The Rule of Thoughts (The Mortality Doctrine, #2) by James Dashner

The Rule of Thoughts (The Mortality Doctrine, #2) Reviews

• 
  Jacob

  Honestly, I don't know why I read this. And I know I'm going to read the next one, although I can't figure out why I'm going to do that either. Maybe I'm just checking to see whether Dashner's writing got any better; (spoiler) it didn't. Again, the core idea is interesting (and has been done before), but the execution is terrible. On a positive note, there isn't anything more wrong with this than the first one,
  The Eye of Minds, so if you loved that you'll probably love this.
  
  So, to review: the writing isn't very good, particularly the dialogue between the main character kids. In addition, there's even more of a difference between the kids now than there was in the first one and they are still treated interchangeably. Most insights, exclamations, and actions to drive the plot seem to come from a random member of the team so each can feel valuable, but the overall effect is that two of the three are unnecessary (pick your least favorite two). It's sad because there are differences in circumstance that the antagonist could have used to try to split the group and treat them differently, but it just doesn't happen. And the characters desperately need to have different skills or specializations so you can tell them apart, but we'll have to hope that shows up in
  The Game of Lives.
  
  The programming descriptions still suck. The vocabulary is just as limited (let me double it by adding the terms "API", "interface", and "object"). They say to write what you know, and I'm feeling like that should be extended to "don't write about what you can't be bothered to learn". If you want to read about programming and living in a computer-generated world but you don't actually want to know anything about programming or virtual realities, this is just the book for you. If you would like an author to present a coherent idea about how a virtual reality might happen and how you could program for it, you'll want to look somewhere else (like in my review of
  The Eye of Minds). I don't think it should be that hard to write a convincing programming scene in a virtual reality: just decide what the code is actually doing when someone takes an action or interacts with a virtual object.
  
  Instead, the author has a lot of beautiful images, scenes, and feelings he wants to express, and the virtual reality expresses them. This policy is pursued to the exclusion of plausibility (already discussed) or consistency of plot (wait, streams of bad guys and good guys just appear from two opposing black holes and start fighting, but for no reason and are promptly forgotten because the main characters just disappear from the scene?). It was also maddening that the main character thinks reality feels exactly like the virtual reality (doubtful that will happen in my lifetime), but then later it doesn't feel the same and then the issue is never brought up again, perhaps because that revision conflicts with where the author wants to take the story (people can't tell the difference). I gotta say, the movie Inception did this better.
  
  And the pet peeve for this book: there are still those bad urgency-inducing cliches like "no time to explain, just do it!" Those don't work when the characters are about to spend 24 hours (or three days in one case) with the character who is claiming there's no time to explain. What, you can't take an hour, or even an extra 15 minutes to explain just a little bit more? When the fate of the world is at stake? When for some never-fully-justified reason you are relying on three kids to do what an entire government agency cannot? And the explanation of how the kids do it is they sift through an ocean of broken code to get a feel for where the bad guy is hiding? 'Nuff said already!
• 
  Michelle

  Give me this book RIGHT NOW. I NEED TO KNOW.
  
  Besides the fact that i completely fangirl over the first book (i'm contemplating reading it again), you're not allowed to just end there.
  
  Nope, sorry. Not going to happen.
  
  Edit: The cover. *dies*
  I picked the wrong book to fangirl over.
  Meh. but still.
  *dies again*
  wow, I died a lot.
• 
  Lauren

  I NEED THIS BOOK NOW.
  
  EDIT: HOLY MOTHER OF FRENCH FRIES THE COVER!!!!!! *dies*
• 
  Sully

  This review is also posted at
  http://readingnookandcranny.blogspot....
  
  
  Oh, James Dashner, what have you gone and done here? Actually, I know exactly what you did. You sat at your desk and thought, 'Hey, what if I take The Eye of Minds and just reverse the plot? Now that Michael is known to be AI, we'll make him human instead of in the first book where he was known to be human and we made him AI. And then, since he thought he lived in the Wake when really he was in the Sleep in the Eye of Minds, now we'll make him think he's in the Sleep when he's really in the Wake. And then I can use the same basic plot as the first novel and just change the details around so it feels like a new story'. Suffice to say, to me this sequel feels like it is retelling almost the exact same plot as the first novel. They still spend the entire novel teamed up with VNS trying to chase after Kaine and shut him down, and Michael is still teamed up with his duo of friends.
  
