Victims Turning Everything on it’s Head….”The Maze Runner”, by James Dashner

The Maze Runner jacket coverAuthor James Dashner’s novel The Maze Runner is the first in a trilogy of post-apocalyptic, young adult, science fiction novels. Before this first of the trilogy stories, Dashner also wrote a prequel entitled “The Kill Order“.

The novel follows a group of boys who have been deposited after the apocalypse, at a place known as the Glade. It is the epitome of science fiction with mechanical creatures called Grievers, who roam the Maze at night. The Gladers, as the boys are known, have made a community in which each Glader has an assigned job to perform. The Maze is outside of the Glade which is protected by huge doors surrounding it that close every night to give protection from the creatures.

The main character, Thomas, learns more and more about the Glade, and gets the feeling that he has been there before. He befriends fellow Gladers named Chuck ad Newt, and feels strangely connected to the only girl ever deposited at the Glade, named Teresa. The whole plot revolves around the three Gladers performing as runners who explore the Maze and bring back information, all the time avoiding getting stung by the Grievers. Dashner’s original motivation for the novel came from an idea he had where, as quoted directly from the author……..”a bunch of teenagers living inside an unsolvable maze full of hideous creatures, in the future, in a dark dystopian world. It would be an experiment to study their minds……Until the victims turn everything on its head.” And so goes Maze Runner.

The novel has been adapted for film and is due to be released today! The director is Wes Bell with a cast of Dylan O’Brien as Thomas, Blake Cooper as Chuck, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, and Kaya Scodelario as Teresa.

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He Said-She Said…”Gone Girl”, by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl jacket coverAmerican author Gillian Flynn wrote the novel, Gone Girl, based on the suspense created by suspicion of the main character, Nick Dunne and whether he murdered his wife.

Nick and Amy had a less than perfect marriage for several reasons. He lost his job as a journalist and relocates them from New York City to Carthage, Missouri which was Nick’s small hometown. Amy was not happy to leave New York…….she was a city girl. All phases of their marriage were becoming more and more dysfunctional.

Amy disappears on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. The suspicion and suspense begins. In this novel, Flynn tries to depict the ultimate commitment…marriage. According to author Flynn, marriage turns into the ultimate he said-she said mystery.

The novel has been adapted for film by Reese Witherspoon’s film production company and 20th Century Fox. They reportedly paid $1.5 million for the screen rights. The director is David Fincher with cast members being Ben Afflek as Nick, Rosamund Pike in the role of Amy, joined by Neil Patrick Harris, Emily Ratazko, and Tyler Perry.

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Is Endless Love Possible??? “The Best of Me”, by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of MeIn 2011 the author of the hugely popular novel, The Notebook, published his next novel, The Best of Me. Nicholas Sparks is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer who has published seventeen books. Eight of the novels have been adapted to film.

In quoting the book: “Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She believed in it once too, back when she was eighteen”. High school students, Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole were very much in love, even though they were from opposite sides of the tracks. But high school teen love somehow defies reality in a small North Carolina town. As so often happens, unforeseen events tore the young couple apart, sending them on very divergent paths.

As the novel progresses, it is twenty-five years later and they meet once again, when they return to the small town for a funeral. In one week-end they will discover undeniable truths about what has happened in the last twenty-five years and will be forced to answer the question …………”Can love truly rewrite the past”?

In October 2014, director Michael Hoffman’s movie adaptation of the novel will be released. The cast includes: Liana Liberato as the young Amanda Collier; Michelle Mongahan as Amanda Collier; James Marsden as Dawson Cole; Luke Bracey, young Dawson. As a side story, Paul Walker was cast as the lead role, but passed away and was replaced by James Marsden.

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Fighting for the Factionless…”Allegiant”, by Veronica Roth.

Allegiant jacket coverThis is the final novel in the Divergent trilogy by author Veronica Roth. Since Tris tested with equal aptitude for three of the five factions she is deemed “Divergent”. She is warned never to share information with anyone, and is considered simply not strong enough, and factionless….a category that could cost her her life.
Tris continues her journey in fighting for the factionless. She is put through much torture and many trials. In the end, she dies to be once again embraced by her mother. Eventually, Chicago is finally at peace with normalcy back in the city. The central characters still living accept all that they have been through, and realize people can still be healed.

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Divergent, by Veronica Roth…Dividing Society Into Personality Types

Divergent jacket coverThe novel, the first in the Divergent Trilogy takes place in a futuristic Chicago. The citizens are divided into five factions: Candor…..the honest; Abnegation…..the selfless; Dauntless…..the brave; Amity…..the peaceful; and Erudite…..the intelligent. All sixteen year olds must decide which faction best defines them. They will spend the rest of their lives as part of that faction. Central character, Beatrice, has a conflict in wanting to stay with her family and choosing a faction…..she cannot have both. She goes through a name change, having a boyfriend she is not sure she can trust, physical and mental trials, and she still has her secret. If discovered, it could possibly mean her death.
Comparisons have been made to other novels such as The Hunger Games. Divergent is similar but with the theme of dividing society into personality types. The final novels of the trilogy are “Insurgents” and “Allegient”.
The movie “Divergent” will be released in March 2014 with a top notch cast, including Kate Winslet.
Follow Tris (Beatrice)as she learns she has been labeled a Divergent and her life is at risk for it.

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Fast-paced adventure set “Inferno” by Dan Brown

Inferno Jacket CoverProfessor Robert Langdon (The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Lost Symbol) returns in this fast-paced adventure set in Italy. Upon waking up in a Florence hospital with a bullet wound in his head and no short term memory, Langdon pairs up with Dr. Sienna Brooks to escape when a gunman enters the hospital and shoots another doctor while aiming for Langdon. A search begins to determine the events of the previous days with only flashes of memories. In true Dan Brown fashion, Langdon and Brooks evade the Italian police while trying to decipher obscure clues.. As the story unfolds, Langdon discovers that a plague is about to be released on the world in an attempt to address the imminent threat of overpopulation. Travels include Florence, Venice and Istanbul and impart many art and cultural references, most notably to Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. Dante’s seven circles of hell is described in detail and compared to the future of the world if the population continues to expand exponentially, as projected. Unveiling clues one at a time, and divulging bits of Langdon’s returning memories keeps the reader glued to the pages and anxious to find the answers. The conclusion of the chase will leave readers both surprised and thoughtful.

A release date of December 2015 is scheduled for the motion picture starring Tom Hanks playing the role of Robert Langdon. You can get your digital audiobook copy of “Inferno” today!!!