Les premières phrases

«  He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.

Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shook the floor beneath him. He fell down at the sudden movement and shuffled backwards on his hands and feet, drops of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. His back struck a hard metal wall; he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. Sinking to the floor, he pulled his legs up tight against his body, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness.

With another jolt, the room jerked upwards like an old lift in a mine shaft.

Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory, echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The lightless lift swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy’s stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse. He wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, waiting.

My name is Thomas, he thought.

That… that was the only thing he could remember about his life. »

Circonstances de lecture

Une trilogie lue après avoir vu le premier volet au cinéma.

Impressions

Une trilogie dévorée en trois semaines. Si vous avez aimé « Divergent » de Veronica Roth, vous devriez également accrocher avec cette trilogie de James Dashner. Imaginez-vous vous réveiller dans un ascenseur puis émerger au beau milieu d’un labyrinthe. Vous ne vous souvenez de rien, à part votre prénom… Entouré d’un groupe d’adolescents, vous n’avez qu’une obsession : trouver la sortie du labyrinthe et comprendre pourquoi vous y avez été enfermé. Intrigant, non ?

J’ai lu avec plaisir cette trilogie… Mais malheureusement, si James Dashner arrive à tenir son lecteur en haleine, passé le premier tome, l’univers se fait moins mystérieux et tombe dans une histoire bien classique… Dommage, car l’idée de départ était vraiment intéressante.

Un passage parmi d’autres

 « I want to be one of those guys that goes out there, » he said aloud, not knowing if Chuck was still awake. « Inside the Maze. »

« Huh? » was the response from Chuck. Thomas could hear a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

« Runners, » Thomas said, whishing he knew where this was coming from. « Whatever they’re doing out there, I want in. »

« You don’t even know what you’re talking about, » Chuck grumbled, and rolled over. « Go to sleep. »

Thomas felt a new surge of confidence, even though he truly didn’t know what he was talking about. « I want to be a Runner. »

Chuck turned back and got up on his elbow. « You can forget that little thought right now. »

Thomas wondererd at Chuck’s reaction, but pressed on. « Don’t try to… »

« Thomas. Newbie. My new friend. Forget it. »

« I’ll tell Alby tomorrow. » A Runner, Thomas thought. I don’t even know what that means. Have I gone completely insane?

Chuck lay down with a laugh. « You’re a piece of klunk. Go to sleep. »

But Thomas couldn’t quit. « Something out there – it feels familiar. »

« Go…to…sleep. »

Then it hit Thomas – he felt like several pieces of a puzzle had been put together. He didn’t know what the ultimate picture would be, but his next words almost felt like they were coming from someone else. « Chuck, I… I think I’ve been here before. »

He heard his friend sit up, heard the intake of breath. But Thomas rolled over and refused to say another word, worried he’d mess up this new sense of being encouraged, eradicate the reassuring calm that filled his heart.

Sleep came much more easily than he’d expected.

James Dashner – The Maze Runner – 2010 (Chicken House)