Variant

I wasn't big into the YA fiction genre growing up. Every book that came out seemed to be a poor copy of Harry Potter or a thinly veiled Lord of the Rings rip off. There were some bright spots but as a whole I avoided the genre and moved to more mature subject matter. Recently though it seems that the YA genre is one of the few areas of fiction willing to innovate and try new directions. And it makes sense because the genre has to cater to the most difficult demographic: teens. I can't tell you how many teens I've known that dismiss reading as boring and pointless. I tell you this, if they had read Variant they would have had a completely different opinion. This is the best way to describe Variant. Take some of the darker mentalities of the critically acclaimed Hunger Games series. Add a dose of philosophy from Lord of the Flies. Now blend in some of the Battle School aspects of the classic Ender's Game. Throw in lots of tension and paranoia courtesy of the Canadian psychological horror/thriller film Cube. And last but not least tie this all together with the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment. Alone any one of these themes could overwhelm a lesser author. Robison Wells, it appears, has some seriously sick writing chops. Not only does Mr. Wells blend all these together into a fantastic story but he finds a way to transcend the building blocks and create something wholly his own. Benson Fisher is a loner. He is a foster kid who has never spent long in one place. He is a fighter. But deep down all he really wants is to be accepted. Benson wants to have the "real" high school experience. Play for a sports team, hang out with friends, even date. That's how Benson ends up applying for Maxfield Academy. Maxfield seems like any other private school from the pamphlets, uniforms and all. Of course once Benson reaches Maxfield it quickly becomes clear that it is anything but normal. Benson is an immediately likable character. From the start he realizes that things are not as they should be and throughout the novel he never stops thinking of ways to escape. Benson is a trouble maker and this is reinforced by the personalities of the other students of Maxfield. Without the presence of adults the kids have formed into gangs for the sake of survival. There is the Society, upstanding boys and girls who wish only to obey and enforce the rules and protect the status quo. Havoc, kids who view the lack of adult supervision as a free pass for fun. And the V's (short for Variants) who are bound by their desire to escape. The gangs and characters all have unique personalities that provide a believable civilization inside this prison like school. There are so many layers of complexity to this school run by the students but I don't want to ruin any of the cool surprises. Variant is extremely tense. There is a heavy degree of paranoia that permeates the novel. Cameras and microphones keep tabs on the students with death being the ultimate punishment for disobedience. The exact nature of the containment of the children is unknown but the kids have their own theories. Some say that it is a giant experiment and the students themselves are just rats in a cage. Others suspect that Maxfield is a training ground for super soldiers. Whatever the reason, no one has ever pulled off a successful escape and kids have died trying. I think this is really what separates Variant from books that came out in my youth. Variant deals with mature subject matter. Wells makes no attempt to dumb down the story or tone down the seriousness of the situation. Wells treats young adults the way they wish to be treated: as young adults. The book features violence, though nothing that would be considered too shocking by the current generation. The real maturity comes from the philosophy involved. Wells sneaks a peak at the banality of evil, and really looks at what ordinary people are capable of in extraordinary situations. Like Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game, Variant gives young readers and exciting story that won't patronize their intelligence. At the same time this book is hardly for young adults alone. Anyone can enjoy this well written thriller. There is action and romance, suspense and mystery. This book is ten times the book that The Hunger Games is. I honestly believe that given enough attention Variant can easily eclipse the titans of YA fiction. Buy this for your kids, especially if you have trouble getting them to read. Buy this for yourself if you want a nonstop thrill ride that will keep you reading late into the night. I agree with Publishers Weekly that this is hands down one of the best books of 2011. Enjoy!

Benson Fisher is looking for a brand new start at a brand new school. He is not prepared for what awaits him when he gets there. Strange happenings are occurring at Maxfield Academy where the students are running the school, with no adults in sight. From the very beginning you realize that Variant is not going to be like other books out there. I found I was drawn in from the minute he pulls up to the front doors of the school. Students standing at the windows are screaming at him, making this a very strange welcome to a new school. Oh yes, later Benson finds out it had been a warning for him to run while he had the chance. On the front cover of the book it says, "Trust No One" and in Benson's case it is good advice. From this point on it is such a wild ride. Every day, Benson finds more and more weird things about the school. They are not doing regular school work where the kids teach the classes,and they "earn" points so as to buy new clothes, snacks and paintball gear. He also plans every day how he is going to escape.This bothers many of the other students who don't want to see Benson in detention. Once you go to detention you are not heard of again.The people that he thinks he can trust, he finds their friendship is all a facade. Variant leaves you guessing through the whole book. I can guarantee you, that you will not guess about nor believe some of the things that are revealed. The end IS as shocking as everyone has been saying. This book is such a great mix of a dystopian theme and a surprising dash of sci-fi. The writing is clean and the characters are distinct. I can't wait to find out where the story will go from here. It all reminds me of mice in a cage running through tubes, they never realize that they are not getting anywhere. Is this what Benson is going to find out? If you are curious as to what I mean...well, you are just going to have to read the book. It is a five star, totally fantastic YA book, that I will read again, and again. I recommend this book for tweens, teens and adults. This will make a Fabulous Christmas Present, so buy away!! I promise you that you won't be disappointed!!!

