Literature / Nowhere Island University

Nowhere Island University is a web serial about a young man called Nathan Jacobs and his journey from an eighteen-year-old with no clue what he wants to do in life to an extremely competent soldier who can go head to head with Elite Mooks and super-powered people... at the cost of some unpleasant side-effects.

Recruited by UNIX (United Nations Investigations, eXtranormal) to spy on Nowhere Island University, an Extranormal Institute that caters to people who want to become mad scientists, professional mercenaries, Big Bads, James Bond expies, or linguists. And in a world where super heroes and super villains are all running around doing their thing, the last thing the world needs is some unchecked madman to slip through the cracks and end the world. However, things are much more deadly than they seem. As soon as Nathan starts school, he is sent to something called Hell Semester where he is locked in with a bunch of Ax-Crazy killers and former Child Soldiers from all over the world. Between this, the worry of being discovered and a prophecy from the 1500s about how the world will end and Nathan has a lot on his plate. If he can survive, that is.

Not to be confused with Nowhere University.

This series provides examples of:

• Action Girl: If you are female, and you've survived the Hell Semester and have gone on to join The Academy of Military Science or Shadowhaven, you're this. No ifs, ands or buts.
  • Bai Feng gets points for taking down Ulfric Trollbjorn. With her bare hands and a broken leg.
• Action Survivor: One of the ways to survive Hell Semester. Nathan Jacobs and his friend, John Marshall are from this group.
• All There in the Manual: The site comes with the author's research and inspiration, a list of characters, and some useful terms and concepts.
• Ax-Crazy: Nowhere Island University is a very dark story. As such, many characters, especially the ones from The Academy of Military Science and Shadowhaven, tend to be a little violent. However, there are some who deserve special mention.
  • Salim, much as he tries to justify it, seems to enjoy hurting people. Especially evident in Track 8.
  • Two words: Ulfric Trollbjorn.
• Berserk Button: A few characters have these.
  • Don't call Nathan "Killer. Just because he earned that nickname, doesn't mean he likes it.
  • Don't call Salim out on his Ax-Crazy tendencies. Unless your name is Ulfric.
• Extranormal Institute: Nowhere Island University is very proud of how their students have put them years ahead of everyone else technologically.
• Idiot Ball: The school's only fraternity, Nu Nu, grabs this and runs with it for quite a while. After a dramatic change in leadership, they manage to pass it to Eric and everyone under his command. It is too late to do them any good, though.
• Noble Demon: Ulfric may be able to kill you in ways that even NIU will censor, but if you take him down single-handedly, you'll earn his respect.
• Overt Operative: Nathan's overuse of the recognition phrase("I thought I was applying to NYU") and his general lack of training gets him spotted by Eliza almost immediately.He was intended to be this, to draw attention away from UNIX's actual spy.
• Training from Hell: The Hell Semester, which is the first semester for Academy of Military Science and Shadowhaven students, separates students from the main campus, exposes them to experimental drugs, and forces them to run a marathon in combat gear. This is just an average day. Special exercises include a Fight Club-esque series of fights and being locked in The Chamber of Horrors, which is a room filled with rotting meat and hungry, wild animals. Both of these exercises are deliberately designed to kill a good chunk of the people who are involved in them.