Publication order

The publication order is the clearest route for first-time readers because the earlier books introduce the mysteries before later works explain their origins or consequences. Readers should begin with book one.⁠[5-14]

The Maze Runner books should be read in publication order, by following this sequence:​⁠[1-3]⁠[15-17]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner 2009⁠[18-19] Introduces Thomas, the Glade, the Maze, and WICKED.
2 Book cover of The Scorch Trials. The Scorch Trials 2010⁠[18-19] Continues after the Maze escape.
3 Book cover of The Death Cure. The Death Cure 2011⁠[20-21] Concludes the principal Thomas-led arc.
4 Book cover of The Kill Order. The Kill Order 2012⁠[15] Looks back to the Flare’s origins and early survival world.
5 Book cover of The Maze Runner Files. The Maze Runner Files 2013⁠[22-23] Adds documents, memories, and WICKED background.
6 Book cover of The Fever Code. The Fever Code 2016⁠[24-25] Explains the pre-Maze history of Thomas and Teresa.
7 Book cover of Crank Palace. Crank Palace 2020⁠[2] Follows Newt’s parallel story during the main arc.
8 Book cover of The Maze Cutter. The Maze Cutter 2022⁠[26] Opens a sequel sequence tied to the original survivors.
9 Book cover of The Godhead Complex. The Godhead Complex 2023⁠[27] Continues the sequel storyline and its Cure mystery.
10 Book cover of The Infinite Glade. The Infinite Glade 2025⁠[4] Extends the sequel arc through the Godhead and Sequencer conflict.
Publication order of The Maze Runner books.
Publication order of The Maze Runner books.

Chronological order

The chronological order suits rereaders or completionists who want to follow the world’s internal history from the early Flare era through the Maze Trials and into the later sequel period. This path foregrounds cause and background, but it also reveals information before the original trilogy has used it as mystery.⁠[5-14]

Therefore, alternatively, The Maze Runner books may be read in chronological order, by following this sequence:​⁠[5-14]

Order Cover Title First published Notes
1 Book cover of The Kill Order. The Kill Order 2012⁠[15] Begins with the early post-flare world and the spread of the Flare.
2 Book cover of The Fever Code. The Fever Code 2016⁠[24-25] Follows Thomas before the Maze.
3 Book cover of The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner 2009⁠[18-19] Begins the main Glader storyline.
4 Book cover of The Scorch Trials. The Scorch Trials 2010⁠[18-19] Continues the trials after the Maze.
5 Book cover of The Death Cure. The Death Cure 2011⁠[20-21] Concludes the original main arc.
6 Book cover of Crank Palace. Crank Palace 2020⁠[2] Runs alongside part of the later original-arc events.
7 Book cover of The Maze Runner Files. The Maze Runner Files 2013⁠[22-23] Provides mixed background and companion material.
8 Book cover of The Maze Cutter. The Maze Cutter 2022⁠[26] Opens the later sequel era.
9 Book cover of The Godhead Complex. The Godhead Complex 2023⁠[27] Continues the sequel arc.
10 Book cover of The Infinite Glade. The Infinite Glade 2025⁠[4] Extends the sequel storyline.
Chronological order of The Maze Runner books.
Chronological order of The Maze Runner books.

Works in sequence

The core reading experience consists of the original Maze Runner trilogy and the three-book Maze Cutter sequel series. The original series was published first and tells the story of Thomas and the Maze Trials, while the Maze Cutter books were published later as a sequel series set in the same world. Together, these books carry the principal forward-moving storylines: Thomas’s trials and their aftermath, followed by a later generation dealing with the legacy of the Flare, the Cure, the Maze, and the surviving systems of the old world.

The supplementary works—The Kill Order, The Maze Runner Files, The Fever Code, and Crank Palace—expand the world, provide background, or fill in side perspectives. They may be skipped without losing the main storyline, as the essential plot is contained in the original trilogy and the later Maze Cutter sequel sequence. However, these books provide additional context, character development, and worldbuilding that many readers will find rewarding, especially after completing the core novels.

1. The Maze Runner

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Maze Runner.
Book cover of The Maze Runner.

The Maze Runner (2009)⁠[18-19] introduces Thomas as he arrives in the Glade with no memory beyond his first name. This novel establishes the central enclosed setting, the shifting Maze, the Grievers, the Gladers’ survival system, and the mystery of WICKED.⁠[5]

It is the necessary starting point because it presents the story through confusion and discovery before later books explain the forces behind the experiment.⁠[5]

2. The Scorch Trials

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Scorch Trials.
Book cover of The Scorch Trials.

The Scorch Trials (2010)⁠[28-29] The Scorch Trials been adapted into a graphic novel.⁠[30] begins after the apparent rescue from the Maze and moves Thomas and the other survivors into a new phase of WICKED’s testing. This book expands the world beyond the Glade, introduces the Scorch, the Cranks, Group B, and further manipulation by WICKED.⁠[6]

It depends on the first book’s ending and heightens the uncertainty around trust, survival, and the Flare.⁠[6]

3. The Death Cure

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Death Cure.
Book cover of The Death Cure.

The Death Cure (2011)⁠[20-21] continues from WICKED’s later trials and follows Thomas, Minho, Brenda, Jorge, and others as the conflict shifts toward memory, resistance, and the possibility of a cure. It brings the original Thomas-led sequence to its major resolution, while returning to key characters and unresolved questions from the earlier books.⁠[7]

It should be read after the first two novels to maintain continuity.⁠[7]

4. The Kill Order

Main bookOptional reading
Book cover of The Kill Order.
Book cover of The Kill Order.

