Variant (Variant, #1)

Nov 25, 2011 karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, october-is-spooky

if anyone popped into my RA group looking for a book that was "not well-written, consistent, or plausible," i could hand them this book with full confidence.

and i feel bad for saying that, i do. this book means well, you can tell. the author dedicated it to his best friend erin. that's cute, right? but about thirty pages in, i started getting concerned that this was another YA book actually written by a teen author. i am not going to have another truancy experience, thank you very much. but no,...more
if anyone popped into my RA group looking for a book that was "not well-written, consistent, or plausible," i could hand them this book with full confidence.

and i feel bad for saying that, i do. this book means well, you can tell. the author dedicated it to his best friend erin. that's cute, right? but about thirty pages in, i started getting concerned that this was another YA book actually written by a teen author. i am not going to have another truancy experience, thank you very much. but no, not a teen, just the brother of dan wells, who i still have yet to read, but seems like a really nice guy.

so this is why i feel bad for hating on this book, because the brother of the author has always been nice when he has come in. that makes perfect sense, right? also, i write my least convincing book reports when i am ill. but these are the cards we were dealt today.

so, seventeen-year-old benson fisher applies for a boarding-school scholarship program in order to get out of the foster-care system cycle he has been swirling around inside for years.he gets it - yayyy - and flies off to new mexico to settle into his new school and meet his new classmates. but oh no! where are the teachers? where are the adult cafeteria and maintenance workers? why are all the children shouting? so, basically - this is a school in which all the duties of the school are performed by the students themselves. please hold your questions until the end. so there are three groups, groups that have formed out of necessity, after some unpleasantness in the past, when the students had been just fending for themselves. and by unpleasantness, i mean many many deaths. this being YA fiction, the groups have suitably goofy names: the society- who play by the rules, havoc - who wear thuglife pendants and like to fight, and the variants - who would like to escape, but are very pragmatic and would like a color-coded escape plan first, please. for safety's sake. (which group do you think benson aligns himself with? i give you a hint and point you towards the title of the book) so, each of these groups perform certain functions in the school, based on agreed-upon and bidded-for contracts. havoc is in charge of food and groundskeeping, society handles admin, nursing, teaching, variants clean up the trash, but all are ruled by a tv screen that depicts an adult face giving out daily punishments, after reviewing the tapes culled from the numerous video cameras and microphones all around the school. and if you get detention, you never come back.... shhhh - questions at the end, please!the lessons are arbitrary lectures on aesthetics or field surveying, and they play a lot of paintball, and points are accrued all around so they can buy clothing and other gear, but never.... their freeeeeedom. so it is shades of ender's game, shades of lord of the flies, shades of any other of the recent batch of YA dystopia where kids form little white gangs and adhere to bizarre group standards in order to show that they are independently minded freethinkers - hey! hands down! and there are ample excuses as to why the kids were chosen, why they can't just call for help or use the internet, or escape over the wall, why they don't just... stop.

okay - now time for questions.

okay, so i just wrote out a string of like 20 questions, but ended up deleting them all because they would probably be too spoilery, for those of you who are interested in reading this, despite my warnings. because it still looks like a book i should like. greg brought it to me at work, saying just that, "this looks like a book you would read." and i did read it. and it was bad. and i am glad i borrowed it rather than buying it, because i was about to buy it, actually. but now i can bring it back. and maybe the person who reads it next will love it, and i would be pleased to hear it. i just hate it when i dislike a book that looks like it means well. it tried, right? especially when it went nuts there at the end and decided to try something "new," and everyone went "whaaaaa??" and then laffed. baffling. truly baffling.

but i will allow this one question - why are YA novels always structured this way, where characters huddle together in like-minded groups instead of utilizing the strengths of all participants? does no one see how this limits the resources? it is a structure that only works if the book is well-written enough to overcome its own inherent silliness. divergent was, i thought, fantastic, even though it had a lot of its own foolishness to overcome. this one tripped over its own foolishness, and then stumbled down a hill, caught on fire, and then just smoldered there.in a not-very-sexy way.

now i am going back to bed. i wouldn't say this book gave me this surely-fatal illness, but i'm also not ruling it out.
(less)

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Feb 26, 2011 Robison Wells rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

That's a completely unbiased rating.

