Elitist Book Reviews

Did you read VARIANT by Robison Wells? If you answer, "Yes" then by all means read on. If you answer, "No" then STOP. Just stop. Go on Amazon and buy a copy, read it, and then you can come back to browse this review. VARIANT is one of the best YA books of 2011, far superior to the YA fiction behemoth that is THE HUNGER GAMES in my not-so-humble opinion. Now here is the highly anticipated sequel, FEEDBACK. I'm going to try and give away as few spoilers as possible but if you haven't read the first book please check out our review of VARIANT here instead of continuing on.

Here's the Amazon book description (if you find this spoilerish send them your hate mail): 

Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy's deadly rules and brutal gangs. The worst was over. Or so he thought. But now he's trapped on the other side of the wall, in a different kind of prison. A town filled with familiar faces. People from Maxfield who Benson had seen die. Friends he was afraid he had killed. They are all pawns in the school's twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. And while Benson struggles to figure out who, if anyone, can be trusted, he discovers that Maxfield Academy's plans are darker than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.

VARIANT was like a beautiful thriller conglomeration of THE HUNGER GAMES (the ideas not the execution), LORD OF THE FLIES, and the psychological horror/thriller film CUBE. It was streamlined and focused and creepy and brilliant. Reading it brought to mind the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, and even bits of ENDER'S GAME. Too much name dropping? Probably, but you'll live. The point is that VARIANT kicked serious butt and because of this my expectations going into FEEDBACK were incredibly high. By now you've probably noticed I do this thing where I build up expectations that can't possibly be met.

FEEDBACK starts off right where VARIANT left off. Benson and Becky have escaped the Academy but are surrounded by miles of forest. They are actively being pursued and have no idea where to go or what to do when they get there. Becky is badly injured. And then Benson discovers that some friends he thought dead are actually very much alive.

The sense of mystery and paranoia that permeated life at Maxfield Academy in VARIANT was the most compelling aspect. Student life at Maxfield was this strange mixture of clashing gangs, constant surveillance, and paintball. Yeah, I said it. Paintball. Benson and Becky have escaped all this and made it to a town inhabited by friends they previously thought lost. So Benson and Becky trade one kind of prison for another. In FEEDBACK there are no bars, no rules, and no gangs. And that is largely where the problem is. This newly introduced town just comes across as a sort of limbo, much like that long and tedious camping section of that last Harry Potter book. There are no gangs but the town is divided into two factions: those dedicated to escaping and those who have resigned themselves to their fate. Unfortunately the faction dynamics aren't explored to a great degree. The psychological themes of VARIANT that I found so absorbing (the banality of evil) are mostly missing in FEEDBACK. There is however one scene that really struck a chord with me, a sort of trial by mob that carries the same dark weight as the first book.

The same could be said of the characters. I was already a fan of Benson. Yes, when this series gets made into a huge blockbuster movie you will likely catch me wearing a "Team Benson" t-shirt. Don't judge. Benson struck me as a great YA character. He's not overly angsty. He's not a vampire/werewolf. He takes charge of his own fate. He's a troublemaker and he wants to be free. He's still great in FEEDBACK but he gets another degree of depth as he tries to cope with the guilt and responsibility that comes with the consequences of the end of VARIANT. The rest of the cast falls a little flat though in the sequel. So many of the characters have returned from the first book that there just isn't enough time spent developing or examining relationships. Returning characters feel vaguely like strangers and new characters feel even more indistinct.

The good news is that readers will gets answers. The ending feels rushed (and a bit contrived) after so long spent hiding in the town but Wells does provide an answer to the big question. Some readers are bound to take the reveal better than others, and I'm sure some already suspect what it may be. Those who took the twist of VARIANT in stride will be fine. Those who didn't probably won't. I'm still considering the implications of the finale.

I'm disappointed and it's not even because FEEDBACK is a bad novel. It's not a bad novel. I recognize the things I love about the first book in it. Benson is a great character and I was very invested in how his story turned out. I love the thriller elements of this setting Wells has created. FEEDBACK needs more. More character development, more exploration of the themes, and more time spent on the conclusion. Additionally, the clarity of writing just wasn't as clear in the sequel as it was in the original. VARIANT proves that Wells has the talent for all of this, FEEDBACK is just lacking. Then again it could just be my expectations tainting things. Regardless, if you haven't read VARIANT and chose to disregard my initial warning GO BUY IT and then you can decide whether or not to read the sequel.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Very, very little. Almost none.
Violence: Yes, some...sci-fi violence and some more disturbing violence.
Sex: Nope.

Buy VARIANT here.
Buy FEEDBACK here.

Ever since we started this lovely little blog we've found our horizons broadened. Out of necessity--and due to our unwavering commitment to be being completely awesome--we read a pretty much everything that is sent to us. If we had to point at one area where our appreciation has grown significantly, it would be with YA novels.

That brings us to Robison Wells and his first major novel, VARIANT. It is completely awesome. Why? Because we said so.

Let's start with a brief little synopsis of VARIANT. The novel follows Benson Fisher, a perpetual foster care kid. He's given a chance to go to a super exclusive private school, Maxfield Academy. Within the first few opening pages of the novel, Benson is dropped off at the front gate.

And then everything goes wrong.

By the time Benson even has an inkling as to what is going on, it's far too late to leave. There are no adults at Maxfield Academy. Just students who can't even really recall how long they've been there. They are split up into three gangs, each of which try to recruit Benson. The real story here is the mystery behind Maxfield Academy. What is really going on here? That is what Benson tries to discover, and it is what makes this novel so incredibly fun to read.

Wells grabs your attention right from the beginning. This is important in any novel, in in a YA novel especially. The mystery is introduced immediately, and it's easy to share Benson's sense of bewilderment at the crazy circumstances of the school.

Since the novel is told from a First Person PoV, it's important that the main character is easy to get behind. This is one of Wells main strengths as an author. Maybe it's Benson's tone, or just the way he thinks a little differently about things, but he is instantly accessible. As a reader it is incredibly easy to just kick back and enjoy the mystery and the journey as seen through Benson's eyes.

The pacing of the novel is undeniably smooth. Not once did the novel get bogged down--an accomplishment for any novel. Again, this partially relates back to the accessibility of the main protagonist. We devoured this novel in one sitting. Now we know what you are thinking. "Don't you do that with a ton of novels?" This is true, but there are very different reasons for it from book to book. Sometimes the novel is just short. Sometimes the novel sucks so bad that we just want to get it over with. But sometimes it is because we literally couldn't put it down. VARIANT falls under that last category.

The first half of the novel will keep you interested in a general mystery...or at least what you think is the mystery. Then half-way through VARIANT comes the twist, and it will grab you by the neck and not let go until you have read the last half of the novel. Seriously, you should fully plan on devoting a few consecutive hours to this book. Otherwise you will look up at 3am like we did after finishing the novel and wonder how you are even going to function at work the next day. You won't just be interested in the novel, you'll by hypnotized by it's awesomeness.

You readers have no idea how badly we want to talk about the twist of the novel (which we are proud to say we guessed), or the ending. Just trust us on this, the ending will floor you, and you will absolutely beg for the next novel to come out immediately. This is how all debut novels should make a reader feel, but few actually manage to pull off.

Go buy this book.

Now.

Well, preorder it anyway...

Recommended Age: 14 and up.
Language: Don't recall any.
Violence: There is some crazy stuff in this book. It's disturbing, and completely awesome. If we say anything more, it will totally ruin the shock of the experience.
Sex: Nope.

Go take a peek at Rob's website. not only does he talk about VARIANT, but he also has an awesome series of posts about food.

http://www.robisonwells.com/