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This topic is open for discussion of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. Except SPOILERS.

Synopsis:
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?

Reading Schedule

Date Chapters Pages PPQC
November 26, 2012 1 - 10 1 - 57 
November 27, 2012 11 - 19 58 - 111
November 28, 2012 20 - 29 112 - 171
November 29, 2012 30 - 37 172 - 220
November 30, 2012 38 - 46 221 - 273
December 1, 2012 47 - end 274 - 360 

Cathie
Kim L.
Jex

reserved for questions


Questions for Chapters 1 - 10
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[ 1) Wow. Talk about head games...this is crazy. What do you make of the whole new environment?

2) Was Teresa's mind erased? Will she be in a position to betray Thomas>

3) They're making Thomas a target? That must mean the two groups will come together. How in the world will they make one group kill someone from the other?

4) So I looked up the name Teresa Agnes and it is the name of Mother Teresa. What does that mean? I was thinking it would be a name attributed to some spy or someone.

5) So they are helping to save people???? How? I'm still unsure of how this works. Is anyone else/

6) Thoughts on the first section we've read? Is anything puzzling you?

7) I wonder how many levels there are to the trials? Will they ever be allowed to go free? (hide spoiler)]

Questions for Chapters 11 - 19
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[
8) Well, we now know why this book is named the Scorch Trials. The last book had a maze and this one has a scorched area of land for their second trials. This still reminds me of multiple Hunger Games.

9) Why would the creators starve the kids for 3 days and them feed them? Do you think they don't have a real grasp on the passage of time around them? That seemed like an awful long time to do without.


10) Big liquid silver balls that attach to peoples heads and kill them? Do you think it's death by eating or suffocation?

11) What did you make of the Cranks?

12) So the name Flare for the disease, does it have something to do with the sun flares?

13) Tom seems to have a natural ability to figure out how to stop things. He did it with the grievers and again with the liquid silver balls. What do you make of this?

14) So it sounds like Aris and Rachel had a 'thing' before she was killed. Are you surprised?

15) So the girls may have passed through the Scorch area before the boys. Are you anxious to meet the new group? (hide spoiler)]

Questions for Chapters 20 - 29
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[
16) So it sounds like Teresa remembers Thomas. She tells him to go and he says his memories came back. Do you believe there was a trap lying in wait for them?

17) Since we now know Thomas can communicate with someone other than Teresa, do you think that is why Teresa attempted to cut off the mental conversations with him? Could somebody else intercept them?

18) They are down to 11 Gladers, possibly less by the end of Chapter 29. I wonder who exactly is left. Is the new kid still alive? Could he be a spy?

19) Anyone else start thinking of the Stop, Drop, & Roll when the lightening started setting people on fire? I truly hope this is all some sort of simulated program the kids are in.

20) What do you make of Brenda and Jorge?

21) Do you think Thomas should have been the leader? Do you think the tattoos were just to manipulate people into roles Wicked wanted them to be in? I think someone might have suggested this before.

22) Do you believe there is a cure or are they just messing with the kids?

23) From what I've heard of solar flares they could definitely create a disaster on earth. I kind of like the fact this book has a plausible 'end of world' scenario and it sites it. In some stories I'm left wondering what happened. (hide spoiler)]

Questions for Chapter 30-37
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[

24) So Thomas go separated from the rest of the Gladers. That all seemed very strange to me. Did Brenda know about the distraction and decide to steal Thomas for herself?

25) The cranks in the cave sounded like Zombies. Yikes! I thought the metallic balls were going to come back.

26) The town seems to me like a demented version of the Wild West. What is your impression of it?

27) What do you make of all the signs saying Tom is the true leader?

28) The memory Tom had of overhearing things about the Betrayal...What do you make of it? What was all that about patterns? I'm still so confused. Does anyone have any ideas? What if the Betrayal doesn't happen? What if Tom was supposed to hook up with Brenda and he doesn't? (hide spoiler)]

Questions for chapters 38 - 46
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[
29) So the gang got back together and then Thomas got shot. What is the Berg? Is it truly what the hospital was named or did Jorge think Thomas was being transported somewhere else?

