Sun flares have unleashed devastation on the Earth. Mark and Trina were then when it happened, and against the odds they survived. But now a violent and highly contagious disease is spreading like wildfire. Worse still, it's mutating, and people are going crazy. Mark and Trina will do anything to save their friends - if only they can avoid madness and stay alive.
The Kill Order by James Dashner is the prequel to The Maze Runner trilogy and takes place 13 years before the day Thomas goes into the Glade. It follows the story of Mark and his friends as they try to survive in a world which is now flawed by despair, starvation and disease. For those of you that are yet to read the trilogy I strongly advise making your way through those books first as this book contains a lot of spoilers to events that take place in the latter three books.
To be perfectly honest I was rather skeptical about picking this prequel, although I am a massive fan of The Maze Runner trilogy it left me with a lot of unanswered questions and I was therefore dubious about whether or not this book would answer those questions and overall I'd say it did a pretty good job of doing so.
Although a lot of my questions were answered, such as where the Flare originated from and what happened to the Earth the day the sun flares struck, I was still left confused about how the flares came to hit the Earth as well as some outstanding questions about Thomas and the other Gladers. For those of you that know me you'll know that I'm a massive fan of Dashner when it comes to his use of epilogues as they're always so cleverly written and leave you wanting more. The epilogue to this book introduces Thomas in the moment WICKED come to collect him from his mother and although it was a sad few pages, I was left disappointed as I still didn't understand, or rather know, how WICKED came to selecting the brightest children and how they knew of their intelligence.
What I loved most about this book is the character development. From the synopsis I had the idea that Mark and Trina (who is Mark's love interest) would be the main characters and I wasn't sure if I wanted to delve into a soppy teenage romance, however I soon found that the main characters were actually Alec, a man who found Mark and Trina soon after the flares hit the Earth and took them under his wing, and Mark. This shone a new light on character relationships for me as I haven't read many novels which contain a strong father and son figure relationship. The character development between them both was fantastic and I loved how Dashner connected them in a way where they always knew what the other was thinking and strove to protect the same thing; their friends, despite none of them actually being blood related.
The general premise to this novel was also rather enjoyable. It dominantly follows the present tense but also uses flashbacks to the day the flares hit and the weeks that followed, during Mark's dreams. I thought the way Dashner blended the past and present together in that way was great to read and there was never a dull moment, I always found myself on the edge of my seat and my heart racing. The last few chapters were definitely the highlight of the book. I found myself shaking more and more as I turned each page as there was just so much suspense. The very last chapter was heartbreaking and found myself stunned by the realisation of who a certain female character is and sobbing over the last few moments between other characters.
Overall I really enjoyed this prequel, although maybe not as much as the trilogy itself, nevertheless it's a good read that answers a lot of questions. I just wish the book was a bit longer so I could have the answers to all of my questions! If you wish to read my review on The Maze Runner trilogy then click here to do so.
I give James Dashner and The Kill Order ★★★★
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