Benson Fisher has escaped from Maxfield Academy with a very injured Becky, but just what is beyond the fence? They are not sure, but know that it's probably going to be a really long walk to get to a safe place where there will be someone to care for Becky's injuries. They stumble across a small fort where all of their friends from Maxfield Academy are living. But are these real people, or are they more androids like the kids at school? That question is answered rather quickly with a box cutter and the arms of the kids. The kids living here are the real kids, and they are paranoid too. Anyone coming in must submit to having a box cutter shoved into their arms multiple times to be sure they aren't switched with any androids. These kids have been able to tell what their androids in the school are doing, they call it feedback when that happens. But they aren't totally safe in the fort, Iceman and Ms. Vaughn search the fort regularly, so Benson and Becky have to be super careful to not give away that they are living there too. There is danger around every corner here, will Benson and Becky be able to get away, and what about their friends that are living in the fort?
I had really high hopes for this book, I've been looking forward to reading it ever since I finished Variant. It was packed with action, and lots of killing of dupes, but it left me with more questions than I had before. I really didn't like the way that the kids killed each other, I found that part a bit graphic and gross. I also couldn't tell from the ending if there would be more books in this series or not. I do like Benson, Becky, Jane and the others, but I wish for a story more like Variant. You definitely want to read Variant first, or you'll be really confused!
I was able to borrow this book from my local library.Labels: Robison Wells, science fiction, Variant series
