The chosen ones - In the labyrinth
The Chosen - In the Labyrinth (Original title: The Maze Runner ) is the first novel in a dystopian science fiction trilogy for young people by James Dashner . The novel was published by Delacorte Press ( Random House ) in October 2009 . The German translation by Anke Caroline Burger was first published by Carlsen Verlag in April 2011 . The book was filmed by 20th Century Fox and was released in 2014 under the title Maze Runner - The Chosen in the Labyrinth .
The novel has two sequels, Die Chosen - In der Brandwüsten (Original title: The Scorch Trials ) and The Chosen - In der Todeszone (Original title: The Death Cure ), as well as two prequels : Die Chosen - Kill Order (Original title: The Kill Order ) and The Chosen - Phase Zero (Original title: The Fever Code ).
content
Frame story
The story is about a group of teenage boys who are brought over the years to a place they call the "clearing". They call themselves “lights” and none of them have any memories of their previous lives. All they still know is their respective first names. The people who bring the young people to the clearing and watch them there are called "creators" by the lights. They supply them monthly with supplies, building materials or clothing. In addition, the lights have livestock , running water, several house-like structures (including a slaughterhouse) and electricity.
The clearing is located in the middle of a gigantic labyrinth with insurmountably high walls made of solid concrete, in which murderous creatures - half animals, half machines - known as "Griewer", hang around mainly at night. There are entrances to the labyrinth (“gates”) on all four sides of the clearing, which close at night to protect the lights. Anyone who survives a meeting with the Griewern will at least be stung by one, which triggers a painful process lasting several days, which is known as "transformation". The lights have a drug available, the "Griewerserum", with which they treat those affected. Those who have experienced the process report that they remembered bad events from their past without going into detail.
The lights arrange themselves in the best possible way with their seemingly hopeless situation by forming their own little society in which everyone takes on a certain task. They are divided into nine groups, each with a leader (“guardian”): There are the cooks , the builders and the runners who explore the labyrinth every day in search of a way out and at the end of each day jointly prepare and evaluate appropriate cards. The search is difficult because the walls of the labyrinth keep shifting overnight. The slicers take care of the rearing and slaughter of the animals, the hoe tusks take care of growing vegetables and fruits. Then there are the Eintüter who take care of the dead, the medics (ambulance) and the Schwapper that all cleaning and auxiliary work done because they are suitable for anything else. A new boy is sent to the clearing every month.
action
The story of the book begins with the arrival of the freshman Thomas. At this point about 50 boys live in the clearing. Two days later, the lights surprisingly welcomed another newcomer, for the first time a girl, who gave them the message that she was "the last one, forever" before she fell into a coma for days . Under the lights, the confusion about what was happening creates a general feeling of discomfort and skepticism towards Thomas, whom the girl seemed to recognize. When the supply of supplies that was expected that week finally fails to materialize, the lights only realize the gravity of their situation.
Thomas gradually comes to the realization that he differs from the other lights in a mysterious way. On the one hand, he already feels the need to become a runner on his first day, which is rejected by the lights. In addition, Thomas feels drawn to the girl whose name he can strangely remember: Teresa. Thomas befriends the twelve-year-old Chuck and an older boy named Newt. In contrast, an enmity develops between him and Gally, who finds Thomas suspicious after one of the runners, Ben, claims after going through the transformation that he had seen Thomas and that he was angry.
The runner Minho and the “leader” of the lights, Alby, come back late from their job in the labyrinth one evening after the latter was stung by a Griewer. As the gates close relentlessly, Thomas breaks the highest rule that applies under the lights and runs towards the two of them into the labyrinth before the gates close behind him. After dark, as expected, Griewer appear in the labyrinth and hunt down the frightened boys. With his unimagined ingenuity, will to survive and with enormous effort, Thomas succeeds in something that no one previously thought was possible: He not only saves Alby from the Griewern, but also survives the dreaded night in the labyrinth unscathed with Minho. This experience welds the two boys together and they become friends. The next morning they return to the clearing with the still unconscious Alby.
