The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

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The Scorch Trials hits the ground running and doesn’t let up! It is much more action packed than The Maze Runner and moves at a much faster pace, largely because the story and characters have been established and less explanation is needed to understand what is going on. Dashner delivers several plot and character twists that lead to some surprises. It is a well written second book - it answers just enough and introduces new questions to keep the story moving forward and keep the reader interested in what’s coming next. On to book three!

2016 Reading Challenge: A book and its prequel