Synopses & Reviews
After using your newfound super powers to defeat the most evil villains on the planet, what could you possibly do for an encore? James, Hayden, Sam, Emily and Lana are finally ready to join the League of Heroes. Their new powers have made them stronger than ever (Hayden has perfected some particularly useful tricks for doing housework from the sofa), and the friends even gave themselves a name: the Feros. But as their induction into the League approaches, they are ambushed and arrested by a group of rogue Heroes. The only one who can clear their name is the Leagues leader, Thunderboltbut hes gone missing. The Feros manage to escape capture, but with Thunderbolt gone and several League members defecting, there is no one left to trust.
Confident they can overcome anything together, the groups security is shaken when Emily is mysteriously abducted right out from under them. Have the Vindico somehow managed to escape the impenetrable Perch? Or are they fighting a new enemy that they cant see? One thing they know for sure is that even Sams telepathic detection has proven useless against this unknown foe. Without their computer genius or their telepathic shield, how will the Feros ever find Emily and keep themselvesand their familiessafe?
Wesley King follows up his darkly funny debut, The Vindico, with this high-octane sequel, delivering even more humor and explosive superpowered action.
Review
"This book will appeal to younger teens who can see the possibilities for adventure through the eyes of the bad guys." VOYA
Review
"[T]he dark humor and freakish characters (the student whose stench is so awful he has to wear a spaceman-like suit; the beautiful, devious, mind-reading twins) may grab fantasy readers with a cynical bent who are looking for something out of the ordinary." KLIATT
Synopsis
Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he's fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart he's a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?
An engrossing thriller with darkness and humor, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world of manipulations and subterfuge where nothing is as it seems.
Synopsis
Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he's fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, misinformation, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart he's a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies for the first time. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?
An engrossing thriller with darkness and humor, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world of manipulations and subterfuge where nothing is as it seems.
Synopsis
An entertaining romp through sinister evil.
Synopsis
Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now hes fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Includes an interview with the author.
Synopsis
After training with the Vindico and using their new superpowers to defeat their evil mentors, James, Hayden, Sam, Emily and Lana are ready to join the League of Heroes. But as their induction into the famed Super Hero group draws near, they are framed by a group of rogue Heroes and given life sentences on the Perch. Thunderbolt, the League’s leader, is the only one who can clear their names, but he is missing. Unsure of who to trust or where to turn, the teens' new skills are further put to the test when a group of strange Shadow people start trailing their every move and the Vindico villains are let out of prison.
Wesley King follows up his darkly funny debut, The Vindico, with this high-octane sequel, delivering even more humor and super-powered action.
Synopsis
After using your newfound super powers to defeat the most evil villains on the planet, what could you possibly do for an encore? After defeating their villain mentors, the Vindico, James, Hayden, Sam, Emily and Lana are finally ready to join the League of Heroes. But as their induction into the League draws near, they are framed by a group of rogue Heroes and given life sentences on the Perch. Thunderbolt, the League’s leader, is the only one who can clear their names, but he is missing. To make matters worse, the Vindico are mysteriously let out of prison and a group of strange Shadow people start trailing the teens’ every move. Unsure of who to trust or where to go, the teens put their new skills to the test once more as they fight to save themselves—and their families—from an unknown foe. But how will they defeat an enemy they can not see?
School Library Journal called Wesley King "an author to watch," and now he follows up his darkly funny super hero debut, The Vindico, with this high-octane sequel, delivering even more humor and super-powered action.
Synopsis
The high-octane sequel to
Time Snatchers.
Caleb thought he'd escaped Uncle's clutches and could have a normal life in 1968, but no such luck. After being forcibly returned to Timeless Treasures and his old job of stealing valuable objects from the past, he learns that things have gotten even more sinister. Training the new kidnapped recruits doesn't seem very important to Frank, Uncle's evil lackey, even though a few of these kids have amazing theiving skills and genius for new technology. But then Caleb figures out it's because Frank doesn't plan on keeping them around very long - or keeping them alive.
Stakes are high for all of the time snatchers. If only Caleb can convince the new ones to stop having fun with the technology and use it to save their own lives.
About the Author
CATHERINE JINKS was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later spent four years studying medieval history at the University of Sydney. After working for several years in a bank, she married a Canadian journalist and lived for a short time in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is now a full-time writer, residing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with her husband Peter and their daughter Hannah.Catherine is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premier's Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Children's Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Aus
Author Q&A
Interview with Catherine Jinks, author of
Evil Genius.
