The Maze Runner Books in Order: Take a deep breath before you start any mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost. The story that fans all over the world have been waiting for — the story of how Thomas and WICKED built the Maze — is finally here. You do not want to miss it.
The Maze Runner series is perfect for fans of other dystopian YA books such as Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games trilogy and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series for more action-packed adventures, terrible twists and life-changing sacrifices. It features the SIX thrilling novels in the dystopian survival adventure series by James Dashner.
The series follows young Thomas, a sixteen-year-old boy, narrates the books as he finds himself in the Glade at the center of a massive labyrinth inhabited by terrifying half-human, half-machine creatures called “Ghosts,” whose sole purpose in life is to brutally kill anyone who tries to escape the Maze. But even if they do make it out of the Maze, they still have to worry about the deadly Flare disease that is sweeping the world. Victims of the Flare deteriorate slowly as the virus eats away at the brain, transforming them into savage “Cranks” capable of torturing and killing anyone in their way. However, the Gladers must make a decision that could have significant consequences for their escape strategy.
How susceptible are they to disease? Is it safer to wait it out in the maze, or should they seek out the WICKED organization and demand their memories be returned? They have no idea of each other’s histories; how much can they trust one another? With tensions rising and opinions diverging, the group needs to choose a leader to keep them on track. Whether or not they realize it, the future of the world rests in their hands. And if they take away nothing else from this, let it be that WICKED is fantastic.
The series, revealing details in non-chronological order, tells how the world was devastated by a series of massive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. So if we are talking of chronological order “The Kill Order” is the first novel in narrative order, set prior to the events of The Fever Code and 13 years before the events in The Maze Runner. And “The Fever Code” is set in between the events of The Kill Order and immediately before The Maze Runner. The die-hard Maze Runner fan to the YA book lover just coming to the series to the binge reader who’s catching up before watching the blockbuster movie franchise. So if you want to enjoy a real thrilling adventure in The Maze Runner Book series, you must read the Maze Runner Series in order of events take place. So here is the list of The Maze Runner Novels in order to read.
Also See: The Maze Runner Movies in Order
How to Read The Maze Runner Books in Chronological Order
1. The Kill Order (2012)
The first prequel book in The Maze Runner series and the fourth installment overall, The Kill Order (2012) is set prior to the events of The Fever Code and 13 years before the events in The Maze Runner.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth, killing most of the population. Mark and Trina were there when it happened. They survived. But now a virus is spreading. A virus that fills humans with murderous rage. They’re convinced that there’s a way to save those who are left—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some you’re worth more dead than alive. The end is only the beginning.
2. The Fever Code (2016)
The novel’s timeline falls between those of The Kill Order and The Maze Runner. The novel is told from the perspectives of several characters known collectively as “The Gladers.” Since Thomas is working for WICKED at the time of the events in the book, its primary focus is on the training that he and the other Gladers go through before being sent into the Maze. However, the book also delves into the relationships between the Gladers before “the Swipe” that suppressed their memories, describes “the Purge” that is briefly mentioned in The Death Cure, and the lives of the Gladers before Thomas’ insertion into the Maze. This book fills in the reader on the series’ history, answering questions they may have had. Having been betrayed and sent into the Maze at the beginning of The Maze Runner, the book ends with Thomas’s final moments before entering the Box.
3. The Maze Runner (2009)
Continuing the end of The Fever Code (2016), When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
A note that reads “She’s the last one. Ever.” is attached to her. After being the first Glader to survive a night in the Maze, Thomas is viewed with a mix of reverence, suspicion, and great curiosity by the other residents of the Glade due to his apparent connections to the town’s strange occurrences. As he makes acquaintances like Chuck (the second-most-recent newcomer), Newt (second-in-command of the Gladers), and Minho (Keeper of the Runners), he sets out to unravel the secrets of the Maze and find a way out. With Thomas at the helm, his companions make it through the maze, return home, and ultimately vanquish WICKED.
4. The Scorch Trials (2010)
The Gladers thought that all they had to do was get through The Maze. They made a mistake. The Maze was just the beginning. Now, WICKED wants them to go through the Scorch Trials, which include crossing The Scorch, a barren wasteland that has been burned and scarred by powerful sun flares. Worse, the people who live in The Scorch are being corrupted by an infection called The Flare, which is eating away at their minds until they lose everything that makes them human. The game is set up again, and WICKED is in charge of the board. If the Gladers want another chance at freedom, they must play WICKED’s game and make it through The Scorch Trials.
