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)
This is the second time the owner of this site has persuaded me to read outside of my comfort zone, insisting that I give Escape From The New Alcatraz a try. My initial reservations about this story were based on the author’s reputation for writing stories with a considerable amount of violence – not one of my favourite ingredients in any type of fiction, whether it’s fanfiction, published fiction, movies and TV. The author’s pen name, ‘Torturingtaylor’, did not bode well, either. Therefore, I approached Escape From The New Alcatraz with a fair amount of trepidation.
The story is set in a slightly dystopian 2018 in which America’s male population has been drastically reduced, to the point that a government repopulation scheme has been put in place to encourage women to get pregnant. However, the male ‘donors’ turn out to be mostly deserters – men convicted of unspecified crimes and locked up in detention centres around the country.
You know how, in this fandom, we joke about Taylor’s impregnating powers? Well, you can guess what his role will be in this story – and that’s what I initially struggled with: as a deserter, Jordan/Taylor is regularly subjected to what is effectively rape by the female volunteers who visit the centre to become pregnant. He is also frequently – and violently – raped by the centre’s female prison guards. As disturbing as this is, the author does handle the subject of female-to-male rape very sensitively and without unnecessary graphic detail.
A case in point is the scene in which Charlotte, the female protagonist, comes to realise through a stolen conversation with Jordan what his lack of consent really means for her. It’s a very powerful and moving scene, and one which signals a change of pace and mood in the story. From this point onward, the focus is on breaking Jordan free and that’s when the story really becomes a real page turner. Without spoiling things too much for you, I can say that I didn’t stop reading until I saw ‘the end’ – an ending, which, incidentally, I was very happy with.
If there is a weakness in Escape from New Alcatraz, it’s the author’s decision to use real characters from the extended Hanson family. Again without going into specifics, I think this somehow takes away from the suspense and reduces the impact of the big denouement which takes place towards the end of the story. I am generally uncomfortable with the Hanson children being little more than extras in fanfictions and although the children in this story are without a doubt well-written, likeable characters, I can’t deny feeling pretty weird to have their real-life counterparts pop into my head as I read.
Nevertheless, Escape From The New Alcatraz is a page-turning read, which will appeal to fans of Hanfic from both sides of the spectrum – het and slash – thanks to a fast paced, largely romance-free, plot-centred story that will leave you wanting more. Once again, my pesky friend from PTH was right.
Review by Paola (tumblr)