The Maze Runner- My notes SPOILER alert!

"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind."

My notes:

• Thomas feels a connection (that he cannot place) with the girl Teresa- who can speak into his head.
• Thomas feels drawn to become a Runner and upon seeing two Runners in trouble, leaves the glade, saves Alby, defeats the Greivers, and become a Runner.
• When Teresa comes out of the coma, she claims that she was "sent as a trigger", that they "can escape the trials", and that everything will end.
• The Maze stops moving every night and no more supplies arrive.  Thomas recognizes that the maze must be a code.  Teresa and friends discover the code while Thomas and Minho discover the griever hole.
• Gally declares that one Glader will die each night by the Grievers and then dies by a Greiver.
• Thomas purposefully stings himself with a Griever and recovers memories of him and Teresa creating the maze, and a solution for escape.  He convinces most everyone to follow his plan.
• Thomas, Teresa, and Chuck escape through the griever hole, kill a couple of grievers, and turn off the maze.  Mino, Newt, and others make it through the griever hole.
• The Gladers end up in a labratory.  A lady from WICKED as she tries to explaint hings, Gally throws a knife at Thomas.  Chuck jumps in front of the knife to save Thomas.  Chuck dies.
• Grimey people break into the labratory, kills the woman from WICKED, and help the Gladers escape.  The people later identify themselves as fighters against WICKED.  A lady explains that the world have terribel solar flares which lead to terrible sickness called the Flare, wastelands, etc.  She alludes to the Andes as having a cure to the Flare.  She indicates that they live up norht and must crost the Scorth (thousands of miles of desert between the North and the Andes.  She states that she hopes they will join them in their fight agains WICKED.
• The Gladers end up in a cheerful dormatory with lots of food, and smiles.  The Gladers finally feel safe. Thomas hopes that it is as good as it seems.
• the book ends with a WICKED memo indicating that the Trails were a success and that the "resue" proved to be "valuable finale".  The memo indicates that hopefully the subjects will eventually recall and understand the purpose of the hard things they were made to survive as a way to serve and preserve humanity.   

 

Enclave

This is a post-apopcalyptic novel about 15 year old Deuce and the relationship that forms between her  and her partner, Fade.

Part One
 Deuce has spent her entire life in the underground enclave College, beleiveing everything her elders have taught her.  After her naming ceremony she is paired up with another Hunger Fade.  Fade was born outside the enclave and has never fit in.  As a hunter it is their job to find food for the colony and to fight off Freaks- zombie like creatures who eat humans and have very little intelligence.  While on her 1st hunting trip, they come across a starving, blind boy from a neighboring enclave in Nassau.  The figth of Freaks and bring the boy to the elders.  The boys was sent from Nassau to request help against a growing Freak invasion.  The boy is killed and Deuce and Fade are sent to Nassau to investigate.   Once the reach Nassau they discover the entire colony dead and the find that the Freaks have become smarter and feeding in great numbers.  Fade and Deuce return to College to report the concern.  On the way back to College, Deuce is grabbed by Jengu, a member of a friendly Burrower community.   They lose the Freaks who are stalking them and return back to college- report on Nassau, the advancement of the Freaks, the Burrowers, etc.  Friendship blossoms between Deuce and Fade.  The elders do not take the warning seriously.
Once back at College, Deuce begins to realize that not everyone believes the elders without question.  Banner, a friend of Fade, who had concerns about the elders was found dead- likely a staged suicide.  Shortly afterwards, one of Deuce's brat-mates Stone (a breeder) is accused by the elders of hording.  Deuce knows this is a set up and takes the blame.  Fade cooberates her story.  They are banished from the enclave.  Twist, a rebel College member, helps them with food and says "They're going to kill me what I do after you are gone."  Deuce and Fade make their way topside.
Part Two
Jengu helps D & F find a ways out of the tunnels.  Fade shares the story of how he ended up in College.  He lived topside until age nine when his dad died.  The gangs chased him into the tunnels until he found the enclave.  WHile traveling topside, their friendship begins to deepen.  Once topside, they run into a gang, run by Stalker, who capture them.  Deuce escapes taking a fellow hostage Tegan, with her.  Deuce helps Fade and they make their way to an old family friend of fades' named Pearl.  Through Pearl, Deauce learns Fade's given name Semyon.  After looking at Pearl's maps, they leave, continuing north.  Stalker tracks them and takes Pearl as hostage.  Fighting Fade and Duece, Pearl is killed and the battle with Stalker is interrupted by a band of Freaks- the 1st seen by Stalker above ground.  The humans fight the freaks and Stalker- the last of his gang, join Deuce, etc. on the trip north.  While traveling north, Fade begins to pull away from Deuce due to his grief over Pearl's death.  Winter hits and foursome hole up in a found house.  Stalker begins teaching Deuce fighting skills- which unbeknownst to Deuce, leads Fade to believe that Deuce likes Stalker.