Joint winner of the Guardian/ Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize for writers between 18 and 25. The Rig is an action- packed teen novel set in a seriously secure prison for juvenile criminals. Will Drake is only fifteen but already he has a reputation for escaping from apparently inescapable places. As a result he is sent to The Rig, a purpose built structure surrounded by the Arctic Ocean and a very long way from any land. Will is cunning and he is brave. He is determined to escape despite the scarily sophisticated technology as well as the geography that is stacked against him. Joe Ducie’s hard hitting style will appeal directly to teenage readers.
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 special juvenile holding facility in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. No one can escape from the Rig. After hatching some escape plans—and making the first real friends of his life—Drake quickly realizes 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?
Twenty-five-year-old British-born Joe currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. Joe attended Edith Cowan University and graduated in 2010 with a Degree in Counterterrorism, Security and Intelligence. Joe has also studied Creative and Professional Writing at Curtin University.
When not writing stories, Joe's work over the past few years has involved border protection, liaisons between domestic and international military forces, private security consulting, living out of a suitcase, and travel to some interesting places dotted around the world. He is primarily a writer of urban fantasy and science fiction aimed at young adults and, when not talking about himself in the third person, enjoys devouring books at an absurdly disgusting rate and ambling over mountains. Preferably at the same time.
