Scion

by James Islington

John Wick meets Blade Runner in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Will of the Many.

My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s. I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. And like most of us, I’m really only clocking in to try and crawl out from beneath my debts.

The more old-fashioned crowd do still get hung up on the ‘killing people’ part, I guess, but that’s a them problem: it’s been perfectly legal to take out lifers for ages. Besides, once ultrawealthy morons realised they had a way to live forever—limited resources be damned—there was only ever going to be one genuinely practical deterrent. So someone’s got to do it.

And luckily, my genetic compatibilities make me really, really good at it.

Still. This next job… I don’t know. It’s something I haven’t had to deal with in years. Kind of the opposite of my regular duties. Strange, that it got thrown my way.

I’m sure it’ll all go totally fine though.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction Fantasy

240 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 1, 2026

About the author

James Islington was born and raised in southern Victoria, Australia. His influences growing up were the stories of Raymond E. Feist and Robert Jordan, but it wasn't until later, when he read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series - followed soon after by Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind - that he was finally inspired to sit down and write something of his own. He now lives with his wife and two children on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Reviews

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube)]

Will this be a third series I love by the author 👀

[Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me)]

Mr. Islington sir we need news on Hierarchy book 3, but I am so sat for this release.

[aria ✧]

Thank you Mr. Islington for keeping us fed until
Hierarchy 3🙏🏾

[clicktojointhemafia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 : ̗̀➛ Unexpectedly funny and such a sick take on Sci-Fi????

Scion follows Azure, an assassin who's (annoyingly) tasked with protecting a mystery client for two weeks. An assassin protecting someone? I know, sounds funny. Azure is prepared for a two week vacation until he actually begins his assignment and realises his client is deep in shit.

"They say money can't buy happiness. They've never seen Jasa de Alwes' accounts."

Now the only book I've read so far by James Islington is TWoTM which is a super serious and intense book that took some damn time to get into but this reading experience was SO incredibly different. For starters, I was pretty much hooked straight away within the first two chapters, and secondly the tone was so light hearted, unserious and humourous. Like can we applaud Mr Islington for the range????? Also the cover is so pretttyyyyy shut your mouth genuinely. The ilustration inside too, oooh yeah baby.

I reaaaaaallly enjoyed the concept. What I found super cool was Islington's Sci-Fi take on supernatural abilities because he gave Azure some wicked genetic modifications that grants him super speed, strength, precognition to some extent and so on! These were called Revs (short for revisions). Then there were also 'Monsters' called Bio's for short, which were kind of robotic creatures that also were quite animalistic in a physical/biological sense? It's hard to explain but I loved the concept.

Azure's relationship with his client was GOLDEN. I swear some of the shit he would say out loud and in his internal monologue had me cackling. He was such a chill-going guy with an ego and a half!! I won't reveal too much but I am excited for how it will develop.

Islington's story telling was great as always. I do believe he could have explained stuff alot more because my dumb ass has never heard of some of these scientific words before and would like some help pls. Especially since the book was only 234 pages, he could have totally squeezed some more words in to explain a little bit more. But honestly, in the end I feel like I was fine without it? Back to the page number- 234 pages?! It didn't even feel that short! It was such a fun ride I didnt even realise I was flying through the book, having fun as conflict, after conflict arose.

There was a variety of characters but hmmm. Maybe there could have been more of a connection between Azure and the others. It quite lacked in that sense, but then again I have no idea if that was intentional because of something we discover near the end... but honestly we needed him to have some more friends ✋ I know romance isn't Islington's forte but I just know a itty bitty subplot would have done wonders especially 'cause of how unserious Azure was so I'm hoping we either get a cute friendship or something cuter in the nextbook.

However the plot twists made up for that because omg?! omg? Genuinely if I was Azure I wouldn't know what to even do anymore. I'd be so lost. He kinda handled it well but we were left hanging on something!!! So I need to know now!!

AI and computer technology has a strong presence in this book. Our MC as their own AI called Atti, who has an personality btw and it really reminded me of Ken Liu's most recent book- All That We See or Seem. (great book btw, the character death that happens 60% in actually hurt me so fucking bad) but only in that sense. The characters are not alike LOL.

this was an spontaneous fun read- 3.5🌟

thank you to gollancz & netgalley for the early e-copy in exchange for an honest review xo

[giulia ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

james nails once again with his humor and fast pace story lines, absolutely different in tone compared to the hierarchy series so don't go into this expecting that writing because you won't find it, but this isn't a bad thing. we love versatility.
while i predicted the plot twists easily they're still fun to discover and space operaey enough to make them hilarious.
i think my only gripes are in the connections to other characters, they felt barely scratched and maybe it makes much sense being a series and all we have time to discover more about that but i feel like it's something he could've explored a bit more.
overall truly a fun start of this series and definitely will continue, he's now a must read author

[Grace (alatteofliterature)]

New James Islington book while we wait for Hierarchy #3 alert!!! Releasing Sept 1, 2026.

