Scion

In Scion, James Islington presents a world where extreme wealth disparity has fundamentally broken the social contract, institutionalizing class warfare as a state-sanctioned, commercial enterprise. The novel argues that the hoarding of resources and life-extending technology by the ultra-rich, known as “lifers,” has created a system so morally bankrupt that the assassination of this elite has become a legalized, crowdfunded industry. Through the opulent fortresses of the wealthy and the bleak conditions of the masses, the narrative portrays a society where the chasm between rich and poor is effectively a declaration of war.

The deep isolation of the lifer class is a direct consequence of their immense wealth. They inhabit separate, heavily fortified realities. Their estates are protected by high walls, EMP rings that neutralize all standard technology, and monstrous biotech security like the hundred-eyed Argos. This physical and technological separation is so complete that it necessitates a different set of rules for engagement. The creator of the life-extension technology, Jasa de Alwes, takes this isolation to its logical extreme, secretly constructing a private, 500-kilometer Loop transport system to move between her properties without any digital trace. This ability to operate entirely outside of public infrastructure and scrutiny illustrates a world where wealth buys a form of existence wholly removed from the rest of humanity.