Cracking me up every time it says 'John Smith likes Joe Ducie' on the instant-feed thing on Facebook! I'm juvenile, I know.

 

Heh. Yeah, I've been enjoying that, too.

I'm pretty hot right now.

 

I just got this email:



Good job, Amazon.

 

Hey, that's encouraging.

A few whispers from the publisher suggest the pre-orders have been even more encouraging. Apparently I'll be in promotion at WHSmith over Christmas, as well, which could net a few sales.

Here's an early review:

Goodreads synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Will Drake has made a career of breaking out from high-security prisons. His talents have landed him at The Rig, a specialist juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from The Rig. No one except for Drake…

After making some escape plans and meeting the first real friends of his life, Drake quickly realises that all is not as it seems on The Rig. The Warden is obsessed with the mysterious Crystal-X – a blue, glowing substance that appears to give superpowers to the teens exposed to it. Drake, Tristan and Irene are banking on a bid for freedom – but can they survive long enough to make it?

My Review: THE RIG was an absolutely brilliant story from start to finish- and most definitely deserved to win the Guardian/Hot Key young Writers Prize! The whole idea was both chilling and gripping, and I was given an utterly original tale that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting.

The setting was so vivid, and seemed terrifyingly real: an old Oil Rig, secluded from the public eye, that now houses juvenile offenders and is run by the pretty brutal Alliance. Think of the relentless police force that control Britain in ACID by Emma Pass: but their power on a global scale! It made the whole book pretty scary! The remote oil rig was also probably the most genius backdrop for an escape/mystery novel. It made the final escape plan devised by Drake and his new accomplices very unpredictable.

The plot was just, in one word, immaculate. It’s got to be one of the most thrilling that I’ve read this year! It was full of unexpected events and twists, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading. Things were complicated very quickly, thanks to Drake’s cockiness towards the Guards and, most especially, minor antagonist Grey and his thuggish gang; also prisoners of the Rig, and they hold grudges. The story was paced really well as Drake searched for a way out, got into scraps with Grey, and made relationships with characters whose parts in the book shook up the story (especially Irene, and Drakes psychiatrist!).

I really couldn’t ask for a better character to lead this story! Drake was a brilliant protagonist- he was extremely bright, always on an adventure, trying to escape from high security prisons (To Joe Ducie- Was the front door of one REALLY unlocked?) , and was cocky and funny, brightening up an otherwise quite dismal situation. He’s quite a relatable character, as parts of his past (like his family background) were really well explained- though a lot of it was shrouded in a cloud of mystery, which was interesting. I felt really sympathetic for him throughout the book, as he was scared to make friends in case he lost them like previous people in his life. It was really great to see him slowly grow closer to two certain prisoners.

As for the writing? Gripping! It was rich with imagery, and I could imagine the setting and characters so well through Joe Ducie’s writing. I mentioned before that Drake was really relatable- and I’ve only ever found that I’ve been able to connect with characters in first person books. However, this book’s in third person, but I really felt like I was Drake. The author definitely has writing talent, and he left some cliffhangers that made this book unputdownable. And the cliffhanger at the end. *refrains from putting on Caps Lock* I need a sequel, now!!

Overall, The RIG is an unmissable read for Young Teens and up. It’s entirely original, and I’ve never read an action/mystery novel like it before. There’s no wonder it won the Young Writers Prize! The characters were realistic and I either fell in love with their personalities or learned to hate their guts (*cough* Grey *Cough* The whole Alliance *cough*). Also with a brilliant, thrilling setting and well written chapters, what’s not to love?

My Rating: 5/5

Source: http://booksandwritersjnr.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/the-rig/

 

It begins.

 

I can't believe I've missed this for so long. Looking forward to another piece of quality literature here. But I am curious; does your knowledge of security science show in the book? It seems like an opportunity too good to pass up.

 

It never really stopped! Bring on the preorders!

Yeah, in little ways. Without going into spoiler territory, there's a smart kid in The Rig that uses his brains to bypass certain physical security barriers. Something I know how to do, based on my experience in the field. Also the use of video analytics have crept into the sequel (which I'm on a helluva deadline for - two weeks to go!).

The story has a theme arguing against privatisation of the corrections system, which is something my background has also touched on. Basically, yeah, I pull quite a bit from what I know.

 

Beyond Amazon (Which doesn't allow Kindle ebook sales where I live), any way to buy the ebook?

 

Hah, it's in bookdepository. I get all my books there.
Ordered one. ;D

p.s. Joe, get the Anthology on Bookdepository.

 

There are workarounds for buying Kindle ebooks in Singapore:

http://ebookreaderplus.com/how-to-buy-kindle-books-in-singapore/
http://www.singaboleh.com/buy-kindle-books-in-singapore-and-malaysia/
http://samkindleshop.wordpress.com/...hase-book-from-amazon-bookstore-in-singapore/

 

Don't work anymore for me. No idea why. I bought a bunch of books a few months ago, then the methods suddenly stopped working.

 

This is now on my Goodreads to be read and reviewed. I hope your happy Joe. I bumped like twelve other books for you...

I know I'm excited for sure.

 

Order placed.

Buncha folks in my reading circle are looking for a new dystopia genre read

 

So this is coming out in ebook form right Joe? When I was looking at it on amazon there was only an option to preorder the paperback, and nothing about a kindle edition.

Either way I'm looking forward to reading it, but I'd rather not have to wait for it to ship over to Australia.

 

It should be an ebook on the 5th, yeah. Hasn't popped up yet so keep an eye out. That said, Australian bookstores already have it. Here's the Dymocks in Perth:



They were already front-facing like that when I got there and anyone that says different can shut their whore mouth!

 

Awesome, I'll stop by a bookstore this afternoon and see if I can find it, unless they're sold out already

Probably the first time I'll ever see anything released over here before it is in the States, so I'll be sure to enjoy it.

 

Hrmm... any of you other later orderers, showing the estimated delivery date being the 9th?

edit: Normally, I'd just cancel and get the ebook, but the cover art looks great. I'll just wait for my deadtree version.

 

Y'all can enter my Goodreads giveaway for one of 8 signed copies of this bad boy right here:

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/64267-the-rig

Fuck, I'm cool.

 

I think you've had too much scotch, Joe.

...did I just say that?