Is it just me, or are most young adult novels started to all look the same? It seems as if every author is trying their hand at writing the next big dystopian epic, featuring a young adolescent forced into a larger than life situation by an all-powerful totalitarian regime. Fortunately, Variant is able to distinguish its own identity from the pact despite sharing a few similarities with what has become an over-saturated sub-genre. It has its obvious influences which the author takes great liberty to respectively address, yet Variant has enough of its own originality to differentiate itself from a sea of dystopian fiction novels. Life hasn't been very fair to young Benson Fisher. A foster-child who has lived with more sets of parents and transferred to more schools than he can count. Yet an acceptance to Maxfield Academy seems like it would be the turning point for his life. Forgoing his older run-ins in dingy public schools, Benson is ready to start anew and rebuild his life within the confines of this illustrious private institution. That is, until he discovers that the school has no teachers or faculty, yet there's cameras almost everywhere watching their every move. The school's demands are seemingly random yet nonnegotiable, for disobedience in Maxfield Academy means death. To survive in this prison-like environment, the children have allocated themselves in three separate gangs rather than work together against a common foe. Benson is thrown into a world which he does not understand; where the rules are severe and the punishments are beyond inhumane. He'll need to find a way out of the academy while also surviving the harassment of the other gangs and the school's omniscient gaze. Through a line dialogue early on in the book, author Robinson Wells openly admits that The Lord of the Flies played a large influence in Variant's concept; involving the children isolated from society's guidelines. The only things preventing all-out anarchy are the school's disciplinary actions and the gangs' truce over mandatory tasks and privileges. Yet this doesn't prevent occasional violence from the children, it's theoretically controlled chaos. There are plenty of other influences that may or may not have played a part in inspiring Wells's vision. For example, the all-seeing all-controlling omnipresence of the school can be related to George Orwell's dystopian classic 1984. The character Benson Fisher reminiscent of Spartacus due to his defiance to enforced servitude; and you could even imagine a hint of the 1963 film The Great Escape. It's always enjoyable to sit back and just enjoy a light read, yet it's especially satisfying to read a book that has the reader contemplate the themes and issues while dictating their own stance on the characters' problem. Wells raises an interesting question in Variant, one which is far more daunting to answer than one would imagine. Throughout the story, Benson must wrestle with the notion of escaping the walls of Maxfield Academy and returning to what little of a life he previously had before. Yet as one character firmly states: is Benson being selfish? The answer seems obvious at first given his imprisonment against his will, yet attempting to escape may also inflict great harm upon the other children. Each of whom have grown accustomed to life in Maxfield over their years. Even the rival gangs within Maxfield's walls characterize a difference of opinion regarding their predicament. The Society encompasses the majority of the children; the ensemble who would rather bend knee to tyranny than rise up in rebellion in order to ensure their safety. On the other end of the spectrum is Havoc, a group of rebellious teens who prefer causing trouble provided they don't overstep the school's boundaries. In the middle of these two opposing factions are the Variants, hence the title. They're the group who wishes to eventually escape the confines of Maxfield Academy, albeit without Benson's exacerbated bravado. All of these elements attribute to a book that has more substance than the typical young adult novel. Yet I would prefer it if the book didn't bombard the reader early on with all of these details. It would have been to the book's benefit if Wells had integrated them in a more seamless manner. Variant's plot also benefits from a substantial amount of mystery and intrigue interwoven into its fabric. The very moment Benson sets foot on the front steps of Maxfield Academy, the reader is placed in a stasis of wonder that won't let go until the final page. What is the school's purpose, and what do they need the children for? These questions perplex the reader just as much as the characters, thus it immerses the reader further into the narrative and relates them to the protagonist. It's all given a very chilling vibe thanks to Well's excellent illustration of the school. From the orderly, yet seemingly pointless classes, to the walls, locked doors, and cameras that keeps everyone in check. The end result makes the reader begin to feel the same sense of claustrophobia as the protagonist. Pretty soon you might find yourself pleading for the kids to rally together and escape that horrible place and its wicked machinations. Regarding the characters; the majors are all excellently characterized, yet I feel Wells may have spread his cast a bit too thin. Characters like Benson and Jane for example succeed at elicited an emotional investment from the reader due to their superb illustration, yet other minor characters fail to achieve the same level of gravitas. I feel Wells should have focused on a smaller more focused cast of characters rather than utilize a vast amount in such a short book. Because the book always follows Benson's first-person perspective, quite a few of the characters end up feeling insignificant and underdeveloped; with some characters who blur together due to an absence of defining attributes. However, this issue isn't as severe as one might expect; for Variant's greatest strength is within the gravitas of its plot; which is uncovering the secret behind Maxfield Academy instead of focusing on the characters; though this also means that none of the characters are particularly memorable either. Though it isn't faultless, Variant is an excellent light-read that packs more substance than you might initially expect. The plot is captivating, the pacing is exquisite, the atmosphere is engrossing, and the characters are solid albeit uneven. I only wish that the book's ending didn't raise more questions than answers.