[MM Bowerman]

So excited - preordered already and cleared my schedule for when it comes out, lol

[Will Blackmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Scion is a fast-paced and action-packed cyberpunk novel about freedom, justice, and identity.

It doesn’t matter what the genre is; if James Islington is writing it, I’m reading it. That’s the simple formula. I was excited by the prospect of Scion since I learned about it last year. If you have read The Licanius Trilogy or The Hierarchy series, then you should know science fiction elements undeniably exist in all of Islington’s books. Because of that and how much I love all five books from him I have read to date, I have always been curious to see Islington’s take on a huge-scope science fiction or space opera novel/series. Now, Scion isn’t that epic science fiction I wanted. But this is not a bad thing. It is more rooted in cyberpunk and thriller. And for the page-turning, fast-paced reading experience it seeks to achieve, I’ll conclude the narrative—eventually—did its job wonderfully.

Initially, when I was reading the first quarter of Scion, I felt a bit apprehensive about the quality of the storytelling. To give a bit of context… Last year, All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu, one of my favorite authors of all time, was published. Although the book isn’t a negative experience, I maintain my point that I wouldn’t be able to tell the book is written by Ken Liu if I didn’t know his name is attached to it. The writing style felt so different compared to The Dandelion Dynasty or his collection of short stories. Scion, for a while, felt that way. For such a short novel, it took its time to find its strong footing. But once we hit the 35% mark, I managed to read the rest of the novel in one sitting.

“I feel everything and it aches in my chest, and it is wonderful. Ten minutes, is all it lasts for. Ten minutes of humanity. Ten minutes of genuinely feeling like I know I’m supposed to feel, like what everyone else says they feel. Ten minutes of shame and anger and sorrow and confusion and real connection with the rest of the world. And then it wears off. Fades, an almost physical sensation. The lack of caring returns. I am, once again, completely fine. And I wipe a few tears from my eyes, and take a breath, and tap the q-com back on.”

I assume most readers will approach and read this after loving the hell out of The Hierarchy series. This is good. However, it is absolutely crucial to remind yourself that this is vastly different in tone and execution from The Hierarchy series. The only similarity the book has is that it is written in a first-person present-tense narration as well. That’s it. Plus, as I said, Scion is a short novel. At roughly 200 pages and 60,000 words long, Scion is not designed to have a huge sprawling and intricate world-building. The main story is centered on Azure and his mission. It is much more straightforward and meant to be a quick read. Islington wrote Scion during his downtime from writing the insane complexity and ambitious narrative in The Hierarchy series. It will benefit readers to open the pages of Scion with the correct expectations. Although not exactly similar, judging from the voice, tone, and themes available in Scion, the later books in The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells—in my opinion—are the closest comparison.

“Kind of seems like the question here is whether you want to try and live in peace, or be at peace. One of them’s probably going to be a hell of a lot harder than the other, though.”

To wrap-up this review, rather than recommending Scion to fans of The Licanius trilogy or The Hierarchy series, I believe it is more proper to recommend this short novel to fans of cyberpunk, thriller, or The Murderbot Diaries. Scion is the first installment in a series. It has heart. The action scenes were fun. I had a great time reading it, and I look forward to reading the sequel when it is ready. Similar to how Islington wrote the book during his downtime, Scion works incredibly well as a palate cleanser and lighter read amidst my usual heavy fantasy doorstopper reading. Here’s hoping Azure’s story will pleasantly surprise you.

You can pre-order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Andrew. S, Arik, Arliss, Barbara, Ben, Benjamin, Cade, Chris, Crystal, Cullen, Dan, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Erich, Feanor, Francesca, Frank, Gary, Gregory, James, Jason, Jeff, Johnny, Joie, Jonathan, Katrina, Kim, Kristina, Lara, Leigh, Lourdes, Melinda, Mike, Mike S, Miracle, Mordie, Nicholas, Radiah, RCT, Sally, Samuel, Sarah, Scott, Sean, Shawn, Shawna, Stephanie, Trish, Tyler, TS, Wendy, Wick, Xero, Yuri, Zachary, Zammar.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bite-size sci fi book that proves James Islington can bring the twists he’s known for in his fantasy to more genres.

As the Argos tries once again to separate my head from my shoulders, I can’t help but consider the possibility—not for the first time—that I may not have always made the best life choices.

That’s how the book starts and it pretty much sets the tone for the rest.

It’s fast-paced, packed with action, and centres a mildly apathetic guy called Azure who is a gene-boosted, Keres-trained assassin with an attitude.

