The Fight for Survival

The Death Cure
By: James Dashner

Reviewed by: Cole Metallides

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if a disease has wiped out most of the population? In the fiction Novel, The Death Cure, which is part of a series of novels consisting of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trial, by James Dashner, the main character Thomas and many of his friends are trapped in a skyscraper created by a company by the name of the WICKED. WICKED’s goal is to find a cure for the Flare, a serious disease that has killed most of the human population. Their way of finding the cure is very inhumane and involves human testing.

I will be summarizing the first quarter of the book. In the beginning of the novel, the kids are put through many strenuous and painful tests that most of the time just seem completely unnecessary. Many of the boys find themselves in rooms that are nothing but white and plain. They haven’t been able to shower for many days and are very confused about why they are there. Throughout the next few chapters, the boys and girls are able to communicate with each other and have some sort of freedom. Thomas reconnects with Teresa, who used to be one of his close friends, but he and his other friends see that something is off with her. All of the kids were presented with an option to remove a memory blocker that has been implanted in their head after they had all reconnected. Many of the kids were hesitant, but some including Teresa insisted on getting it removed. This made Thomas and his friends even more worried about Teresa, and they questioned if she was being controlled by WICKED. In the last few chapters of the first quarter, Thomas and his friends come up with a daring plan to escape the WICKED and help free their other friends. They explore the building whilst fighting what seemed to be countless guards, and they try to figure out the best way to escape and stay alive.

I really have enjoyed the book so far. There is always a problem to be solved in the novel, and the kids are constantly getting in trouble. I really liked how the author incorporated mystery and adventure, into the novel while adding some action to make it more interesting and enjoyable to read. After each problem is solved, another one always appears. For example after the kids gained a little bit of their freedom back the director tried to take it all away again.

If you love Science fiction novels that have action and adventure incorporated into them and you have read the two novels before The Death Cure, I would strongly recommend this book. There are many mysteries throughout this novel which make you want to continuously read it. There is fighting and exploring throughout the whole novel which makes it ten times more interesting and fun to read.


Unpredictability, desperation, and teamwork are all themes throughout the novel. It is extremely hard for the kids to predict what will happen next and they are constantly wondering why and what is happening. The boys are desperate to escape and destroy WICKED, and they use teamwork to try and accomplish their goals.