The Kill Order (2012)⁠[15]⁠[31] moves backward to the years after the catastrophic sun flares and before the Maze Trials. Its main story follows Mark, Trina, Alec, Lana, and Deedee as they confront the spread of the virus that becomes known as the Flare.⁠[8]

Although chronologically earlier, it reads best after the original trilogy because it expands the background of the world introduced in the first three books.⁠[8]

5. The Maze Runner Files

CompanionOptional reading
Book cover of The Maze Runner Files.
Book cover of The Maze Runner Files.

The Maze Runner Files (2013)⁠[22-23] is a companion volume built from memorandums, reports, correspondence, and recovered memories connected to WICKED, the Flare, the Maze, and several major test subjects. It is not a conventional main novel.⁠[9]

It fills in institutional history, experimental logic, and selected character perspectives that are most meaningful after the central trilogy has been read.⁠[9]

6. The Fever Code

Main bookOptional reading
Book cover of The Fever Code.
Book cover of The Fever Code.

The Fever Code (2016)⁠[24-25] is a prequel set before Thomas’s arrival in the Maze. It follows his removal from his family, his renaming, his life inside WICKED, his connection with Teresa, and the construction and launch of the Maze Trials.⁠[10]

Because it reveals how the original situation was created, it is better read after the first books rather than before them for a first reading.⁠[10]

7. Crank Palace

NovellaOptional reading
Book cover of Crank Palace.
Book cover of Crank Palace.

Crank Palace (2020)⁠[2] narrows the focus to Newt during a period that overlaps with events already known from the main arc. It follows his experience after separating from Thomas, Minho, Brenda, and Jorge, giving a fuller account of his time among the infected and his own understanding of the Flare.⁠[11]

This book is supplementary to the main trilogy but structurally tied to The Death Cure.⁠[11]

8. The Maze Cutter

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Maze Cutter.
Book cover of The Maze Cutter.

The Maze Cutter (2022)⁠[26] begins the sequel series of the same name, published after the original The Maze Runner series and set in the same world. The novel starts with the legacy of the original survivors before shifting seventy-three years later to a new generation.⁠[12]

This story follows island descendants, the ship called the Maze Cutter, the Remnant Nation, and the Godhead. It is the starting point for the later sequel series.⁠[12]

9. The Godhead Complex

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Godhead Complex.
Book cover of The Godhead Complex.

The Godhead Complex (2023)⁠[27] continues the sequel sequence begun in The Maze Cutter. It follows the divided survivor groups as they move toward Alaska, the Villa, and the Godhead’s claims about the Cure.⁠[13]

This book also expands the history of Nicholas, Alexandra, and Mikhail, making the sequel arc more closely connected to the long aftermath of the Flare, the Cure, and the experiments inherited from the original series.⁠[13]

10. The Infinite Glade

Main bookRequired reading
Book cover of The Infinite Glade.
Book cover of The Infinite Glade.

The Infinite Glade (2025)⁠[4] carries forward the conflicts surrounding the Godhead, the Remnant Nation, the Villa, the Cure, and the Sequencers. It continues the journeys of Isaac, Sadina, Minho, Frypan, Ximena, and others as the sequel storyline moves through Alaska, the ruins of the Maze, and the systems that survived the old world.⁠[14]

It should be read after the preceding two The Maze Cutter books.⁠[14]

References

  1. The Maze Runner Series. Penguin Random House.
  2. Crank Palace. Akashic Media Enterprises. Copyright page. ISBN: 978985955248.
  3. The Maze Cutter Series. James Dashner.
  4. THE INFINITE GLADE. Akashic Media Enterprises.
  5. The Maze Runner. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780385737951.
  6. The Scorch Trials. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780385738767.
  7. The Death Cure. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780385738781.
  8. The Kill Order. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780385742894.
  9. The Maze Runner Files. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780385385411.
  10. The Fever Code. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780553513127.
  11. Crank Palace. Akashic Media Enterprises. ISBN: 978985955248.
  12. The Maze Cutter. Akashic Media Enterprises. ISBN: 9798985955200.
  13. The Godhead Complex. Akashic Media Enterprises. ISBN: 9798985955224.
  14. The Infinite Glade. Akashic Media Enterprises. ISBN: 798988421535.
  15. The Kill Order by James Dashner: 9780385742894. Penguin Random House.
  16. The Fever Code by James Dashner: 9780553513127. Penguin Random House.
  17. The Maze Cutter. Akashic Media Enterprises. Copyright page. ISBN: 9798985955217.
  18. The Maze Runner by James Dashner: 9780385737951. Penguin Random House.
  19. The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.
  20. The Death Cure by James Dashner: 9780385738781. Penguin Random House.
  21. The Death Cure by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.
  22. The Maze Runner Files by James Dashner: 9780385385411. Penguin Random House.
  23. The Maze Runner Files by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.
  24. The Fever Code by James Dashner: 9780553513127. Penguin Random House.
  25. The Fever Code by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.
  26. THE MAZE CUTTER. Akashic Media Enterprises.
  27. THE GODHEAD COMPLEX. Akashic Media Enterprises.
  28. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner: 9780385738767. Penguin Random House.
  29. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.
  30. New Releases 11/01/17. BOOM! Studios.
  31. The Kill Order by James Dashner. Penguin Random House Canada.