Reading log (December) Part I

THE SCORCH TRIAL

                by James Dashner

“Remember, the Scorch Trial is when things get hard.”

I found myself in the middle of three in the morning, finally reading the epilogue of the second book of the Maze Runner series. The almost dawn was a deafening silence yet my mind is noisy with questions and thoughts about how the plot jerked into another startling scene however it is already ending –a series indeed.

Some pieces of his memory were back, made their way out of the maze despite the struggles of battling with the Grievers and seeing dead bodies of his friends left in the maze, yet Thomas and the other twenty Gladers felt no success. They held the victory after them sent to the safe house with the comforts of foods, clothes and the bed enough for a rest after the vicious fight. They are as clueless as their memory that it would lead them to the hardest level of the trial.

I like the idea of the characters worked together not just the highlight of the lead after it revealed they were never survivors and another trial still awaits their journey. It is good to read a book where you do not only see the efforts of the main character however does not overpowered. One thing that made me appreciate Thomas is that he acts, thinks, fights and works as if no one is the leader and every one of them has the ability to throw in help for their survival. We almost always let everything be on the leaders hands that sometimes or so I thought, we make effort to aid the task but at the back of our minds, the leader could or would lend his extra effort to make it the best, alone. That’s amazing about him that instead of crying a day when he arrive clueless –remembering only his name, he broke the record of a new kid’s role in the maze; he spent his time discovering and looking for answers on why is he in the maze? and what’s the purpose of the maze? or why are they sent there?.

In the Scorch where Minho was appointed “The Leader”, Thomas did not let him fight the storm, the cranks, the lies and all the betrayals alone but he made everyone follow him fought and protect the group. I was really grateful to meet Thomas for he made me value “the world is round and it continues to spin” because truly, triumphs are never everlasting nor defeats are forever. You would experience a smooth and a rough road in the middle of your journey. I guess “staying strong” in the battle that you’re clueless of the result is like you being “well prepared” for a fight that needs to be won. “Remember, the Scorch Trial is when things get hard”, so if you're in a difficult phase of your life now think of it as the Scorch Trial and always bear in mind that if Thomas and other Gladers survive, you also can.

As I encounter terms like betrayal, lies and the thoughts of people being controlled, these always remind me of Katniss Everdeen in Suzanne Collins’ series the Hunger Games. Katniss’ and Thomas’ tale are widely divergent but their battle are way similar. As well as the government of Panem and the WICKED never missed to point a comparable agenda. President Snow intent to organize his people while the creators of WICKED want to find a cure of a contagious virus –The Flare to make a new and well society of ill-free people and both of them see alternative on “control”; they control the minds of their variables in order to fulfill their plans despite the death they witness every trial. And the role of both protagonists of the two books is to fight and let them know that they have the power to end the flow of blood and that they could no longer be used.  Both of them will fight not just for victory but for a peaceful life they only imagined and wished in the combat.

Before I start the New Year, this series concludes my favorite for 2014. Usually, I could barely finish a single novel in 3 or 4 months but it was another first for me last November to read three books in a month and it only attests how I love to spend my time with James Dashners’ masterpiece. However, I broke my resolution last year to unfold the series complete for I unfortunately have not found the final book –Kill Order but I promised to look for it so bad to also help me answer my questions in the preceding books like; will the immune of the virus still become Cranks at the end?, does the cure really exist?, will the wicked fail?, is it possible that The Flare be experienced in the real world in the future considering the Global Warming we faced right now?. And to also complete my predictions on whether the main variable -Thomas  be dead and will caused the WICKED to fail and will eventually kill the other Gladers or else Thomas will succeed against the WICKED and will find the cure by themselves. Not unless I found the Finale of the book this noises like viruses in my mind would possible make me insane as the Cranks.

Series’ exclusive terms:

Grievers

o   A monstrous animal like creatures that kill the Gladers in the Maze and in Scorch.

o   Helps the WICKED to eliminate unwanted variables.

Gladers

o   Group of boys sent in the middle of the maze

o   –they called the place Glade so their called Gladers as it was narrated

WICKED (World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experement Department)

o   The creators of the trials like the Maze and the Scorch

o   They are to find the cure to the Flare

Variables

o   Group of people who’ll be tested and be observed through the functions of their brains while on the trial

The Flare

o   The uncontrolled heat of the Sun causing a flesh eating hot weather that affects the brain like a contagious virus of every human until makes each of them insane and eat one another.

Cranks

o   The people who had The Flare

o   Some of them are immune by the virus like Thomas that is as if normal, other are newly carriers like Newt who badly needs the cure, and the flesh eating Cranks –fully insane individuals.

James Dashner provided the best descriptions of the following terms so if you are curious and interested to know them deeply, feel free to read the whole series –if you have not read it yet. You’ll know how the following terms made the plot very exciting that you would hate to put the book down. I felt one of the Gladers and I’m pretty sure you also will. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  

READING LOG 2 Part II

RUN to DEATH

-Roel Neniel Revilleza

Scorch right through the flesh

Rules, lies, dying fresh

Tomorrow we’ll run express

Until the bang of the closing doors hiss

This is the end!

No, it has to be

Is still the dawn? Maybe

Oh please run and we’ll see

Are we running a success?

Or just slay the time we get

Yesterday or else tomorrow you’ll forget

Then again, be back to the maze

Left to right repeat the route

Run to your pace and grab the fruit

Yet haven’t seen it near

Just run and leave your fear

Hush! Tired? Ready to go back

Or not, be ready for the attack

For ‘Grievers’ right looking a far

Live, run, fast to the door ajar