Post #21: The Scorch Trails (for 3/2/12)

I've started reading the second book in the Maze Runner trilogy; Scorch Trails. I really like this book so far and I think it really ties well with the first book. There are plenty of new characters being introduced but you are still learning more about some of the original Gladers. This is really good writing craft, to be introducing characters that guide the plot along while uncovering more about the main characters.

I think that this book not only has really good detail and voice but is well thought through in the writing. The author clearly knows what he's doing and is using a lot of writing tools to create just the environment he wants. I also think that this is a really cool book to read while I'm learning about different writing crafts to use in my own writing. It's a book full of examples that can help me learn what to add to my own writing after seeing it in action in a book that I like.

Mixed opinions on: The Dark is Rising

I'm about halfway through this book and I have some mixed opinions. I don't like it very much just because it doesn't really intrigue me. I don't get very interested in in but that's just my own opinion. However, I do think that it is a well written book that has a lot of strong characteristics.

One thing I have noticed in The Dark is Rising it that it often has a very surreal, almost dreamlike feel to it that is very well crafted. When Will is traveling through time, it feels like he's in a dream, which would make sense because he's not in his own world. The author, Susan Cooper, does a really good job of making the reader feel this through her writing.

I have also noticed that the emotions and moods in the book come through very well in the writing. For example, there was a scene towards the beginning when Will was exploring the forest with the rider, who was a stranger, lurking around. It was a very eerie and creepy scene in the plot and the author really made the reader feel that fear and uneasiness.

The Maze Runner: Thomas' leadership skills

I just finished reading The Maze Runner and I really liked it. It's a sci-fi ish book where a group of about 40 kids are stuck in a sort of prison that is a maze. Thomas, the main character, enters the "Glade" and seems to be different than his companions. I've noticed that Thomas is a very strong leader. He can stay calm in a difficult situation, and he has a way about him that can command a room full of people and make them realize that they should be listening to him.

Thomas is a strong leader because he is able to stay calm and think in a difficult situation. For example, when Thomas was being chased by griever, he was able to think of a strategy to avoid it. Instead of giving in or just running, he thought of climbing up the walls on the vines, and he was even brave enough to carry Alby up the wall to keep him Safe when anyone else would have just left him there.

Thomas is a strong leader also because he is able to get people to listen to him and do what he says. When he was at the gathering to talk about what they were going to do, he was able to get everyone to agree that they needed to go down the griever hole, even though he had no proof ecept his word.