This isn't one of those scare-you-straight schools, is it? -Benson Fisher At almost 18-years old, Benson Fisher just wanted a place he could belong and feel safe. After moving from foster family to foster family (33 since he entered the system at age 5), he really just wanted to stay in one place. So, when the opportunity came to apply for a scholarship at Maxfield Academy, Benson figured what did he have to lose. And when he was accepted, well, he was more than ready for a new start. But, Maxfield Academy isn't exactly what it seems. The school is surrounded by a chain link fence and inside that a massive brick wall.There are no adults; the students run the day to day operations. Each new student joins a "gang". There are three: the Society (they handle security and administration & medical), Havoc (they handle food and groundskeeping) and the Variants (the V's) (they handle janitorial & maintenance). And there are four big rules: no sex, no refusing punishments, no violent fights & no trying to escape. The worst punishment is detention, but no one wants to talk about that. LOVED this book. I can't recommended it enough. I love any dystopian fiction pretty much, so I guess I am sort of biased. But this book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I never wanted to put it down. I was reading with my 11-year old son, so I didn't have much of a choice or I probably would have finished in a couple of days. He loved it too (he is in 6th grade). Twice this book had me saying WHAT???? I turned the pages back and reread to make sure I didn't miss something. Honestly, two big twists that I didn't even see coming. My only problem now is I'm dying to read the sequel but my son wants to read the next Janitors book first. So.... I will have to wait. But not for long. Recommended to Anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction. Or novels with unexpected twists. This one is on Florida's Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee list for 6-8th graders. But trust me, adults will enjoy it too! Several 5th graders at my school are currently reading it and loving it too!

I wanted to like Variant, a dystopian novel by Robison Wells. After reading the positive reviews, I was excited, but alas, sometimes books that are hyped just don't live up to expectations. Summary: The basic story idea is great: there's intrigue, conflict, and unanswered questions. The beginning of the book is spooky, a little creepy, and chilling. Benson Fisher, a boy without a family who bounces from one foster home to another, is accepted at Maxfield Academy, where he expects to get a wonderful education and gain some freedom and independence. When he arrives at the school, he discovers that the doors lock behind him; there are no supervising adults, and he is a prisoner. Like all the other students, Benson doesn’t have family or friend who will check up on him. The suspense builds. There are classes without teachers, rules, and student factions, but the kids are on their own and regimented by unseen adults or a computer system--the reader isn’t entirely sure. Some of the students claim that those who don’t conform are killed. Again the reader doesn't know if this is exaggerated or true. The school is a dangerous, and there are many unexplained questions. My Reactions: Until about halfway through the book, I was completely enjoying the story and looking forward to finding out the secrets of Maxfield Academy. However, in the book's second half, the plot begins to fall apart and doesn't recover. Once the big secret was revealed, I expected the mystery to unfold and be solved, or at least find answers to some of the pressing story questions. There was a brief moment when the “why” is hinted at, but there is never a satisfactory or logical explanation. The ending seems pointless and disjointed. The secret is intriguing and interesting. The desire to find out kept me reading; however, once the plot began to unravel, it never recovered, and I became a frustrated reader. Because the end doesn't give answers, the violence seems futile. For me, the biggest disappointment was the last scene. It feels as if Wells borrowed from The Giver, which worked because Jonas wasn’t just escaping, he was saving his community and the child who would have died. But in Variant, Benson’s only goal is to escape, which in itself is an okay, but there is no purpose, no hope, and most of all no reason for what happens. So, the ending wasn't an “Oh, wow,” moment; it was a let down. 5 Wins: It’s well written. The action scenes are fun, detailed, and exciting. It’s realistic about what might happen in today’s world if teens were trapped in a dangerous situation. The central idea behind the story is fascinating and could have been developed into a great story. At the beginning, the suspense is strong and builds, which kept me reading when I was impatient with the plot. I thought the story might redeem itself in the end. 5 Fails: Benson is one-dimensional: he doesn’t grow; his only desire is to escape; especially at the end, he doesn’t grapple with the senselessness of the situation. In the second half, the plot loses momentum and logic, creating gaping holes in what should have been a great story. The surprise ending wasn't a surprise; it felt contrived and rehashed. The big secret isn’t explained or developed. There aren’t logical or believable reasons for the events at the end of the story. I was left with the feeling that Well's wanted to leave things hanging for a second book; however, he lost me as a reader. I was frustrated and feel no desire to read a second book. Yellow Cautionary Lights Flashing There are a lot of people who like this book. You might be one of them. For those who are thinking about reading Variant, consider of my review as flashing caution lights: bumpy plot ahead.

