Reviewed By: Dale Hodnett
Evil Genius
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Catherine Jinks
Class/Genre: Fantasy Science Fiction Young Adult
Harcourt Books, 2005(?), 486 pages
Cadel Piggot is not your ordinary student. At 14, he is bored with his school and his surroundings tends to spend his spare time hacking into computers. You see, Cadel is what you call a 'gifted' child with an extraordinary IQ. But when his antics are noticed by the authorities, Cadel is taken to see a psychiatrist by his parents who in turn informs the young brainiac in private that he should not use his gift for the good of mankind but for more personal gain leading up to the possibility of world domination.
Axis Institute make seem just another school with subjects such as Computer Skills and Accounting, but once inside the facade fades away and Cadel is taught Infiltraion and Embezzlement. Cadel's incredible array of peers are just as interesting, that is until they begin to disappear one by one..... Cadel himself meets someone online who becomes his only voice of reason throughout all this. Secrets abound for not only yound Cadel, but the school, its teachers and even the psychiatrist himself who also just happens to be Axis Institute's chancellor.
Catherine Jinks provides a plot twist after another as a large cast of characters partake in a complex game of intrigue, subterfuge and an occasional laugh that tells a story that can best be described as "what is the geek squad went bad?" Cadel Piggot gets caughtin the middle of all the mischief and he slowly unravels the true nature of not only Axis Institute but himself as well. Highly recommended for the science or computer nut inside us all.
Dale Hodnett
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dale Hodnett
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