The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Summary and Review) (Maze Runner Trilogy) - Minute Book Report

This is a quick summary and analysis of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner.
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This is a story about a boy named Thomas who escaped with several others from a large maze. He and his fellow Gladers are brought to a facility by WICKED, a global organization trying to save the world, but then Teresa, a girl from the Glade, is taken away and replaced with Aris, a boy who claims that he too escaped a similar maze with a group of girls, Group B.
The boys realize that they are surrounded by infected humans, known as Cranks, who have been sick due to the release of a deadly disease called the Flare. The group is told by a man named Janson that they also have the Flare disease and are instructed to travel to a safe haven where they will be given a cure.
The group leaves the facility and encounters a harsh and hot environment. They meet Jorge and Brenda, Cranks who are in the early stages of the disease, and they travel together to the cure.
Brenda and Thomas are separated from the group and travel through the Underneath, a dark series of underground buildings that are inhabited by Cranks. Throughout the city, they notice signs that claim that Thomas is the real leader.
Thomas and Brenda are then captured by a group of Cranks, but are rescued by the Gladers. However, Thomas gets shot.
The Berg, a large ship, arrives and Thomas is taken away. He is healed by WICKED and returned to the group.
The Gladers continue on their journey and Thomas receives a telepathic message from Teresa that warns him that something bad is going to happen to him and that he needs to trust her.
The next day, the Gladers encounter Teresa and the girls of Group B. They are hostile and take Thomas away in a burlap bag, claiming that they will kill him.
Thomas manages to talk the girls out of killing him and they share their experiences in the maze.
As the girls continue towards the safe haven, Teresa pulls Thomas aside and tells him that she's been working with Aris to get him to a secret door. She knocks him out and pushes him through the door.
Thomas awakes and Teresa tells him that she and Aris had to pretend to betray him so that WICKED wouldn't kill him. Thomas is reluctant to trust her, but the three of them meet up with the others toward the safe haven.
They all arrive at the safe haven, but are then attacked by monsters with light bulbs on their bodies. Some of the boys and girls die in the battle, but the Berg arrives and most of them escape on it.
Jorge and Brenda are allowed to stay with them and the group is promised by David, a man who works for WICKED, that there will be no more trials and that they will be given the cure for the Flare.
In the end, Thomas wakes up in a white room all alone and can now talk to Brenda through telepathic powers.
As always a lot can be said about this story, but what draws my interest and attention is the idea of free will and exactly how free we are.
This idea is first brought up when comparing the survivors of Group A and Group B. Both groups made similar, if not the same, choices to escape the original maze. The number of variables that had to go correct are so improbable, yet WICKED had correctly predicted how each group would act.
This discussion of free will is further tested when comparing this story with the first novel in this series, The Maze Runner.
In the first story, Thomas and the Gladers must travel in a structured maze, which, by design, is limited and meant to control the movement of the participant. But in this story, the characters must travel in a wide open world, not a structured one, yet their behavior almost seems more controlled in the open world than in the controlling walls of the maze.
The journey to the safe haven seems so calculated, as if all of their choices that were supposedly made under free will have been predicted and expected.
Likewise, we may think that we're thinking independently from others, but in fact, a lot of our choices are not as free as we'd like to think. With algorithms and emerging technologies, others are now able to predict our likes and dislikes, as is evident with things like Pandora, KZbin, and Amazon. So how how free are our choices when so much data and patterns can be collected about us and our behaviors?
Through Minute Book Reports, hopefully you can get the plot and a few relevant discussion points in just a couple of minutes.
Music by Chris Zabriskie.

[@MinuteBookReports]

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[@quentinliggins8627]

I recommend removing or making the background music WAY quieter. It's seriously getting in the way of some awesome content

[@MinuteBookReports]

+Quentin Liggins I know that the music is loud in this video. I wish I could go back and lower the volume.

[@HiFloricultor]

this background music is driving me nuts!!

[@stephen_jc]

These are always the most helpful when I have to take a test on a book

[@MinuteBookReports]

Glad these videos help.

[@conwj]

DUDE YOU JUST SAVED MY ASS. Thank you so much this helped me out a lot. Great presentation too...

[@MinuteBookReports]

Glad this helped.

[@briandauch303]

Thanks but it could do without the music like I'm trying to pay attention

[@hannahmccullough5768]

English teacher wanted us to do a quiz on a book... thanks for saving me

[@hammerbro2005]

FINALLY one that is about the book not the movie which is NOTHING like the book, like “what the heck is the right arm?”