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Nov 01, 2011 Sasha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harpercollins, dystopian-postapocalyptic, young-adult

This is the story of Benson Fisher and how he settles into his new life at Maxfield Academy, where there are no teachers, no grades, and only 4 rules. The school is split into three different "gangs" and these gangs have come to an agreement that will keep them at peace..most of the time. And then Benson comes across the school's real secret..so, what will he do with this information and what will the consequences of his actions be?

This book was a thriller right from the beginning. Within the fi...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Lu Ann Brobst rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Review originally posted in January 2011:

I have the honor of being in Rob Well's writer's group, so I got to read the final manuscript before even the ARC was ready. This is one of the best books I've read in the last year. The main character, Benson was someone I could relate to--maybe because I teach school and he reminded me of several of my students--and the plot was compelling. I couldn't read it fast enough--yet the themes and final questions continue to haunt me--and now I'm begging to se...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blah-world-building, book-with-no-ending, make-room-for-that-sequel, milking-a-money-cow, mystery, young-adult

So my dog does this cute thing sometimes where he chases down a toy or ball with such intensity that he sometimes crashes into walls and furniture. After he does this he looks up at me with an expression on his face that I'd like to catch on camera without deliberately letting him get a concussion. It's a cross between 'where the fuck did that come from' and 'how did I get here again' because you see he's forgotten he was chasing a ball in the surprise of his encounter.

This book put that express...more So my dog does this cute thing sometimes where he chases down a toy or ball with such intensity that he sometimes crashes into walls and furniture. After he does this he looks up at me with an expression on his face that I'd like to catch on camera without deliberately letting him get a concussion. It's a cross between 'where the fuck did that come from' and 'how did I get here again' because you see he's forgotten he was chasing a ball in the surprise of his encounter.

This book put that expression on my face a lot. Sometimes being surprised and a little confused can make for an amazing book if the technique is right... the technique was not spot on here. The surprises felt really random. I feel like telling everyone where the book got weird, but it's a pretty big spoiler and you never get much more information about it beyond that one fact.

The writing was simplistic. It kind of reminded me of the first two Percy Jackson books, which are more on the middle school end of the YA swimming pool. It's all functional, but it's not a style that allows you to feel fully emerged in the main character or even the story. There's always a slight sense of detachment that kept me from really connecting to or sympathizing with the main character's plights.

Benson Fisher, the main character, was also exceedingly difficult to like. He does a lot of stupid shit without thinking it through. He takes big gambles with the school's social order and structure without fully thinking about what will happen even though he has all the necessary information to realize he could be making a big mistake. As a reader I certainly knew he was fucking up everyone's lives. Let's see, the last time people did what he was doing... there were gang wars that resulted in student on student murder several times over, but he goes for it, tells no one, and then takes a nap after instead of bracing himself for the fall out. Smart. See, YA Paranormal Romance heroines aren't the only unlikeable fools out there.

The end of the book pissed me off. There is no ending. This series seems to be one of those series where the books aren't individual stories building into a whole. I say seems because this is only book one, but this book ended abruptly without closing any major story archs. The author opens more for the next book, but he misses a big step in reader satisfaction by leaving almost every major plot open from this book.

I'd recommend this to really young adults. 11-14 or maybe 15, boys in particular might like it more. It's got a fair bit of action, a male lead, and they tend to be more forgiving of simplistic writing. I don't think adult YA fans will find anything here for themselves.(less)

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Nov 11, 2011 Annette rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the lucky people who got to read a pre-press copy.

Now that it's out, my 16YO son devoured it.

This is easily my favorite YA book of 2011. Edge-of-your seat action, twists, turns, moments where my jaw dropped and I yelled things like, "NO WAY!" and, "That DIDN'T just happen!" (But, of course, it did.)

I'd recommend it for anyone 12ish and up, but especially for boys. No content issues, just a great read.

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Dec 09, 2011 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Simple words: BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!

I've read so much of YA, and from the first page, everything is so predictable, you have an idea of the direction and what will happen at the end. Even the Dystopian novels, the main problem is X and you obviously know that the MC will survive.

But THIS. I could not for one second predict where this would go and I'm excellent at predicting what's next.

The writing served its purpose, I didn't have to skim over anything. You know how in novels sometimes the prose i...more Simple words: BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!

