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thegreatpike27's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
liinukka's review
3.0
The Whipping Boy meets cyberpunk?
Great setting, interesting premise, and I liked the two main characters. The secondary characters mostly seemed a bit two dimensional though.
What bothered me a lot was the constant head hopping narration. The first several chapters alternated between Knox and Syd, but the moment the characters' stories converged, the narrative became a mess. I suppose the author was aiming for omniscient narrator, but instead we get POVs that snap back and forth between paragraphs. It's confusing and aggravating. It's been a while since I've read omniscient narrator, but I'm quite sure this is NOT how to do it.
It was so unpleasant and jarring that it took away from my enjoyment of the story.
Nevertheless, I might check out the next book just to see where the story leads.
Great setting, interesting premise, and I liked the two main characters. The secondary characters mostly seemed a bit two dimensional though.
What bothered me a lot was the constant head hopping narration. The first several chapters alternated between Knox and Syd, but the moment the characters' stories converged, the narrative became a mess. I suppose the author was aiming for omniscient narrator, but instead we get POVs that snap back and forth between paragraphs. It's confusing and aggravating. It's been a while since I've read omniscient narrator, but I'm quite sure this is NOT how to do it.
It was so unpleasant and jarring that it took away from my enjoyment of the story.
Nevertheless, I might check out the next book just to see where the story leads.
boonana's review
5.0
*wrote longer review on Guardian* Can someone say "major character development"??? I knew Knox was undergoing a lot of changes during their escape, but to give himself up in the end for Syd? I was not expecting that. If him telling Syd that it is Syd's choice to choose his own destiny was a surprise, imagine me when he stepped into the tube to take down the network that benefited him all for Syd and Marie. I loved the action this book provided and the surprises left and right. Poor Syd about Egan. Quotes I like "In death, his memory would belong to the living, but he didn't die for them. This was no payment. The living would owe him nothing nor he them. He gave his life willingly. He gave it as a gift." and "'I can't let you do this,' Syd pleaded. 'Not for me.' 'I have to,' said Knox. 'For you.' 'I don't want you to die,' Syd whispered. Knox shook his head. 'Someone has to. It's my turn.' 'What am I supposed to do?' 'Like I know?' Knox shrugged. 'It's your future. Choose.'"
lizardinabigwizardhat's review
3.0
The ending had more excitement than the rest of the book. I felt like the beginning and middle were incredibly slow, and then in the last 20 pages everything suddenly speeds up way too much for you to process what's going on. I liked the writing style the author used, very descriptive and relayed the story very well, but the author seemed to struggle with conveying the emotions of the characters. I also have to mention that the main character of the story is homosexual, so if you have a problem with that, then this book is not for you. If you don't like futuristic books, then I don't suggest this book. A good read if you've run out of other books to read.
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
The society London establishes in Proxy is a fascinating one and it’s the reason why I chose to read this book in the first place. Debt and credit aren’t about money in this book. Instead, they’re about years: how many years you have to surrender yourself as a proxy or how many years you can purchase a proxy. The Patrons are the wealthiest people in society, the minority, who benefit from this system. A patron can purchase the debt of a proxy and, in so doing, pass on the responsibility for their misdeeds. Anytime a patron needs to be punished the proxy receives that punishment while the patron watches via a live feed.This is done to “teach them a lesson” and is the extent of the punishment they receive. Why would someone sign on to be a proxy? Not every proxy volunteers, and those who do have good reasons. The protagonist, Syd, was found as a baby and sent to an orphanage. His rescue automatically earned him years of service as a proxy. Anytime a proxy needs medical care, or wants to improve her/his life in any way, it’s done by adding years of service onto what s/he already owes. It’s very difficult, and often impossible, for a proxy to pull her/himself out of debt. London does a good job of showing how it’s not just patron vs. proxy in this society with his vivid portrait of life in the Valve. The people at the bottom of the social hierarchy turn against each other as they try to lift themselves up out of the muck. The Valve is crowded and noisy and, if you haven’t got someone to watch your back, a pretty terrifying place to live. I wish that the story had spent more time in the Upper City and the Valve, because it pretty quickly takes the characters out of the world they know as they run away from the people who want to stop them and run towards something they’re not sure of. I wanted to see more of these twin existences.
