Spotlight: James Dashner's The Game of Lives

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

James Dashner’s Mortality Doctrine series concludes with

THE GAME OF LIVES

The Maze Runner series has sold more than 12 million copies to date.

Dashner to embark on a 6-city tour in support of the book’s publication.

A fitting end to an exceptional trilogy.”—Kirkus Reviews

Delacorte Press is pleased to announce the publication of THE GAME OF LIVES (On sale November 17, 2015 / $18.99), the final book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author James Dashner’s The Mortality Doctrine series—an edge-of-your-seat cyber-adventure trilogy that includes The Eye of Minds and The Rule of Thoughts. The book has a first printing of 250,000 copies and is supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.

Only weeks ago, sinking into the Sleep was fun, and Michael used to live to game. The VirtNet combined the most cutting-edge technology and the most sophisticated gaming for a full mind-body experience. But now every time Michael sinks, he risks his life, as the VirtNet has become a world of deadly consequences. The Mortality Doctrine—Kaine’s master plan—has nearly been realized, and little by little the line separating the virtual from the real is blurring. If Kaine succeeds, it will mean worldwide cyber domination. And it looks like Michael and his friends are the only ones who can put the monster back in the box—if Michael can figure out who his friends really are.

The Mortality Doctrine series has been hailed as “an intriguing read for the digital generation” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a gripping page-turner” (BookPage), delivering “an adrenaline rush” (School Library Journal). The series has captivated Dashner fans and became an instant New York Times bestseller. THE GAME OF LIVES is sure to follow suit.

Dashner is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, which has sold 12 million copies to date, and has seen major motion picture adaptations of both The Maze Runner and most recently The Scorch Trials. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials debuted at #1 at the box office and continues to entertain moviegoers around the globe. The DVD and Blu-Ray release is slated for December.

JAMES DASHNER is the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, as well as the Thirteenth Reality series and two books in the Infinity Ring series. A former CPA, Dashner is now a full-time writer, creating novels that legions of readers have enjoyed. He lives with his family in Utah. To learn more about him and his books, visit JamesDashner.com, follow @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find dashnerjames on Instagram.

THE GAME OF LIVES by James Dashner

A Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers hardcover / On sale November 17, 2015 / Ages 12 & up Hardcover: 978-0-385-74143-9 / 352 pages / $18.99 U.S. / $21.99 Can. / Ebook: 978-0-375-98465-5/ $10.99

Also available as an audiobook from Listening Library

THE RULE OF THOUGHTS by James Dashner

A Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers hardcover / On sale August 26, 2014/ Ages 12 & up Hardcover: 978-0-385-74141-5 / 336 pages / $18.99 U.S. / $21.99 Can. / Ebook: 978-0-375-98464-8/ $10.99

Also available as an audiobook from Listening Library

THE EYE OF MINDS by James Dashner

An Ember trade paperback / On sale July 22, 2014/ Ages 12 & up / ISBN 978-0-74140-8 / 320 pages / $9.99 U.S. / $10.99 Can. Hardcover: 978-0-385-74139-2 / 336 pages / $18.99 U.S. / $21.99 Can. / Ebook: 978-0-375-98463-1 / $7.99

Also available as an audiobook from Listening Library

Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House LLC,

Follow James on twitter at @JamesDashner and on Facebook at Facebook.com/jamesdashnerbooks Also available as an audiobook from Listening Library a Penguin Random House Company. And join our newsletter today at http://www.theeyeofminds.com/dashner-army/ for exclusive material on James, his books, and more.

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Movie Release & Book Review: The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

Here's another series that I'm a huge fan of and has an upcoming movie release!! Seeing so many amazing books hit the big screen is always a HUGE treat for any book nerd!
For those of you following The Maze Runner movie releases, the second installment is about to hit movie theaters everywhere!  Enjoy this post to get an overview of the second book, my review, the movie details and trailer. 

The Scorch Trials movie release is coming Friday, September 18, 2015.

Original Book Cover

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

Published: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Delacorte Press 

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

My Thoughts

Original Review Date: November 2011

Post-apocalyptic Nightmare!

Wow, The Scorch Trials was definitely a bizarre mind trip, and after everything that was revealed and unfolded, I can’t wait to see how this series ends.

This next installment to The Maze Runner picks up right where the first book left off. The Gladers have been rescued from The Maze, but their trials are far from over. They are immediately launched into a human nightmare where WICKEDuses mental, physical, psychological and emotional experiments to test mind patterns and reactions… for what purpose?? I have no clue yet, but they keep saying their findings will determine the fate of humanity. For pretty much the entire novel you have no idea why The Gladers are being put through these trials as they fight biotech armies, harsh weather conditions, and constant mental games. Thomas and his crew are injected with “The Flare” and promised a cure if they make it through the Trials. Along the way, they come across crazy, infected Cranks and several twists that leaves you wondering who the “wicked” ones really are.

James Dashner is a creative genius. I can’t tell you how amazed I am with his ability to come up with the most bizarre of elements that keep me, the reader, constantly wondering where he intends to take the story and what other crazy twists he can come up with. This story felt like a perfect blend between dystopic and scifi, which have recently become a favorite genre of mine.

There were some harsh lessons in this story and all I have to say is betrayal is a tough pill to swallow. It was hard to see some of the decisions and actions certain characters had to take, but it was well balanced with some interesting new additions to the cast. The entire time, I kept thinking how utterly scary it is that someone of power can easily manipulate and swipe someone’s memory, influence their thinking and determine their fate. This series really pushes the boundaries of possibilities and power. Two elements that when combined with ill intent can have the gravest of outcomes.

I’m looking forward to diving into the last book in the series The Death Cure to see how this all plays out. Well done!

4 Snowflakes

Movie Tie-in Edition Book Cover of Scorch Trials

Scorch Trials Movie Trailer

Scorch Trials Movie Release Date: Friday September 18, 2015

Be sure to let me know if you plan to see this movie! :)

The Maze Runner Collector's Edition!

THE FIRST TWO NOVELS IN JAMES DASHNER’S #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MAZE RUNNER SERIES, NOW AVAILABLE IN ONE VOLUME IN THE MAZE RUNNER AND THE SCORCH TRIALS: THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Edition Carries a First Printing of 150,000 and Includes Exclusive Bonus Content

Delacorte Press is pleased to announce the publication of THE MAZE RUNNER AND THE SCORCH TRIALS: THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION (on sale April 14, 2015 / $19.99), which brings the first two books in James Dashner’s bestselling series together in one edition for fans and new readers to enjoy. Featuring exclusive bonus content within its 816 pages and carrying a first printing of 150,000, the collector’s edition will prepare fans and moviegoers for the second film in the franchise, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, which will be released September 18, 2015 and stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rosa Salazar, and Giancarlo Esposito.

EntertainmentWeekly.com has described The Maze Runner as a “mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost.”

Over 10 million copies of the Maze Runner series have been sold in all formats, and Dashner fans continue to multiply as they are introduced to his heart-pounding stories, which appeal to readers of all ages. In addition to the original novels, this edition includes “The Maze Runner Files,” which was originally published as an eBook short. Now accessible to all readers in print format, “The Maze Runner Files” features top-secret information, overheard conversations, emails between WICKED employees, memos meant to be destroyed after reading, and a selection of the Gladers’ suppressed memories, all of which help fans unlock some of the mysteries behind the Maze, the Gladers, and the people who put them there. This edition also includes an exclusive fan sticker.