I've read so much of YA, and from the first page, everything is so predictable, you have an idea of the direction and what will happen at the end. Even the Dystopian novels, the main problem is X and you obviously know that the MC will survive.

But THIS. I could not for one second predict where this would go and I'm excellent at predicting what's next.

The writing served its purpose, I didn't have to skim over anything. You know how in novels sometimes the prose is striking and beautiful and the descriptions so vivid? And there's a bunch of symbols that give deep meaning and yada yada yada. There's none of that in this.

Because really, if you're the narrator writing and it's in first person, do you really go on and describe the sky's purple hues and the symbolism of a bird over your head? And then you map out the skies as say how thick the clouds are so it must be raining and you go all philosophical? Yeah, screw that. Be real and tell it like it is, not overly-descriptive, not too sparse, just a need-to-know basis and the narrative is genuine in following the character's train of thought.

The action was good, the pace was fast and most of the time you really just had to wonder what will happen next. I honestly couldn't put the book down even with a gun to my head. I just had to know what to know what will happen.

The characters are definitely interesting and our MC isn't overly superficially brilliant. He isn't someone who comes into the school and manages to overcome everything with ease like a supergod character and is armed with some ridiculously helpful skill. Benson is not one of those characters when in a hard situation amazingly shows his awesomeness with skills like super combat, gun expertise and survival skills even though the character is only a teen. A lot of what he learned is from TV, which is genuine given all the CSI watching these days. He's not one of those brilliant charismatic characters who manages to unite and bring everyone on his side either.

I also applaud the book in no plot holes that I've picked up on. i hate it when scenarios are implausible. Like that one main character doesn't get caught even though the streets are patrolled, yeah right. For once the MC actually keeps up with what's going on like a real reader. You know how sometimes in books the villain or something is so glaringly obvious and yet the character is still dumb when readers have already figured it out halfway and the characters haven't? None of that here. I love how he instantly picks up on every nuance, how we have a character who is smart enough to ask questions instead of mulling over it and only having that one moment where he pieces everything together. It's a step-by-step process, not some eureka moment. It's just so refreshing to have a character who is intelligent and who realises thing fast enough so there can be real action and events in the novel and move things along.

I'm desperately waiting for the sequel. (less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Erin Bowman added it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, young-adult, science-fiction, series-read-thru

I’ve heard this book described as a “Lord of the Flies” set at boarding school. Um, yeah. That sounds awesome. And it is. From the second Benson sets foot within the grounds of Maxfield Academy – which happens within the first several pages, mind you – things are intense. Examples: there are no teachers, students have split into gangs, cameras watch everything, everywhere, and no one ever leaves the campus. This book is fast paced and near impossible to put down. Benson is not a perfect person,...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Margot rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autumn-2011, favourites, own

I can't think of a single reason why I shouldn't give this a five-star rating. I loved everything about it.

First of all, Variant is one original little book. Yeah, everyone says the same about all the books they read, but I definitely found Variant refreshing and unique. And I really enjoyed Benson's voice.

Variant hooked me right in since the very beginning—I couldn't put it down. I found it original, thrilling, compelling, and so easy to read. Interesting from the first page to the very last...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Still as awesome as it was the first time I read it. Great story with twists and turns that will keep you guessing

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Mar 25, 2013 Hazel Grace added it · review of another edition

Benson Fisher pensaba que una beca para ingresar en la academia Maxfield sería un billete hacia el fin de una vida sin sentido. Se equivocaba. Ahora está atrapado en un colegio rodeado por una alambrada. En el que cámaras de seguridad siguen cada uno de sus movimientos. En el que no hay adultos. En el que los alumnos se han dividido en grupos para poder sobrevivir. En el que saltarse las normas significa la muerte.

Ay, mis queridas distopías, ¿Dónde habéis estado toda mi vida?

Benson Fisher consig...more Benson Fisher pensaba que una beca para ingresar en la academia Maxfield sería un billete hacia el fin de una vida sin sentido. Se equivocaba. Ahora está atrapado en un colegio rodeado por una alambrada. En el que cámaras de seguridad siguen cada uno de sus movimientos. En el que no hay adultos. En el que los alumnos se han dividido en grupos para poder sobrevivir. En el que saltarse las normas significa la muerte.

Ay, mis queridas distopías, ¿Dónde habéis estado toda mi vida?

