I finally read the prequel to the wonderful Maze Runner series I read a few weeks back and it is just as exciting and depressing as the rest.
I have always gravitated toward depressing, future-oriented dystopian novels, like 1984, A Brave New World, Ender's Game, The Hunger Games, etc. In a society that constantly dismisses acts of evil as isolated from human nature and assumes that people are generally good, these books provide a refreshing contrast. They warn us about always assuming the best about human nature, especially of those in power.
Many a time, our naivete regarding human nature has gotten us in trouble, particularly on the international scene. We assume that foreign leaders are trustworthy and are acting with the same moral compass that we do and the exploit such simple thinking (e.g. the Soviet Union in a number of cases). Of course, we often don't consistently act with our moral compass either (few remember the age of eugenics prior to WWII, where abortion was promoted to wipe out minorities and tens of thousands of "less pure" types around the country were sterilized).
The Kill Order, by James Dashner, which sets the stage for The Maze Runner, is as dark and dystopian as the rest of the books. In fact, I would say it's darker, but will not give away any of the plot in explaining why. It certainly is an effective critique of utilitarian ethics, which measures morality by what causes the greatest pleasure for the greatest number of people. In the name of the greater good, powerful, government forces make a heinous moral decision. They ultimately pay dire consequences for their benevolent choice.
The book is another wonderful, white-knuckled read. It again passes the "what makes a good plot in Stevo's mind" test by not making key characters impervious to suffering and death.
That said, the dystopian genre, also seen in World War Z and the current zombie/vampire craze, is too dark. I have heard them described as nihilistic (the philosophy of nothingness or meaninglessness). I think the description is apt.
These books our modern imitations of Ecclesiastes, which examines the world through a variety of pursuits, only to render the verdict over and over: Meaningless! But the point of Ecclesiastes is to show a world broken by sin, a world that can offer no enduring meaning, and that is destined to disappoint and destroy. Yet Ecclesiastes ends on this note:
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ultimately, the present world of semi-chaos and utter brokenness is still ruled by God, and the Creator will re-create in perfection the world that man broke. While the blood of Abel (whose name means "meaningless" in the Hebrew) cries out in judgment against the brokenness of this world (Gen. 4; Heb. 11); the blood of Jesus Christ brought eternal meaning to something even as devastating as crucifying the Son of God on a cross. Death, decay, and despair never have the final word for those who belong body and soul to Jesus Christ.
This is ultimately the fatal flaw in the masterful genre of dystopian novels. They display remarkable clarity in their view of the world and of human nature. But they are blind to hope.
