Evil Genius

Evil Genius
Front cover of the novel
Author	Catherine Jinks
Country	Australia
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy, Science fiction
Publisher	Allen & Unwin, Australia
Publication date	2005
Pages	542
Followed by	Genius Squad

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Evil Genius is a novel written by Catherine Jinks and published in 2005 by Allen & Unwin, Australia. The book follows the story of Cadel Piggot, a child prodigy.

Synopsis

Cadel Piggot and his adoptive parents, Lanna and Stuart Piggot, arrive at Thaddeus Roth's psychologist office, after a "suggestion" from the police. This "suggestion" followed Cadel's hacking into several high-security networks. For many weeks after, Thaddeus sees Cadel on a regular basis, encouraging him to use his unique gifts. This results in him causing a stall in Sydney's rail network and its roads, both times using a bomb scare to cause the stoppage. Thaddeus reprimands Cadel, lecturing him Modus Operandi. He later causes many other problems at his school.

While Thaddeus and Cadel were talking about his adoptive parents, Thaddeus mentions that he has known Cadel's real father for quite a while. He instructs Cadel to research the name Phineas Darkkon. The next time Cadel visits Thaddeus, his father talks to him through a DNA-wired transmitter, hidden in his arthritis bangle, whereupon Cadel demands a computer from his father, insisting that he gets a DNA-wired one. Later, he agrees, as long as Cadel draws up the plans for it. The plans include taking apart Cadel's phone and adding computer software and when finished works perfectly fine.

Using his computer, Cadel founds an online dating website called Partner Post. Rather than matching people with other people, Cadel simply creates a fake identity who would cater to a user's every need. He eventually meets a person by the name of Kay-Lee McDougall, and converses with her for quite a time, and gradually forgets his other Partner Post clients.

By this time, Cadel had finished high school, receiving top marks, and was looking for a university to go to. Thaddeus and Dr. Darkkon suggest Axis Institute, an academy founded especially for Cadel. When he goes there, he is initially treated badly, just as in school, but Thaddeus announces that he is Dr. Darkkon's son, and says that he is "off limits." Cadel becomes cautious friends with many people.

Mrs. Brezeck, one of Cadel's former teachers, confronts Cadel, accusing him of manipulating his the students in his grade to make them score terribly on their HSC tests. (He had, in fact, engineered the breakup and distraction of many couples, so they would be too distraught to perform well on the tests, as a form of revenge). Thaddeus arrives, and immediately tells her to leave, and Cadel to be careful.

Meanwhile, at Axis Institute, Cadel is discovering that his father is keeping constant surveillance on him, the Piggots being "in on it," as well. Cadel responds by manipulating and sabotaging the institute, which results in many teachers dying and the end of Axis.

One of Cadel's teacher's "Maestro" Max, kidnaps Cadel after deducing that Cadel, Dr. Darkkon, and Thaddeus Roth are going to harm him as well. Max visits Cadel, telling him this. Cadel, having formulated an idea to escape, and starts a fire using a range of available materials. When Max's bodyguards enter the room they are distracted, and Cadel attempts to make his escape. However, one of the bodyguards catches Cadel, but he is soon rescued by Wilfreda (Thaddeus' receptionist) and Thaddeus.

Thaddeus takes Cadel away to his own house, "Curramulla", in a somewhat remote location. Thaddeus, whose real name is revealed to be Prosper English, informs Cadel that Dr. Darkkon is not, in fact, his father. English says that Cadel's mother and he were in love for a time, and that Cadel is secretly the son of Prosper.

Cadel is taken to the Piggott's house, where his adoptive parents, Sue Croft (Lanna Piggott) and James Guisnal (Stuart Piggott) are waiting to help him gather some necessary items, which English suggested he take back to his estate. However, police arrive, and arrest Sue, and Cadel is 'rescued', but he was still in possession of his disguise. (Cadel's teacher, Alias, once set the homework of arriving at the next class in disguise, whereupon Cadel turned up wearing a cotton skirt and mascara.)

While in police custody, Cadel formulates a plan to escape, and requests that he use the lavatory. Secretly, he enters the women's lavatories and dons his disguise. The police officer standing outside the door, after waiting for quite a while, enters the men's lavatories, and Cadel takes then the opportunity to leave, and runs outside the building, hailing a taxi.

The last chapter is an e-mail to Sonja, previously under the pseudonym Kay-Lee, who actually was posing as her nurse, by the same name, after Cadel discovers that she has cerebral palsy. The e-mail chronicles the events of Cadel's life after the police found him: he was living in a large house, while the authorities figure out who he really is. (His birth was not registered in America, and he was smuggled into Australia.) He reveals that Prosper English was being questioned, and the chance of a trial was slim, as English stated that he was merely renting the house he was found in, and his lawyers are arguing the false possibility of police not confirming to search warrant law. Cadel reveals that he might have to testify against his father. Finally, he recorded that he had signed a contract, admitting his involvement in the dismal failures of the students of his grade in the HSC test.

Cadel Piggot/Darkkon: Cadel is a genius, who at the age of seven is sent to the office of Thaddeus Roth. He later attends the Axis Institute and ultimately destroys it. He has blond, curly hair as a young child that darkens as he grows older and blue eyes. He is also very short. He seems to have a natural affinity for systems of any kind but more specifically computers. While at the institute he starts to develop a map of the human mind and attempts to predict actions of the people around him based on data he has collected.

Sonja Pirovic/Kay-Lee McDougall: A girl with cerebral palsy that Cadel met through Partner Post. Although she was acting through another person, her caretaker, she was the person behind the messages. She rivals Cadel in intelligence but in a different field; she specializes in mathematics and cryptography. Most of the correspondence between Cadel and Sonja is through a code of some form typically involving the periodic table.Cadel considers her as "the only person who had never lied to him"

Thaddeus/Prosper English: Thaddeus plays the part of Cadel's psychologist for much of the book, encouraging him to nurture his rebellious nature. Later, it is revealed that he was also Cadel's true father, and Thaddeus had killed Cadels mother.

Gazo Kovacs: One of Cadel's only friends at the Axis Institute. It is revealed that Gazo does not have the intelligence required to attend the institute, but was recruited for the stench he omits under high stress. Due to his "condition", he is required to wear a protective suit and breathing apparatus all the time, unless he is alone. Gazo assists Cadel in his scheme to rid Axis of certain staff members. He was also the one who alerted Thaddeus of Cadel's kidnapping. He has a knack for prying open car doors.

External links

• Evil Genius series blog