Variant (Variant, 1)

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!

Last month I purchased VARIANT in accordance with the book bomb for Robison Wells. I then told my husband he was going to give it to me for my birthday. It was painful to wait a month knowing the book was in the house but that I couldn't read it. When I found out that Rob would be signing near where I live I told my husband I wanted my book signed. He agreed only if I got Rob to write "Happy Birthday." The signing was really neat and he obliged me by writing "Happy Birthday" in the book. When I started the book Tuesday night I was excited but I wasn't prepared for how much I would like it. I finished Wednesday morning and now I get to wait for the sequel. The nice thought is Rob told us that it wasn't a trilogy is it just going to be two books.VARIANT is a YA dystopic novel. What is interesting about this book is that it isn't that the whole world is dystopic it is just Maxfield Academy, that I know of. Benson Fisher is a 17-year-old boy who has been shuffled around in the foster care system. He hasn't had many fond memories of living with the 30 some odd families and so decides to take the future into his own hands. He applies and is accepted at Maxfield Academy. When he arrives he can tell immediately that something is wrong, and it isn't just the fact that two students go running after the car that brought him. He expects it to be bad, but he doesn't have any idea how bad it is. The school is divided into three teams, more of gangs, Society, Havoc, and Variant. Even after Benson chooses a group he still feels alone. No one else seems to think it is important that they break free. Benson is put to the test as he has to decide what he is willing to risk in order to escape.I knew VARIANT was going to be good. I didn't realize how much I would like it. I read a lot of YA books and with the recent rash of dystopic novels I thought I knew how it was going to be. I mean obviously it would have its own twist but I thought I would be entertained by something I would probably be able to guess from the end. I was wrong. The book not only has some very surprising twists, but I loved the characters. Benson is presented with moral dilemmas that at first I didn't realize were problems until other characters brought it up. It really made me think. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something new and fresh to 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.

Interesting theme and well worth the read

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 :)

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.