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Evil Genius (novel)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, his morality has significant consequences for those around him, and ultimately his use of his intellect destroys his surroundings until, at the last minute, he is saved by a moral code instilled in him by his relationship with a girl named Sonja Pirovic suffering from cerebral palsy
(although he does not know this or her name at first).
His quest for moral direction is complicated by Phineas Darkkon, an evil genius of sorts whom he believes to be his father, and Thaddeus Roth, his psychologist (who the police identify as Prosper English, a notorious criminal and right hand man of Dr. Darkkon) who later claims to be his father.
He also meets a number of other talented people at the Axis Institute, which is the university Thaddeus and Phineas created for him to hone his criminal skills. His specialty is IT
and hacking
.
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. Cadel somewhat resembles the main character, Dexter, from the hit cartoon show Dexter's Laboratory
. He is described to have blond, curly hair and baby blue eyes. He is also very short. He seems to have a natural affinity for systems or patterns of any kind such as train stations 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 Pirovac/Kay-Lee McDougall:
A girl with cerebral palsy that Cadel met through Partner Post, one of his criminal activities. 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
.
Thaddeus Roth/Prosper English:
Thaddeus plays the part of Cadel's (although he doesn't need it) psychologist
for much of the book, encouraging him to nurture his manipulative nature. Throughout the book Thaddeus steers Cadel towards the path of evil, without being too obvious about it. He is a master of manipulation, and easily convinces Cadel that his way is the way to go. It is later found out that his real name is Prosper English, and that he claims to be Cadel's real father. Cadel discovers he is also the murderer of his (Cadel's) 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 emits under high stress
. Due to his "condition", he is required to wear a protective suit and breathing apparatus at all times, unless he is alone. He also seems to take to Cadel very quickly and will not leave him alone. Not even in Hardware Heaven. Gazo assists Cadel in his scheme to rid Axis of certain staff members. He was also the one who alerted Thaddeus to Cadel's kidnapping. He has a knack for prying open car doors.
Phineas Darkkon
Cadel's "father" - the founder of the Axis Institute, was imprisoned for various black market-related crimes. He claims to be Cadel's real father, and seems to be working with Dr. Thaddeus Roth.
Jemima and Niobe "Gemini" (Jem 'n' Ni):
Two of Cadel's classmates at the Axis Institute, who treat Cadel with more fondness than others because of his youth. The two teenagers are identical twins who were brought to the attention of Axis faculty for their techniques in shoplifting. Techniques such as using their "identicalness" to to stay in the store after it is lockup time and take what ever they want. Gemini are students in poisoning at the institute.
Com:
Com is one of Cadel's fellow classmates in Ulysses "Virus" Vee's class about computers and hacking. He is great at hacking, but does not often speak with other members of the class. In fact, one of the students assumes that Com doesn't even remember how to speak. Cadel occasionally compares him to a machine because has never been spotted leaving his computer. He has a twin sister named Dot.
Cadel's adopted parents are very well to do, due to the fact that Stuart is a lawyer that just can't resist receiving assets. Though Cadel refers to him as a "Corporate Cog" and says that he cares only about securing assets. Lanna Piggot was a fashion and makeup consultant but later became an interior decorator. Then once Cadel found that she and Stuart were working for Thaddeus, Cadel was then repulsed by them.
The Axis Institute staff
Thaddeus Roth:
Thaddeus Roth is the Chancellor of the Axis Institute also the Professor of the School of Deception and teaches two classes in the school of deception - Coping skills (Basic Lying) and Psychology (Manipulation).
Max de Litto/The Maestro:
Max de Litto teaches Pragmatic Philosophy (Pure Evil). After fishing around in Max's emails, Cadel decides that Max is a little paranoid and a loner.
Art East:
Art East teaches Cultural appreciation (Forgery). At first his class was very challenging for Cadel, but soon enough Cadel overcame this obstacle also.
Barry Deakin/Dr. Deal:
"Dr. Deal teaches law (loopholes). He accidentally assaults Cadel in an old men's bathroom and tries to bribe him with money. But after a few exchanges of words Cadel says "I will think about it".
Alias:
A master of disguise and teacher of personal presentation (disguise
). Alias has been very lonely. According to all of his emails, he is not that liked among the institute's teachers with the exception of Tracey Lane who has dated many other members of the faculty.
Dr. Ulysses "The Virus" Vee:
Teacher of Computer Science (Infiltration) has a sty and seems to have absolutely no lifestyle of any kind but he does have a dirty little secret and access to all the teachers' emails which in turn allows Cadel access to those emails.
Catherine Jinks
Catherine Jinks is an Australian author. She has written more than 30 books for all ages, and has won many awards, including the Children's Book Council Of Australia Book of the Year Award three times, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the IBBY...
and published in 2005
2005 in literature
The year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
by Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
, Australia. The book follows the story of Cadel Piggot, a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
.