30) If the girls are supposed to kill Thomas, why did WICKED bother saving him? Could it be so the girls could finish him off?

31) Could all this trial and testing be to try to find the most pliable people to do WICKED's bidding? We keep hearing about candidates and trials and that sounds like terminology used for people being interviewed for a military position.

32) So the gun wasn't supposed to be used in the Scorch Trials, therefore leading us to believe the variables are all under tight control and everything is monitored. How do you suppose their spying on the group this time? Could people be the spies in this trial?

33) What do you make of Teresa? What could Thomas have supposedly done to her?

34) Do you think the girls will truly kill Thomas?

35) Are you surprised that the girls seem to be doing better then the boys in everything? Do you think their trials were exactly the same or do you think they were different? After all they were the ones asked to kill someone whereas the boys only had to get to a final destination.

36) Is there anything that is puzzling you at this point that I might not have mentioned? (hide spoiler)]

Questions/Comments for Chapters 47 - end
Click on view spoiler to see the day's questions:
(view spoiler)[

37) Gah! I remember a song that went something like, "This is the song that never ends. It goes on and on my fiends..." That is what this series seem like right now. I keep thinking we'll get answers and it keeps going on and on...

38) What did you think of the Betrayal? Do you think Thomas should have been more understanding? Should he forgive Teresa?

39) What do you make of the dream or was it a dream where Brenda could speak in his head? Are things going to go very bad for Tom? Will he be treated like a lab rat?

40) Why do you think they separated Thomas from the others?

41) What the heck is the Swipe?

42) What did you make of the last attack and who got killed?

43) Overall thoughts, questions, etc on the book?
(hide spoiler)]

Yea, Nov. 26th :-)!

Questions are all posted

So glad I saw this! Now I have a reason to read The Scorch Trials :)

Thanks for putting this together!

Yes, thanks Lisarenee :-)

You're welcome. I can't wait to start in on the next one with you all.

I wanted to read this for a long time, I am in. The last time I didn't know about the buddy read until it was almost over. Glad I found this one before it started :)

Ch 1-10

1) Wow. Talk about head games...this is crazy. What do you make of the whole new environment?
Well... so much for being saved. I was right about the all girls experiment.  I wonder how much of it was identical and if there variables that changed the outcome. Was Thomas supposed to die?  Or did something change to make Thomas needed?  Soooo many questions and it's only the beginning.

2) Was Teresa's mind erased? Will she be in a position to betray Thomas? 
Erased. My guess is that they couldn't sever the link between them s they did the next best thing.  Made her forget Thomas all together.

3) They're making Thomas a target? That must mean the two groups will come together. How in the world will they make one group kill someone from the other?
They made Galley kill Chuck.  Who's to say they won't do it again? Maybe they think Thomas has too much power and if the kids think he's going to die they may not listen to him as much.  I'm sure it's all part of the mind game.  

4) So I looked up the name Teresa Agnes and it is the name of Mother Teresa. What does that mean? I was thinking it would be a name attributed to some spy or someone.
Maybe she's the savior of them all?  I don't know.

5) So they are helping to save people???? How? I'm still unsure of how this works. Is anyone else? 
Some experiment to overcome the cranks is my guess. I wonder if the sickness they got in the glade was actually the illness of the cranks?  Maybe the were testing g the syrum?

6) Thoughts on the first section we've read? Is anything puzzling you?
Only everything!

7) I wonder how many levels there are to the trials? Will they ever be allowed to go free? 
My guess is 3. One for each book plus escape into the world.  Scorch trials

I'm still waiting for the book I ordered to come into the book store :-(. I so want to read this.

