In this space yarn, nanotechnology in the ubiquitous form of wellstone, a programmable material, creates everything from buildings to clothing. Fax machines provide instantaneous travel and convert matter into food, boats, or anything else desired.
The Prince of Tonga leads a colony of over-privileged boys, more Peter Pan than Lord of the Flies, to an escape from the summer camp planet where they've been exiled. They discover the raw edges of their universe, not in a Star Wars-like cantina, but a wood-faced coffee shop in Denver. When these rowdies mess up the cafe, the Queen and King of Tonga take note. The Queen of All Things sends them back to a harsh world where there are no flush toilets and their dorky uniforms can't be programmed into anything stylish. The locked fax machine thwarts any travel. It serves only s'mores and frank'n'beans, leaving them to climb the dangerous peach pie trees for any variety to their diet. The defiant Prince plots his next escape with passion but no practicality.
I'm not sure in what wild brainstorming session Wil McCarthy conceived his universe, but it's a splendid one with chuckling references to the cone of silence and adamantium. Youthful rebels dash across the solar system, while only Conrad Mursk, the prince's best friend, argues for reason. When the defiant teens fail to calculate the dangers of their journey, the trip turns deadly.
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