Title: Proxy (Proxy #1)
Author: Alex London
Publisher: Speak
Release date: May 1st 2014
Rating: 4/5
Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.
Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.
Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.
REVIEW
Note: First I'll start by saying that the synopsis gives the wrong idea, since Syd is NOT sentenced to death, but he receives a severe enough sentence.
Proxy is set in a futuristic world full of technology, robots, holograms, people modified genetically, where most of the world has been destroyed either by war and natural disasters, so survivors for years have lived in Mountain City, a city where everything is handled by a network and all are connected to it, either for some updates, track them or to do changes in their DNA and the society is handled by credit, where the poor live in the lower part of the mountain and to have any type of service they need a loan, which is paid with years of service, everything costs and someone has to pay, that why the rich buy their debts to become the Patron of someone poor, and that person becomes their Proxy and receives any kind of punishment they should get.
Syd is a Proxy that since he was a baby acquired a debt of 18 years, because he´s an orphan and Knox's father one of the most powerful men in Mountain City acquired his debt, so that every transgression that Knox do, Syd is the one that receives the punishment, either being shocked with an EMD (Electro-Muscular Disruption), doing physical labor as a punishment for some mischief and for his last infringement in which someone is killed, he will receive a very severe sentence. As Syd decides to not continue paying for his Patron mistakes and despite his contract he decides to escape Mountain City. And is in that moment that he meets Knox, his Patron and the two end up in a race around Mountain City, trying to escape the Guardians, robots and others who seek them. And it´s through this escape that both realize that Syd is not an ordinary Proxy, since he has a destiny which he was not aware of and he must decide if he wants to be part of it.
On the main characters ... Sydney Carton is a guy that has lived his entire life withdrawn, with his head down, trying to go unnoticed, pining for one of his classmates and following his best and only friend in his mischiefs and trying to not buy anything that isn´t necessary because he doesn´t want a bigger debt; he lives in a small room where he works repairing any type of technology. Meanwhile Knox Brindle is a very confident and rich guy, pampered, charming, who has always lived a luxurious life and gets everything he wants, he likes to disobey all the rules and surprisingly is a skilled hacker. And to complete the trio is Marie, a rich girl that thinks the system in which she lives is wrong and wants to help the proxies.
Proxy remind me a lot how in ancient times the royal children had a whipping boy, whom received all their punishments.
This book was a pleasant addiction dystopian / futuristic / sci-fi genre, it´s action-packed, with a lot of chases, about friendship and something that I like is that it has a lot of diversity, including LGBT elements as Syd is gay, but this isn´t an essential part of the plot, he just is. And what ca I say about that ending ... that ending! ... Wow! ... I´m still don´t know how I feel about it, but it was a big shock (very unexpected), so I'll read the sequel immediately. I enjoyed it tremendously!
Proxy is set in a futuristic world full of technology, robots, holograms, people modified genetically, where most of the world has been destroyed either by war and natural disasters, so survivors for years have lived in Mountain City, a city where everything is handled by a network and all are connected to it, either for some updates, track them or to do changes in their DNA and the society is handled by credit, where the poor live in the lower part of the mountain and to have any type of service they need a loan, which is paid with years of service, everything costs and someone has to pay, that why the rich buy their debts to become the Patron of someone poor, and that person becomes their Proxy and receives any kind of punishment they should get.
Syd is a Proxy that since he was a baby acquired a debt of 18 years, because he´s an orphan and Knox's father one of the most powerful men in Mountain City acquired his debt, so that every transgression that Knox do, Syd is the one that receives the punishment, either being shocked with an EMD (Electro-Muscular Disruption), doing physical labor as a punishment for some mischief and for his last infringement in which someone is killed, he will receive a very severe sentence. As Syd decides to not continue paying for his Patron mistakes and despite his contract he decides to escape Mountain City. And is in that moment that he meets Knox, his Patron and the two end up in a race around Mountain City, trying to escape the Guardians, robots and others who seek them. And it´s through this escape that both realize that Syd is not an ordinary Proxy, since he has a destiny which he was not aware of and he must decide if he wants to be part of it.
On the main characters ... Sydney Carton is a guy that has lived his entire life withdrawn, with his head down, trying to go unnoticed, pining for one of his classmates and following his best and only friend in his mischiefs and trying to not buy anything that isn´t necessary because he doesn´t want a bigger debt; he lives in a small room where he works repairing any type of technology. Meanwhile Knox Brindle is a very confident and rich guy, pampered, charming, who has always lived a luxurious life and gets everything he wants, he likes to disobey all the rules and surprisingly is a skilled hacker. And to complete the trio is Marie, a rich girl that thinks the system in which she lives is wrong and wants to help the proxies.
Proxy remind me a lot how in ancient times the royal children had a whipping boy, whom received all their punishments.
This book was a pleasant addiction dystopian / futuristic / sci-fi genre, it´s action-packed, with a lot of chases, about friendship and something that I like is that it has a lot of diversity, including LGBT elements as Syd is gay, but this isn´t an essential part of the plot, he just is. And what ca I say about that ending ... that ending! ... Wow! ... I´m still don´t know how I feel about it, but it was a big shock (very unexpected), so I'll read the sequel immediately. I enjoyed it tremendously!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tagsseries; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real brains of the operation.
GIVEAWAY
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This does sound really good! I've heard of it and I wasn't quite sure, but since you loved it... It is weird that he doesn't get sentenced to death like the description says. Great review!
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Cornerfolds
Just the idea of a proxy seems crazy! I like the premise.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this ine as well, though it wasn't a favorite. i do think i would like to read book 2 though, and see how the story progresses!
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you so much. Your participation means the world. xx
ReplyDeleteA
This sounds like a book I would really like to add to my collection. I am glad to see that you enjoyed it so much, so I can take a chance on it!
ReplyDeleteI've had my doubts about this book. I don't know why but I'm a bit hesitant on picking it up, especially with all the hype I'm hearing about it. But I'll give in and give it a try. I've always loved a good dystopian story :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting....I will save this for a Tech-dystopian read mood :)
ReplyDelete