CH 11-19
8) Well, we now know why this book is named the Scorch Trials. The last book had a maze and this one has a scorched area of land for their second trials. This still reminds me of multiple Hunger Games.
My guess is that the first test tried their leadership and thinking skills while this ties their survival skills since the world doesn't exactly have a lot of resources with the flares.

9) Why would the creators starve the kids for 3 days and then feed them? Do you think they don't have a real grasp on the passage of time around them? That seemed like an awful long time to do without.
To show them a taste of what's to come and that the kids really have no control over the situation. They want the kids to cooperate with the experiments.

10) Big liquid silver balls that attach to peoples heads and kill them? Do you think it's death by eating or suffocation?
Eating. It was burning through his skin and it physically detached the first head from the body living a bloody mess. Definitely more creative then a simple slicer that I was expecting.

11) What did you make of the Cranks?
It's good to know that the cranks aren't an instant transformation t crazy town. These cranks seemed fully capable of rational thought. I wonder how long the process actually takes from Te moment you get infected to the time you go all "please kill me"

12) So the name Flare for the disease, does it have something to do with the sun flares?
That would explain the blisters and such. I think the name is simple because the disease coincided with wen the sun flares hit. I don't think the flare themselves cause it. Sun flares could cause physical diseases but this sounds more viral.

13) Tom seems to have a natural ability to figure out how to stop things. He did it with the grievers and again with the liquid silver balls. What do you make of this?
Maybe he knows the creatures fon his time working on the Maze but he doesn't know that he knows because he can't remember.

14) So it sounds like Aris and Rachel had a 'thing' before she was killed. Are you surprised?
Not at all. I figured Thomas and Theresa would have a romance but she disappeared. So makes sense.

15) So the girls may have passed through the Scorch area before the boys. Are you anxious to meet the new group?
I wonder if they went through before or if they entered from somewhere else?

For once I'm the one on time and everyone else is behind! Feels good ;-)

lol Jex, sure rub it in, lol.

Gotta rub it in while I can. It doesn't happen very often.

Well, I'll keep you company in spirit, lol. I can't discuss because I have no clue without the book. I did read the first couple of chapters of Scorch Trails that were at the back of Maze Runner, just to feel like I was participating, lol. I want my book, please Book God :-)

16) So it sounds like Teresa remembers Thomas. She tells him to go and he says his memories came back. Do you believe there was a trap lying in wait for them?
Definitely a trap. I think they wiped her memory but the bond between them was too strong over riding the memory wipe. Then the kiss was the big push for the memory flood.

17) Since we now know Thomas can communicate with someone other than Teresa, do you think that is why Teresa attempted to cut off the mental conversations with him? Could somebody else intercept them?
I think she truly forgot who he was for a short period of time. Seeing him reminded her or brought the memories back.

18) They are down to 11 Gladers, possibly less by the end of Chapter 29. I wonder who exactly is left. Is the new kid still alive? Could he be a spy?
Aris was alive after the storm. I don't know about now with the tunnel collapsing. I don't think that he is a spy. I don't yet know his purpose but think he is just as confused about everyone else. He hasn't done anything to make me suspicious of him.

19) Anyone else start thinking of the Stop, Drop, & Roll when the lightening started setting people on fire? I truly hope this is all some sort of simulated program the kids are in.
Stop and drop might of helped put out the fire but would have left them sitting ducks for the next lightning strike. The description of the kid that lost his legs was brutal. I couldn't imagine seeing that even in a movie or something.

20) What do you make of Brenda and Jorge?
Jorge is doing what he needs to get by. Seems like the natural leader type. A little accustomed to the violence. Benda is strange. I don't like the fatal attraction thing going on with her and Thomas especially after the last big scene with Theresa. I wonder if she's further along in the flare then we think.

21) Do you think Thomas should have been the leader? Do you think the tattoos were just to manipulate people into roles Wicked wanted them to be in? I think someone might have suggested this before.
Yes. Tattoos were definitely manipulation. Thomas seems to be the only one that can really figure anything out. He's the only one that reacts quickly and manages to get the group out of tight spots. Him not being branded the leader may have to do with the fact that he has something g to do with the experiments. Ever wonder if all of this is simply a test for Thomas alone?

