Detention

"e;Now you must do something much scarier. You must dare to be yourself. Live as you!"e;Detention is a character-driven ensemble novel (90.5K words including 1 map and 7 illustrations) about fighting for freedom against the tyranny of law. Hugo Rank, an empathic detective who longs for epic tales, interrogates eight young outlaws, arrested for rioting:Sanchx, a gender-fluid con artist,Bastian, an irreverent flame-dancing juggler,Alexis, an animal-liberating aristocratic outlaw,GrrBob, a mystic gorilla of a mad god,Nyx, a gnome who thinks he's a great wizard,Prudence, a ferret familiar seeking a life of purpose,Hal, a romantic bard, andLega, an irascible untouchable fleeing slavery.Inspector Javos accuses the suspects of subverting the Restoration of Order – a rigid hierarchy of age, caste, gender, and species – by pretending to be what they are not. Only by becoming the roles they play can these young rebels escape from Schermer Jail.A novel for new adults about role playing and storytelling, Detention blends the band-of-outsiders camaraderie of a found family with the emotional introspection of literary fiction. The layered world-building is epic fantasy, the themes philosophical fantasy, the plot gamelit, and the characters grimbright.Based on real life.