The Kill Order

by James Dashner

Reviewed by Alicia Chuang

Fall 2016

REVIEW: The Kill Order by James Dashner

ISBN#: 0385742886

THE STORY:

Thirteen years before the Maze Runner, Mark, Alec, Trina, Lana, Toad and Misty had banded together to survive the sun flares. They live in a village until a Berg shows up and starts shooting the villagers with darts. People drop like flies, so Mark and Alec decide to find some answers and break into the Berg. They find boxes containing identical darts to those that had been shot at them, and the boxes are labeled highly contagious. Misty and Toad die from the virus, and Mark, Alec, Trina and Lana decide to find more answers
and get revenge. They use the workpad Mark had found on the Berg to find its headquarters. Along the way, they find a girl named Deedee who had been shot with a dart but is still alive, and they bring her along with them. They come across Deedee’s former tribe, so Mark and Alec decide to go investigate. When they come back, the girls are gone. Mark finds their trail, and they discover that the girls were captured by the owners of the Berg and had been given away to be sacrificed. Mark and Alec decide to rescue the girls. Lana is killed but they manage to rescue Trina and Deedee. They later find out that Trina has the flare. She spreads the virus to Mark and Alec, and they know that their days are numbered, so they decide to accomplish a final mission by bringing Deedee to Asheville to be examined in hope of a cure. (252)

MY OPINION:

When I first opened the book, I already had some background information because I had read three of The Maze Runner series. Before I read The Kill Order, I thought that WICKED was evil because of the cruelty of the tests, but as I started reading The Kill Order, I began to  understand why it was necessary to put those kids through the harsh experiments and the effort people have put to find a cure. I like how the author uses Mark as the main character because Mark is not immune to the flare and we can see how it affects him, and how he struggles against it. The characters decided to bring Deedee to Asheville even when they all had the flare and Trina had no memory. They did not give up and wait for death to come. I applaud their courage and determination. I would recommend this book for kids from 12-16 years old and rate this book nine out of ten stars because I admire how the author made the ending bittersweet. (175)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Why do the people in the Berg go to Mark’s village?

1a. They want to infect them with a virus. (pg. 35)

2. Why do they use darts instead of guns?

2a. Their goal is not to kill them but to spread a virus. (pg. 35)

3. What does the virus do?

3a. It eats away at your brain and drives you crazy. (pg. 69)

4. What are they going to do about the Toad?

4a. Alec kills him. (pg. 85)

5. Why is the girl left alone in the village?

5a. She was hit by a dart and the others thought she was infected, so they left her and ran off by themselves. (pg. 94)

Surreal (pg. 2)

Metropolis (pg. 10)

Vigilant (pg. 63)

Labyrinth (pg. 73)

Enigma (pg. 87)

MIDDLE SECTION

1. What will Mark find when they get there?

1a. Crazy people who were sent to do the government’s dirty work. (pg. 182)

2. Who is the ugly man with no ears?

2a.His name is Jedidiah, and he is the leader of Deedee’s tribe. (pg. 126)

3. How are Mark and Alec going to escape from Jedidiah?

3a. Other people attacked the tribe, and they used that as a distraction to escape. (pg. 130)

4. Why are three girls not in the camp after Mark and Alec escape Deedee’s tribe?

4a. They are captured by the people with the Bergs and given to Deedee’s tribe to be sacrificed. (pg. 185)

5. Is Bruce going to see Mark and Alec at the back of the auditorium?

5a. Yes. Bruce saw them and ordered for them to be bound and gaged by the time he counted to thirty. (pg. 189)

Canvassers (pg. 112)

Ominous (pg. 116)

Gyrating (pg. 118)

Retaliate (pg. 131)

Adrenaline (pg.134)

LAST SECTION

1. Why is there a boat heading down Broadway?

1a. The people on the boat are scavenging for food and fuel. (pg. 225)

2. Where did the woman from the boat go?

2a. She commits suicide because Mark killed her boss. (pg. 230)

3. What does the box on the Berg contain?

3a. It contains Transvices. A weapon that makes people dissolve into thin air. (pg. 235)

4. Would Lana survive her encounter with the crazy people?

4a. No. She was being eaten alive by the crazy people, so Alec put her out of her misery. (pg. 266)

5. What condition would Trina and Deedee be in when Mark and Alec find them?

5a. Trina has the flare and has no memory of Mark, but Deedee is immune. (pg. 271)

Suffused (pg. 219)

Oblivious (pg. 225)

Levity (pg. 234)

Morbid (pg. 253)

Lucid (pg. 274)