Book Review: The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

Oh, man, this is when I wish I had come up with a more clever name for my blog, like my friend Courtney's, Abducted by Books (isn't that a great blog name?), because I really felt like I was abducted by The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner.

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

The first book in the series, The Maze Runner, had been on my to-read list for quite some time, and then at some point I bought the book (I can't remember if I bought it this year or last year, but either way, it's been sitting on my shelf for some time, waiting to be read).  This year, I've read 76 books so far (more than twice my goal of 35 books!), and I've ended up loving quite a few of them.  I realized that many of these books that I've loved this year, that I've given 5 star ratings to on Goodreads and have added to my favorites list, have been Young Adult Science Fiction stories.  And The Maze Runner trilogy is no exception.


The Maze Runner starts off with the protagonist, Thomas, waking up in complete darkness, with most of his memories erased.  He knows his name, can remember things, but can't remember people or specific events.  Then the small square room he is in starts to move upward, revealing itself to be an elevator in an extremely tall shaft.  Once it stops, doors open at the top of the shaft and Thomas finds himself in the middle of a huge maze with other teenage boys who have each had their memories erased, as well.  Their mission - to find a way out of the maze.  Only there are a few problems.  There are openings on each side of the middle of the maze (or The Glade, as they call it), but these openings are actually doors, which close each night.  And you don't want to get caught outside the doors at night, or you'll be killed by these grotesque creatures called Grievers.  And then, in the morning, once the doors have opened again, all the walls in the outer parts of the maze have changed, making you start all over again.  


And I won't say any more than that, because I hate spoilers - so much so that I read the descriptions of the books once, put them on my to-read list if I'm interested, and then once I get the book I don't read those descriptions again, nor do I read any of the blurbs on the book, because I've been spoiled by those before, too.  Anyway, I digress.

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

I LOVED The Maze Runner.  It is so my kind of book that I just want to read it over and over again.  I finished it on the 13th of December, but I knew before I finished it that I wanted to read the other two books in the series, so I put them on my Christmas list.  And I got them!  I was in the middle of reading another book, but I couldn't wait!  So on December 23rd (the day my family had our Christmas) I started reading The Scorch Trials.  I finished it on Christmas Day and started The Death Cure right after.  I finished The Death Cure last night, on the 26th.  I've only been able to read a few books in a day in my life, so that was quite an accomplishment.  And it also speaks volumes about the books themselves.

Photo courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

The Maze Runner is probably always going to be my favorite out of the three.  I really loved The Scorch Trials, too, and although I also loved The Death Cure, I had a few problems with it.  The Scorch Trials kind of revealed a different twist to this story (it was hinted at in The Maze Runner, but I didn't really get it until The Scorch Trials).  No, I'm not going to tell you what it was.  But I'll say that it didn't seem out of place in this world to me, but it kind of made me stop short for a second when I realized what was going on, and made me say, "Hey...."  But then The Death Cure happened, and I kind of felt similar to how I felt with Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games series.  With that series, I loved each of the books, too, and gave each of them 5 stars, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending of Mockingjay.  I didn't hate it like some readers, but it wasn't what I had expected or wanted.  And I felt the same with The Death Cure.  The Death Cure was a really fast-paced read with a lot of action, but I was kind of pissed at Thomas for this one thing (if you've read it you probably know what I'm talking about - the big thing HE DIDN'T DO!), and the ending left me kind of disappointed.  I kept waiting for something else to happen, and when it didn't, I was upset. I know this is all so vague and I'm sorry - you'll all just have to read the series and we can talk about it in detail, because I really don't want to spoil anyone.


But regardless, I still loved this series and it has moved up to my #3 favorite series of all time.  Right under The Hunger Games (which is right under the Holy Grail of series, Harry Potter).  I'm so glad I read these books, and I'll definitely read Dashner's prequel to the series, The Kill Order, when it comes out in August.  I'm also excited about the movie adaptation of The Maze Runner that is set to be released in 2013, although it is being directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and I'm not a huge fan of her films.  Hopefully the fact that James Dashner is co-writing the screenplay will keep the film very true to the book.  


I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys Young Adult Science Fiction, especially if you enjoy books like The Hunger Games series, Divergent, and the Uglies series.

Finally - My Cast Picks for The Hunger Games movie

Oy vey.  This was hard.  And it took waaaay too long.  And be forewarned:  this is a long blog post.  But let me just start at the beginning.


