How Many Maze Runner Books Are There?

The Maze Runner is a science fiction young adult dystopia series with the first book being published in 2009 which were written by James Dashner.

This series became massively popular upon gaining traction, and the series only got more popular as the earlier entries in the series started to get adapted into mainstream movie series.

How Many Maze Runner Books Are There?

When it comes to starting a series like this, one of the first things potential readers want to know is how many books are included in the series which is what we are answering here.

So, if you want to know how many novels are in the Maze Runner series keep reading!

How Many Maze Runner Books Are There?

There are currently 5 entries in the Maze Runner series with the first 3 forming a trilogy and the last 2 serving as prequels to the series to further flesh out the world.

There is also a 6th entry in the series which is set to release in late 2022 which is called The Maze Cutter which is set to follow up the original trilogy finally moving forward the narrative.

This is also set to be the first novel in a new trilogy within the series.

On top of the main series there is also a novella which is part of the series called Crank Palace which was published in 2020, as well as a companion book titles The Maze Runner Files which was published in 2013.

To help you get better acquainted with the series, we will go through the 5 main entries in the series which have been released to let you know more about what the series is about.

It is also worth noting that after the first book, we will mention some details which could be considered spoilers, so be warned!

The Maze Runner

The first story in the series, The Maze Runner was published in later 2009 and shows us a group of teens which refer to themselves as ‘gladers’ as they reside in an area called the ‘glade’ surrounded by 4 doors which lead to a maze which will close at night and open in the morning.

The maze changes every night and is filled with creatures called ‘grievers’ which will attack anyone they find. We start the story following a character called Thomas who enters the glade up through an elevator called the ‘box’ which happens monthly.

However, the system is broken when he is followed by a girl in a coma with a note attached she is the last one. The group aim to escape the maze and defeat whoever is keeping them in there.

This foreboding premise is why the series gained such quick recognition and the mystery surrounding this universe will make you want to keep reading!

The Scorch Trials

The sequel to the first story The Scorch Trials was published a little under a year after the first in late 2010.

We return to the gladers after they managed to escape from the maze and now realize this was only the first of the trials they would have to face.

The group WICKED which had been keeping them in the maze make them go through ‘The Scorch’ which is a wasteland left barren after the land had been damaged by incredibly powerful solar flares.

On top of this there is also an infection known as the Flare which is corrupting the minds of those living in the Scorch taking away their humanity. WICKED is still in control forcing the gladers to work their way through the Scorch Trials.

The Death Cure

The final book in the original trilogy was again publishes a year after the previous entry in late 2011.

The Death Cure

We return to Thomas who has been locked in confinement for 4 weeks and upon release he is told by Assistant Director Janson that there is no known cure to the Flare, in spite of this the majority of the gladers as well as group B have become immune to the disease and because of this most of the world outside hate them for this.

Because of this they are warned that if they escape they would likely be in more danger than they would be in confinement.

After this the group’s memories become restored and they manage to escape, however, Thomas, Minho, and Newt refuse to get their memories restored and instead escape with Brenda and Jorge.

They visit a city where they get the WICKED devices which are in their brains disabled and join a resistance known as ‘Right Arm’ to fight against WICKED.

The Kill Order

The Kill Order was the 4th Maze Runner book to be released in late 2012 and is set the earliest in the series around 13 years before the first story in the original series.

Dashner mentioned that the book is intended to build on the world he had created and not just have to focus on the characters from the original series.

We join the world before the formation of WICKED as well as before the glade being built and even before the world became ravaged by flares and disease.

Our protagonists Mark and Trina saw all this happen and managed to survive, but have to fight against the disease which is spreading across their area as they watch it mutate.

However, the pair convince themselves that there is a way to save the victims.

The Fever Code

The Fever Code is the most recently released book in the series following a long hiatus between 2012 and 2016. It is the second prequel and goes after the previous novel.

This story is set directly prior to The Maze Runner and we follow the perspective of different gladers before they were sent into the maze and what their relationships and training was like before their memories were suppressed and they were sent into the maze.

We also see the life of the gladers before Thomas entered the maze and learn that Thomas worked for WICKED but was betrayed and sent into the maze.

Takeaway

The Maze Runner series is a great one to get into and the fact that it is going to receive a new entry and trilogy shows Dashner is still invested in this world.

Sophie Andrea