No spoilers
I mentioned this in passing, in last week’s Sunday Book Club. Purchased from Aldi, if my memory serves me correctly for a discounted price. It does retail for £6.99 and holds a rating of 3.88 based on 528 ratings on GoodReads.
The Rig by Joe Ducie is a young adult adventure book published in 2013. It is now part of The Rig series.
WILL DRAKE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN IMPOSSIBLE. There is no escape from the Rig. A maximum security juvenile prison stranded in the middle of the Arctic Ocean - every movement is tracked, every door is locked. But Will Drake likes a challenge, and this will be the biggest one yet, imprisoned in an impossibly secure institution for a the very worst of all the world's kids. Drake knows two things - he will have to be tough to survive, and there is always a way out. But the Rig holds a dark secret. The Rig is more than just a prison. The Rig is more than just a prison. The Rig is going to change the world.
Our protagonist Will Drake is a young offender, who’s crime is not disclosed immediately in the story or entirely disclosed in this book. We get hints here and there about his original crime and the same goes to his two friends he makes when he joins the Rig. It is intentionally written to keep the reader hooked in to the mystery.
The Rig, as mentioned above, is a high security prison for young offenders that is claimed to be the best of its kind and prides itself on being inescapable. A claim that Will Drake cannot wait to test as he has a history of escaping any prison he has been placed in. In his numerous attempts to escape, Will discovers hidden passageways and secrets that lead him down a rabbit hole of questions.
Reading this book will give you coming of age friendships, government-military secrets and a clever examination into prisoner rehabilitation all wrapped up in a YA novel. All of these these ticked boxes that I didn’t know I had. The themes throughout were incredibly written.
The stories examination on prisons is notable as the author, Joe Ducie, a University Grad with a Degree in Counter terrorism, Security and Intelligence. As well as a post-graduate in Security Science.
Give me all the soda you’ve got in that fridge
The Rig is definitely geared for a younger audience but as an older reader I loved it. I found it full of intrigue and I can’t wait to read book two in the series and see where these characters end up.
Joe Ducie’s writing style made for an enjoyable read and the the Rig itself is an ingenious plot point.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, crime related stories and the YA genre.
One word review: intriguing
Rating: 4/5
Blessings,
Em x
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