Back in October I found out that Entertainment Weekly was having a poll online where you could vote for the cast of The Hunger Games movie.  They only gave about five options for several characters, and then they posted their picks, along with the majority votes in the poll.  Click here for their picks.  


Now, I had been seeing a lot of ideas floating around online about who should play who, and let me tell you, I was not impressed (Katy Perry as Effie, really?).  But when I saw EW's picks I just knew I had to make my own list.  


So here was my process.  I decided that I would cast the same characters that EW did.  These included the main characters, of course, but also included a few other, smaller characters.  But how was I to find these actors and actresses that would be perfect for these roles?  I read all of the comments on EW's poll, and looked up those commenter's suggestions on IMDb.  Some of them were okay suggestions, a few were great suggestions, but most of them, sadly, were not right for the part.  Mostly they were too old.  But therein lies the problem.  These characters, for the majority of The Hunger Games, are between the ages of 12 and 18.  Yes, there are a few older characters, but all of the tributes are between those ages.  And how many actors are between those ages?  Millions, but not many we've heard of.  But I am all for fresh, new faces.  So when I didn't find the suggestions to be spot on, I Googled.  I Wikipediaed (I know this isn't the most reliable source, but you can enter in a year, say, 1994, and it will give you a list of people who were born that year, which helped a lot).  I IMDbed.  Yes, these are probably spelled wrong.  But if Googled is a word, why shouldn't IMDbed be one?  It's a verb, right?  Right.  I also found handy pages on IMDb like "Most Popular People Born in 1994."  Those were a tremendous help.


Then, once I found all those lists, I had to have some type of criteria.  Here are the main things I looked for:

1. Looks.  Not the attractiveness of the actor or actress, but whether they looked the part.  Yes, hair can be dyed, contacts can change eye color, but I needed my cast to look like the characters.
2. Age.  This was a big one.  Like I said before, many people (EW included) were suggesting actors that were just too old for the parts.  I tried to keep the actors around the age of their respective characters, give or take a couple of years.  Some people, of course, I wasn't sure of the age, so I just guessed.
3. Acting ability.  This one wasn't quite as high on my list.  It was hard, because there just aren't that many well-known teens out there (at least that I know of) and therefore many of my picks are little-known actors who really look the part and are the right age.  I thought of maybe trying to find some of their movies and watch them to make sure they could actually act, but then I wouldn't have had this list up for another couple of months.  Of course I want the actors in this movie to be wonderful, but I simply don't know about some of their acting abilities.

And that's about it.  But this was very, very difficult.  I do not envy a casting director's job.

So let's get to it.  First of all, I am going to list the characters and EW's picks, and then my picks.  There will be pictures of my picks, but not of EW's picks, because that would be just too many pictures.  Once again, if you want to see EW's picks, go here.  All of these photos are copyrighted by their respective owners.

The Hunger Games Movie, as Casted by Andrea

Katniss  (EW's pick:  Lyndsy Fonseca; EW's poll winner:  Kaya Scodelario)

My pick:  Hayley Erin

She just looks the part.  She was born in 1994, so she's 16 now.  She has been on television shows such as The Young and The Restless and Big Love.

Once again, I have no idea if she can act.  But I hope she can, because she just looks like Katniss to me.

And Lyndsy Fonseca, while a good actress, is just way too old.  She just turned 24.  Kaya Scodelario is closer in age to Katniss, but she just doesn't seem right to me.


I also think that Danielle Chuchran, who played Katniss in the fan-made YouTube video, Hunger Games:  Katniss & Rue, could also make a good Katniss.


Gale  (EW's pick:  Ben Barnes; EW's poll winner:  Gaspard Ulliel)


My picks:  Joshua Adams (left) or Jean-Luc Bilodeau (right)

Now, on this one I might be a bit biased, because Joshua Adams is my brother-in-law.  He's an aspiring actor living in L.A., and let me tell you, the boy can act.  He's about to turn 20, and Jean-Luc is 20, so they're a bit older than Gale, but I think they could both pull it off.  I saw Jean-Luc in a small part recently, and although I don't know much about him, he seemed to be a good actor.  I'm voting for Josh, though.  I can't help it!


Another note, Ben Barnes (EW's pick) is 29!  And Gaspard Ulliel is close behind at 26!  These guys are just too old.


