The way Wells plays with the dynamics between each of the gangs is fascinating to watch, and the psychological warfare between the gangs and their members can be brutal at times. While there are a some other great characters worth mentioning, it is the gang warfare that takes centre stage. He is thrust into a world that is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, complete with teenagers isolated from the world who form gangs when forced to fend for themselves. Benson is the gifted yet troubled teenager who grows nicely from the selfish headstrong survivor he is and wants to be, into the selfless hero and leader he needs to be.

Where Variant truly shines is with the characters Wells has crafted and the way in which they interact with each other and world around them. It's just that it feels like Variant plays it safe when it comes to plot, and while the other elements make up for the lack of risk taking in the story, and while there is a big plot twist about halfway through the story, it doesn't really change the over goals of the main character and so a lot of untapped potential is left behind that could have been exploited. This is by no means a bad thing and I think it has an appropriate level of complexity for both the target audience and the type of story Wells is trying to tell. Boy goes to special school, boy gets trapped in school, boy tries to escape from school. The plot of Variant is actually a pretty simple one, a streamlined effort to allow for maximum pace.

Variant came to me highly recommended from a bunch of authors and it is easy to see why, it is a fast paced psychological thriller that makes use of some cool sci-fi elements to keep you on the edge of your seat. Variant by Robison Wells tells the story of a young foster child named Benson who wins a scholarship to attend a prestigious school, only once he gets to the school he finds out that they are all trapped and are the subjects of some sinister test program. The Young Adult dystopian genre has really picked up steam over the past 18 months, so it was about time that I checked one of them out. Synopsis sourced from the authors website () Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.īut when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape-his only real hope for survival-may be impossible. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. Benson Fisher thought a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

Variant by robison wells