by Aimster (link)
Genre thriller, dystopia
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OFC, Zac/Kate
Length 65 chapters
Status Completed (first in the New Alcatraz series)
You don’t see a lot of stories in hanfic that aren’t romance, but Aimster is someone you can always count on to write in other, darker genres. I’ve only read a few of her stories in the past, because I’m not sure that horror is really my thing, but I like the dystopian setting of Escape From The New Alcatraz, even if it is set only a few years in the future.
The premise is not unlike many of the dystopian young adult novels out there today, although the non-consensual sexual encounters (while not described in detail) might be unusual. The story is even told primarily through the eyes of a young girl who is forced by the government to have sex with a “deserter” in order to repopulate the country. That deserter, of course, is none other than Taylor Hanson, he of the Super Sperm. There are a few more little nods to Hanson “canon” in Escape From The New Alcatraz that I really love.
I actually love the basic premise of this story, because I can’t get enough of dystopias. Aimster has clearly put a ton of planning and care into the world she’s built here. However, what makes a dystopia work is that slight hint on the narrator’s part that they know their world is somehow wrong, and I don’t really get that here. The real horror of their world seems dulled to me and it’s hard for me to react to it, at least at first. There are some nice twists and turns, but I managed to predict most of them.
Aimster’s style of writing highly short chapters definitely won’t appeal to everyone, and I think there are times when more detail is needed. Some of the plot twists and details could easily be missed and cause confusion, and longer chapters would certainly help some of the story’s horror to stand out even more. It also ends abruptly, since the focus was on–as the title implies–Taylor’s escape. Whether there will be a sequel, I don’t know, but Aimster has certainly left room for one and I wouldn’t mind reading one.
Review by Bethany (website)