The Kill Order (327 Pages + Top Secret Section)

This newest book by James Dashner is billed as the prequel to his book The Maze Runner. I didn't read that series, but found this book to be an oddly compelling read. The setting is the Eastern United States at some time in the future. Sun flares have caused death and destruction to much of the country, and if that was not enough, a group of adult "leaders" have decided that if the human race has even a slight chance of being saved then there needs to be an effective way for selected parts of the population to be eliminated! The solution is to shoot a powerful virus at those people, which is supposed to cause their brains to shut down as they quickly go crazy, unaware that they are dying.  But what happens if the mutates? What happens if some of the children are immune to it? And what happens if two teens, Mark and Trina, are convinced that they can save people from this horrible descent into mental hell? There is a prologue and an epilogue AND a "Secret Section" after the epilogue. Dashner lives in the Rocky Mountains and there were times as I read this book that I wondered if he had eaten one too many pot brownies! (Not that that's necessarily a bad thing!) You read it and decide!