Shelf Indulgence

First of all, that title. Can we talk about it? Because it's just kinda dumb. Not only does it sound like some lame, straight-to-DVD Steven Segal movie, but it's also not very evocative. I won't say it's the dumbest book title I've ever seen (All You Need Is Kill still takes that top honor), but it's definitely in the top five.

Secondly, can we talk about this book's relevance? It doesn't add anything to the overall series, save to point out how messed up WICKED really is (and, honestly, after going through three books of teens in peril, do we need anything more to make that clear?), but it further cements the pointlessness of the events of the first three books.

Thirdly, can we talk about how silly the characters are? The book is primarily an action story, so I'm willing to give the characters a pass for not being deep, but can we at least get them outside of the normal cliches? At the very least, can we give them dialogue that doesn't sound forced and, frankly, stupid?

The one saving grace of this book is that it's as compelling a read as the first three novels were, but what story is behind that read doesn't hold up that well. I'll admit that the very last scene of the book moved me, but not enough to make up for the rest of it. I originally only picked up the first book in the series, thinking that I'd get the rest of them if it was a good read. Don't make the same mistake. Read The Maze Runner, and stop there.