Syd is a fantastic protagonist. He was savvy and complicated and kind and, despite his efforts to avoid connections with anyone and keep his head down, someone that people turned to for help. He expertly navigates life in the Valve, keeping his head down and doing his best to stay off of anyone’s radar. He has plans for his life, and those plans are taken from him in one breathtaking instant. Syd is the kind of character you instantly bond with and root for. Syd is also gay, and that’s a major reason why I wanted to read this book. I love that London made the protagonist of a sci fi/adventure book such a strong gay character.
London does a good job of letting his characters wrestle with issues of guilt and responsibility. In particular, Knox’s struggle feels very real. He knows how the proxy system works in terms of the mechanics of it, but he doesn’t really understand what living within such a system means, for himself or for others. It was interesting to watch him begin to comprehend that as he starts to understand the world from Syd’s perspective. He didn’t have a magic moment when he just “got it,” and I appreciated that.
I could have done without the “Chosen One” storyline, as I feel it’s being done to death in YA literature (especially the dystopian variety). Granted, there isn’t something inherently powerful about Syd, it’s because of something done to him that he’s special. Still, the idea that there has to be something uniquely different about you to make you important is one I’m growing tired of. Having said that, London does a good job of showing how Syd struggles with his role.
While there were many things I liked about the book, the second half really dragged for me. The book ends with one heck of a cliffhanger, and the second book in the series is already out. I'm not sure if I want to read the second book or not.
Syd is a fantastic protagonist. He was savvy and complicated and kind and, despite his efforts to avoid connections with anyone and keep his head down, someone that people turned to for help. He expertly navigates life in the Valve, keeping his head down and doing his best to stay off of anyone’s radar. He has plans for his life, and those plans are taken from him in one breathtaking instant. Syd is the kind of character you instantly bond with and root for. Syd is also gay, and that’s a major reason why I wanted to read this book. I love that London made the protagonist of a sci fi/adventure book such a strong gay character.
London does a good job of letting his characters wrestle with issues of guilt and responsibility. In particular, Knox’s struggle feels very real. He knows how the proxy system works in terms of the mechanics of it, but he doesn’t really understand what living within such a system means, for himself or for others. It was interesting to watch him begin to comprehend that as he starts to understand the world from Syd’s perspective. He didn’t have a magic moment when he just “got it,” and I appreciated that.
I could have done without the “Chosen One” storyline, as I feel it’s being done to death in YA literature (especially the dystopian variety). Granted, there isn’t something inherently powerful about Syd, it’s because of something done to him that he’s special. Still, the idea that there has to be something uniquely different about you to make you important is one I’m growing tired of. Having said that, London does a good job of showing how Syd struggles with his role.
While there were many things I liked about the book, the second half really dragged for me. The book ends with one heck of a cliffhanger, and the second book in the series is already out. I'm not sure if I want to read the second book or not.
emilyclaire007's review
4.0
That ending. Oh my god. I had a thing. I was going to write about the fact it was fast paced, interesting concept. Queer MoC protagonist. Good things. But all I can think about is how completely and utterly unprepared I was for that ending, and how completely it managed to wreck me. Oh my God.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I was actually quite surprised by home much I liked this, because the premise had me dubious but I'd heard good things and it looked to be a quick read. I wasn't wrong about it being a quick read, but I'd definitely underestimated my interest.
I find myself comforted when a dystopian society is somewhat implausible, because I can tell myself it would never come to that, but I was not comforted in this case at all. All environmental ravage aside, I could buy things going in this direction and I thought the various characterisations based on being raised in that sort of society rang true.
And it was nice to have a gay main character who wasn't safely non-sexual but also wasn't there for the romance (that said, I wouldn't mind seeing him get some play later).
I find myself comforted when a dystopian society is somewhat implausible, because I can tell myself it would never come to that, but I was not comforted in this case at all. All environmental ravage aside, I could buy things going in this direction and I thought the various characterisations based on being raised in that sort of society rang true.
And it was nice to have a gay main character who wasn't safely non-sexual but also wasn't there for the romance (that said, I wouldn't mind seeing him get some play later).
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book which was hard to put down. The story highlighted the fact that today we already have systems which seems to punishes those at the bottom for the misdeeds of those at the top.