  I tried to give Dashner the benefit of the doubt and go into The Rule of Thoughts with an open mind, but this is a sequel I just couldn't stomach. Since I wasn't all that impressed with the first novel, reading pretty much the same story over again feels like an insult on my intellect. The group still spends way too much time in the Sleep, even though they admit that it makes it about 500 times easier for Kaine to track them that way. And when you reach the end of this novel, you still are completely unsatisfied that you've reached any sort of conclusion, because Dashner just throws another Hail Mary "shocker" of an ending, and once again absolutely nothing has been resolved, even though we are two novels into this series now. I say "shocker" in parenthesis as, since I basically read this novel already, I guessed the ending well before I reached it. In fact, I was kind of surprised the characters themselves couldn't get their heads out of their butts and figure it out, as Michael sees hints along the way, but just seems to ignore them.
  
  I gave it a valiant attempt, but this is the end of the road for me and Dashner. There are so many better written, better plotted novels out there to spend my time on. Sorry Michael.
• 
  Christopher Xia

  The Rule of Thoughts is an amazing follow up to The Eye of Minds book. It showed me James Dashner's imaginative thoughts and how he would picture the future based on his writing. In the book, I was able to connect with Michael having problems trusting other people because he was lied to and betrayed a countless amount of times before. Sometimes, all you need is time to gain the trust back again. Other times, the trust would be lost forever.
• 
  Pepsi_Cola

  I NEED THIS BOOK *Looks at release date* *Sobbs* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
• 
  سارة سمير

  That too was good although I got bored at some parts but still I loved it and the ending is just amazing and I'm glad that I don't have to wait to start the third book.
  On to the next then!
• 
  آرزو مقدس

  از آخرش انقدر ذوق کردم که هی دارم به خودم می‌گم آروم باش بابا زن گنده، بچه نیستی که. :)))
  داستانشم بهتر از جلد اول بود به نظرم؛ اونو سرسری خوندم اینو نه.
• 
  Mohsen M.B

  اوایل این کتاب از هیجان داستان کم شد و نویسنده با سوال‌هایی که شخصیت اصلی داستان از خودش می‌پرسید، سعی کرد مخاطب رو مجبور به فکرکردن درباره مباحث اخلاقی و دنیای ترسناک آینده کنه. کم‌کم داستان سرعت گرفت و در آخر کتاب وقایع چنان پی‌درپی و هیجان‌انگیز شدند که قلبم تند می‌زد و در دو فصل پایانی چرخش ناگهانی داستان باعث شد گیج و مبهوت مشتاق خوندن جلد بعد بشم.
  نسخه فارسی زیاد سانسور نمی‌شه و به روند اصلی داستان صدمه‌ی چندانی نمی‌زنه (لااقل نه تا اینجای داستان)؛ بیشتر تغییر جزئی هستن تا حذف.
  بیشترین صحنه سانسورشده اینه که سارا و مایکل تقریبا همه‌جا دست‌تودست هستن یا دوست دارن باشن
• 
  Anna Steele

  The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner is the thrilling sequel to his first book in this series, The Eye of Minds. Having read the first book in September 2013, I was absolutely delighted when I spotted this book on my library's "New Arrivals" shelf. James Dashner's books have never disappointed me so far, so I immediately jumped in and began to read!
  The first thing I noticed was how poorly he introduced the book. He seemed to jump right in, which wouldn't be a problem if you had recently read The Eye of Minds, but since they came out nearly a year apart most people won't do that. I had a vague remembrance of the main characters and plot, but found myself reading the entire series over again so that I could remember who was who, as well as at least a couple of major points. A few vague concepts he had introduced in the first book he didn't introduce again, so if you find yourself wondering "What the heck is a tangent???", you're not alone.
  The characters are built very strongly in The Eye of Minds, but not so much in The Rule of Thoughts. Sarah and Bryson, his two best friends, have a lot of background from the first book that isn't reintroduced. It's confusing if you just jump into the book without knowing anything about the characters beforehand.
  Don't get me wrong, it's a great book! However, it's definitely disappointing compared to James Dashner's other books, such as The Maze Runner series. Anyone looking for a sci-fi/fantasy novel will definitely enjoy this book, just make sure to read The Eye of Minds first!!!
• 
  Nana

  I don't even know what to say.
• 
  Siobhan

  When everyone was crazy about young adult dystopian novels, I decided to jump into James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series. If the truth is to be known, it’s my least favourite of the popular young adult dystopian trilogies. I like to think I’m a pretty nice reader, in that I give authors multiple chances before I decide they are not for me. Sometimes I’m surprised and realise it’s just a single series by the author that is not for me, other times I am shown it is the author who is not for me.
  