Benson Fisher consigue una beca en la academia Maxfield en la que pensaba que, tras pasar toda su vida entre casas de acogida en las que no era feliz, conseguiría comenzar de nuevo y rehacer su vida.
Sin embargo, la academia Maxfield no era lo que Benson esperaba que fuese. No hay adultos. Estás todo el día vigilado continuamente por cámaras y micrófonos. Hay unas estrictas normas, entre ellas, el intentar escapar. Está terminantemente prohibido intentar escapar. Si no sigues cualquiera de las normas, eres arrestado. Si eres arrestado, no vuelves y nadie sabe lo que pasa con los arrestados.
"Bienvenido a Maxfield, aquí tienes tu dispositivo de rastreo. Te observamos. Nunca te podrás marchar."
Todos los alumnos son personas a las que nadie echará de menos ya que no tienen familia ni amigos fuera de la academia.

Como no hay adultos, son los alumnos los que se ocupan de todos los trabajos que hay que hacer en la academia. Al hacer estos trabajos se consiguen unos puntos con los que se pueden comprar cosas como ropa, comida, material...
Estos trabajos se reparten entre las tres pandillas de la escuela, las cuales tienen un pacto y siempre tienen los mismos trabajos.
La Sociedad: Siguen las normas y no piensan para nada en escapar. Se encargan de los trabajos de: medicina, enseñanza, seguridad y papeleo. Es la pandilla más grande, y la que más puntos recibe.
Los Caos: Como bien indica su nombre, son brutos, caóticos, desordenados...Son los que tienen las armas, y se encargan de jardinería y cocina.
Los Diferentes (o Los D.): Son los que están a favor de escapar. Es la pandilla más pequeña. Se encargan de decoración y limpieza.

Aunque sabe que está prohibido, Benson se pasa todo el libro maquinando una forma de escapar de ese horrible lugar, sobretodo después de descubrir lo que se cuece en la academia.
Este libro te mantiene en vilo durante tooooooda su lectura, y a mí me enganchó desde el primer momento. Desde el momento en el que Benson entra en la escuela por primera vez, no puedes parar de hacer apuestas mentalmente sobre lo que pasa realmente allí (yo adiviné lo que pasaba por pura casualidad).
Lo mejor de este libro, es que al estar narrado desde el punto de vista de Benson, el autor crea una ola de misterio al rededor de los otros alumnos, y terminas desconfiando de todo el mundo.

Diferente tiene todos los componentes que hacen que una novela perfecta. No hay ni una sola página que sobre o en la que te aburras.

Si no lo has leído ya, ¿A qué esperas?(less)

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Feb 11, 2012 Sarah added it · review of another edition

Shelves: boarding-school, young-adult

Like many other readers, I am sure, I picked up VARIANT one night on friends' recommendations intending to read a few pages, perhaps a few chapters, and instead read the whole book in one sitting.

Benson is a compelling narrator, intelligent, inquisitive, and resilient (he's had a mighty hard time of it, and in this book it gets no better).

The mystery of Maxfield Academy's secrets -- and it's not pleasant -- drives the plot forward at a breakneck speed. In the last third of the book, in fact, I...more

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May 23, 2012 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is made of sci-fi awesome! It's not a literary masterpiece by any means, but if you're looking for something quick and fun and easy to read just to pass a rainy day, don't pass this up. I compare this to Blood Red Road, since the level of entertainment is so high, I inhaled both of those books. I read this 373 paged book in about 2 1/2 hours (the time I actually spent reading once you deduct sleeping, and class), which is insane. Does that mean I'll have some memory issues with the boo...more This book is made of sci-fi awesome! It's not a literary masterpiece by any means, but if you're looking for something quick and fun and easy to read just to pass a rainy day, don't pass this up. I compare this to Blood Red Road, since the level of entertainment is so high, I inhaled both of those books. I read this 373 paged book in about 2 1/2 hours (the time I actually spent reading once you deduct sleeping, and class), which is insane. Does that mean I'll have some memory issues with the book when I read the sequel? Probably, but I just couldn't put this one down.