Q: The Axis Institute is a "special place for special people." What inspired you to create a school that trains its students for careers in world domination and teaches courses including disguise, forgery, and misinformation?
A: The Axis Institute resulted from a conversation I had several years ago with my brother and my husband. We were looking at my nephew's Professor Gangrene action figure, and my husband said, "What I want to know is where do these baddies get their degrees from?" Then my brother said, "From the University of Evil, where else?"
My brother, who teaches psychology at a university, went on to explain how there would have to be two disciplines of evil -- pure and applied. Pure evil would teach the theoretical side of things, whereas applied evil would cover the practical aspects. Applied evil would get much more funding, but there would be constant complaints from those teachers because pure evil would get all the students.
Q: Cadel Piggott, the novel's protagonist, uses his extensive knowledge of computers and networks to set up a phony company and cause major traffic jams. Would he consider himself to be an "evil genius?"
A: Not at first, no. Cadel doesn't have a moral compass; that's his problem. Thanks to his upbringing, hes very confused about what's right and wrong, especially when these concepts apply to him. Only after he meets Sonja and starts questioning Thaddeus does he begin to understand that there's a different -- and much better -- way of looking at the world.
Q: You studied medieval history at the University of Sydney, an area of expertise that has informed your Pagan Chronicles. How did you approach Evil Genius, a book that is quite technological? Did you know how computers and complex network systems work prior to writing this story?
A: I'm afraid I don't have a very technological brain, and I could only attack the subject matter by using the skills I acquired as a journalist: namely, research, research, and more research. Luckily, I met a genuine computer/mathematical genius last year, and he's been enormously helpful to me as I write Genius Squad, the sequel to Evil Genius.
Q: You wrote your first book, I Wish I Was a Jungle Girl, when you were only ten years old. What was it about putting pen to paper that appealed to you then? What is it about writing that still appeals to you? Do you have any advice for budding young writers?
A: Creating different worlds, whether text based or pictorial, is simply an escape mechanism. It's how you cope if you dont care for the real world very much. Over the years, my motivation hasn't changed: I'm basically trying to become someone else, in another time and place. It's a technique that still works pretty well, and it's not only cheaper than therapyit can be profitable!
I'm not claiming that novel writing is an all-round money spinner. In Australia, for instance, it's very tough for budding young writers -- let alone experienced ones! I suppose my advice would be to read a lot and get some experience in journalism and research (rather than creative writing). Also, try using the Internet to kick off your career. The Internet wasn't around when I was starting out as a writer, but I'm absolutely sure it's the way to get attention now. You just have to use it imaginatively.
Q: You are a journalist as well as an author of picture books, teen fantasy novels, and books for adults. Does your approach change when you write for these different audiences?
A: Up to a point, yes. I write for pretty much every age group there is, and it's always important to keep your audience in mind. I wont use words like inanition or malapropism in a book for eleven-year-olds, though those words are fine in an adult book. I'm also conscious that a younger audience will go with you absolutely anywhere when it comes to way-out ideas, but adults like things to be grounded in reality. Adults will put up with very little incident in a plot, but a young audience won't. Kids have far less patience than adults when it comes to narrative drive. As for picture books, they're a whole different ball game -- they are more closely related to short stories or even poetry than novels.
On the other hand, there are certain elements that remain the same no matter who will be reading the book. The characters must be interesting, and the setting should be entirely believable in the context of the story, whether the tale takes place in twelfth-century Jerusalem or on a spaceship two thousand years in the future. Whatever age group I'm targeting, I always immerse myself thoroughly in the characters and the world in which they live.
Q: When you were working on Evil Genius, did you listen to any artists or songs to help you get in touch with your wicked side?
A: I always use theme music when I'm writing. Oddly enough, for Evil Genius my soundtrack was "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley. In case that sounds a little daggy (which means uncool here in Oz), let me just point out that I've been listening to Powderfinger, an Aussie band of fairly recent vintage, while working on Genius Squad.
Q: Can you give us any clues as to whats in store for Cadel in Genius Squad?
A: I don't really want to give away any plot twists, but rest assured that Prosper English (alias Thaddeus Roth) will be back, as will Sonja, Gazo, Vadi, Alias, and Niobe. You'll also meet a host of new characters, including a handful of teenage geniuses. These teens aren't really evil, but they're not exactly law abiding citizens, either. And you'll discover how poor Cadel finds his place in the world -- after so much drifting around in a loveless limbo.
Copyright © 2007 Harcourt
Questions written by Roseleigh Navarre