While Alby is being treated by the administration of the Griewers serum, Newt calls a Guardians 'meeting to discuss Thomas' punishment for illegally entering the maze. Since the lights (especially Alby and Newt) consider the strict observance of the rules to maintain order in the clearing to be indispensable, some members demand a correspondingly severe punishment for Thomas, despite his motivation and the knowledge that the night in the labyrinth brought to the lights Has. At the endeavors of Minho and Newt, Thomas only received a one-day prison sentence in the dungeon-like building used by the lights in the clearing. He is also named a runner and is to be trained by Minho after serving his sentence. Gally is more than dissatisfied with this outcome and leaves the clearing furious. On his first day as a runner in the labyrinth, Thomas and Minho find out where the Griewers come from. You can make out an invisible square hole in the abyss of the labyrinth ("the cliff"), which they call the "Griewerloch".
Thomas is shocked to find that the girl Teresa, who is still in a coma, can communicate telepathically with him. One of her confusing messages to him is that she "started the end". Shortly afterwards, Teresa wakes up from her coma. At the same time, the sky over the clearing also darkens during the day, which puts the residents of the clearing in a general state of emergency. By exchanging their fragmentary memories, Thomas and Teresa try to find an answer to the question of their strange connection to each other and the way out of the labyrinth, which they initially do not entirely succeed. Thomas learns from Minho that the runners have at least found out that the patterns of the maze repeat themselves over time, but there is no indication of a way out. Despite the darkness, the two set off for another day of exploration into the labyrinth, which, however, proceeds without any new knowledge. That evening, the lights find with horror that the gates do not close for the night as usual. They are preparing for an attack by the Griewer. Gally reappears in the clearing with the monsters and warns the youngsters that from now on one of them will die every night until there is no one left. Then he sacrifices himself to one of the attacking Griewern, whereupon they withdraw.
Thomas and Teresa have an inspiration that suggests a solution in the maze cards. They suspect that the cards contain a code that allows the lights to find their way out of the maze. Together with Teresa, Minho and Newt, Thomas finally deciphered the code: By laying the individual day cards on top of one another, each of which reveals a letter, they find out that the words drift , catch , bleed and die in the labyrinth by continuously moving the walls , Dropping and pressing repeatedly. Since nobody can do anything with the seemingly meaningless words, Thomas feels compelled to let himself be stung by a Griewer in order to get to his lost memories, which should ultimately help him to solve the puzzle. He implemented this plan the following night.
After completing the transformation, Thomas shares his recovered memories with the lights: They are all part of an experiment in which they are tested for their reactions to certain situations and stimuli. The results of the tests are intended to serve an unknown higher purpose. In addition, they were all chosen by the creators for the experiment because of their enormous intelligence. Their names are not their real ones, but modifications of the first or last name of famous scientists, such as Albert Einstein (Alby), Isaac Newton (Newt) or Thomas Edison (Thomas). Thomas and Teresa once helped the creators develop the labyrinth, but there was never an exit to it. Therefore, Thomas is convinced that the lights can only escape through the Griewerloch, behind which there is a room with a computer, into which the code can be entered to deactivate the Griewer.
Most of the lights choose to trust Thomas. Together they develop an escape plan that they implement immediately. When they reach the hole, a dozen Griewers are waiting for them. Their hope that they are still programmed to only kill one boy a night turns out to be false. After Alby sacrificed himself for the others, the rest of the group is also attacked. While the others fight their way, Thomas, Teresa and Chuck manage to get into the Griewerloch. As Thomas said, they end up in a room with a computer in which Teresa enters the code and thereby switches off the labyrinth and the Griewern. Over half the lights die in the fight. After all the survivors have also gathered in the room, they are looking for an exit into a large hall, where they meet people who are watching them behind glass panes. The lights are received by a woman who is accompanied by a cloaked figure who reveals himself to be Gally and tries to kill Thomas without further ado. Chuck stands between the flying knife and his friend and dies as a result of the serious injury. Thomas then attacks Gally before collapsing in tears. As the woman is about to explain everything to the lights, an armed group of people burst into the building, shoots the woman and her people and orders the lights to come with them. The boys are loaded onto a bus and taken away from the site.
The lights learn from their rescuers that they are rebelling against and fighting against the machinations of the organization called FEAR , known to the lights as the Creators. FEAR ( A EPARTMENT n achepidemische G about pure research S onderexperimente T odeszone) is an international association of several governments, which has made it his mission to find a cure for a disease, called the fire to find that rages on Earth for a catastrophic natural event : The earth was struck by sudden strong solar flares that devastated large parts of the world, claimed many thousands of lives and permanently changed the earth's climate. The fire is a virus that settles in the human brain and slowly and completely attacks it. Over time, those affected mutate into a kind of bloodthirsty, unscrupulous zombies. The infected are abandoned in a barren desert landscape ("the fire desert") and left to their fate. According to their rescuers, this is still no justification for carrying out the cruel experiments to which the lights are exposed. The lights are finally housed in a hostel, where they receive full board and feel safe.
epilogue
The epilogue is the content of an email from a woman named Ava Paige, who is said to be the leader of Group A's labyrinth experiments . In it, she is pleased with the success of the first test phase and the number of survivors (despite the unfortunate losses). According to her, however, over time the test subjects would understand the meaning of it all and understand that FEAR is “good”. In addition, she refers to the allegedly highly interesting results from group B and thus reveals that the previously known lights are not the only test subjects in the FEAR experiment . Ava Paige also announces phase two of the experiment.
Emergence
In the fall of 2005, Dashner published four books with a small publisher with only regional reach to complete The Jimmy Fincher Saga . His publisher wanted to bring out another book, but Dashner wanted to try his luck in the national book market. In November 2005, when he went to bed, he had the brilliant idea: “A bunch of teenagers who live in an indissoluble labyrinth full of terrible creatures, in the future and in a dark, dystopian world. It would be an experiment to put your mind to the test. Terrible things would be done to them. Horrible things. Everything is hopeless. Until the victims turn everything upside down. ”Dashner wrote the book between December 2005 and March 2006.
reception
Kirkus Reviews wrote of the book: "Difficult to put aside, apparently it's only the first part and as a reader you can't wait to see what happens next."
Jessica Harrison of Deseret Morning News described the book as "an exciting adventure book for ages 13+ that will make readers' hearts racing and want more." She noted that the novel "starts off a little slowly," but As this fits with Thomas' confusion and everything gets faster after he settles in, she says, "It is almost as if Dashner is preparing the reader for the fast-paced, non-stop action." However, she found that the " the only flaw ”is the“ fictionalized slang ”, which“ feels realistic and fits the characters, but gets old pretty quickly. But on the plus side, the terms are used so often that the reader is almost desensitized and learns to ignore them. "
Audio book
The German audio book was published by Silberfisch Hörbuch Verlag. David Nathan took over the reading .
filming
The film adaptation of the science fiction book by Fox with the title Maze Runner - The Chosen in the Labyrinth (originally: The Maze Runner ) was published in the USA on September 19, 2014. The German theatrical release took place on October 16, 2014. Wes Ball directed and Noah Oppenheim wrote the script. Dylan O'Brien played the main role of Thomas, while Thomas Sangster played the role of Newt and Kaya Scodelario played the role of Teresa. Furthermore, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Will Poulter and Aml Ameen play the rest of the lights.
Filming began on May 13, 2013 and ended on July 12 of the same year.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Dashner, James: The Tale of THE MAZE RUNNER. In: The Dashner Dude. July 16, 2008, accessed February 5, 2012 .
- ↑ The Maze Runner. In: Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 2009, accessed February 5, 2012 .
- ↑ Harrison, Jessica: 'Maze Runner' provides a thrilling adventure. (No longer available online.) In: Deseret Morning News . October 3, 2009, archived from the original on December 19, 2009 ; Retrieved December 19, 2009 .
- ↑ Popshot: Review of the official audio book . November 22, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ Zeitchik, Steven: Young-adult sensation 'The Maze Runner' gets ready to run the movie gantlet (Updated). In: The Los Angeles Times . January 4, 2011, accessed February 5, 2012 .
- ↑ Wilkinson, Amy: 'Maze Runner' Finds Its Thomas. In: MTV . April 18, 2013, accessed June 28, 2013 .
- ↑ Movie Casting Round-Up: Thomas Brodie-Sangster Joins 'Maze Runner'; Scott Glenn Added To 'Trigger'. In: deadline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2013 .
- ↑ Kaya Scodelario Joins The Maze Runner. In: empireonline.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013 .
- ^ Dashner, James: Much more casting news should be coming very soon. They start filming in May.Release date of Feb 14th 2014 #dashnerchat. In: Twitter . March 29, 2013, accessed March 30, 2013 .