Guardian

kkevinn - The author, Alex London changes everyone's predictions on how many people thought the “Proxy” trilogy was going to end. Alex adds a twist and turn at every corner making this book an outstanding book. This book is a great dystopian book and I also would rate this five out of five stars for many reasons. The main characters in “Guardian” are Syd, Liam, Marie, and Cousin. Syd, the protagonist, is the most important person in the revolution, without him, there wouldn't be a revolution. Throughout the book Syd is a hope for the people. Liam the bodyguard of Syd always tries to save Syd throughout the book. He also kills people with his iron fist. Marie was a rich patron before the revolution but because she helped Syd her parents weren't executed and she became a purifier. Cousin, the antagonist of the story, is a mysterious person, no one knows where he came from or who he really is. The setting is in old Detroit and about six months after Syd destroyed the system, a new government formed. In the beginning we meet the characters and find out about the disease. Near the middle the people start getting infected. Near the end Syd finds out something that changes everything about this disease. To find out what happened you have read the book. I rated this book a five out of five because “Guardian” is filled with different outcomes that you wouldn't expect. Another reason I gave it a five out five is because you can tell how the character feels at different points of the story and Alex London did that well. The type of reader that would like this book are people that love action packed books.

March 15, 2014
It's a grave new world when the revolution a reluctant hero inspired could mean the death of everyone he tried to save, including himself. In this sequel to Proxy (2013), radical groups form in the wake of the Jubilee. The Reconciliation staunchly endorses tech-free purity, while Machinists demand a renaissance of the networks. Reluctant 16-year-old hero Syd is paraded as a political puppet, labeled a savior by supporters and marked a target by the opposition. His importance as a mascot for the Reconciliation necessitates a bodyguard, 17-year-old Liam. Liam is strong (he has a killer metal hand), silent (too shy for vocal eloquence) and will do anything to remain near Syd for reasons other than professional integrity. Amid political upheaval, an illness begins to spread, rendering victims' blue blood black and diminishing their mental faculties. Syd has been a hesitant political figure but knows he is the only hope for ending the illness. Proxy should be read first to fully comprehend this sequel's complex conflict and characters. Though Book 1 established Syd's homosexuality, he experienced only unrequited crushes. Here, Liam's affection for Syd and Syd's reluctance to perpetuate emotional attachment ("everyone I ever cared about has died") is more foreground than back story. Don't assume for a second that romance takes away from the volatile action and high-stakes tension. Corrupt powers, budding romance, an epidemic and grisly action synthesize to sate sci-fi fans. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-London creates an intricately high tech world in which the heroes find themselves on an action-packed quest to save humanity from a zombielike illness and thoroughly corrupt government. After the Jubilee and change in governments, Syd reluctantly finds himself the icon of the Reconciliation with a lovelorn bodyguard, Liam. Syd and Liam race against time and villains, all the while falling in love. This dystopian Detroit has the usual trappings of science fiction-hovercrafts, new ecosystems, gadgets-and the ideals of growing one's own food, communal property, equality, and the evil of debt. Much like Mao's Great Leap Forward (complete with a bedridden gangster leader and illegal "covetous" thoughts), people suffer while the government knowingly feeds off their misery. The message lacks subtlety: absolute power corrupts absolutely. This maxim is illustrated by the Council wittingly allowing people to die of the zombielike illness because the cure requires the rebuilding of the machine that once held them captive to corporations. The Council will destroy themselves if need be; they refuse to return to the old ways. Yet Syd and Liam are willing to fight to the death. Regrettably, Syd seems to have lost some of his moxy, and both characters are fairly two-dimensional, but Proxy (Philomel, 2012) fans will be satisfied with the constant action and the conclusion to Syd's story.-Laura Falli, McNeil High School, Austin, TX

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