I’ve read all of James Islington’s previous books, and part of the fun of Scion is seeing him try something so different. His sprawling fantasy stories make way for a short cyberpunk adventure full of gruesome fights and quirky characters.
Azure is a genetically enhanced assassin who usually hunts “lifers,” the ultrawealthy people who can afford to prolong their lives. This time, he’s been hired to protect an older woman. It’s a setup that puts him in some very entertaining company, and their reluctant partnership is as much a reason to keep reading as the action.
The publisher compares it to John Wick, which didn’t quite fit my experience of the book. The tone and the story feel very different. By coincidence, it’s also the second futuristic assassin novel I’ve read this year, after Fonda Lee’s The Last Contract of Isako, though Scion is a much shorter, funnier outing.
Fast-Paced, Visceral Action
The opening was my favorite stretch. One early encounter involves an Argos, a headless humanoid biosecurity creature with eyes all over its body. I’m not sure the design holds up if you think too hard about it, but it’s certainly an image that stuck with me. Those strange early encounters left me wondering what else Islington had in store.
That visual clarity carries into the fights. However gruesome they get, I could always picture what was happening and follow the action. The violence has some real bite, and the humor usually sits comfortably alongside it. Even with all that going on, the pace stays brisk throughout.
There’s a fair amount of worldbuilding tucked into this short novel, too. We only get a limited look at its cyberpunk setting, but I never felt the story needed to spend longer explaining it. There was enough to interest me, and I was happy to keep moving with Azure.
A Reluctant Partnership
Azure and the woman he’s protecting don’t seem especially pleased to be stuck with each other. They’re both funny in different ways, and watching them work together was one of my favorite parts of the book. I enjoyed how their relationship developed; the story was at its best when they shared a scene.
Occasionally, I did want Azure to give the jokes a rest. Some heavier revelations are met with more humor than I felt the moment needed. The story explains why he reacts that way, but I still wanted a little more variety in his responses. It didn’t happen often, and I liked the humor overall. A few moments simply pushed it further than they needed to.
A Few Predictable Turns
As the story fills in its gaps, some of its direction becomes easier to guess. I was still interested in how things would play out, but the middle and ending couldn’t quite recapture the opening’s unpredictability.
The ending itself worked for me. It suits the adventure, and although Islington lists Scion as the first book in a series, I was satisfied with where this story left off. I don’t feel it needs a sequel to make the experience complete.
Verdict
Scion is an easy recommendation if you’re after a quick sci-fi read with vivid fights and a funny, reluctant duo. I had fun with it from beginning to end. A few predictable turns and the occasional joke that goes too far kept it from a higher score, but this was a welcome change of pace from his longer fantasy work.
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