Proxy Blog Tour & Giveaway

Hello everyone! Today we are happy to be a part of the blog tour for Proxy by Alex London. Here to talk about the characters and relationships in this book, particularly the relationship between main characters Knox and Syd, please give it up for Alex Landon!

About The Book

The adventure novel of the year! Inspired by The Whipping Boy and Feed, this adrenaline-fueled thriller will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games for its razor-sharp insights into the nature of human survival and its clever writing.

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.

A fast-paced, thrill-ride of novel full of non-stop action, heart-hammering suspense and true friendship—just as moving as it is exhilarating. Fans of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series, James Dashner’s Maze Runner, Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking series, and Marie Lu’s Legend will be swept away by this story.

You can find out more about Proxy on the Penguin Teen Tumblr and on GoodReads.

The Excerpt

“ When Knox came back into the alley, Syd stood from behind the generator.

‘You’re back,’ he said.

Knox smirked. ‘You thought I’d ditch you, just like that?’

Syd didn’t answer. He’d had exactly that thought.

Knox had seen that look Syd was giving him a thousand times on holos over the year, like Syd thought he was better than everyone else just because he suffuered. His arrogance was probably hiding some deeper issue, like he wet the bed or something.

Whatever, thought Knox, he didn’t need to analyze his proxy.”

– page 129, PROXY

Alex Landon on the relationship between Knox and Syd:

In the world of Proxy, Knox and Syd are never supposed to meet. Knox is a patron-the son of one of the most powerful men in the Mountain City. He lives a life of unquestioning wealth and privilege. He has the best technology, the best clothes, the best education that money can buy. He takes it all for granted. Syd has nothing but debt. He doesn’t even know his own name—Syd was a name assigned to him when he arrived at an orphanage. And to pay off his debt, Syd is a Proxy, taking the punishments whenever Knox does something wrong, which is often!

He isn’t meant to know who Knox is, even though Knox is compelled to watch Syd suffer every time he messes up. It’s meant to teach Knox empathy. It has the opposite effect.

All Syd wants is freedom. When one of Knox’s escapades goes too far, Syd breaks free. The two get caught up in a conspiracy and are going to need each other to survive…but first they have to survive each other. Needless to say, it’s not easy for the two of them to get along. They don’t understand the lives the other one leads and they have trouble seeing each other as real people, whose perspectives and priorities could possibly make sense, let alone be as important as their own. They are both consumed by their assumptions about each other.

Syd’s sexuality also plays a small (and occasionally funny) role in the tension between them. Knox considers himself quite the ladies man and doesn’t really know how to deal with a guy who is attracted to other guys. He has trouble imagining that Syd wouldn’t want to jump his bones. Syd has no interest in it. He’s running for his life and a roll in the hay is the last thing on his mind. That aspect of their relationship is based, a little bit, on my own relationship with my straight best friend in high school. Our difference wasn’t a deal breaker in our friendship, but it was always present, whether in the occasional joke or the uncomfortable misunderstanding that happens when you’re figuring out how to deal with yourself at the same time you’re figuring out how to deal with other people. For Syd and Knox, I took all that high school tension and added deadly robots, ruthless killers, an army of genetically engineered soldiers and a world-shaking revolution. But in spite of all those elements, all that action and suspense, Proxy, is at its heart a story about friendship, brotherhood, and forgiveness.

About The Author:

Alex London writes book for adults, children and teens. At one time a journalist who traveled the world reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he now is a full time novelist living in Brooklyn.

You can find Alex London on twitter (@ca_london) and his website.

Find the next stop on the Proxy blog tour on Charlotte’s Library tomorrow!

The Giveaway

We have ONE copy of Proxy up for grabs! The contest is open internationally and will run until Sunday June 30 at 12:01am EST. To enter, use the form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway