Recently, there’s been an explosion of dystopian themes in film, television, and of course, literature. Most of this trend seems to target young adult readers.
One such work is James Dashner’s The Maze Runner, a book series that has been adapted for the big screen. It details a group of amnesiac teenagers trapped in the middle of a massive labyrinth, which is populated by horrible creatures called “Grievers.”
The teenagers work together to survive and solve the mystery of the maze. But the arrival of two new people set off massive changes in the environment and they must find a way to escape the maze once and for all.
Books Like The Maze Runner
If you’ve finished the Maze Runner series and are looking for something similar, you’ll love this list of books that are close in tone, atmosphere, and concept. Read on below to satisfy your dystopian cravings!
1. Alive by Scott Sigler
For fans of science-fiction.
A teenage girl wakes up and finds herself inside a coffin, with no idea of who she is or how she got there. After managing to bream out, she finds an equally disoriented group of people in a room full of caskets and dead people. With no answers in sight, they must band together and explore an otherwise abandoned place filled with unknown dangers.
2. Partials by Dan Wells
For fans of the Terminator series.
The Partials are synthetic, humanoid super-soldiers created to fight Mankind’s many wars. But they’ve evolved, rebelled, and decimated the human population by introducing a virus that kills human babies within a few hours of birth.
Now it’s up to one determined teen to find a cure for the virus, save her best friend’s unborn child, and determine the origins of the war—a discovery that will prove both sides’ capacity for co-existence.
3. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
For fans of steampunk.
Earth is destroyed by the “Sixty-minute war,” a conflict so vicious it caused major geological instabilities. To escape the continuous earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and certain death, cities were equipped with engines that allow them to move and destroy other cities for resources.
But now there’s a new threat to the world in the form of an ancient weapon, and young Tom Natsworthy is flung into a conflict that sends him outside London for the first time in his life.
4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
For fans of alien invasions.
It’s the end of the world, but humanity won’t die with just one catastrophe—so the Others decided to send five. Now what’s left of humanity is desperate to survive, clinging to a hope that the “people in charge” are working on a solution.
Cassie firmly believes that being alone is the best way to survive. Until she meets Evan, that is. With Others masquerading as humans, Evan might just be the person who can help Cassie rescue her brother.
5. The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
For fans of elaborate underground base tropes.
For six years, Eli and his family have been living in an underground compound to protect them from a nuclear holocaust. Concerned with his father’s increasing insanity, including cloning humans as a food supplement, Eli stumbles into a horrifying secret: there was no nuclear war.
Now he needs to find a way to thwart his father’s plans, get out of the compound, and save his remaining family.
6. Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
For fans of slasher thrillers.
It happens every two years: A strange man comes and murders Min and Noah in cold blood, only for them to wake up a few miles from home, alive and well. They’ve kept it a secret, even from each other. The only one who knows is a psychiatrist, and she knows more than she lets on.
An asteroid on a collision course with earth and strange military movements in their small town finally galvanize Min and Noah into action, and they discover a global conspiracy that is far more menacing than their own murders.
7. Warcross by Marie Lu
For fans of virtual reality tropes.
Warcross is an internationally renowned massive, multiplayer online game that takes augmented reality into the next, next level. And it’s home to an annual championship match with a multimillion-dollar prize.
Strapped for cash, Emika Chen takes a risk and hacks her way into the championship, accidentally revealing a flaw in the system. Suddenly thrust into a world of fame and fortune, she uncovers a plot that will disastrously affect Warcross—and the billions of people who play it.
8. Nerve by Jeanne Ryan
For fans of social commentaries.
Nerve is a massively popular online game of dares that is broadcast online for all to see. Vee, a shy high school junior, is tempted into joining the game to impress her crush. Paired with a stranger, they complete a series of dares that grow riskier and more lucrative.
Things take a seriously twisted turn when they’re led into a secret location with five other players for the grand finals, where it’s all or nothing, and their lives are on the line.
9. Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
For fans of survival stories.
Earth’s overpopulation problem is solved by the invention of the “Ramsbotham jump,” a teleportation device. Now, Earth’s excess population is sent to other planets for colonization.
Rod Walker dreams of becoming a professional colonist, but first he has to pass his Advanced Survival class to stay alive on an unfamiliar planet for two to ten days. But when ten days have passed and no rescuers are in sight, the students must figure out how to survive in the long term.
10. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
For fans of murder mysteries.
