Crank Palace

Dashner, James. Crank Palace. 2020. 166p. ISBN 978-1626015678.

The Maze Runner series features a lot of memorable characters, but one of the most compelling was Newt, who eventually dies in The Death Cure. But the time Newt leaves the Berg to the time he is found by Thomas was left unexplained. Until now. In Crank Palace, Newt escapes the Berg, intent on not letting his friends see his descent into madness as the Flare begins to eat his brain. He soon meets Keisha and her young son Dante in the suburbs of Denver. They try to escape the Cranks, those who are far too gone with the Flare, and those who are infected and already showing signs of madness, but the three of them are captured by agents of the government and, despite killing one of the agents, are shipped to a place called Crank Palace, instead of being executed.

It soon becomes clear to Newt that his reputation as being one of the Maze Runners has already reached the Palace, and it seems that someone important is eager to keep him alive as long as possible. A riot at the Crank Palace forces the staff to evacuate, and the residents take the opportunity to flee. Keisha has an old cellphone that still works, and she's received word that her brother and her daughter are safe in a suburb of Denver. Newt agrees to go with them to make sure that they arrive safely. WICKED is not quite done with Newt however, and as the Flare progression gets worse, Newt will have to confront his worst enemy one more time ...

Told from Newt's perspective, Crank Palace opens a window into the mind of a Flare victim. Newt fights his demons as his mind sinks away from him, giving the reader a bittersweet opportunity to once again spend time with a beloved character. Fans of The Maze Runner must read this story to round up their view of Newt and his friends!