The Variant

I really wanted to like this book. I had read a few of his others and enjoyed them quite a bit. My first thought of The Variant was that the story was intriguing and the writing was good. There wasn’t a lot of needless descriptive passages that tend to drive me insane. I generally prefer this “common man” style of writing. While I was enjoying the story, the problem I had was connecting with the characters. To really love a story, it needs to elicit some sort of emotional response from me. That emotion fell flat this time. I kept trying to figure out why. But, as said, I was still enjoying the story so I kept on. The Variant is a fast-paced novel and at about 65% in, the whole dynamics changed as it picked up even more momentum. I don’t want to give anything away but I feel very comfortable saying that I went from having no emotional investment in the story to being 100% immersed. I now cared about Tyler and wanted him to be victorious. Those things that felt flat the first half of the book now made sense. Where I had decided to give the book a solid (enjoyed it) 3 star rating, I now wavered between 4-5 stars. I only give 5 stars to the few books I will reread and I needed time to think about that ending and the twists. I tossed and turned all night after finishing, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. If a book can get into my subconscious like that, I can’t ignore it.

I had no idea what I was getting into with this book. I just started reading and quickly was wrapped up in craziness that only got crazier by the page. I loved this book. It was original, interesting, touching, funny, and thrilling all at once. I couldn't put it down.Something about it reminded me of a Rick & Morty (of course nowhere near as hilarious)It's a really quick read that I'd definitely recommend to sci-fi/fantasy fans. What have you got to lose?I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more reads from this author.

“The first time it occurred to Tyler that he was a little different was when he was twelve years old. It happens again when he is fourteen. By age nineteen, Tyler is sure the events are likely to continue to occur: copious nose bleeds followed by dizziness, trembling, and powers of déjà vu and/or telekinesis. His is no ordinary life. It isn’t always a very happy one, either.Tyler Roydman is the protagonist of Justin M. Woodward’s debut novel, The Variant (2016). It is a fast-moving fantasy novel with nuances of science fiction revolving around a twenty-eight-year-old man who comes to learn he has special powers and is referred to by others as a “Variant.” The “others” are the “Creators.” There is no peace between them and a great amount of ill-will from the Creators toward the Variants they would like to see wiped out since Variants are the only control or balance to the Creators’ desire to have total power over the world.Woodward has Tyler spending most of his time in The Variant pursuing understanding of what is happening to him, how to bring control to his life, and what it is he has done wrong in his earlier life that he is told must be corrected. Through no apparent fault of his own, Tyler falls victim to tragedy after tragedy and with every miniscule piece of information he learns about himself, there always appears to be set backs and more roadblocks—even hatred from others.The Variant is an ambitious first novel plunging readers into a mysterious and baffling world. Woodward’s approach to the novel is to keep the story moving at a rapid pace. There are times when his approach does not lend itself to the depth of character development some readers will miss and there appears to be an over-reliance upon unlikely coincidence and happenstance—some of which is explained toward the end of the novel. As can happen with some first novels, there are occasional grammatical errors and questionable syntax which can be a distraction and should have been caught and corrected with better editing.As the novel progresses, there is violence along with mystery in The Variant, but the author seldom opts for extreme gore. Readers also will quickly discover the third person narrator of the story is not a totally dependable one. By the novel’s conclusion Woodward ties up many of the novel’s loose ends with a revelation most readers are unlikely to foresee. Readers who enjoy the rapid-fire of a James Rollins novel are apt to enjoy The Variant and its intrigue-filled plot.

Everything changes for Tyler Roydman when his son Nathan goes missing. Everyone blames him for the disappearance, while Tyler is determined to find out what happened to him.Tyler's life has never been normal. He has gaps in his memories and unexplained powers that turn up under moments of stress.This novel accelerates from the moment of Nathan's disappearance and doesn't let up. Who took Nathan and why? Is he still alive? Who can Tyler turn to for help? And what exactly can Tyler do with his powers?I enjoyed The Variant very much. I was expecting more horror (Think The Firestarter and telekinetic powers) and it went a completely different direction (more X-Files maybe?). It's the story of an ordinary guy with extraordinary powers who just wants his son back. I'd like to revisit these characters and find out where they go from here.Thank you Justin for sending me a copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Mr Woodward's other books before I backtracked to his debut novel.This is solid enough and easy to read with some interesting characters, but it doesn't really hold together entirely.If this is your first taste of the author do try some more, the books have improved each time and are good fun.

A real page turner of a book. Found myself really rooting for the main protagonist Tyler to whip some bad guy butts. Thought provoking, gripping, debut novel, a proper dystopian thriller. Looking forward to reading Justin's next novel.

Bloody good read - original and exciting

So this is my second Justin M. Woodward book, (already started his next one), and color me impressed!While the first one I read was a more shoot-em up, action book, this one is squarely in the urban horror/fantasy category.Initially, while reading this, I was pegging this book at a 4/5 review. I liked all of the elements, but parts of it felt a bit rushed. This all makes sense considering two things; this is his first book and according to his afterward, he wrote most of this on his phone at work while sitting in the passenger seat of the work truck, travelling from place to place.Now 4/5 isnt a bad rating by no means, but then something clicked. Then The Variant went from simply a really fun read to a really excellent read.The closing act, the last 1/3rd of this book takes it from a 4/5 to a 5/5. It resolves so much, files in so many blanks and ultimately connected with me on an emotional level.Fantastic read and the characters are great and their stories makes sense.Truly as a first novel, this is a fantastic effort! Now to finish Tamer Animals!

In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much when I first started reading this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good! And totally my kind of book, one you just don't want to put down. I read it in two sittings. Wanting more!!

Fast-paced action! Great storyline! I could not put it down! I will definitely reread this book... for the deja vu!