5. The Death Cure (2011)
In the third book of “The Maze Runner” series, Thomas spends four weeks locked up alone. When he is released, Assistant Director Janson (Rat Man) tells him and the other subjects, including Group B, that there is no cure for the Flare, but that most Gladers and Group B are immune. He tells them that many people in the outside world hate them because they can’t be killed by the Flare like everyone else, and that if they escape, they’ll probably be in more danger. Later, everyone in Gladers and Group B gets their memories back, and they all escape. Thomas, Newt, and Minho don’t want to be fixed, so Jorge and Brenda help them escape. Then, they go to a city to have the devices WICKED put in their brains turned off. They join forces with a group called “Right Arm” that is fighting WICKED. The lesson might be that working together and as a team is the most important thing.
6. Crank Palace (2020)
The Glade. The Maze. The Scorch. The inner halls of WICKED. But now he has a burden that can’t be shared with Thomas and the others—the Flare. And Newt can’t bear the thought of his friends watching him descend into madness as he succumbs to the virus. Leaving only a note, Newt departs the Berg before the Gladers return from their mission into Denver, Colorado. From there, he experiences the gritty nightmare of life on the streets, running from the infected and those hunting them, until he ends up in the Crank Palace, the last dumping ground of those without hope. Although Newt thought he was running away from his friends to save them from himself, along the way he meets a young mother named Keisha and her son, Dante, who end up saving Newt in a way he could never have imagined. Taking place during the latter events of The Death Cure, Crank Palace tells the story of Newt like never before, from inside his own mind, as he searches for meaning in a life gone horribly wrong. He will try to fulfill a new-found destiny before his path leads to its inevitable conclusion—and one last meeting with his best friend.
7. The Maze Cutter (2022)
Seventy-three years after the events of THE DEATH CURE, when Thomas and other immunes were sent to an island to survive the Flare-triggered apocalypse, their descendants have thrived. Sadina, Isaac, and Jackie all learned about the unkind history of the Gladers from The Book of Newt and tall tales from Old Man Frypan, but when a rusty old boat shows up one day with a woman bearing dark news of the mainland–everything changes. The group and their islander friends are forced to embark back to civilization where they find Cranks have evolved into a more violent, intelligent version of themselves. The islanders are hunted by the Godhead, the Remnant Nation, and scientists with secret agendas. When they cross paths with an orphan named Minho from the Remnant Nation, the dangers become real and they don’t know who they can trust. The islanders will have to survive long enough to figure out why they are being targeted, who is friend or foe, and what the Godhead has planned for the future of humanity.
How many The Maze Runner Books are there?
There are total SIX (6) books in The Maze Runner books series: The Maze Runner (2009), The Scorch Trials (2010), The Death Cure (2011), and The Maze Cutter (2022) as well as two prequel novels, The Kill Order (2012) and The Fever Code (2016), a novella titled Crank Palace (2020), and a companion book titled The Maze Runner Files (2013).
All The Maze Runner Books in Order of Release Date (U.S)
Here is the list of The Maze Runner Books in Order of Release Date:
1. The Maze Runner — October 6, 2009
2. The Scorch Trials — September 18, 2010
3. The Death Cure — October 11, 2011
4. The Kill Order — August 14, 2012
5. The Fever Code — September 27, 2016
6. The Maze Cutter — October 4, 2022
The Maze Runner Companion books
1. The Maze Runner Files — 1 January 2013
2. Crank Palace — August 25, 2020
How many Maze Runner movies are there?
There is a total of THREE (3) movies in The Maze Runner film series, based on The Maze Runner novels by the North American author James Dashner. The series consists of 1) The Maze Runner (2014), 2) The Scorch Trials (2015), and 3) The Death Cure (2018).
The Maze Runner in order of Release Date
Here is the List of The Maze Runner films in order, they were released.
1. The Maze Runner — September 19, 2014
2. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials — September 18, 2015
3. Maze Runner: The Death Cure — January 26, 2018
Conclusion:
Reading The Maze Runner Books in chronological order gives a thrilling experience of young adult, set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian survival adventure series by James Dashner. The series, revealing details in non-chronological order, tells how the world was devastated by a series of massive solar flares and coronal mass ejections. The order in which you do these things is up to you now. But when we read it, we prefer to do so in order.
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