Benson Fisher has been a foster child for twelve years, ever since his mother abandoned him with a babysitter, and his father has never been in the picture. Hoping for a chance at freedom, Benson applies for a scholarship to the Maxfield Academy in New Mexico. Upon being accepted, he hopes to begin a new life for himself, make real friends, play sports, have fun - until he learns that there are no adults at the school, there are security cameras, detention equals death, they're not allowed to leave, and the school is divided into three gangs: Society (the goody two shoes), Havoc (the kids that you don't want to meet in a dark alley), and Variant (also known as the V's; don't belong to any other gang, so they watch each other's backs).

Now, can I just comment and say that I loved that there the school was divided into gangs? I seriously just can't get over how much I loved that aspect of the book. Whenever a gang war was being threatened, I had my fingers crossed whispering, "Please, please, let them get pissed off and start fighting!" I have no clue what came over me, but that's what happened.

I loved the premise, the writing was good, it was very readable and held my attention the whole way through and not once was I ever bored, there was plenty of action, mystery, suspence, originality (when I read the inside flap, I groaned at the mention of a boarding school), but there is one (pretty big) flaw with the book.

I liked the characters; none of them annoyed me, I sympathized with the good guys, loved to hate the bad guys, and felt bad for them when the time called for it. However, I didn't connect with any of these people on a deeper level. They felt 2D, so close to being people that I could truly be concerned for them and their well being besides the superficial, "Oh, I hope they make it since their in a bad situation!" However, they weren't boring or flat, and like I mentioned before, I did really like them, but I felt this lack of an emotional connection.

That ending! Insane! That cliffhanger is huge, and I have no idea where the series is going, and cannot wait until October so I can read the sequel. Even if there are more questions than answers, I have full faith that Robison Wells won't dissapoint.(less)

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Jul 09, 2011 Cory rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More reviews @ http://antidrugreads.blogspot.com

If I were to just call Variant unpredictable, that would be an undoubtable understatement. By the end of the book, my mind was completely blown. The places I assumed or expected this story to go throughout my reading, proved to be wrong every single time.

"Trust no one" is the perfect tag line for Robison Wells's creation. Benson, the protagonist, thinks he just got a scholarship to an upper class prep school, but boy is he wrong. What he gets in re...more More reviews @ http://antidrugreads.blogspot.com

If I were to just call Variant unpredictable, that would be an undoubtable understatement. By the end of the book, my mind was completely blown. The places I assumed or expected this story to go throughout my reading, proved to be wrong every single time.

"Trust no one" is the perfect tag line for Robison Wells's creation. Benson, the protagonist, thinks he just got a scholarship to an upper class prep school, but boy is he wrong. What he gets in reality, is a one way ticket to a prison. This prison isn't much different from a regular prep school though- Students, dorms, and classes. The differences are that there are no adults, walls and locked doors prohibit escape, and calls home are replaced with death threats. All the kids are being treated like lab rats. Some of the student go along with what is happening, while others like Benson aren't as compliant. This is where the story takes off. Numerous situations at the "school" cause Benson to plot an intricate escape and trust no one.

Benson's first person narration is quite refreshing. The YA genre is dominated by female narrators, so I jumped at the chance to read Variant. Benson is an extremely determined fellow. Fear and rationality always seem to take back seat whenever his mind is set, no matter the danger. I found it to be a respectable trait, especially since it made for a suspenseful story!

Robison Wells did a phenomenal job with creating a unique story in a popular genre. His dystopian world is controlled, and has the potential of going in multiple different directions. I'm having a hard time writing this review, because I don't want to risk spoiling anything. Everyone deserves to be as shocked as I was after reading all the rattling scenarios.

I know Variant doesn't come out till the first of October, but I just had to read and post my review of it. I am not one who can handle anticipation well. Variant kept me guessing till the very end, and then left me dangling off a cliff. Now to the best of my ability, I will wait anxiously for the second book in the series. *eyes twitching*(less)

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Dec 15, 2011 Gina Denny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lds-authors, sci-fi, ya

Holy Snot Balls, this book was good.

I picked this up as a direct result of my love of Dan Wells' I Am Not A Serial Killer series, and I was not disappointed. Near the end of this book I found myself thinking that this was like Twilight Zone episode in book form, and I think that's a pretty spot-on assessment.

Benson is a troubled kid, a product of the Philadelphia foster care system, before he comes to this very exclusive private school out in the middle of the New Mexico desert. That's when t...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a breath of fresh air for me. I enjoyed the male 1st person pov and I appreciated very much that Benson's reactions to the situation were natural and normal. If something was crazy...he thought it was crazy. Nothing annoys me more than reading a novel about something paranormal or odd and the main character just goes right along with it. Can you say, "Hello Bella Swan!"