It, like many sci fi these days (I wonder why) takes on big corporations and unethical secrets. Add in a friendly AI, an old lady, and some sarcastic quips.

“Pain’s important.”
She looks confused. “Are you being deep, right now?” “Sure. But also, it helps you know if you’ve been stabbed or shot.”

I would have liked more depth and description to immerse myself in this futuristic world. Similarly, the characters are fairly one-dimensional.

There are also a few grammatical errors, but this was a very early copy so I’m sure they’ll be corrected by the editing team.

A 3.5 star⭐️ rating rounded up as it was impressive for its length.

Arc gifted by Orion Publishing.

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[mythsandmargins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ Having read and loved the Hierarchy series, I was excited to see what James Islington could do with a foray into sci-fi and this did not disappoint.

We are introduced right away to Azure, best described as a space assassin, already deep in a sticky situation. The book drops straight into a futuristic world where the stakes are high and almost anything can be bio-engineered to make your life easier, more pleasurable, or in Azure’s case, to transform him into an unstoppable weapon of destruction. Or, for those with enough tokens, the tech exists to make you a “lifer”. With the population already straining, lifers are far from welcome, and the system actively incentivises hunting them down.

Throw in a mystery client with secrets to unfurl, and a lion called Richard, you’ve got yourself a very fun and cleverly weaved together space romp.

The story carries all the telltale hallmarks of Islington: intricate world building, interesting characters, and a rise against an oppressive order.

It’s a tightly packed affair and a considerably speedier read than his previous works. I devoured it in a few hours and it is a genuine page turner, which certainly helped.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gollanz and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sudenmorsian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scion was my first book by James Islington, and now I want to read the rest of his books too. I really liked the main character Azure, who reminded me in some ways of Murderbot (by Martha Wells), even though he is (mostly) human, and quite different in other ways. Azure is trying to understand what happened to him while he was badly injured and unconscious after a job gone horribly wrong. This desire for closure also makes him take up a job he really doesn’t want to do, and which reminds him a bit too much of the job that changed his life.

The book is super fast-paced, and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I especially liked that despite the high-stakes, trying-to-stay-alive situation, there were moments of peace and tranquility too. During these quieter moments, the mystery of what really happened then and what exactly is happening now had me almost biting my nails. For me, what really made the book shine was the questions it asked between the lines.

Highly recommended! I like how at the end Azure can choose between two paths, one of which would result in no sequel needed. But if I got to know to know Azure at all while reading his story, he will choose the sequel option, and I can’t wait to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Gollancz for the ARC.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often when I'm caught up in reading a grand, long, epic fantasy book series, I like to take a short pause and change things up with a "quick" stand-alone, so I can only imagine that midway through writing Hierarchy, James Islington would appreciate a breather that has a completely different feel. Scion is a nice compact cyberpunk novel told in first person by the main character, Azure. There is little time wasted on long drawn out explanations as we follow Azure to a job, and encounter the world and characters through his eyes. Before the ending, there are a few twists which I would expect in this type of story. This had great pacing right up until the abrupt end. The conclusion does make sense but I was almost ready for a cliffhanger leading into a sequel. Overall, a great stand-alone action-driven dystopian sci-fi story that is quite different in them to the other works that I've read from the same author, but still bringing his quality of story telling to the table.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Saga Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Josh Escandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of Scion by James Islington for review. I loved the Hiearchy trilogy, so I was excited to read Scion. Scion is a totally different beast than the fantasy of the hierarchy books and instead inhabits a sci-fi world driven by biomechanics and augmentations. The main character, Azure, is an enhanced assassin who is sent on a mysterious mission to protect a reclusive elderly woman who knows a lot about Azure's past. The novel is a compact and propulsive blast to read. I loved the characters and world-building, especially considering the brevity of the novel. If you love sci-fi and cyberpunk-style thrillers, pick up Scion upon release; you will not regret it. I will definitely be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scion by James Islington was my first experience with both the author and the sci-fi genre, and it turned out to be a really enjoyable read. It did take me a little while at the beginning to get used to the sci-fi jargon and terminology, but once everything started to click, I found myself getting fully immersed in the story.

One of the highlights for me was Azure’s dry sense of humour—it added a lot of charm to the narrative. I also really liked the dynamic between him and “old woman” (Jada); their interactions were witty, engaging, and often entertaining.

Overall, this was a strong introduction to sci-fi for me, and I’m definitely interested to see where the story goes next. I’m looking forward to picking up the next book and continuing the journey.

[Namrata]

Isn’t this basically Scythe by Neal Shusterman??

[Ads! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real life loosing my mind over this entire book. A definite must read when it’s out

thanks to the publishers for the arc