Lord of the Flies: 4 Stars

 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is one of those books that I always meant to read, but since it wasn't required in high school, I hadn't. But I added the book to my Classics List so I would finally read it.

I didn't know what to expect from the book, but when I picked it up from the library, two of my sisters saw it and both asked why I was torturing myself with this terrible book. I thought maybe I made a big mistake and that maybe I should skip it. But I read it anyway and was very glad I did. 

The book takes place during a war. After an attack on the city, an evacuation takes place and all the boys from the local schools are put on a plane.  But when the plane crashes on a deserted island, the boys soon realize they are without adult supervision or immediate rescue. It's up to them to save themselves.

Ralph is the first boy to step up and take charge with a young chubby kid they call Piggy by his side. Ralph's first priority is to get a fire going on the top of a hill so they have a constant smoke signal going so all passing ships can see it. Then he works on shelters and food. It doesn't take long before the boys are getting hungry and realize that hunting is more difficult than they expected. Also, several of the young boys claim that they have witnessed a giant beast in the forest and are scared. 

A young boy named Jack decides he will make a better leader.  He convinces the boys to abandon the fire and smoke signal and all together they go hunting to catch a boar. Once they have eaten, he gains confidence in his leading abilities, and when Ralph fights back, Jack leads against Ralph, promising safety from the beast.  And this is when all hell breaks loose. 

Golding does a phenomenal job of describing young boys without any direction and the desire to have power. You have Ralph who understands that food, shelter and safety are important, but since being rescued is the end goal, puts a smoke signal as the number one priority.  Then you have Jack, who abandons all other endeavors to tackle whatever task the majority grumbles about most. Without rules, there is no one to keep them in line, or prevent them from taking things too far. 

The imagery of Ralph on the beach on the beginning of the book and again at the end of the book shows the end of innocence. The dramatic change you see in Ralph is amazing and thought provoking. It made me think a lot about my own life. Do I side with the person that has my best interest at heart or the person who has my interest for that moment? Do I prioritize my life based on what others view as important or based on what I really want in the long run?

This is a book I can see myself reading again because it was so thought-provoking.

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: dystopian, action, adventure, and thought-provoking books. 

The Maze Runner: Two Stars

 The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Thomas woke up in an elevator with no memory of who he was, or where he came from. All he knew was his name.  When the elevator opened to the Glade, he realized he was not alone. Every boy there had arrived the same way; without memory.  Outside of the Glade was a giant maze.  Does it hold the answer to everything?  And why does Thomas have faint feelings of recollection?  And why did a girl (the only girl) appear on the elevator the day after Thomas; a girl he feels connected to?

Oh boy...where to start....

#1: This is a YA dystopian novel. I don't like YA or dystopian novels.  I only read this for my book club.  I wanted to note that right off the bat, because that probably is a big portion of why I didn't like this book.

#2: The language was obnoxious and distracting. The author made up a profanity for the kids to use, and let me tell you, they used it ALL THE TIME.  "You are the shuckiest shuck-faced shuck that ever was."  Yes, that is an ACTUAL line from the novel.  What's worse, is the language is literally just replacement words for ACTUAL swear words.  Shuck=Fuck, Klunk=Shit, and so on and so forth. If you are replacing a swear word (especially with rhyming words) with another word, its STILL swearing. Either use the real words or just don't swear.  It would have been fine if the words ended up having a purpose to them, but I felt like the only purpose was to swear without actually swearing and the end result was a major distraction.  Also, the last 1/4 of the book seemed to have dropped the swearing practically all together, which was just sudden, strange, noticeable, and distracting.

#3: These kids were kind of slow on the uptake. They are supposed to be 14-16 year old boys who are incredibly smart, but I felt like they would look at obvious answers for a ridiculous amount of time. Thomas himself would question almost everything, but not not bat an eye at things I am sure most readers questioned (which were clues to the end).  I understand that they are young boys, but I think if the author wanted their ignorance to be believable, he should have lowered their age to about 10.

#4: The end was disappointing and the characters didn't grow. I expect that most novels end with the characters having progressed.  I didn't feel that way in this book. The kids have spent years trying to solve this riddle and the answer came because it was given to them. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you read the book, you'll see what I mean. Its like the answer was finally handed to the kids through Thomas.

#5: Anyone seen Cube? I felt like this was a tame, YA version of this movie.

Now, you may be wondering why I didn't give this book a rating on one star, and the answer is simple: the concept was awesome. I loved the intrigue and mystery.  I just didn't like the author's interpretation of the concept.

Rating: PG is you don't think fake language is swearing, R if you do

Recommended for people who like: YA, dystopian, thillers,