I loved the twists and I felt like I was swept up in the mystery of the school right along with Benson. The build...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Krista Jensen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was fortunate to have read this book before final edits and I still can't wait to get it in my hands and read it again as a finished product. The characters, the twists, the mind-blowing premise of this YA thrill ride has left me needing the next book. Benson is the perfect reluctant hero, and I really hope he figures this thing out. Mr. Wells, get on that.

Oh, and the cover? I'm not ordering it for my Kindle. I want to SEE it up close in all its shimmery beauty. I can't wait until its release....more

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Feb 25, 2012 Inspired Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I really liked the first half of this book. It reminded me of The Maze Runner which I really enjoyed. It's a unique read that would appeal to a wide audience including teenage boys. The second half of the book was good but took some really bizarre turns.

I can usually figure out where a book is going but was completely wrong with this one. It was completely unpredictable. The cover says Trust No One on it but I didn't realize how literally I should have taken that warning. It was full of twists a...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, highly-recommended, 2011-whitney-award-eligible

Okay, October 4th is finally here--official release date of VARIANT.

This book is a definite must-read for 2011. It's being promoted as dystopian, but it could easily take place in our day. Benson is a foster kid, moved from place to place for as long as he remembers. So when he gets a "scholarship" to Maxfield Academy, he jumps at the chance, thinking he can finally get out of the rut he's lived in for so long.

When he arrives at Maxfield, he immediately starts noticing strange and bizarre things...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, teen

Benson has bounced around foster care all his life, so when he gets a scholarship to a private school he is thrilled. Unfortunately as soon as he arrives he learns that his life is not improving. All the students are prisoners. There are no adults. The students are responsible for teaching, cooking, and providing security. To survive various gangs have formed. Each gang is responsible for certain kinds of jobs. The largest gang, Society, is responsible for security. All rule breakers are punishe...more

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May 15, 2013 Michaelbrent Collings rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, so first to...

THE GOOD:

This was a real page-turner of a thriller. Yes, it is marketed as a "YA" book, but really those kind of distinctions are the product of marketing companies and booksellers (who need to know what shelf to put different books on). I appreciate the need for genre distinctions, and I appreciate that they help me zero in on the kinds of books I'm looking for from time to time, but I do also feel that they limit us from accepting books that might tickle our fancy if they...more Okay, so first to...

THE GOOD:

This was a real page-turner of a thriller. Yes, it is marketed as a "YA" book, but really those kind of distinctions are the product of marketing companies and booksellers (who need to know what shelf to put different books on). I appreciate the need for genre distinctions, and I appreciate that they help me zero in on the kinds of books I'm looking for from time to time, but I do also feel that they limit us from accepting books that might tickle our fancy if they didn't have a genre label that disagreed with us. Variant is a good case in point: yes, it's about a high-school-age kid. Yes, it's from his point of view, yes he's the hero. But really, I don't think this is a YA book so much as a straight-up thriller.

The hero gets a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, which thrills him for a boatload of reasons. He's an orphan, stuck in the foster care machine with no real hope of a future. So acceptance at this kind of place is a dream come true.

Until he actually gets there. And finds out that, while getting into the school IS just as difficult as the brochures claimed, getting out is even more difficult. Impossible, in fact. No one has ever left the school - at least, not alive. There are no teachers, no support staff, no adults at all. Just students who have a quasi-civilized gang system in place, watched over by the school's "administrators" who are more than capable of punishing from afar.

Our hero's goal is simple: to stay alive. To learn. To escape.

A lot of fun, and a book that kept me turning pages well past my bedtime, with some fun surprises thrown in to boot.

Why only four stars? Well that leads me to...

THE BAD:

A story is a specific thing, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The end has to resolve things - at least MOST things. And more and more books, particularly those in the YA section, seem to be simply STOPPING rather than legitimately ENDING. That is to say, they have a larger story, which is broken up into two or three or four or however many books. The first book gets through a large hurdle (in this case, the school escape issue), but never really RESOLVES the larger story - i.e., who was behind it all, and why, and what is the larger purpose, if any. Similar problems can be found in other big hits like James Dashner's THE MAZE RUNNER.