Peeta  (EW's pick:  Josh Hutcherson;  EW's poll winner:  Hunter Parrish)


My pick:  Ryan Hanson Bradford (left) or Alexander Ludwig (right)

Ryan Hanson Bradford won me over in his portrayal of the "Boy in Black" on an episode of Lost.  I haven't seen him in anything else, but that small role showed me what a good actor he already is, and what a great actor he's sure to become.  He's 15 now, but I think he could seem 16, and with a little hair dye he could be perfect as Peeta.


I saw Alexander Ludwig on Race to Witch Mountain (Escape to Witch Mountain was one of my favorite movies as a kid), and although I favor Ryan Hanson Bradford a bit more in the role of Peeta, I think Alexander would also do a nice job.  I hadn't even thought of him for the part, but he was suggested on EW's site.


I think Josh Hutcherson may be able to pull off Peeta, but Hunter Parrish just looks all wrong to me, and he's a bit too old (23).


Haymitch  (EW's pick:  Robert Downey, Jr.;  EW's poll winner:  Hugh Laurie)

My Pick:  Philip Seymour Hoffman


Haymitch is an alcoholic, and is described as "a paunchy, middle-aged man."  I think Mr. Hoffman is a wonderful actor, and because of his role on Along Came Polly (where he was a former child-actor), I think he could play Haymitch wonderfully.  We find out in Catching Fire that Haymitch is in his late-thirties to early-forties (if you do the math, which of course I did), and Mr. Hoffman is 43.


While I think both Robert Downey, Jr. and Hugh Laurie are great actors, I just see Haymitch in Philip Seymour Hoffman.




Effie (EW's pick:  Elizabeth Banks;  EW's poll winner:  Kristin Chenoweth)

My pick:  Kristin Chenoweth


I wasn't quite sure about Miss Chenoweth at first, but she's really grown in my view as Effie.  I can now totally see her in a bright wig, playing the bubbly woman.


I'm not quite sure how old Effie is supposed to be, but I always imagined her around the same age as Haymitch, and Kristin Chenoweth is just a year younger than Philip Seymour Hoffman.




Prim  (EW's pick:  Elle Fanning)


My pick:  Elle Fanning


I totally had to agree with EW on this one.  Elle Fanning not only totally looks the part of Prim, but she is 12 years old, and she's proven to be quite the actress.  I can't really see anyone else in this role.








Rue  (EW's pick:  Willow Smith)


My pick:  China Anne McClain (left) or Haley Pullos (right)

Now, I've heard a lot of controversy over whether Rue is supposed to be African American or simply someone with tanned skin (perhaps Latin American?). So I've decided to include two different options.  Haley Pullos doesn't really have dark skin, but she's just so darn adorable.  They both are.  They're both also 12 years old, and Willow Smith is only 10.  Plus, every time I see Willow Smith I have that song in my head, and I really don't want to be thinking "I whip my hair back and forth" while watching The Hunger Games movie.  Seriously, even just typing her name makes that song start playing in my head.  I'm not familiar with either of these two young actresses, but they both already have several roles under their belts.


Cinna  (EW's pick:  Cillian Murphy)


My pick:  Neil Patrick Harris (left) or Hugh Dancy (right)

I have to say that I have always pictured a brunette Neil Patrick Harris as Cinna.  I think he would play the part beautifully.  However, as I was doing research I saw that a lot of people had pictured Hugh Dancy in the role.  He is also a great actor and I think he would also be good in the role.  But I'm pulling for NPH.  I also think Cillian Murphy is a good actor, but I can't really picture him as anything but creepy roles (The Scarecrow in Batman Begins is how I always see him).


Caesar Flickerman  (EW's pick:  Nicolas Cage)


My pick:  Conan O'Brien (left) or Fred Willard (right)

So Caesar Flickerman is the man who interviews all of the tributes before they actually go into the Games.  He has been hosting them for years, and still looks the same.  I really had no clue as to who should play this role, but when I saw that EW had picked Nicolas Cage, I groaned.  Or maybe cursed.  I'm not sure, but it wasn't a good reaction.  I'm not a fan.  But I read the comments, and both Conan O'Brien and Fred Willard were suggestions for the character, and they both seem brilliant to me.  I love Conan, but he does have a strange look to him, and he could pull off the role quite easily.  Fred Willard would also be great, because I can see him showing that side of the character that helps the interviewees out with their answers.