  James Dashner seems to fall into the latter category. As my second chance to James Dashner, I decided to grab The Mortality Doctrine trilogy – it seemed interesting enough, offering something different to The Maze Runner series – yet the first book did little to win me over. The second book I enjoyed even less.
  
  Like The Eye of Minds, The Rules of Thoughts was interesting enough on the surface based upon all that could have occurred. Unfortunately, I found I wasn’t sucked into any of the events that took place. I’m stubborn, so I kept turning the pages, I kept hoping something entertaining would come about, but it never reached that point where I was sucked into the story. The first book, at least, caught me off-guard with the ending, yet The Rules of Thought left me feeling nothing at the end.
  
  There was no real twist to this one, all I got out of it is that Dashner likes to tell stories where all the adults lie to the teens, with the teens being forced into far too many out of control situations. I wouldn’t mind this – it’s what the young adult genre does often – yet when things were happening I couldn’t connect. Everything feels too chunky, yet we’re never given the specifics that will really make the world come to life.
  
  As I mentioned, I’m stubborn, meaning the last book will be read, but it’s not something I’m excited about,
• 
  Ryan S

  I instantly started The Rule of Thoughts after finishing The Eye of Minds. The revelations at the end of The Eye of Minds drove me crazy, wanting to understand what it was all about.
  I think the first 100 pages of The Rule of Thoughts are alright. It got only worst later on. I liked how Michael tried to figure the life of Jackson out. Tried to deal with his host's girlfriend and to get in touch with Sarah again.
  Talking about Sarah .. What the hell Dashner really? How long are you gonna make us wait ..
  
  I read in a lot of reviews about the The Eye of Minds that it would be fast paced but filled with a lot of empty paragraphs. I didn't feel this way about it but I sure did with The Rule of Thoughts.
  
  Michal, the protagonist doesn't really develop throughout the story and it was very hard for me to get a feel for him. I felt the same way about Thomas in the Maze Runner series. Probably not James Dashner's strongest suit.
  
  If you really enjoyed The Eye of Minds, give it a try. If not don't bother reading it.
• 
  Jus

  COME ON I NEED THIS BOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW. I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT ANYMORE [VIOLENTLY CRIES]
  
  [REAL REVIEW]
  THE PLOT TWIST AT THE END THE FREAKING PLOT TWIST, dude all i want now is the game of lives.
• 
  Elsay

  بدک نبود. یجورایی واسم حس تازگی نداشت. توی هر دو جلد یجورایی حس میکردم که یه ورژن دیگه از « بازیکن شماره یک آماده» هستش البته با این تفاوت که توی این کتاب برای ورود به دنیای مجازی، وارد تابوت میشدن...
  کلا تازگی برام نداشت
  ولی ترجمه از نظر خودم خیلی خوب و روان بود
• 
  Chayse Sundt

  Many of you might know James Dashner by his series The Maze Runner and may not notice his other series which I started out, a little rocky, but thankfully he worked his magic and wrote a brilliant sequel in The Mortality Doctrine and it brought my interest back into the series.
  
  We follow the main character Michael as he finds out that completing The Path was all part of Kaine’s plan. Now in a new body with a new life, Michael must find a way to defeat Kaine and decide on whether he wants to risk being in the two people he trusts more or doing this alone and risking just himself.
  
  I feel that all that Michael has been through has made him look at things at a much different way but there are times where he still making these rash decisions and more than once he is having to depend on his friends to come to their rescue. Although, I feel that he is a much stronger character and having himself continuously think about the person whose body he took over is not helping the situations they find themselves to be in.
  
  This book is for full on technology lovers. However, what I love about Dashner is that he writes so that you don’t need to understand fully what is going on but you have the gist of it. I felt like Penny from The Big Bang Theory while reading this.
  