Seventeen-year-old Amy is cryogenically frozen aboard the spaceship Godspeed. Amy, her parents, and the other 100 frozen passengers believe they’ll wake up 300 years in the future on a new planet.
But Amy is violently woken from cryogenic sleep when someone tries to murder her. Now she’s stuck in a ship populated by a strange society led by a tyrannical figure named Eldest. Amy must race to unlock the secrets of the Godspeed before whoever attempted to kill her tries again.
11. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
For fans of tournament-style stories.
Darrow is a Red, the lowest of the castes, and responsible for making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. But humanity terraformed Mars generations ago, building vast cities and lush landscapes across the planet. The Reds have become unwitting slaves to the higher castes.
Consumed by revenge, Darrow infiltrates the Institute, where the Golds constantly struggle for power. There, he must put his life on the life by impersonating a Gold, while scheming to bring down the rotten society he’s lived in all his life.
12. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
For fans of social commentaries.
The society Tally Youngblood lives in considers everyone “ugly” until they are made “pretty” through extreme cosmetic surgery on their 16th birthday. Tally eagerly anticipates her turn.
Her plans go sideways when one of her friends runs away from being turned into a pretty, and Tally learns one thing: her world wasn’t as pretty as advertised. Now she’s been given an ultimatum: find her friend and bring her back, or never turn pretty at all.
13. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
For fans of superhero stories.
John Smith is not your typical teenager. First off, he’s an alien; secondly, he’s on the run from major bad guys who destroyed his world. He’s the fourth of nine alien children who were sent to live on Earth accompanied by a guardian, just until they develop the powers they need to fight back.
But numbers one through three are now dead, hunted down by Mogadorians, the same bad guys that John’s on the run from. And he knows he’s next.
14. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
For fans of military stories.
Earth is fighting a constant war against a hostile alien species. In order to survive a final assault, government agencies breed and recruit child geniuses into their military ranks.
Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses. He’s brilliant, cunning, ruthless, and a master of tactics and strategy—everything the military wants and more. The adults actively work on forcing Ender to be who they want to be by isolating him from the others and forcing him to make difficult decisions. But can Ender, a child, endure the constant isolation and pressure?
15. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
For fans of the zombie apocalypse.
The world is in such an awful state that reaching the age of 25 means you’re an elder. In fact, kids aren’t named until they’re 15 because of low life expectancies in the underground where they live.
When Deuce turns 15, she becomes a huntress, tasked to provide food and protection for her tribe. Helping her out is Fade, a boy born aboveground, who wants to prove himself to the tribe. The discovery of a neighboring enclave being decimated by monsters leads to both teens being exiled in the ruins of a city whose only inhabitants are dangerous gangs.
16. Divergent by Veronica Roth
For fans of the black sheep protagonist.
In dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Anyone without a faction lives on the streets as outcasts.
Beatrice is a divergent, someone who doesn’t follow the norm. Divergence is seen by many as a threat so Beatrice must hide her traits while choosing whether to stay with the faction she was born in, or move to a new one.
17. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
For fans of survival games.
The nation of Panem consists of the Capitol and 12 districts of varying prosperity. Every year, as a punishment for a past rebellion, candidates, called tributes, are taken from each district and forced to fight to the death in a televised and highly dangerous tournament.
Katniss Everdeen comes from district 12, the poorest of the districts. When her sister is chosen as a tribute, she volunteers herself instead and must learn how to kill to survive the competition.
Why Is Dystopian Literature So Popular with Young Adults?
Simply put, they’re relatable and engaging. Most of these books are told from a teenager’s perspective, portrayed as having already understood themselves as individuals—something that many teens struggle with.
Teenagers relate with how the authors portray the insecurities and concerns that a teenager goes through, and how they let their characters develop into confident and experienced people. This gives assurance to the readers, who are mostly the same age as the protagonists.
The themes explored in such stories are also close to what most teenagers view as important, including friendship, love, societal issues, and big, sudden changes in life. That makes it easy for teens to project themselves into the story, experiencing it on another level.
Reading Books like The Maze Runner
Dystopian or Young Adult books like these are enjoyable time-killers that also make you think about current world issues while contemplating the future.
Whether your a veteran in these kinds of stories or a newcomer looking to sink your teeth in, the books listed above will surely make your reading time worth it. Enjoy your reading!
Interested in exploring more great reads? Check out our list of the best YA series to read right now!
Have you read the Maze Runner series? Share your thoughts about it on the comments below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
