Review - The Kill Order by James Dashner

 This is day 4 of a Week of Novellas and just realized that all of the books I have blogged about this week have been prequels. Because of this I'm including The Kill Order in this weeks theme. It isn't a novella or a short story but it is a prequel.

The Kill Order (Maze Runner, 0.5) by James Dashner
August 14th 2012
Published  by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 327 pages
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Description (from Goodreads)

 Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
 Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
 Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—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.

My Review

  Set in a time when Earth has been ravaged by sun flares and it is every man for himself, Mark finds himself in even more trouble then he imagined. When unknown people attack his settlement and kill or infects everyone he has tried to make a new life with, Mark sets out on a quest with his friends Trisha, Alec and Lana desperate to find the  answers as to why this had happened.

  I really enjoyed this prequel to the Maze Runner trilogy. The Kill Order was action packed and it was easy to get lost in the pages of the story. I found myself thinking that if I was ever in the situation where sun flares and infectious diseases were killing off mankind, I would want Alec there to take care of me. The retired army man found his way into my heart and easily became my favorite character. He took on the fatherly role that must have helped Mark and Trisha adapt in this new world without any of their loved ones left alive.

  I love the chapters where Mark falls asleep and dreams about the events that occurred on the day that the sun flares hit and the events that followed soon after. It would have been pure terror to have experienced what this poor guy and his friend had to endure. And they were the lucky ones.

  Also I liked that the prologue and epilogue were tie ins to the Maze Runner.  The only negative thing I would have to say is that the action scenes were to descriptive,I found that I  kept trying to skim through them.

I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

✯ ✯ ✯ ½

Would I read it again? Maybe.

P.S Good endings don't always have to be happy ones.

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Other books in the series  

The Maze Runner, #1
The Scorch Trials, #2
The Death Cure, #3