Proxy - Perma-Bound Books

Proxy

London, Alex

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Penguin

Just the Series: Proxy Vol. 1

Series and Publisher: Proxy

Annotation: Privileged Syd and and his proxy, Knox, are thrown together to overthrow the system.

Genre: [Science fiction]

Reviews: 7

Catalog Number: #82514

Format: Perma-Bound Edition

Special Formats: High Low

Publisher: Penguin

Edition Date: 2014 Release Date: 05/01/14

Pages: 379 pages

ISBN: Publisher: 0-14-751133-X Perma-Bound: 0-605-81994-7

ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-14-751133-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-81994-8

Dewey: Fic

LCCN: 2012039704

Dimensions: 22 cm.

Subject Heading:
Debt. Fiction.
Friendship. Fiction.

Language: English

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews

Sixteen-year-old Syd is a good guy; but he's "proxy" to a "patron," so Syd has to pay for someone else's crimes. In a post-apocalyptic, near future, gay teen Sydney Carton was a "swampcat" orphan from the eastern wastes of what was once America. The Benevolent Society rescued him, named him after the Dickens character and charged him for the rescue as well as his future education. (Two other orphans are named Tom Sawyer and Atticus Finch.) To repay that debt, they assigned him to be a proxy for Knox Brindle, whose father runs the powerful SecuriTech company. Whenever Knox acts up, Syd is punished, sometimes violently. When Knox's antics kill a girl, Syd's sentenced to years of hard labor on top of the debt he still owes. Fed up, Syd escapes and accidentally comes face to face with Knox, who's beginning to wonder if he isn't the one who owes a debt to his proxy. As the boys avoid the Guardians, they discover that the secret to forgiving everyone's debts may be in Syd's blood. Accidental Adventures author London drops his first initial for his teen debut, a smart, stylish science-fiction thriller that deftly weaves big issues like guilt, accidents of birth, redemption and commerce into a page-turning read. Whipping Boy + Blade Runner with a sprinkling of The Hunger Games (plus, of course, a dash of A Tale of Two Cities) = a treat for teen SF fans. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

London (the Accidental Adventures series) moves from middle-grade to YA with an entertaining throwback to -70s dystopias like Logan-s Run, offering intriguing moral dilemmas amid breakneck action. Knox is a spoiled rich kid who spends his time doing drugs, seducing girls, and occasionally stealing a car for a joyride. He has nothing to worry about, because whenever he gets in trouble, it-s his Proxy-a slum resident and tech genius named Syd-who pays the price, since he-s tied to Knox as a result of crippling debt he was born into. When Knox-s recklessness gets his latest conquest killed, the consequences and the boys- reactions lead to fast-paced chases, conspiratorial revelations, and assorted twists. London has no qualms about killing off his characters, major or minor, and the matter-of-fact presence of a gay lead (Syd) in an action-driven story is welcome and overdue. Some scenes (like Syd-s early escape from -justice-) over-rely on coincidence or tech that fails in just the right way, but the novel-s ethical questions, tense relationships, and exciting battles will carry readers swiftly through. Ages 12-up. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (June)

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

As a proxy in a high-tech dystopian society, low-class orphaned teenager Syd has always taken on elite Knox's punishment. When Knox goes too far, both boys must leave the only world they have ever known and learn to trust only each other. With relatable characters and an endless spiral of plot twists, readers will be hooked by this fast-paced adventure.

School Library Journal (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 8 Up-Knox is a "patron," a privileged and wealthy citizen of Mountain City. His only concerns are hacking, scoring with girls, and causing trouble while angering his bigwig dad. His proxy, a person who is contractually obligated to serve out Knox's punishments, is a gay teen. In exchange for working as a proxy, Syd is able to pay off his debts. When Knox accidentally kills a girl, 16 years at the Old Sterling Work Colony is too great a punishment for Syd to bear, so he escapes. An action-packed thrill ride ensues where Syd meets up with Knox, who helps him flee. As the pair dive further into their escape plan, new truths are revealed and a growing birthmark that preoccupies Syd turns out to be a secret message uploaded into his DNA by his father. Proxy is full of plot twists, and London creates a well-developed dystopian world. Initially, readers will have to overlook coincidental circumstances, such as the fact that Syd and Knox meet when their society forbids it and that they both play important roles in their world. However, the story's rhythm and complexities rush readers through these liberties, and London's novel will grab readers. Recommend it to students who are interested in tech-laden, dystopian science fiction. Adrienne L. Strock, Chicago Public Library

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Voice of Youth Advocates
Wilson's High School Catalog
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
School Library Journal (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Word Count: 85,137

Reading Level: 4.8

Interest Level: 7-12

Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.8 / points: 13.0 / quiz: 159423 / grade: Upper Grades

Reading Counts!: reading level:4.3 / points:21.0 / quiz:Q64107

Lexile: 690L

PROXY

By Alex London

Both were being denied their childhoods: the prince by a smothering excess of privilege, [the whipping boy] by none at all.”Sid Fleischman

In the landscape ahead, you will either create the software or you will be the software.” Douglas Rushkoff

Even a perfect machine wasn’t built to go this fast.