22) Do you believe there is a cure or are they just messing with the kids?
I don't know if I believe they have the disease to begin with. Maybe they were given something that makes them immune and the test is to see if it works by having them near the cranks?

23) From what I've heard of solar flares they could definitely create a disaster on earth. I kind of like the fact this book has a plausible 'end of world' scenario and it sites it. In some stories I'm left wondering what happened.
I had been curious how the solar flares created a disease but the book addressed that finally by stating a lab let it loose in the disaster. Plausible.

Chapter 30-37 (Realized I read two chapters too many on this section. Oh well)

24) So Thomas go separated from the rest of the Gladers. That all seemed very strange to me. Did Brenda know about the distraction and decide to steal Thomas for herself?
I had that thought for minute, but it doesn't seem likely based on events. I think it's just the way things worked out.

25) The cranks in the cave sounded like Zombies. Yikes! I thought the metallic balls were going to come back.
I don't think we'll be seeing the metallic balls again. They were just a way of making the kids move out into the scorch sooner instead of taking shelter in the tunnels. The cranks definitely seem a bit zombie esque. There hasn't been any mention of how the disease spreads, although I'm guessing its viral (through blood and such). I wonder how long it takes to become gone.

26) The town seems to me like a demented version of the Wild West. What is your impression of it?
Seems accurate. You've got your various gangs all of various gone ness. I think the wild west feels comes from the desert feel mixed with the lack of supplies and technology.

27) What do you make of all the signs saying Tom is the true leader?
Definitely an interesting twist. I'm more interested in finding out the meaning of the memory Thomas had about testing one person and hoping he didn't die. I'm pretty sure Thomas is that one person. He's the center of all of this and hopefully the answer to fixing the world's problems.

28) The memory Tom had of overhearing things about the Betrayal...What do you make of it? What was all that about patterns? I'm still so confused. Does anyone have any ideas? What if the Betrayal doesn't happen? What if Tom was supposed to hook up with Brenda and he doesn't?
I thought it was interesting that they said the Betrayal might not play out. Theresa was supposed to be the betrayer and she didn't seem able to betray him in the the little house, so maybe that means that the scenario didn't play out?

Finally got my book - yaaa!

Yay! No more reading alone!

I'm exhausted tonight so I'll post today's answers tomorrow. Maybe by then someone will want to discuss with me :-)

Chapters 38-46

29) So the gang got back together and then Thomas got shot. What is the Berg? Is it truly what the hospital was named or did Jorge think Thomas was being transported somewhere else?
I think it's the plane that transported him.

30) If the girls are supposed to kill Thomas, why did WICKED bother saving him? Could it be so the girls could finish him off?
I finished the book so can't really make a prediction regarding this. However, I never really thought that Thomas would end up dead. There is still a whole book to read after this one.

31) Could all this trial and testing be to try to find the most pliable people to do WICKED's bidding? We keep hearing about candidates and trials and that sounds like terminology used for people being interviewed for a military position.
Still think it's all about testing immunity to the flare and something at the end makes me think I was right.

32) So the gun wasn't supposed to be used in the Scorch Trials, therefore leading us to believe the variables are all under tight control and everything is monitored. How do you suppose their spying on the group this time? Could people be the spies in this trial?
I wonder if Jorge and Brenda were spies the whole time. It seems too easy that they were welcomed into the plane at the end (well, not welcomed) but it would make a lot of sense. Probably high tech satellite cameras as well.

33) What do you make of Teresa? What could Thomas have supposedly done to her?
Not sure. At one point I thought maybe Aris told her that Thomas was cheating on her (so to speak) with Brenda, but mostly just stuff planted by WICKED I'm sure.

34) Do you think the girls will truly kill Thomas?
No. He's the main character and would never die. He's too smooth and can talk himself out of anything.

35) Are you surprised that the girls seem to be doing better then the boys in everything? Do you think their trials were exactly the same or do you think they were different? After all they were the ones asked to kill someone whereas the boys only had to get to a final destination.
I think they were asked to kill someone because they had done better in the maze then the boys. It was a different kind of test since they hadn't witnessed as much death and destruction as the boys had. The boys would have killed no questions asked. I think part of why they did better is due to the difference in problem solving skills between men and women...women talk, guys do. While guys were out running and doing the girls were in thinking and analyzing. This isn't always the case, obviously, as every person is different, but this tends to be the default.

36) Is there anything that is puzzling you at this point that I might not have mentioned?
I forget where the section left off, so I'll go with no.... Teresa was weird...I guess that was puzzling.

Chapter 47 - The End

37) Gah! I remember a song that went something like, "This is the song that never ends. It goes on and on my fiends..." That is what this series seem like right now. I keep thinking we'll get answers and it keeps going on and on...
Well there is only 1 book left so we should get answers soon!

38) What did you think of the Betrayal? Do you think Thomas should have been more understanding? Should he forgive Teresa?
I think it sucks, but it was needed. My theory is that the patterns have to do with emotional patterns. The flare seems to feed off human emotions causing the worst of a person to come to the surface: violence, anger, etc. Because of this certain emotional stresses may trigger the flare to move to the next stage or take over faster, or at all. Therefore, if you expose the kids to various emotional stresses such as betrayal, fear, anger, whatever else you can think of, then you can truly test if they are immune to the disease and if your cure has worked to completely eradicate the flare from their system. It's just a theory, but it's one I've had for awhile in pieces, and the letter at the end of the book made me think I was right. It would also explain why it was so important that Thomas truly felt betrayed, not partially, but fully.

39) What do you make of the dream or was it a dream where Brenda could speak in his head? Are things going to go very bad for Tom? Will he be treated like a lab rat?
I think Brenda is part of WICKED and she is warning him out of kindness that it just gets worse from here on out. I don't think it was a dream due to the fact that Thomas woke up in the white room that he "dreamed" of.

40) Why do you think they separated Thomas from the others?
Yet another part of the test. He must have stood out as the best candidate and therefore needed to be separated for more testing. Either that or they want to test the rest of the group without him present to see if there are other viable candidates besides him.

41) What the heck is the Swipe?
No clue.

42) What did you make of the last attack and who got killed?
Not many people got killed, did they? It didn't sound like anyone we really knew got killed. Just some background extras. The machines sound gross.

43) Overall thoughts, questions, etc on the book?
I hate cliffhangers!!! Can we start the next book like right now? Well as soon as I run to the library and grab the next one?

Pleasssseee Jex, wait for me to catch up; I'm 40% through...couldn't read today...massive headache, just came on line to let you know you're not alone, I'm reading it.

I'm into the part where they are in the "town". Thomas has met up with Teresa again and again has had to say goodbye. The Rat Man freaked me out as did the tunnel; molten head drips, yuck. This Dashner author is one sick dude, lol.

I was awed at finding out there were 2 groups, especially the 2nd being a girl's group. I was like, "no way", big grin.

So please, pretty please let me finish it...shouldn't be more than 3 days...hopefully this headache will be gone tomorrow. I know I already want to read the next one :-).

Don't worry. I don't even have the book in hand yet :-P

I noticed the Death Cures book cover on the home page calendar. Do we have a start date for this one yet? Do I have to run out and buy the book soon or are we waiting until the new year to continue?

I LOVED the Scorch Trials!! Even better than the Maze Runner, if that's possible :-). Can't believe all they had to go through and all the anguish Thomas felt with Teresa. How much can a guy take??!! Dashner has one sick imagination, lol. I want to see Thomas have some peace, although that would probably drive him over the edge having lived an action packed constant on the run existence for so long.