This will be a pretty short review as the prequel follows a small group of people as they first experience the spread of the Flare (then just unknown disease) with their journey to find out the cause and potential cure which leads to it picking them off one by one as they race against forest fires, cults and Crankheads, not to mention their own detoriating sanity.

The protagonist, Mark seems similar to Thomas at first but he’s more lovestruck and emotional-prone compared to the determinator that is Thomas. Plus Mark seems to be carrying more PTSD as the book flashes back to the day the world was first hit with the Flare.

Mark had been riding home from school with his best friend, next door neighbor and crush, Trina as usual when the world changes for good. From there, he tries to repress the aftermath of their running through the watery subway tunnels, the radiation burns and drowning and death that surrounds them, and the crushing knowledge that his parents and adorable little sister are probably gone forever.

Luckily, he has Trina as well as the other stray survivors. Veteran Alec, fellow co-worker and army nurse, Lana, and other teens, Misty, Darnell and Toad. They made it to a settlement in the woods after escaping the burning New York centre of radiation.

However, their safe settlement is attacked when mysterious figures come out of the air to shoot darts of death. Mark and Alec hijack the burg and crash land, and when they hike back, they find death and scared survivors huddled up. All the ones that had been shot by the darts expired shortly, expect Darnell. Darnell is quarentined in a shack, screaming over the bugs eating his brain.

If that sounds familiar, it should be as it is the first mutation of the Flare.

Dashner ecapsulates the fear and paranoia of the group as they try to be as cautious as possible with this new disease which adds to the foreboding as readers know exactly what is happening, creating a ticking clock when they see the signs in each of the members.

In such a small group, Dashner creates a believable bond borne out of respect and friendship as they rely on one another to survive with Alec and Lana being a bit of a team parents to the group. But I must admit, Alec and Mark bear the most characterization and personality as the group splits up for most of the book.

The seeds are planted for the Maze Runner as they stumble upon Deedee, a child who seems to be immuned to the disease, and subsequently derided as a demon by her village cult. There’s also great action scenes with the Crankheads and historical lore that expand on the purpose of the Flare.

Once again, Dashner’s themes of the mistrust in the government and the tragic consequences it has on innocents when a few play god with the rest of humanity in deciding who lives or dies, turning everyone into monsters.

I just wonder why Dashner chose them to focus on. By that I mean, the prologue has Teresa’s final moments with Thomas as he gets his memory wiped and the day before she goes into a coma, and the epilogue focuses on Thomas’ mother the day they take him away from her. The two just don’t fit with the main narrative as Dashner put no implication that any of the characters here are related to Thomas and Teresa. If he had just removed the two, I wouldn’t have any nitpicks.

5 stars.