James Dashner reveals the secret element behind dystopian novels: hope

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.” Read more…

More about Maze Runner, Mashreads, Mashreads Podcast, Death Cure, and Scorch Trials