The Maze Runner series is about a group of teens who are subjected to cruel tests by an evil government coalition called WICKED. With no recollection of the past or the outside world, the ragtag group of boys struggle for survival within a harsh reality of death and despair.

With The Scorch Trials, the second movie installment in the Maze Runner series, having been released this past September, it’s time to take a look at the book that inspired it all. While the Scorch Trials film has only recently been released, the book is another story altogether.
The Scorch Trials book begins right where The Maze Runner left off, with the traumatized gladers having escaped the dreaded Maze and being rescued by a mysterious group of people. More of the plot is revealed as they discover a stark, post-apocalyptic world devastated by disease.

Questions are answered as WICKED finally reveals themselves to the ragtag group which include Thomas, Newt, Minho, and Frypan. As the book unfolds, new characters are introduced such as Aris, Brenda, and the Rat Man.

The book differs from The Maze Runner in obvious ways. Primarily, the bulk of the story happens outside of the Maze in a treacherous stretch of desert known as The Scorch. WICKED and the outside world both take a more prevalent role in the story and clash in unique ways. Deception runs rampant and betrayal is never far from anyone’s mind as the group once again struggles for survival.