The year 2015 will be another exciting one for Dashner fans, with multiple books being published. The movie tie-in edition of The Scorch Trials will be released on August 4, 2015, along with a hardcover box set of all four novels in the series (The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and The Kill Order) on the same date. The film adaptation of The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) will release on September 18, 2015, and the final novel in the Mortality Doctrine series, The Game of Lives, will be published on November 17, 2015. All titles are supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign that includes an author tour in November. Follow James Dashner on Twitter (@JamesDashner), Facebook, and Instagram, and visit his website at JamesDashner.com.

James Dashner is a New York Times bestselling author and the winner of numerous awards for his novels. In addition to the critically acclaimed Maze Runner series, Dashner is the author of the Mortality Doctrine series, the Thirteenth Reality series, and two books in the Infinity Ring series. He lives in Utah with his family.

I am definitely going to grab this collector's edition!  I haven't dived into this series yet, but my blog partner Tina has loved it from the beginning and has told me nothing but amazing things about it!  What better way to start it right?!  

Review: The Kill Order by James Dashner

The Kill Order By James Dashner
Published-Delacorte Press
Released- Aug 14th 2012
Pre-Order- Amazon / Barnes & Noble /Chapters

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares seared the earth and mankind fell to disease. "The Kill Order" tells the story of that fall.

“The prequel is something that has churned in my mind since before "The Maze Runner" was even complete. It's been hard to keep it a secret! I'm excited to finally share the news and I can't wait for my readers to see how it all began," shared author James Dashner.

My Thoughts:
The Kill Order is the much anticipated prequel to The Maze Runner series by the incredible James Dashner. I can't even begin to express how badly I wanted this book. Dashner is one of my all time favorite authors. He's the reason I found my love for post-apocalyptic/dystopic books which provoked me to want to read more in this genre.

This installment takes place thirteen years prior to the initial time setting of the series, which was before Thomas and the Glade, and even before WICKED was created. We follow new characters, Mark and Alec and a group of teenagers battling to survive the aftermath of the Sun Flares. To add more to their already difficult lives, one day a Berg comes out of nowhere and starts shooting darts, killing and effecting everything in its path. The Flare Virus.
Mark, Alec and a couple of the remaining survivors hunt down where the Berg came from, to demand answers as to why these people are spreading a virus when the world is already in horrendous devastation. During their journey they see how the virus is affecting people and all the different reactions it causes - from graphic brutalized pain to bizarre hallucinations. Along the way, they do manage to rescue a little girl named Deedee, who miraculously seems to be immune.

This is where it all begins...

Wow! What a prequel! This book is a roller coaster of non-stop action and heart pounding desperation. I'll admit, I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I found out that a prequel was in the works. I was a bit nervous to read about new characters knowing their inevitable fate. But leave it to Dashner to have me totally consumed by Mark and Alec's journey. Dashner doesn't hold back. This book is filled with thick agony, madness and the twisted minds of unhinged people. I couldn't help feeling so sickened by all the sadness and furious about the unnecessary tactics that caused these people so much grief and despair. A part of me kind of wished that Dashner would have written about Thomas and Teresa or even Newt and Minho. What they meant to WICKED, how they contributed to the plans and life for them before the Glade.
The Maze Runner had one constant. Hope. It's what drove the readers to battle it out till the very last book. But for The Kill Order, it felt very fatal, very final. In the end, I'm glad that Dashner decided to share this story. It may feel hopeless, but it wasn't pointless by any means. This is a story for fans who are curious to know why WICKED was born. Why it was good. It's the birth of the Flare Virus and where we learn that certain characters played a vital role in the protection of others.

Overall, there is no happy ending, but fans of The Maze trilogy already know that, so it’s no surprise. This was a heart breaking and terrifying glimpse into a world that has been utterly destroyed. But it's also a story about fighting for humanity and survival till the bitter end.

So, with a heavy heart, I'm finally able to let this series go. It's been a fascinating and thrilling adventure.
Fans of The Maze Runner trilogy are going to want to experience this prequel because it's a definite gem for their collection!

I can't wait to see what James Dashner has planned next!

Find The Author:
Goodreads / Website                                      4 Snowflakes