Synopsis
The story begins when a young Cadel Piggot is taken to a psychologist due to the fact that he is "different" from regular kids. Meaning he is more knowledgeable than other kids. Because Cadel is a geniusGenius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
, his morality has significant consequences for those around him, and ultimately his use of his intellect destroys his surroundings until, at the last minute, he is saved by a moral code instilled in him by his relationship with a girl named Sonja Pirovic suffering from cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
(although he does not know this or her name at first).
His quest for moral direction is complicated by Phineas Darkkon, an evil genius of sorts whom he believes to be his father, and Thaddeus Roth, his psychologist (who the police identify as Prosper English, a notorious criminal and right hand man of Dr. Darkkon) who later claims to be his father.
He also meets a number of other talented people at the Axis Institute, which is the university Thaddeus and Phineas created for him to hone his criminal skills. His specialty is IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and hacking
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
.
Main Characters
Cadel Piggot/Darkkon/Roth: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. Cadel somewhat resembles the main character, Dexter, from the hit cartoon show Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
. He is described to have blond, curly hair and baby blue eyes. He is also very short. He seems to have a natural affinity for systems or patterns of any kind such as train stations 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 Pirovac/Kay-Lee McDougall:
A girl with cerebral palsy that Cadel met through Partner Post, one of his criminal activities. 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
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. Most of the correspondence between Cadel and Sonja is through a code of some form typically involving the periodic table
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
.
Thaddeus Roth/Prosper English:
Thaddeus plays the part of Cadel's (although he doesn't need it) psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
for much of the book, encouraging him to nurture his manipulative nature. Throughout the book Thaddeus steers Cadel towards the path of evil, without being too obvious about it. He is a master of manipulation, and easily convinces Cadel that his way is the way to go. It is later found out that his real name is Prosper English, and that he claims to be Cadel's real father. Cadel discovers he is also the murderer of his (Cadel's) 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 emits under high stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
. Due to his "condition", he is required to wear a protective suit and breathing apparatus at all times, unless he is alone. He also seems to take to Cadel very quickly and will not leave him alone. Not even in Hardware Heaven. Gazo assists Cadel in his scheme to rid Axis of certain staff members. He was also the one who alerted Thaddeus to Cadel's kidnapping. He has a knack for prying open car doors.
Phineas Darkkon
Cadel's "father" - the founder of the Axis Institute, was imprisoned for various black market-related crimes. He claims to be Cadel's real father, and seems to be working with Dr. Thaddeus Roth.
Jemima and Niobe "Gemini" (Jem 'n' Ni):
Two of Cadel's classmates at the Axis Institute, who treat Cadel with more fondness than others because of his youth. The two teenagers are identical twins who were brought to the attention of Axis faculty for their techniques in shoplifting. Techniques such as using their "identicalness" to to stay in the store after it is lockup time and take what ever they want. Gemini are students in poisoning at the institute.
Com:
Com is one of Cadel's fellow classmates in Ulysses "Virus" Vee's class about computers and hacking. He is great at hacking, but does not often speak with other members of the class. In fact, one of the students assumes that Com doesn't even remember how to speak. Cadel occasionally compares him to a machine because has never been spotted leaving his computer. He has a twin sister named Dot.
Minor characters
Stuart and Lanna PiggotCadel's adopted parents are very well to do, due to the fact that Stuart is a lawyer that just can't resist receiving assets. Though Cadel refers to him as a "Corporate Cog" and says that he cares only about securing assets. Lanna Piggot was a fashion and makeup consultant but later became an interior decorator. Then once Cadel found that she and Stuart were working for Thaddeus, Cadel was then repulsed by them.
The Axis Institute staff
Thaddeus Roth:
Thaddeus Roth is the Chancellor of the Axis Institute also the Professor of the School of Deception and teaches two classes in the school of deception - Coping skills (Basic Lying) and Psychology (Manipulation).
Max de Litto/The Maestro:
Max de Litto teaches Pragmatic Philosophy (Pure Evil). After fishing around in Max's emails, Cadel decides that Max is a little paranoid and a loner.
Art East:
Art East teaches Cultural appreciation (Forgery). At first his class was very challenging for Cadel, but soon enough Cadel overcame this obstacle also.
Barry Deakin/Dr. Deal:
"Dr. Deal teaches law (loopholes). He accidentally assaults Cadel in an old men's bathroom and tries to bribe him with money. But after a few exchanges of words Cadel says "I will think about it".
Alias:
A master of disguise and teacher of personal presentation (disguise
Disguise
A disguise can be anything which conceals or changes a person's physical appearance, including a wig, glasses, makeup, costume or other ways. Camouflage is one type of disguise for people, animals and objects...
). Alias has been very lonely. According to all of his emails, he is not that liked among the institute's teachers with the exception of Tracey Lane who has dated many other members of the faculty.
Dr. Ulysses "The Virus" Vee:
Teacher of Computer Science (Infiltration) has a sty and seems to have absolutely no lifestyle of any kind but he does have a dirty little secret and access to all the teachers' emails which in turn allows Cadel access to those emails.