Again, I liked this book - a lot. I liked THE MAZE RUNNER. But when I get to the last page, turn it (or swipe my Kindle) and see only blank nothing, I feel a bit upset. It's meant to be a cliffhanger, but for me it has the opposite effect: if the storyteller can't truly end this part of the story - that is, provide a solid resolution to the major issues at play - then I'm not likely to pick up the other bits of story that come in the guise of "part 2," "part 3," "part Googly-Woogly," etc.

That being said, I'm still giving this one four stars because that's something that bugs ME and won't necessary bug everyone. Further, it did keep me reading, and I did buy everything that happened. I just wished there had been more of an ending to the ending.(less)

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Apr 23, 2013 Pinkie Pie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tour

Variant was a completely engrossing, compelling read. Full of perfectly paced twist, lovable characters, and one crazy boarding school, this book kept me up way past my bed-time, fervently flipping the pages.

When Benson Fisher shows up at Maxfield Academy, it's apparent that he's in for way more than he bargained for. There's a barbed wire fence, and 12 foot brick wall surrounding the school. Fish applied to MA thinking he would receive a better education and a ticket out of the foster system an...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Jeanne Izzy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I literally just finished this a few minutes ago. It was great. So the story picks up pretty quickly. I would say the book really started when he was being introduced to his schoolmates. He immediately gets into a fight and is forced to pick a side. I loved this Lord of the Flies thing again, where they have to build their own systems to get along, especially with someone watching them. I also really loved the cameras and the school. It had a very Big Brother vibe. The school is also really w...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Cindy Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As an orphan, Benson Fisher doesn’t have many good things come his way. So when he is accepted as a scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school, he thinks life is looking up. Instead, he finds himself a prisoner, along with other orphaned teens, in a school with no escape, where life seems to happen for no reason and with no rules. The ‘students’ have divided themselves into three tribes and created their own standards for dealing with their reality. Benson, however, will no accept that...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Kelly Thielen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-survival, science-fiction, middle-school, high-school

When Benson Fisher applies for and is granted a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, he is thrilled. No more moving from foster home to foster home and from school to school. Finally, he'll have a chance to get a high school diploma from a prestigious school, go on the college and make a life for himself. What a lucky break!

The first clue that things weren't maybe as they seemed should have been when two students ran after the car that dropped him off. The boy grabbed is arm and said, "Don't listen...more When Benson Fisher applies for and is granted a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, he is thrilled. No more moving from foster home to foster home and from school to school. Finally, he'll have a chance to get a high school diploma from a prestigious school, go on the college and make a life for himself. What a lucky break!

The first clue that things weren't maybe as they seemed should have been when two students ran after the car that dropped him off. The boy grabbed is arm and said, "Don't listen to Isiah or Oakland. We can't get out of here." But Benson is so excited to be here that even though he finds it strange, he brushes it off as kids being kids.

After Orientation, Becky, the student who leads orientation, takes Benson upstairs where he meets some of the students. Very quickly is accosted by leaders of each gang or faction here at Maxfield: The Society, Variant, and Havoc. Each group tries to convince Benson to join their gang. The gangs bid on jobs, jobs lead to points and points allow you to buy things. Okay, that was kind of weird, too.

Then Benson learns there are no adults in the building. The students do everything. There are rules and they are enforced. Minor infractions might lead to a deduction of points or no food for the day. Larger infractions could lead to death. Benson quickly decides that he has made a mistake and believes that he must find a way to escape. Problem is - no one who attempts escape is ever seen or heard from again. And getting out is nearly impossible. The school is surrounded by a tall wall and security both inside and outside of the wall is heavy.

After awhile, Benson starts thinking maybe things aren't so bad. Great food. Easy classes. No adults. A cute girl who likes him. Maybe he should just stick around... He feels that way until he and a friend are victims of a brutal attack and when it is all over, Benson discovers the secret of Maxfield High. The very scary secret... Now, more than ever, he knows they must escape, but he knows he can't do it alone. How can he convince everyone that he is right?(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free and brief as possible.

I would like to rate this book 3.5 stars... It was very action packed and exciting, and I'm pretty sure that my eyes were skimming so fast just so I could find out what happens that I actually read maybe half the book. I finished this in a day, and the rating would be higher but WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT ENDING

Okay, there will be no spoilers but I just want to say that ASDFKHASDFMKL;SAKLSJKLAS CLIFFHANGERS. THEY SUCK.

