The Scorpion Rules

Four centuries ago, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ruler, named Talis, created a worldwide peace strategy: hold the children of leaders hostage. The idea was that rulers of nations won't declare war if they know that the moment they do, their children will be killed.

Greta, the 16-year-old Crown Princess of the Pan Polar Confederacy (today's Canada), has been trained well at the Fourth Precepture, where royal hostages spend their youth doing farm labor under the strict watch of spidery robots. Greta, a pampered princess on rare home visits but "duchess of chickens and goats" at the Precepture, is prepared to die with grace if the dreaded messenger comes for her. But when a new American hostage named Elián arrives, kicking and yelling in a most undignified way, claiming the system is barbaric, Greta's numb devotion to duty is shaken. Is it possible there's another way to keep peace? Of all the diverse, intriguing characters in The Scorpion Rules, Talis has the most deliciously diabolical voice. His snarky remarks ("Sorry about the constant crushing surveillance and all that") weave a dazzling fabric with the formal voice of Greta, the silky tones of her beloved, goddess-like Himalayan roommate, Xie, and the endearing, unrestrained drawl of Elián.

Erin Bow (Plain Kate; Sorrow's Knot) writes a smart, chilling novel that speaks to the complexity of a hotter, drier world in which nations must share vital natural resources. Even as readers cheer the nascent rebellion of the hostages, they might consider Talis's logic: making world leaders put "a little skin in the game" is one way of saving civilization. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor

Powered by: Xtenit