Katniss' Mother  (EW pick:  Robin Wright)


My pick:  Robin Wright (left) or Portia de Rossi (right)

I wasn't so sure about this one, but I think EW's pick, Robin Wright, definitely looks the part, and she is around the right age.


Portia de Rossi was suggested in one of the comments, and I had to agree that she would also be good in the part.


Both ladies are very talented actresses and I would be happy with either of them in the role.


Foxface  (EW's pick:  Danielle Panabaker)


My pick:  Emma Stone (left) or Haley Ramm (right)

I really like Emma Stone, and I have to say that she has the perfect look for Foxface.  However, she's a bit old for the part (22), so I picked another option.  Haley Ramm is 18, but I have no idea of her acting ability.  But in this photo, I think she could also be a contender for the role of Katniss.


Clove  (EW's pick:  Jurnee Smollett)


My pick:  ?


This is where I started to have some trouble.  I really have no idea who to cast for some of these characters.  The role of Clove is beyond me.


Thresh  (EW's pick:  Taylor Lautner)


My pick:  ?


Another one that I couldn't figure out.  A lot of people seem to think that Thresh should be African American.  I simply couldn't find someone who looked the part.  But please, no, not Taylor Lautner.


Cato  (EW's pick:  Stanislav Ianevski)

My pick:  Stanislav Ianevski




Stanislav, who played Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, at 25, is a bit old to play a tribute.  But I think EW is thinking in the right direction here - Cato is a Career tribute, and needs to have a big build like Stanislav.






Claudius Templesmith  (EW's pick:  Jeremy Irons)

My pick:  Jeremy Irons


I think Jeremy Irons is a wonderful pick for Claudius Templesmith, the voice the tributes hear during the Games. A lot of people suggested the more obvious James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, but I think Mr. Irons would be perfect.










President Snow  (EW's pick:  Steve Martin)


My pick:  Guy Henry


Guy Henry recently played Pius Thicknesse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, and will reprise the role in Part 2.  He also played a very creepy Mr. Collins in Lost in Austen.  Seriously, look this guy up.  I think he'd be perfect.


Also, seriously EW?  Steve Martin?  Yes, he's wonderful.  And yes, he already has the "paper-white hair."  But no, just, no.




Avox Girl  (EW's pick:  Deborah Ann Woll)


My pick:  Deborah Ann Woll


Deborah may be a bit old for this part (she's 25), but I'm not exactly sure how old the Avox girl is supposed to be.  But I love her in True Blood and think she could portray the mute character wonderfully with her expressions and body language.








Madge  (EW's pick:  Taylor Swift)

My pick:  Ellen Marlow




This is another actress that I'm not familiar with, but I think she looks perfect for Madge, the mayor's daughter, who gives Katniss the mockingjay pin.  She's also 16, so she's the right age.








So, there, finally you have it.  I apologize for the extra long post.


What do you guys think about my picks?  Am I on the right track or totally off my rocker?

A Plea to the Hunger Games movie Casting Director

So quite a while back I said that I was working on a cast list for the movie version of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.  That list kind of fell by the wayside, but I hope to finish it someday.


However, I am a bit of an IMDb addict, and the other day I noticed something on the page for The Hunger Games movie.  I don't know if this is a recent addition to the page or if it's simply something I didn't pay attention to before, but the Casting Director has been announced.  Her name is Debra Zane and she has been the Casting Director for several films, some of which are great movies.  To mention a few:  Away We Go; Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen; Dreamgirls; Jarhead; The Terminal (I LOVE this movie); Catch Me If You Can; Traffic; American Beauty; and Pleasantville (which is directed by Gary Ross, who is slated to direct The Hunger Games).  And those are only a handful.  If you go to her IMDb page, you'll see a plethora of other memorable movies that she's worked on.


But the thing I'm worried about is that her most recent films to cast were The Twilight Saga:  Breaking Dawn, Parts 1 and 2.  So this means that she didn't cast the main roles for The Twilight Saga movies, but that she has casted for some new roles (Renesmee, the Denali clan, etc.).  


So this is a plea to the Casting Director and other people casting for The Hunger Games movie.  Please, please, please, do not cast Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, or Taylor Lautner in The Hunger Games.  I know that many fans of The Twilight Saga would love for, say, Taylor Lautner to play the role of Gale, or for Kristen Stewart to play Katniss.  But please do not do this.  They are not right for the roles.  Please find new actors and actresses to play the major roles in the film.