  I knew there had to be some type of cliffhanger because James Dashner is really good at those and so I wasn’t too surprised at what happened at the end but it still made me take a second to process on what really happened.
  I am excited to see what comes next in Kaine’s plan and I highly encourage all readers to get over that bumpy start the first book might provide and dive into the world of the VirtNet once more.
  
  Happy Reading!
• 
  ♫✯Em loves Hollenstein✯♫❤the summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation❤

  found it very hard to enjoy this one, which sucks as the first was great. i'll read the third, just because i'm a stubborn person. tons of needless plot and wasted time. bryson is literally the only character i don't hate.
• 
  Julianne

  Hmm. I'm not really sure I understand what happened at the end but then again maybe I'm not supposed to yet.
• 
  Nancy The book junkie

  Review coming soon!
• 
  Drew's ambitious reading

  I loved this book! Now I get to start on the third & final book!(:
• 
  Aly

  This was a quick, interesting read.
  I love James Dashner and the first book of this series was really good so of course I enjoyed this book as well. The plot was interesting and just gets crazier as it goes. It flowed very well and there weren't boring parts. Seeing Michael navigate being a human for the first time was cool, even the idea that you can put a computer program in a body and make it a real person is crazy! I kept wondering if the people helping Michael were actually good or bad and who he could really trust. There was a curveball at the end that made me so excited for the final book.
  If you like Ready Player One, you should definitely check out this series!
• 
  Anni

  Ach ja der Game Master... Ich würde es so gerne lieben, weil ich die Labyrinth Trilogie sooo geliebt habe, aber es geht einfach nicht. Als ich mir den ersten Teil gekauft habe, habe ich nicht gewusst, dass es eigentlich nur um das Computerspiel geht und damit hab ich nun mal absolut nichts am Hut😅 Trotzdem hat es mir ganz ok gefallen und der Grund, weshalb ich weitergelesen habe, ist: Der Schreibstil! Der Schreibstil ist sooo toll und obwohl mich das Thema eigentlich gar nicht interessiert, fliegen die Seiten und ich bin schon auf das Finale gespannt.
  
  3,5/5
• 
  Hanieh

  1/5
  
  It just didn't work.
  It was plotless, extra, slow and blank.
  Literally just a hundreds-pages-long goose chase.
• 
  Miniikaty

  Una continuación muy buena que tiene mucha más acción, no paramos de ver que los chicos corren continuos peligros, la adrenalina, la intriga y el misterio están a la vuelta de cada página y no puedes dejar de leer porque quieres ver a donde va a ir a para James Dashner, cuales son los planes que nos tiene preparados y como puede acabar todo, pues la humanidad está en peligro y el malo es realmente poderoso e inteligente, un hueso duro de roer. Así que es extremadamente trepidante, un no parar de sucesos con el que tienes que estar atenta a todo y no perder detalle.
  
  Reseña completa:
  http://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com....
• 
  Rose

  This was an average middle book in a trilogy. We had the big reveal about one of the characters at the end of book 1. Book 3 will be the very exciting conclusion. Book 2 is rarely as good as either and TROT lives up to the formula.
  
  Michael, Sarah and Byron are on the hunt for Kaine again, although this time Michael is now living in the body of Jackson Porter (Pinnochio became a real boy). This portion of the story is based more in the real world than the virtual world so it was a little less fun to read in that respect. There were a couple of revelations, some betrayal and a decent ending leaving you wanting to read the next.
  
  
• 
  Nicole Alycia

  4.5 stars
  I was a little confused when I started this one, it had been a while since I read the first book and I didn't quite remember the ending.
  But that quickly changed and everything that happened at the end of the previous book was more or less rehashed so I was no longer confused and then the story got really good from there.
  I'm not a gamer but this whole world that was created is just so cool to me. It's kinda like an inception but in video games. I also really enjoy the characters, they are all pretty badass.
• 
  Remi

  can I really trust agent Weber?
• 
  Paola

  Me encantó esa mezcla entre el mundo real y el virtual. Kaine es cada vez más poderoso y escapar de él será un duro trabajo. Tiene mucha acción y perturba un poco el hecho de no saber quienes son los malos de la historia. El final es esperanzador y me recordó al de "correr o morir" así que no me haré ilusiones precipitadas.
• 
  Ghazal Radwan

  SOMEONE HAND ME THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW *CRYINNNNNNNNNNNGGG*