163:
the "new kid". 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 sees two students: a girl and a boy, run after the car he came from. Not long after, Becky, his "tour guide" comes to give Benson a tour. From her, Benson learns that the two students were breaking the rule of attempting to escape the school. Rule breaking is not tolerated at all, and if someone broke a rule, they were sent to "detention". There were no teachers; the students taught themselves. Any kind of communication from the outside was blocked, and the school had their own internet. In order to survive, Benson must join one of the three groups on campus: Society, Havoc, and
Variant. Often referred to as "gangs" by the students. Society, the largest group, were the ones who followed and reinforced the rules, keeping the school in order. Havoc, a little bigger than half of Society, were the ones who got their way with violence. The last group, Variant, which, by far was the smallest group. The variant was everybody else who wasn't in Society or Havoc, kind of like an "other" group. 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. Benson, not impressed by Society or Havoc, joins Variant. Benson learns that the school operated under a system of points, where the gangs do their jobs to earn more. If a person breaks a rule, its group loses points as part of the punishment; Points which could buy extra snacks, clothes, backpacks, etc. A couple of weeks into his new school, there is a school dance. Benson goes with Jane, another member of Variant. Benson takes an interest in her, but when they are talking outside on the night of the dance, Laura and Dylan, members of Society, comes and stops them. Dylan hits Benson and Jane with a pipe repeatedly, until both have fallen. Some few hours later that night, Benson wakes up and tries to wake Jane. Jane twitches, and afterward systematically walks to a door on the wall around the school. The door leads to a basement, with computers and labs. She walks to a computer, pulls off her ear and plugs a cable from the computer into her head. From this Benson learns that Jane, and possibly others, are not human, but androids. With no adults obviously present, it is everyone for themselves. The students are supervised by unknown people, communicating by videos and messages, but never in person. In order to survive, he must escape. Nothing is as it seems as he attempts to make it out of the school alive.
386:
201:
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
162:
is a book that follows the character of Benson Fisher as he is sent to
Maxfield Academy on a scholarship. Benson is a seventeen-year-old foster, and hasn't stayed in a family for more than four and a half months. Because he is always switching families, he has no permanent friends; always known as
27:
313:
202:
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."
240:
187:
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".
407:
417:
252:
391:
111:
412:
422:
264:
184:
301:
143:. It was published on October 4, 2011 by HarperTeen. Wells has stated that the initial draft of
8:
136:
325:
180:
148:
106:
276:
337:
361:
176:
401:
349:
140:
40:
213:
2011 Association for Mormon
Letters Award for Best Young Adult Novel—WON
376:
58:
91:
198:
188:
26:
183:
wrote that the book was "fast paced" and had a "clever premise".
87:
147:
took him only eleven days to write. The book was named one of
216:
2011 Whitney Award for Best Youth
Speculative Fiction—WON
195:
a "good old-fashioned paranoia taken to giddy extremes".
219:
2012-2013 Utah
Beehive Awards for Young Adult—NOMINEE
381:
225:
2013 South
Carolina Young Adult Book Awards—NOMINEE
399:
179:praising the book's first person narrative.
210:2011 Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011
25:
400:
241:Fall 2011 Flying Starts: Robison Wells
253:Publisher Weekly's Best Books of 2011
222:2013 Missouri Truman Awards—NOMINEE
13:
14:
434:
370:
384:
101:384 pp (first edition, hardback)
355:
343:
331:
319:
307:
295:
282:
270:
258:
246:
234:
1:
228:
392:Children's literature portal
166:
7:
408:American young adult novels
16:2011 novel by Robison Wells
10:
439:
277:Children's Review: Variant
114:(second edition, hardback)
205:
118:
105:
97:
82:
74:
64:
54:
46:
36:
24:
418:American thriller novels
290:Voice of Youth Advocates
185:Voice of Youth Advocates
292:. October 2011, p. 413.
171:Critical reception for
154:
151:"Best Books of 2011".
123:Feedback (novel)
86:Print (Hardback &
314:Variant (Book Review)
413:2011 American novels
377:Official author site
423:HarperCollins books
338:Whitney Awards 2011
326:AML Awards for 2011
175:was positive, with
149:Publishers Weekly's
21:
139:suspense novel by
19:
302:Booklist: Variant
279:Publishers Weekly
255:Publishers Weekly
243:Publishers Weekly
181:Publishers Weekly
128:
127:
75:Publication place
430:
394:
389:
388:
387:
365:
359:
353:
347:
341:
335:
329:
323:
317:
311:
305:
299:
293:
286:
280:
274:
268:
262:
256:
250:
244:
238:
119:Followed by
66:Publication date
29:
22:
18:
438:
437:
433:
432:
431:
429:
428:
427:
398:
397:
390:
385:
383:
373:
368:
360:
356:
348:
344:
336:
332:
324:
320:
312:
308:
300:
296:
288:Jensen, Karen.
287:
283:
275:
271:
263:
259:
251:
247:
239:
235:
231:
208:
169:
157:
83:Media type
70:October 4, 2011
67:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
436:
426:
425:
420:
415:
410:
396:
395:
380:
379:
372:
371:External links
369:
367:
366:
354:
352:Beehive Awards
350:Beehive Awards
342:
340:Whitney Awards
330:
318:
306:
294:
281:
269:
267:Kirkus Reviews
257:
245:
232:
230:
227:
207:
204:
177:Kirkus Reviews
168:
165:
156:
153:
126:
125:
120:
116:
115:
109:
103:
102:
99:
95:
94:
84:
80:
79:
76:
72:
71:
68:
65:
62:
61:
56:
52:
51:
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
435:
424:
421:
419:
416:
414:
411:
409:
406:
405:
403:
393:
382:
378:
375:
374:
364:Truman Awards
363:
362:Truman Awards
358:
351:
346:
339:
334:
327:
322:
315:
310:
303:
298:
291:
285:
278:
273:
266:
261:
254:
249:
242:
237:
233:
226:
223:
220:
217:
214:
211:
203:
200:
196:
194:
190:
186:
182:
178:
174:
164:
161:
152:
150:
146:
142:
141:Robison Wells
138:
134:
133:
124:
121:
117:
113:
110:
108:
104:
100:
96:
93:
89:
85:
81:
78:United States
77:
73:
69:
63:
60:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
41:Robison Wells
39:
35:
31:First edition
28:
23:
357:
345:
333:
321:
309:
297:
289:
284:
272:
260:
248:
236:
224:
221:
218:
215:
212:
209:
197:
192:
172:
170:
159:
158:
144:
131:
130:
129:
122:
137:young adult
402:Categories
229:References
112:0062026089
59:HarperTeen
167:Reception
92:Audiobook
55:Publisher
316:Fangoria
304:Booklist
199:Fangoria
189:Booklist
47:Language
20:Variant
265:Variant
193:Variant
191:called
173:Variant
160:Variant
145:Variant
132:Variant
50:English
206:Awards
90:) and
88:e-book
37:Author
135:is a
98:Pages
155:Plot
107:ISBN
328:AML
404::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.