Knox knew it, but still he pressed harder on the accelerator. Ripples of heat blurred the air around the car, and the girl in the passenger seat squealed.

Terror? Delight? Did it matter?

He took a turn too sharply, felt the stabilizer engine straining. His windshield lit up with warnings: lane markers flashing red, speed indicators blinking. Sweat beaded on his upper lip, but the car held the road.

R U glitched?” popped up in his datastream in translucent green letters. He could see through them to the pavement, but they were impossible to ignore.

He glanced at the girl, giggling to cover her nerves.

They curved up the speedway, slicing like heat lightning over the slums of the Lower City, past the blast-barriers and security fences, rising higher and higher. There were parts of the Mountain City you just didn’t go if you were lux, parts you didn’t even see. The city below them blurred. The city beside them gleamed. Knox accelerated.

srsly?!” blinked double-sized in front of Knox, each letter wiggling and changing colors. The font was chunky; the y swished like a cat’s tail. Very retro. Probably custom made for her by some trendy for-hire coder. Her hands waved in the air in front of the windshield, swiping out another text. :) ” she added.

Suddenly, her smiley face vanished.

Reduce SpeedReduce SpeedReduce Speed” scrolled in front of Knox in an unfriendly industrial font. All the road signs and advertisements now said the same thing: Danger Danger Danger.”

Knox waved off the Augmented Reality hook up. You weren’t supposed to be able to turn it off, but Knox had yet to find a security system he couldn’t hack. AR driving was for amateurs and accountants anyway. He gunned the car forward. The speed pressed him against the auto-cooled leather seats.

You even know how to drive?” the girl cried out loud, her voice shrill and excited.

Knox didn’t say a word. He liked to let the growl of the engine do the talking.

He also couldn’t remember the girl’s name.

Amy? Pam?

Something old fashioned. He shot her another glance, his emerald eyes flashing mischief. He smirked.

That usually did the trick.

She was new in Mr. Kumar’s History of Robotics class, a transfer from home schooling. She liked the animations Knox hacked onto the public display on top of their teacher’s scowling face. Sometimes Knox gave Mr. Kumar devil horns or a top hat or made it look like he was lecturing them from a seedy strip club in the lower city. The girl had complimented Knox’s work on her first day at school.

Mr. Kumar never had any idea his image had been hacked. He just talked away from his wood paneled office at EduCorp. He couldn’t figure out why the kids always laughed so hard at his lectures. Not that he could do anything about it. They were all paying customers and could laugh all they wanted. That was a perk of going to a top-tier Patron school. The customer was always right.

Knox had a knack for hacking datastreams, but school wasn’t really his thing. He could do the work when he wanted, when he had the right motivation, but grades weren’t it. A girl, any girl really, now that was good motivation.

Curvy, skinny, smart, dumb, Retroprep or NeoBuddhist, Causegirl or Partygirl, it didn’t matter to him. They all had something beautiful in them. He loved finding out what it was. And they loved letting him.

Knox knew his assets. With a few little hacks of a holo projection or two, a green-eyed wink and a lop-sided smirk, he could get most girls to do anything.

Well, almost anything. Absolutely anything would take this drive in the borrowed silver CX-30 and an after-hours tour of the Patron’s Zoo on the edge of the city. Girls loved extinct animals, didn’t they?

Scare them with a few hairpin turns, show them a live polar bear and some real penguins and then, cue the melting into his arms. This wasn’t his first time down this road.

You ready to meet a polar bear?” he asked her.

She giggled again.

What’s so funny? Polar bears were deadly creatures. Carnivorous, fearless, and wild. You have to be careful around them.”

Sounds like someone I know.”

Me?” he feigned innocence. I’m harmless as a puppy dog.”

Yeah, but are you housebroken?”

Oh yes, Knox liked this one.

Emily? Ann? Sue?