Variant This was the first book I read on my Kindle. I really enjoyed this book. I kept wanting more. I will admit I was angry when I got to the end, I didn't know before I read it that it ended with a cliffhanger. I'm telling you that because I wish someone had told me before I read it. Having said that, I've gotten over the ending now that I know there will be a sequel. The sequel according to the author will be released in fall 2012, and is titled Feedback. That will end it, Robinson Wells says it's not a trilogy. The story is hard to describe because it's one of those stories where the less you know about it the better the story is. But it takes place at a school, Maxfield Academy, from there things get very strange. Benson Fisher wins a scholarship to attend the school and thinks his life is now set. Make no mistake there are a few jaw dropping bombshells along the way. If you watched the TV show Tower Prep(sadly canceled), there is a very similar feel. The characters are very well developed, and the story moves at a good clip. As far as some of the other complaints, first let me say as a guy the paintball stuff didn't bother me. Someone complained that the lead character complains about his situation to much and that his complaining doesn't move the story. BULL! The fact is as you read the story Benson Fisher's complaining does become obsessive, the whole point is, as your reading you should be asking yourself, why isn't everyone else doing the same? The book poses some interesting questions about personal freedom, and how important it is to some people, and how some people may settle for no freedom if their needs are taken care of.

If I could rate different parts of the book, I would give the 1st chapter zero stars. The first chapter was the most boring piece of literature I have ever read. I would rather read Little Women 3 times than read the first chapter of this book again, but once you get to the end of the 2nd chapter, you won't want to put the book down. I read this book in 2 days (normally books with 376 pages take me about 1-2 weeks to read), that's how good it was. Here's the main idea of the book (no spoilers): Benson Fisher, a kid who was formerly in the Foster Care Program, signs up for a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, a private school in New Mexico. He has no family, no close friends, and no one to confide in. No one will miss him. Once he gets to Maxfield, he is informed that he can not leave. Ever. There are 4 main rules: No violent fighting, no refusing punishments, no sex, and no trying to escape. If you break one of these big four rules, you get detention. When you go to detention, you don't come back. From the very get-go, Benson tells himself that he's going to escape, but many people have tried that already. They never made it. This school has a fishy feeling to it. Where are all the adults? What's behind that one locked door next to the incinerator? Why doesn't anyone fight back and try to escape like he is? Benson asks all these questions to himself over and over, but nothing seems to make since. But then something strange happens to Jane, his non-official girlfriend, and he doesn't know who he can trust anymore. He can't escape on his own, he already knows that. But can he trust enough people to join him in his escape? Who knows if they'll just end up turning on him at the last moment. "'Don't listen to Isaiah or Oakland', he said firmly. 'We can't get out of here.'"

