Variant (novel)
| Author | Robison Wells |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | HarperTeen |
Publication date | October 4, 2011 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & e-book) and Audiobook |
| Pages | 384 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0062026089 (second edition, hardback) |
| Followed by | variant (novel) |
Variant is a young adult suspense novel by Robison Wells. It was published on October 4, 2011 by HarperTeen. Wells has stated that the initial draft of Variant took him only eleven days to write.[1] The book was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of 2011".[2]
Plot
Variant follows the character of Benson Fisher as he's sent to Maxfield Academy on a scholarship. To him this is an opportunity to leave his unhappy life and take on a hopeful new future. As soon as he arrives at school he discovers that the school is constantly supervised and that rule breaking is not tolerated at all. In order to survive, you must join one of the three groups on campus. Benson quickly discovers that the groups are constantly at each other's throats, and that it's a much more dangerous game than he had anticipated. With no adults obviously present, it's everyone for themselves. The students are supervised by unknown people, communicating by video and messages, but never in person. With his new friends, Benson discovers that there's a deeper and more sinister secret at stake. In order to survive, he must escape, but due to the school's strict rules, escape is not tolerated. Nothing is as it seems as he attempts to make it out of the school alive. Androids, punishments, and deceit will figure as he tries to figure out what is going on.
Reception
Critical reception for Variant was positive, with Kirkus Reviews praising the book's first person narrative.[3] Publishers Weekly wrote that the book was "fast paced" and had a "clever premise".[4] Voice of Youth Advocates stated that the book was "an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read" that "should join the ranks of today’s must-read science fiction and fantasy series".[5] Booklist called Variant a "good old-fashioned paranoia taken to giddy extremes".[6]
Fangoria gave the book two out of four skulls, saying "As much as I’m sure getting splattered by a 6 mm water soluble paint-pellet would sting to the high heavens, it doesn’t seem to carry the template of threat that THE HUNGER GAMES has already laid down for all other books to haplessly follow." The reviewer ended the review with "Once readers reach its subsequent sequels, those paint pellets may just end up being replaced with something a little more lethal—and original."[7]
Awards
2011 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011
2011 Association for Mormon Letters Award for Best Young Adult Novel—WON[8]
2011 Whitney Award for Best Youth Speculative Fiction—WON[9]
2012-2013 Utah Beehive Awards for Young Adult—NOMINEE[10]
2013 Missouri Truman Awards—NOMINEE[11]
2013 South Carolina Young Adult Book Awards—NOMINEE
References
- ↑ Fall 2011 Flying Starts: Robison Wells Publishers Weekly
- ↑ Publisher Weekly's Best Books of 2011 Publishers Weekly
- ↑ Variant Kirkus Reviews
- ↑ Children's Review: Variant Publishers Weekly
- ↑ Jensen, Karen. Voice of Youth Advocates. October 2011, p. 413.
- ↑ Booklist: Variant Booklist
- ↑ Variant (Book Review) Fangoria
- ↑ AML Awards for 2011 AML
- ↑ Whitney Awards 2011 Whitney Awards
- ↑ Beehive Awards Beehive Awards
- ↑ Truman Awards Truman Awards