The moment I read the summary of
the book I was quite eager to read this. The concept of a Maze was quite a
novel idea for me and not being a Christian myself I wasn’t sure what to expect
from the story and whether I would like it or not. After finish reading, I’m
glad that I came across this book as it had been one of the best writings I
have ever come across. If at all you have faith on God and believes in good and
evil, this would be a nice read regardless what religion you would belong to.
The protagonist, Jaime gives life
to a very realistic character. One which is quite common in the society
nowadays and many could relate with their own lives. A happy husband and a
father who has committed few sins somewhere or other along the journey of his
life, Jaime is not so troubled with his past and lives a respectable life until
the things go over the limit. One thing he could always assure his wife was that
he hasn’t cheated on her. All of a sudden he comes to an abrupt halt where his
path is forked and he was to choose either the happy married life or try
infidelity with his ex-girlfriend. He wanted to be faithful but partially he
had second thoughts.
“…other part of me was
excited about the fact that the line was there to be crossed.”
The author has taken the full
advantage of a rich vocabulary. Words were perfectly entwined with each other
giving the best and appropriate outcome to each sentence. The fine descriptions
never failed to give me the mental picture of the surroundings and feel the
intensity of each moment.
“Gradually, my trip
hammering pulse slowed to a moderate gallop and then a trot.”
In my opinion, the whole idea of
the Maze was brilliant. It was even well formed and defined with each turn of
page. The Architect and the fair share of both demons and angels have in the
Maze makes it more balanced and complex. The way he has described the structure
and the objective of the Maze, its obvious that the author had a very clear
mental picture about what his plot would be based upon. Lines like following
were more than enough for me to picture and feel the Maze just as I was alive
(or rather say trapped) inside it.
“Bricks were laid using
grief as a mortar. Walls were cemented into place with sorrow. Lights were
forsaken in favor of darkness. Crude agonizing designs were etched into the
floors, and the history of one man’s sin was scrawled in painstaking detail on
every inch of the dreadful place.”
The Piper fits into the plot very
well. It certainly reminded me of the Piper in an old fairy tale I have read
long back. The Piper here has a similar role in this story, playing a flute but
only to cause destruction no any good.
“He delighted in symphonies
of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Operas of agony were his music of choice.
Nothing sounded any sweeter to The Piper than the hopeless weeping of the lost.”
The story is quite a lot more
than just another fiction. Its not a book you could simply read and put aside
but will make you wonder about your all your actions all down the memory line.
Just as Jaime was trapped in a Maze to try shape up his life, we would be
trapped in the story to have a self realization.
“A man shapes the course of
his life by the decisions he makes, and you will write your destiny inside the
walls of this maze.”
If you are a diehard atheist, you
may not like the book and would even criticize the story. Hence, I would not
recommend this to you. But, for any other who believe upon God and faith would
find this a very enlightening story. This would certainly provoke you to look back
at the things and urge you to correct the mistakes so far committed and be
careful with your actions in future. Ending the note with few lines I found
very thoughtful mesmerizing.
“I’d heard it said before
that there were no true deathbed atheists, and the wisdom in that statement was
more apparent now than it had ever been. I wasn’t an atheist. Despite all my
shortcomings, I believed in God, but now, faced with the unbelievable, I
regretted not living a more devout life. There wasn’t time, however, to make
amends for that mistake.”
You can buy the book here...
