James Dashner

Biography

James Dashner (born 1972) grew up in Austell, Georgia, and worked as an accountant before becoming a full-time author. He began writing The Maze Runner in the early 2000s and published it with Delacorte Press in 2009, during the post-Twilight, pre-Divergent boom in YA dystopian fiction. Dashner has spoken about his fascination with memory and identity — themes directly central to the Maze Runner series. He has cited Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game as a formative influence. The series sold over 10 million copies and was adapted into three films beginning in 2014.

James Dashner at a glance