First of all, I loved Variant. There were a few moments that were offputting, but while taking a break from reading it I was thinking about how I just had to go on Amazon when I was done and give it a five star review. The one thing that kept me from giving it a five star review was the ending. It was an extreme cliffhanger and really didn't even make much sense to me. I literally went back and read the last bit three times just to figure out what it could mean (more on that in a bit though.) I'll try to keep this review spoiler free and be vague about any possible spoilers, but there may be a few little tidbits that are spoilerish. You've been warned. =) There were quite a few twists in the book, there was also a decent amount of forshadowing in the book that led to some of them. Portions of it just had me saying, "(S)he's so in on it." Once the twist was revealed though, I realized I hadn't caught on to as much as I thought I had. There were some parts that were a bit slow for my taste; there were also a few moments that I thought went by a bit too quickly. I would have loved a little more depth during the moments following the "Attack" scene and for it to have been slowed down a bit more. I felt a few tears welling in my eyes, but then it quickly moved on to the Jane twist, so I felt a little bit sad that there wasn't more of a moment there. It just moved from one thing to another a little too quickly for my taste. In the beginning I hated Oakland, but by the end I ended up loving him. He might have become my favorite character. I also hated Isaiah, that didn't change though. I very much wanted to punch him in the face at multiple times throughout the novel. I found myself trying to imagine which of the gangs I would be in if I somehow ended up at the school. There were moments, near the end of the book when the character's secrets were being revealed, that I felt myself gasping. Throughtout the book I was trying to find out who the plants were and trying to figure out if Detention was really death or a way to pull certain students out and use them. On to the ending. This did remind me a bit of the Maze Runner, so I thought it fitting that when I finished the book the first words out of my mouth were, "What kind of shuck ending is this!?" The ending annoyed me so much. Cliffhangers are one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to reading and that ending cost this book a star in my review. I love everything else, but THAT ENDING. I'm glad I waited until today to review this, because when I first finished reading(at 4AM last night) I was about ready to give the book a two star review because of the ending alone. It just... does not compute. If there's not a sequel, I'm going to be a bit ticked off, that's for sure. Anyway, overall, I really liked the book. Like I said though... THAT ENDING. I almost wish I had waited until the possible sequel came out so I didn't have to wait until who knows when to read it and find out what happened.

Ich bin über das Buch auf amazon.com gestolpert, dort sind bereits einige sehr positive Rezensionen vorhanden. Ich bin froh es gekauft zu haben, denn es hat sich mehr als ausgezahlt: das Buch war ein absoluter Pageturner, mit vielen äußerst spannenden Szenen, interessanten Charakteren und vor allem wirklich gut in Szene gesetzten Twists & Turns! Die Story steigt direkt ins Geschehen ein: Benson Fischer trifft in der ominösen Maxwell Academy ein. Es gibt keine LehrerInnen, keine Ausichtspersonen, die Schule ist von einer Mauer umgeben - niemand kann raus. Die SchülerInnen organisieren sich selbst nach Anleitungen die ihnen von der unsichtbaren Schulleitung zugewiesen werden. Es gibt nur eine Regel: dass keine Regel verletzt werden darf. Von Anfang an ist die Story voller Fragen die einen nicht loslassen. Was ist los mit der Schule, was sind das für SchülerInnen, was ist los eigentlich, warum rebelliert niemand? Die Story ist durchgehend spannend und mysteriös zu gleich, man fühlt und agiert mit dem Hauptcharakter Benson mit. Mehrmals ergeben sich Plottwists die wirklich unerwartet sind und nur das Verlangen nach schnellerem Lesen erwecken. Was besonders bemerkenswert ist, ist dass Autor Robinson Wells ohne großes Drumherum & unnötigem Drama eine spannende, überzeugende und gut durchdachte Story erschaffen hat. Definitiv ein Thriller der mehr hergibt als nur herkömmliche Leseunterhaltung. Man darf auf den zweiten (und gleichzeitig letzten) Band gespannt sein (erscheint ca. Oktober 2012)! Unbedingte Leseempfehlung!

lots of plot twists but a great book and i can't wait for the next book in the series :)

Interesting theme and well worth the read

I'm not an easy reader to fool. Generally speaking, I have the ending guessed (and right) by the mid-point of the story. Often sooner. I catch the subtle hints the authors weave in that make readers slap their foreheads at the end and wonder why they didn't notice. Me? I NOTICE. But Robison Wells' VARIANT caught me off guard in the best of ways. It was a thrilling read with a character I didn't love at first but came to respect, admire, and then care about. I didn't find the usually literary tropes here. The main character wasn't a perfect person in imperfect circumstances. The love interest's teeth didn't going PING! when she smiled. Frankly, I found it so refreshing not be reading the same-old-same-old it was all I could do not to happy dance. Okay. So I might have happy danced. A little. I highly recommend VARIANT to all readers. I don't call many books a "Must Read," but Robison Wells has earned that distinction.

Amazing book. Fast paced and has good details and atmosphere. Recommended for reader of all ages. The answer of who what and why are answers as the plot and characters develop.