I know that casting is a long, arduous process full of thousands of auditions.  I know that I have no idea what it is like to cast a movie.  But I do know that the true fans of The Hunger Games want this movie to be as close to the book as possible.  We know that changes have to be made when adapting a book into movie form, but please, just really try to keep the integrity of the book in mind when casting.  The fans and moviegoers will greatly appreciate it.

Hunger Games Video; Write Every Day Challenge, Day #49

Okay, so I'm supposed to be working on my NaNoWriMo novel.  To be exact, I'm supposed to be attempting a 5,000-word day.  But, oh, the tempting internet.  How it foils my plans.  Just to be clear, I still plan on attempting that 5,000-word day, and I've already accomplished 1,447 words today.  I still have time.  But I really wanted to post this video, because OMG it made me choke up.

For those of you that have read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, you have to watch this.  For those of you who haven't read The Hunger Games, go out there and buy it!!!  Do not check it out from your library - that's a waste of time.  BUY. IT.  Then go buy the second book in the series, Catching Fire.  Then buy the third and final book, Mockingjay.  Actually, just buy them all at once because they are that good.  And for those of you that haven't read it, and didn't listen to me when I said to go buy the trilogy, you have been forewarned:  this video contains spoilers.  [Edit:  I do not think that going to the library is a waste of time - I love my library and I go there very often.  I'm just saying that these books are so good that you'll want to own them anyway - might as well go ahead and buy them.]

Oh, and it also contains violence, so viewer discretion is advised.







Okay, so I totally choked up when she did the whole 3-finger salute.  Sure, the acting's not perfect, but it's pretty damn good.  All I can say is that the big-screen version of this movie better BRING IT, otherwise, we're better off with these fans making it!  What do you guys think of this fan-made clip?


And now, back to noveling!

"I Want" Wednesday; Write Every Day Challenge, Day #28

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  I am horribly failing at this personal challenge to write every day.  I think I'll stick with it, though, because with NaNoWriMo quickly approaching, I will be writing A LOT.


And that's what I wanted to talk about today:  NaNoWriMo.  For the past couple of days I have been plotting my story.  I am now currently on idea #3, and I am super, super excited about this one!  Unfortunately, I have to throw out my previous characters - or adapt them into these new characters, and I have to get to worldbuilding!  My new story is Science Fiction, and I'm still not sure if I'm going to set it in a future America, or build my own land.  No space travel, so I don't have to worry about creating planets, galaxies, universes!  Or do I?  Who knows which direction my novel will take me next month!  But even if I set my story simply in America in the year 2060 (for example), I need to figure out what the world is like then - the government, the environment, society, jobs, technology, transportation, hobbies, schools, etc.  I have a lot of work to do!  I've decided that my plotting exploits count towards my Write Every Day Challenge, so Monday was Day #26 and Tuesday was Day #27.  Maybe I'll actually write every day this week!  (I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not daring to hold my breath!)


I realized that my story is like The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.  Which is SO me!  I think that I'm so excited about it because it's the type of story that I love to read, and so it should be a lot of fun to write!  I think I've finally found my niche, and I have no idea why it was so hard to find!  I think the adage should be not "Write what you know," but "Write what you like!"  


Oh, and it's "I Want" Wednesday again.  This time, I want something immaterial.  I simply want to continue to be this excited about my novel throughout the month of November.  Sure, there will be ups and downs, but I haven't been this excited about writing in a long time, and it's wonderful!


Back to plotting!

Write Every Day Challenge, Day #24

Once again, I have missed some days.  I'm thinking this may have been a quite impossible challenge.  I haven't written in several days, but I have, however, been doing some research for an upcoming blog post.


I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, and I see all these people online posting their "ideal" cast for the forthcoming movies.  I don't agree with most of them.  And recently I found Entertainment Weekly's picks.  Once again, I didn't agree with most of them.  So I decided I was going to make my ideal cast, using the characters that Entertainment Weekly used.  But this task is proving to be quite hard.  I'm not anywhere near finished with the list, but hopefully I'll be able to post it soon.


As for today, I have almost nothing to write about.  I simply wanted to share the fact that 9 new tv spots for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 have been released.  I have watched all of them, and they have some really funny and awesome new clips.  Go to Mugglenet to watch them!