Answers with James Dashner

Answer 1

Your new book, The Rule of Thoughts, is the sequel to The Eye of Minds. For those who haven't read it, can you summarize the plot of the Mortality Doctrine series?

The story takes place in the near future, when Virtual Reality technology is extremely advanced and lifelike. A teenager named Michael is a big gamer who is very skilled at programming. His help is sought when terrible things start happening in the virtual world, causing people to show up brain-dead in the real world. As he digs deeper and gets more involved, his own life becomes endangered and the line between what's real and what's not becomes blurred.

Answer 2

Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies heavily influenced The Maze Runner, your most popular novel. What sources did you draw from when writing The Rule of Thoughts?

The central idea for this series came to me way back in the '90s when I watched The Matrix for the very first time. That's one of my all-time favorite movies, and it heavily inspired this story. I'd also say that the movie Inception was a big inspiration.

Answer 3

The Eye of Minds shocked readers with its cliffhanger ending. How will The Rule of Thoughts prove it was worth the wait?

The sequel picks up the very next morning, and readers will get to see Michael's reaction to the events that have turned his entire world upside down. And then he has to adjust and adapt, and things get crazy pretty quickly.

Answer 4

How would you compare The Rule of Thoughts and The Eye of Minds?

I would say the first book is very crafted and precise, setting up the virtual world and the clues for the twisty ending. The second book jumps right into the action, with almost no setup, and there's also a lot more of the real world in the sequel.

Answer 5

The Mortality Doctrine series was originally planned as a trilogy. Is that still the case, or is there a possibility of more novels?

Right now it is still mapped out as a trilogy. I do think it would have the potential for a sequel series if the time was ever right, but the story will have a very solid ending this time around.

Answer 6

Which series has been your favorite to write, and why?

That's like asking which one of my kids is my favorite! (My last one, by the way. Don't tell the others.) I can honestly say I don't have a favorite. I love them all equally and for different reasons. (The books, not my kids.)

Answer 7

You're not afraid to kill off your characters, which has upset some of your fans in the past. Which character was hardest for you to say goodbye to?

Death is hard in writing, no doubt. I thought The Maze Runner series needed that toughness to stay true to how awful the world is. It's not something I could probably ever get away with again or it'd become a cliché for my writing. That's why there's less death in my new series. But as I always tell people, there are things worse than death (evil laugh)! The hardest death scene I've ever written took place roughly in the middle of The Death Cure.

Answer 8

Your novels are geared toward readers as young as middle school, yet even adults enjoy your stories. What's your trick to entertaining audiences of all ages?

I just write what I think is awesome, honestly. I never really think about the age of my reader. I love using teenagers as main characters because I think it's a fascinating age. But every single adult in the world was once a teenager, so I think they can really relate. Teenagers are remarkable, and we never give them enough credit. They can do amazing, spectacular things.

Answer 9

Readers have called both the Maze Runner trilogy and the Mortality Doctrine the next Hunger Games/Divergent series. Why do you think our society today is so fascinated by dystopian societies of the future?

I just think it's another fascinating layer to the whole otherworldly aspect of speculative fiction - that underlying fear that these things could actually come to pass. It's terrifying to think of what the future holds, and also important that we do think about it.

Answer 10

The Hunger Games, Divergent, and now The Maze Runner have been adapted for the big screen. Are there any plans to make a film adaptation of the Mortality Doctrine as well?

No concrete plans as of yet, but it's something I definitely want to happen!