[@ryanverrette1557]

I thought he was Jorge not goddamn HoRhaY

[@awadheshkumar3337]

Please remove the back ground music, because of that it is difficult to understand what you are saying. But the content is nice.

[@Jackjjoe]

I have not yet read the book The Scorch Trials but I saw the movie the other day and the things explained in this video are very different to what happens in the movie. Would you know anything about this or why they are so different? Anyone who would know anything about why this is could you please let me know your thoughts. Great video by the way.

[@MinuteBookReports]

+Jack Williamson I haven't seen the movie, but whenever they make a movie based on a book, the movie will be the director's interpretation of the story, not necessarily the story as it was written by the author of the story.

[@Jackjjoe]

+Minute Book Reports okay thank you I appreciate your thoughts. I was just surprised to see the difference between the 2 since I have never really read the book then watched the movie before.

[@Kancarus]

It's because what's so fun about repeating the whole story?

[@princeleoram]

Yes. Its different. Thats why I never like the film version

[@danneiltaylor1827]

Bro good video, but drop the music

[@arielpierce4807]

Same

[@ismaelgcaballero9895]

Very good information, had to write a book review but I read this book a while ago and so this really helped bring back the memories. You just earned a sub and a like :)

[@MinuteBookReports]

Thanks. Glad the video helped. :)

[@steffinrobinson7869]

Loved the book. Great story, characters, and imagery. My favorite part is when Thomas gets shot, because it is the main character's lowest point. I am currently I am reading Death Cure, and it is so good so far. I hope Thomas sticks with Brenda.

[@houstonellinger3660]

thank you so much I have a BIG test tomorrow and you saved me

[@ayse4277]

This helped me understand it better

[@MinuteBookReports]

Glad the video helped.

[@xxmypuppybeforechuckyxx3350]

Thanks dude, you just saved my ass

[@boxleitner895]

Nice job man, thank you.

[@juliosalgado5898]

I love ur books and u inspire me to be a book writer thank you

[@dungenhunter1595]

Thanks something to look forward for

[@jonathan_420]

Thank you very much for this! It helped me a lot with my book report! Also, when I turned on the subtitles, the music wasn't a bother anymore

[@Frost2727awg]

Great video. Please just turn down the background music. Thanks

[@cc7958]

Your awesome at the book reports that helped me alot in my book report thxs!

[@MinuteBookReports]

+Teh Bear Thanks. Glad the video helped. :)

[@stali4705]

Great work, you deserve more subs for all your effort. Thank you for what you do. These help me chill before I go to bed!

[@MinuteBookReports]

+StaLi Thanks. Glad these videos help you relax. lol :)

[@alphandre4150]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@geniusvideo2670]

good video, but just lower the background music

[@spamsingles5948]

Thank you! you saved me!

[@noname.3146]

What was the interesting part of the book

[@ethanriley8587]

Scott Myers Teresa's betrayal

[@thegamingbucko2487]

i had to take a test on a book this summary helped and was very well put together keep up the good work

[@MinuteBookReports]

Thanks. I'm surprised that teachers are giving tests on this book. Interesting.

[@DerrickJClemons]

Same I use this for my last year Summer reading assignment

[@source225]

same summer reading just took his words in a summary

[@opaagangnamstyler]

thanks, great vid/ useful, but the music over powers your voice :/ maybe quiet it?

[@user-xy1jr3ve6f]

the music needs to be quieter

[@FutonFlex]

does anyone know the background song?

[@austinmuirhead3071]

thank you for this video

[@KoltVEVO]

Do the Kill Order MBR

[@deenectar]

well done!

[@iceyi5922]

Bro you saved me thank you

[@astrohamstergames2616]

I love the scorch trials both the book and the movie

[@kingrodriguez872]

so what about minho does he survive

[@skeletor1119]

Angelica Rodriguez yes

[@kingrodriguez872]

i know that know but thanks

[@geniusvideo2670]

cool

[@headmiaequinox8166]

Good thing i didn't watch he movie or read the book. I can't believe shit like this is made into a movie.

[@Matrix5]

I know what book you can do "You Earned A Subscribe" and thank you for using your own time to entertain other people and roughly the whole world and at the time I'm writing this you only 3500 subscribers and you deserve at least a million and you make a man's heart for me... ;-)

[@HellaTactical]

Omg, I couldn't hear more than half of the summary. Please watch your video before posting it. The music is unnecessary and too loud

[@sonner3182]

This is a very very loose summary. There is A LOT of detail left out in this review.