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Whether it's the war torn world of Hunger Games, the socially stratified society of Divergent, or civilization in collapse of Delirium, the future depicted in YA is often bleak.
But for James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series, there is a powerful undercurrent surging beneath the surface of a lot of the post-apocalyptic and dystopian stories popular in young adult novels: hope.
"There are a lot of places in the world that are in worse shape than even the books we’re writing. And with social media, kids are much more aware of it," says Dashner. "Now kids see pictures of [real] places that are living in either in apocalyptic conditions or dystopian conditions. So I think [readers of the genre] love relating to the fact that our world could go that way, and that someone their age could make a difference in that world."
Dashner sat down with MashReads recently in anticipation of the movie adaptation of The Death Cure, the third and final book in Dashner's popular Maze Runner trilogy. The series follows a group of kids stuck in a maze who are trying solve the labyrinth's mysteries. However, they soon find out that the maze they're in is only one small part of a much larger conspiracy, one that could determine not only their own lives, but also the fate of the world itself.
Join us on the MashReads Podcast as we chat with Dashner about The Maze Runner series, writing dystopian/ post-apocalyptic novels, and why there's room in the world for both blockbuster books as well as quieter, more meditative novels.
Interview Highlights
What inspired the series? Where did the idea originate?
"The first seed of this story was planted when I was 7 or 8 years old. I don’t know if I had bad parents or what, but they let me watch The Shining. The movie ends with a really sweet scene where he’s chasing his son with an axe through this huge garden hedge maze, and it’s snowing and creepy, and [it's] a great scene. Ever since then mazes have fascinated me, and scared me a little bit."
"But Lord of the Flies is probably the most obvious influence. It was the first time that I had to read a book for school that was dark, that wasn’t written in the 1700s or 1800s. It stuck with me. And then I happened to be watching the TV show Lost when I wrote The Maze Runner, and its influence is pretty is obvious. The whole intrigue and mystery of that show. I tried to replicate that."
As you are building this world post-apocalyptic world [as an author], how do you figure out the boundaries? You can make up anything. How do you figure out how far to go, where to stop?
"There's a fine line with suspension of disbelief, and this story does have some philosophical metaphoric things to it. I did ask my readers to have a little bit of suspension of disbelief, because we have these crazy premises, crazy things going on. But I loved writing about, and thinking about, and analyzing, how people react to [to those crazy things], the moral question of 'can you do terrible things to children if you're going to save the human race.' That philosophical stuff."
What's it been like seeing the reader response to the Maze Runner series?
"It's been incredibly rewarding. I used to have this mindset that 'I write the summer blockbuster version of books. Maybe someday I’ll write an important book that’ll win an award but right now I want to have fun.
"The biggest surprise to me has been that this kind of book can really affect someone's life. Once a week, once every other week, I will get a letter from somebody with cancer [for instance], saying 'I read your book over and over while going through the treatment, because I was trying to be like Thomas. If they can beat all this crap they're going through, I can beat cancer. I've gotten letters from people who were bullied and needed an escape from this terrible moment in their life, and my books were able to provide that escape.
"It's really hit me since these books came out, that not just my books, but any book can have incredible influence, incredible escape, and also, through your characters, you can help [readers] develop things in themselves. And I don't know if I consciously knew that [when I started] than I do since these books came out."
You just said "I write the summer blockbuster of books." Can you say more about that?
"When I was first really, really focused on breaking in to becoming an author and making a living off of it, I knew an author who won a Newbery, and I thought, 'Oh, you’re not a real author until you’ve done that.' But I thought, 'That’s not me. I want to write adventure and action and suspense and intrigue and that sort of thing. I want people to fly through my books anxious to turn the pages.' And for some reasons I thought that was lesser than people who were writing tear jerkers or characters with cancer or things that would win awards. And my argument is not for one or the other, but that there’s a place for both."
"It’s not an either/or, even within a book. You can have a book that’s full of suspense and action, but also has amazing characters with real problems and things people can relate to."
And as always, we close the show with recommendations:
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James recommends Leonard da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. "It is fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci had a fascinating life, and I really enjoyed [this book]."
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Peter recommends Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli.
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MJ recommends "'Call Me By Your Name' is the rare case where you should watch the movie before reading the book," an essay by Mashable's entertainment reporter (and frequent MashReads quest) Proma Khosla. He also recommends "The Self In Self-Help," a 2013 essay by Kathryn Schultz.
Other things mentioned on the show:
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Emily St. John Mandel's novel Station Eleven.
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"The One's Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin.
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Mashable's bracket searching for the fan favorite YA series "One True YA."
And if you're looking for even more book news, don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter.
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Original Post Here: MashReads Podcast: James Dashner reveals the secret element behind dystopian novels
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