Book Review: Proxy

Title: Proxy

Author: Alex London

Genre: Sci-Fi

Book Blurb:

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:

When I first read the description of this book on Amazon, my first thought was This whole proxy/patron scenario sounds like The Whipping Boy (another book I read in middle school.) And indeed, the whole proxy-patron relationship is virtually identical; the only difference is that Proxy takes place in the future.

The action...it was a helluva of a ride! It was quite litereally nonstop action from page one till the very end (more about the end later because that ending requires a whole paragraph to itself.) So yeah, basically the entire book was like an intense roller coaster.

The world building was simply I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. All those flashy, high tech gadgets really stretched my imagination, but are still totally plausible at the same time. And I loved the idea of integrating computer code into human DNA. All the citizens have computer codes running through their bloodstream, a constant stream of data flowing through them. I personally just find that idea mind boggling. I also loved how it is possible for someone to write out a computer code and then inject it into themselves and *bam* that person could start glowing in the dark, change eye color, etc, depending on what was written in the computer code.

At the same time, this futuristic, technology obsessed world is pretty damn scary too.  It is basically impossible to keep a secret.  Robots patrol the roads and enforce laws. Wealthy patrons in charge of the robots live in the Upper City, away from the slums. People can become high on "drug" computer coding.

 For the poor, like Syd, it is a constant survival of the fittest. As if dodging roundups(when patrols round up orphans/beggars and take them places never to be seen again) isn't hard enough, Syd has to deal with Knox, a bratty rich kid who doesn't understand the repercussions of his mischief falls directly onto Syd.

Since we're already talking about Syd, let's talk about his character :-) Syd is wary of basically everyone. Having been abandoned when he was young, Syd found shelter in a tech repair shop.  Even though Syd has enough problems of his own to deal with, he finds it hard to turn down requests for help by other slum kids.  As a result, he often finds himself helping other kids with broken electronics and such (he's pretty tech savvy, living at the repair shop and all that.) However, at the same time, Syd also has a strong sense of self preservation. Many times when I thought Syd would sacrifice himself for the good of others, he backed down and rather chose to save own life. I found this very refreshing, because this portrayal of Syd seems very realistic.

Knox. Where do I start with him? He is sarcastic and spoiled. He always makes sassy remarks at the wrong time. He doesn't appreciate what others do for him. But at the same time, it's hard to blame Knox. He didn't grow up in a loving family. He's been raised to believe in the social hierarchy system--he simply doesn't know any better. However, that doesn't make me any less annoyed with him when he shows blatant disregard for the sacrifices others make for him.  But....my thoughts about him changed towards the end of the book...

***Spoiler Alert***

So basically the ending boils down to this: Syd has to give up his life because there is a code written into his blood (courtesy of his dead father) that will bring down all the computer systems, kind of like hitting the "refresh" button on everything involving technology. What that means is that the whole debt system (the system in which the Proxy-Patron relationship is based on) will be erased. Just when it seemed like Syd was going to die, Knox volunteered his life because earlier in the book, Knox got into a car crash and needed a blood transfusion. Because Syd was his Proxy, Knox got a blood transfusion from Syd, and therefore, the computer code is also in Knox's blood.  I guess that just proves how karma can be beautifully cruel.

Rating: