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Jake Hunter is the school bully. Everybody keeps out of his away. Except for Pete (from HERO.COM) who Jake seeks out to bully. But Jake is also lonely and isolated. When he deliberately infects the school's IT system with a virus, he starts receiving strange emails. Somebody is inviting him to join them in Conquering the World and they send him a link to a website: 'VILLAIN.NET'. It only takes a few clicks before Jake finds himself signed up to something incredible: an entire world of supervillains. At last he feels at home. Soon Jake has been summoned by a fiend called Basilisk, a friend of Doc Tempest (from HERO.COM). Basilisk and Tempest want to bring down the pesky Council of Evil, the gruesome geeks behind VILLAIN.NET. They want to train Jake to do it. But how much choice will he have? Meantime, in school, some of the kids, Pete and his pals among them, are behaving as if they know that there's more to Jake than meets the eye. How is that possible? Soon Jake is fighting on all fronts - against himself and the good and bad struggling within him, against his evil masters who want him as their pawn, and against a group of kids from school. A new arch-villain could emerge as victor...
After infecting his school's IT system with a virus, a lonely bully named Jake Hunter is recruited into a clandestine online network of supervillains. Jake seeks belonging and power, finding himself caught between the machinations of established villains like Basilisk and the suspicions of his peers. He must navigate the logical constraints of a digital underworld that bridges the gap between his mundane school life and a global conspiracy. The narrative follows Jake's internal and external conflicts as he is forced to choose between his own agency and the demands of his new, dangerous masters.
Readers frequently highlight the fast-paced nature of the narrative and the unique premise of a villain-centric digital community. Discussion often centers on the moral development of Jake Hunter as he transitions from a school bully to a potential arch-villain. Critics note the effective integration of the HERO.COM universe, which adds depth to the conflict between good and evil. Many readers appreciate the balance between the grounded school setting and the high-concept supervillain plot. The book is often cited for its accessibility to younger readers while maintaining a dark, suspenseful atmosphere.
Page Count:
192
Publication Date:
2008-06-05
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192755447
ISBN-13:
9780192755445
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