He couldn’t ask her now. If they were at one his father’s parties he could introduce her to people, get her to say her name to the Vice President of Birla Nanotech or something. But it was just the two of them in the car and it would be just the two of them at the zoo. What did names matter, anyway? Knox didn’t plan to do much talking.

He swiped through his datastream, clutching the wheel with just his palms, and locked onto a holo of a long-faced puppy, its tail wagging and its little pink tongue hanging out. It bounded to her side of the windshield and licked her in 3D. She laughed. It was an old stock pic; he’d used it a thousand times before, but it never failed him.

She waved her fingers around the glowing projection in the air and tossed a text back to Knox.

CUTE, lit up on the windshield in front of him.

She wasn’t just talking about the puppy. Knox half-smiled and bit down on his lower lip.

She noticed. He was watching the road, but he knew that she noticed.

Alice? Debbie?

Her mother was on one of those Benevolent Committees. Saving the orphans or matching organ donors or something. Maybe both. They’d go well together. Her father was a mining executive for one of the big firms, data not dirtware. The real value was in data. He was a client of Knox’s father’s company, but that didn’t narrow it down much. Everyone was a client of Knox’s father’s company.

Her father was bald, right? Knox thought he remembered a shiny bald head when he’d met the man. Must be nostalgia, like her old fashioned name. No one with money needed to go bald. He was probably a history buff. Or was that the last girl’s father? It was hard to keep these fathers and their hobbies straight. Charming fathers was so much more work than charming their daughters, with so much less reward.

The girl’s family must have some cred. You couldn’t get into their high school without paying for it, no outside sponsors allowed. And you couldn’t get eyes like hers without some serious biotech. They practically glowed purple. Her dark hair also had a hint of purple, probably designed to match. The DNA install for that kind of work must have been a nightmare for the coders who wrote it. Very lux.

Knox eased on the straightaway. He was way above the suggested maximum speed, and he was way below the suggested minimum age. He’d stolen company property from his father’s private lot; he’d violated the restricted speedway, violated driving regulations. He planned to do some more violating before the night was over. In the end, someone would have to pay for it.

Everything costs.

But really, who would set the access code to a brand new CX-30 Roadster as 1-2-3-4-5 and not expect his son to take it for spin? If anyone was to blame, it was his father. Knox was sixteen. He was just doing what came naturally.

Like the polar bears.

And look where that got them.

What’s so funny?” the girl asked, seeing Knox chuckle.

Just thinking about polar bears,” he said and he reached over to squeeze her thigh.

That was his first mistake.

The next two came in quick succession.

The car swerved slightly toward the guardrail when he took his right hand off the wheel. At that speed, on manual drive, it took both hands to keep the vehicle straight. He’d have known that if he had ever taken a manual driving class.

He hadn’t.

He overcompensated for the swerve, jerking the wheel toward the center lane. That was his second mistake.

His heart skipped a beat as he felt himself losing control. If he hadn’t shut off the augmented reality driving, it would have taken over right then. These cars drove themselves if you let them.

Instead, he tried to brake.

Mistake number three.

An alarm sounded. The car jackknifed, spun sideways, and flipped over at 162 mph.

Airborne.

The stabilizer engine screeched helplessly at the sky.

Or maybe that was the girl.

He felt the car hit the ground and roll. The entire universe shattered into blinking lights and screaming metal. He heard a crunch, a snap of bone. He felt like he’d been punched in the throat.

There was heat, an intense heat, and an invisible fist pulled the air out of his lungs and ripped the sound from his ears. He couldn’t hear anything now, no screaming, no screeching, just the blood rushing to his head. He thought he was upside down. Twisted metal pinned his arms to his sides. He felt the urge to laugh. There was a warm wetness on his face and he tasted something metallic.

And then darkness.

Excerpted from Proxy by Alex London
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

“Put down what you’re doing and read this book. Right now. The complex characters, intricate world, and blistering pace are off-the-charts amazing.” —Marie Lu, author of the Legend trilogy

Syd’s life is not his own. As a proxy he must to pay for someone else's crimes. When his patron Knox crashes a car and kills someone, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. The boys realize the only way to beat the system is to save each other so they flee. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test the boys' resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay.
This fast-paced thrill ride of a novel is full of breakneck action, shocking twists and heart-hammering suspense that will have readers gasping until the very last page.

This edition includes a exclusive bonus story featuring Syd and Knox!

“Looking for an awesome YA summer read? Look no further than Alex London’s Proxy.” —EW.com

“Whipping Boy + Blade Runner with a sprinkling of The Hunger Games (plus, of course, a dash of A Tale of Two Cities) = a treat for teen SF fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

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