The Kill Order (Maze Runner Prequel) by James Dashner

Book four in the blockbuster Maze Runner series that spawned a movie franchise and ushered in a worldwide phenomenon! And don't miss The Fever Code, the highly-anticipated series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built!Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth, killing most of the population.Mark and Trina were there when it happened. They survived. But now a virus is spreading. A virus that fills humans with murderous rage. They're convinced that there's a way to save those who are left--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. The end is only the beginning.The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure are all now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.Also look for James Dashner's edge-of-your-seat MORTALITY DOCTRINE series!Praise for the Maze Runner series:A #1 New York Times Bestselling SeriesA USA Today BestsellerA Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the YearAn ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults BookAn ALA-YALSA Quick Pick[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost. --EWWonderful action writing--fast-paced...but smart and well observed. --Newsday[A] nail-biting must-read. --SeventeenBreathless, cinematic action. --Publishers WeeklyHeart pounding to the very last moment. --Kirkus ReviewsExclamation-worthy. --Romantic TimesJames Dashner's illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series. --Shelf Awareness, StarredTake a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book. --Deseret NewsEditorial ReviewsPraise for the Maze Runner series:A #1 New York Times Bestselling SeriesA USA Today BestsellerA Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the YearAn ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults BookAn ALA-YALSA Quick Pick[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.--EWWonderful action writing--fast-paced...but smart and well observed.--Newsday[A] nail-biting must-read.--SeventeenBreathless, cinematic action.--Publishers WeeklyHeart pounding to the very last moment.--Kirkus ReviewsExclamation-worthy.--Romantic Times[STAR] James Dashner's illuminating prequel [The Kill Order] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series.--Shelf Awareness, StarredTake a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book.-Deseret News- From the PublisherThis prequel to Dashner's dystopian Maze Runner trilogy, set 13 years before those books,focuses on a new character--Mark--who lives through the sun flares that decimate Earth. He creates a new family with other survivors, including Alec, a tough old soldier, and Trina, his love interest. But then strangers arrive on an airship and infect villagers with a mysterious virus, which quickly spreads and mutates. Maze Runner fans may be surprised by the new protagonist, but they will be swept up in the breathless, cinematic action. Whether Mark is flashing back to his escape from the sun flares, stealing an airship with Alec, or battling hordes of virus-infected maniacs, Dashner's adventure is filled with near-constant melees and peril (some readers might want to trade some fight scenes for more narrative and character development). Even so, Dashner has crafted a clever prequel that will appeal to fans anxious to see where The Maze Runner came from, while enticing those unfamiliar with the later books. Ages 12-up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Aug.)- Publishers WeeklyGr 7 Up--In his short life, Mark has seen sun flares that killed millions, including his family and beloved younger sister. Afterward, floods, food shortages, and continued devastating heat, along with individuals bent on surviving at all costs, have made his chances pretty bleak. Against all odds, he and a close-knit group of other survivors move inland and set up a community together. But before long, a flying ship brings something wholly unfamiliar: a disease, transmitted initially by darts, but soon spread person to person at an alarming rate. Mark's friends all work together to figure out what this illness is, how it spreads, and why it drives people mad, while trying to hold onto hope for themselves and save others. A prequel to the Maze Runner series (Delacorte), this story does indeed show how the world started to fall apart prior to Thomas's time in the Maze. However, Thomas's and Teresa's stories are contained to the prologue and epilogue, so readers hoping for information about how WICKED began will be disappointed. Dashner achieves a high level of emotional involvement for readers in this prequel. Mark knew and loved his family, which makes him a more relatable character than memory-challenged Thomas. The action is nonstop, although a little unrealistic at times, and Mark seems wise beyond his years. This novel works well as a stand-alone.--Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ- School Library JournalA prequel to the series that began with The Maze Runner (2009) takes readers back to the moment when the sun flares devastate the Earth and tells the story of the birth of the killer virus that followed. Mark and Trina were riding the New York City subtrans system when the flares originally struck. Glad to have each other, they were very lucky to meet up with Alec and Lana, both ex-military and equipped with plenty of survival skills. It has taken them a year to get to relative safety in the Appalachian Mountains and to establish a settlement with other survivors. Life is beginning to resemble normal, when they are once again attacked from the sky, this time by soldiers. The situation worsens when survivors begin to sicken and die, but not before going mad. The small group makes its way back out into the forest, hunting for their attackers and looking for answers. It's only a matter of time before one of them, infected, goes insane....Blending past, present and future, this is a gritty and unnerving look at a post-apocalyptic world that both recalls early classics of the genre and looks forward to Dashner's already-established trilogy. For fans of the original books and of the genre as a whole, a must read. (Science fiction/thriller 12 & up)- Kirkus Reviews