Seriously, it was so ab...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Magic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

VARIANT was an interesting read to say the leas. It vaguely reminded me of THE HUNGER GAMES because of the way the kids split up into groups, but with out the excessive slaughter of kids (more or less). I enjoyed the story line and Benson was a nice change form the usual female protagonists that dominate most of the books I have read. There were plenty of plot twists throughout the book, and although at times it felt like a bit much, they were well placed enough to keep anyone on their toes. I l...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Uyen Vo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book but not on any advanced thinking, philosophical level. It was just entertaining to read and the language made it easy. I thought the storyline was pretty interesting although Benson was a little annoying at times...I'd rather enjoy a more clever and witty character than Benson who (basically) just takes a cascade of lucky risks and somehow gets out. Ultimately it was a good book, but when you put things in perspective, Benson really was a static character. His intentions never...more I liked this book but not on any advanced thinking, philosophical level. It was just entertaining to read and the language made it easy. I thought the storyline was pretty interesting although Benson was a little annoying at times...I'd rather enjoy a more clever and witty character than Benson who (basically) just takes a cascade of lucky risks and somehow gets out. Ultimately it was a good book, but when you put things in perspective, Benson really was a static character. His intentions never faltered and even in the midst of self reflection (a wince of maturity), thinking of how he is endangering people's lives, he ends up going along, almost mindlessly in fact, with his plans to escape and ends up killing his mates in the process...which just goes back to that idea of escaping selfishly without any concern to others - Isaiah, the twisted, weirdo Society guy turned out to be right after all.

So I guess what I'm saying is that the story wasn't really impactful on me. Paintball scenes became trite, I had higher expectations for Benson's intelligence, and even when he is freed at the end, I still could hardly see how much "better" life was now that his friends were either dead or robots and he was alone in the snow with a dying girl, etc. etc. I was also really looking forward to the twist and meh. It just seemed random. A lot of things did, things that were meant to be shocking, etc. Like how near the end, his party turning out to be full of androids - dunno. It was a shocker at first, but still random when put into perspective. It was a bit halfhearted too. For example, Mason turning out to be an android is a pretty big deal, but he gets less than ten lines after we find out and he's gone.

Was a easy, fun, interesting read, but a lot of disappointing things about this book. The ending wasn't that great either; I really didn't feel any conclusion or any "wrap up" of well...anything. Who was Ms. Vaughn? What was the town? What is detention really? (Do we even get clarification if he -really- escapes or not?) I suppose you're supposed to be inclined to read the second book to find out, but what I'm saying is maybe that wasn't the best place to end a book. Or maybe it was, and I was just too detached to really see how profound it was. I guess I was just expecting a coalescence of all the information in the book (Rosa's proposition with the incinerator house with Jane etc.) but it didn't happen and I still feel confused a bit. Some things also seemed a little useless, but kept reoccurring (Becky's journal entries being a major one), that never seem to be answered either.

Anyway, not the worst book I've read but also not the best. 7/10, for the story mostly.(less)

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Jan 22, 2013 Matt Lorimer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was AWESOME. It was easily on it's way to five stars. It has interesting ideas presented very well, good character development. It flows well and isn't a regurgitation of every other distopian society book. There are mind blowing original ideas and concepts. Then out of the blue, it hand the most terrible ending I have ever read. And by most terrible ending I have ever read, I mean it had no ending at all. None. It just stops.

Imagine watching the movie "Casino Royale" up to the point w...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Loo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: eng-356-books-1-12

Variant was a very fast-paced novel about a seventeen-year-old foster boy who wins a scholarship to Maxfield Academy. Though he expects it to fix all his social-outcast problems, it only gives him a new set of problems: He is locked inside a student-run world where breaking the rules means death. Though he finds there are good things to this new life, such as friends, love, and unexpected skills, he also finds he has to deal with violence, distrust, and a bizarre turn of events that changes his...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What did you think of the ending?	26	165	May 15, 2013 11:35am
should i read??	14	39	Apr 18, 2013 02:24am
Teachers' Book Club: Variant	71	67	Mar 18, 2013 03:40pm

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avg rating	preview: Variant Goodreads rating: 3.90 (6903 ratings)
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