to be reserved for the uninfected and the immune. But it's all too clear that Newt has already been infected and is teetering on the verge of madness. It's equally clear that WICKED has put a bounty on their heads and won't rest until they have these survivors back in hand—especially Thomas, who may have been part of all the experiments from the very beginning and is now the Final Candidate. Dashner again displays his mastery of the action sequence, making readers turn pages even as they become further invested in the well-developed characters.

Heart pounding to the very last moment. (Science fiction/thriller. 12 and up)

Kirkus Reviews