The Fever Code
James Dashner
The world has ended – a fever that turns people into Cranks that tear out their own hair and try to claw out other people’s eyes, and flares that have killed most of the greenery of the planet. WICKED wants to cure the disease, but to do so, they need to map the brains of those children who are naturally immune.
It was a bit convenient how there just happened to be 4 brilliant ‘munies that could be used to help design the maze. Then again, the whole thing was amazingly orchestrated by WICKED. Not having read The Scorch Trials, I didn’t know that there had been two communities in the mazes (male-only and female-only).
I loved Thomas more than I had ever before. I could have eaten more up about the psychological trials going on, but that’s just me. Things started out badly, and then poor Thomas got more confused than ever!
When I first started reading this novel, I thought that it would be ok to read this before reading the rest in the trilogy (you know, since it’s the prequel and I like to read things in chronological order). Then I got to the end of the novel, and sort of went ‘Uh oh, maybe this gives too much away’. Since this has come out after the other novels, I think most people will have read the original trilogy anyway. It’s up to you.
The movie of The Maze Runner actually got a massive thumbs up from my partner, and also from me! It had been a while since I had read the novel, so I was ok with the various changes they had made to it. Anyway, that’s off-topic. I’m not sure this novel would make such a good movie, as so much of the action is literally inside Thomas’ mind.
I’m giving it 4 stars for the nail-biting action, and the surprising (at least for me) ending. Go and get your reluctant reader a copy. Or your absorbed reader. You won’t regret it.
Scholastic | 27 September 2016 | AU $12.99 | Paperback
This book had me hooked, right up until the last three chapters. I couldn’t fathom what might happen next, but it wasn’t what eventually came out as the truth! For me, the truth didn’t hold through what had happened in the rest of the book, despite the hints that would have supported this outcome.
Allen & Unwin | 26th October 2016 | AU $19.99 | Paperback
I liked Henry’s self-awareness and his relationships with his friends. His friends are always willing to pick him up (unless they are also lying down) and there is a happy dynamic that makes the plot feel more real. Sure, the ‘Australian’ bloke is bloody caricaturish, but that’s pretty typical.
I don’t know what drew me to this novel, or what kept me reading. In any other case, I think I would have gotten frustrated with the glacial pacing, with very little action. However this novel had the right protagonist for me to keep reading. How could I not love Billi? Talk about the underdog (pun intended). I really enjoyed the unassuming and thoughtful dialogue inside Billi’s brain.
What I liked about this novel was that there was plenty of Grim time. I love Grim as a character because he is so real and flawed and fantastic! Don’t get me wrong, I also like Blackthorn, but it’s nice to have a counterpoint to the somewhat traditional role of ‘Grumpy Healer’.
I felt somewhat frustrated by the ending. Nate, why? Anon, why? This made no sense at all. Sure, they’ll fix things somehow, but why did they do that? Perhaps someone else who has read it can give me a more informed opinion for why on earth the ending worked.
I find it very difficult to give an objective assessment of this novel. It’s told from Jess’ perspective, which granted is rather limited. Jess is basically a book stealer by trade, and so he looks at everything with a certain degree of detachment, which is actually very useful. He could do better with hiding his emotions though!
Libby connected with me really strongly and left a lasting impression for me. She’s a strong female protagonist that nevertheless needs support from her family, friends and a counsellor. No woman is an island, and Libby is no exception.
I feel like I didn’t get a really good grip on Snow’s character. But then you consider that she has been locked up and completely drugged for the last 10+ years and you can’t be surprised. She felt quite cold to me, and never seemed to warm up. I’ll be looking for more character development in the second novel of this.
Martha has lost a lot of important people, and I can see why she does the things she does. But she came across as a selfish, shallow character that I simply couldn’t like very much. And considering that I was supposed to get attached so I would be worried when she was close to dying, well, I wasn’t.