I'm thrilled to have the Guardian Blog Tour stopping by today! Below you can read an excerpt, check out a fun guest post, and enter the giveaway...
Guardian
(Proxy #2)
by Alex London
May 29, 2014
Philomel
YA/Dystopian/LGBT
The pulse-pounding sequel to Proxy! Inspired by The Whipping Boy and Feed, this adrenaline-fueled thriller will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.
In the new world led by the Rebooters, former Proxy Syd is the figurehead of the Revolution, beloved by some and hated by others. Liam, a seventeen-year-old Rebooter, is Syd’s bodyguard and must protect him with his life. But armed Machinists aren’t the only danger.
In the new world led by the Rebooters, former Proxy Syd is the figurehead of the Revolution, beloved by some and hated by others. Liam, a seventeen-year-old Rebooter, is Syd’s bodyguard and must protect him with his life. But armed Machinists aren’t the only danger.
People are falling ill—their veins show through their skin, they find it hard to speak, and sores erupt all over their bodies. Guardians, the violent enforcers of the old system, are hit first, and the government does nothing to help. The old elites fall next, and in the face of an indifferent government, Syd decides it’s up to him to find a cure . . . and what he discovers leaves him stunned.
This heart-stopping thriller is packed with action, adventure, and heroics. Guardian will leave you breathless until the final page.
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 trilogy will be swept away by this story.
Chapter One – GUARDIAN by Alex London
At night, they disposed of the bodies. There was no ceremony, no ritual, no remembrance.
“They’re human,” some argued.
“They were human,” said others. “Now they’re meat.”
“We have to study the infection,” said the doctor.
“We have to contain it,” said the counselor and gave her orders. “Burn the bodies.”
A work detail was tasked with the burning. One by one, in the dead of night, green uniforms with white masks hauled corpses to the pile. The corpses were webbed with black veins, their entire network of blood vessels visible through the pale skin. Dried blood obscured their faces and each had a single hole in the temple by the eyes, where the killing bolt went in. They were put down like livestock, burned like sacrifices.
As the bodies crackled, the doctor watched the flames, her face half in shadow, half dancing in firelight. “I believe there is a cure for this,” she said.
The counselor, standing beside her, nodded, but did not turn to look her way. “Your cure is worse than the disease.”
“You believe that?”
“It’s the truth. Your way is treason.”
“You’re in denial,” the doctor said. “This is going to get worse if we don’t stop it.”
“It’s a new world, Doctor,” the counselor replied. “We can’t turn back the clock.”
“Even to save people’s lives?”
“These”—the counselor gestured at the bodies—“are not people.”
“If it spreads?”
“Is it spreading?”
The doctor watched the young members of the work detail tossing the bodies on the pyre. They moved with the assurance of youth, the kind of attitude that
allowed them to stare infection and death in the face and believe it would never touch them. “I don’t know.”
“It is your job to know.”
“I can hardly understand it. The blood turns against the body. Itching, burning. Then, expulsion. Half of them bleed out.”
“And the other half?”
The doctor clenched her jaw. “They haven’t bled out yet.”
“They are in pain?”
“They can’t communicate, but we have to restrain them to keep them from scratching their skin off with their fingernails.” The doctor sighed. “So, yes, they are in pain.”
“Put them out of their misery,” the counselor ordered.
“But, we can still learn—”
“Those are the orders.” The counselor walked away, two green uniforms trailing her into the jungle. The doctor took off her white smock, pulled the blue gloves from her hands with a loud synthetic snap, and stood before the flames. She watched her latest failed experiments turn to smoke and ash in the bonfire, every bit of blood boiled away, with all the information it might have contained.
She had ideas, dangerous to share; but if she didn’t find a way, she feared, this sickness would go further than any of them could imagine. She would record a message in case she failed. She hoped that someone would still be alive to receive it.
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You can listen to the awesome Proxy Series Playlist by following this link:
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Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tagsseries; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real brains of the operation.
FOLLOW THE TOUR
August 7th - Book Chic Club – Review/Interview
August 8th - Cheryl Rainfield ~ Guest Post
August 9th - Bookish – Spotlight
August 9th - Like A Bump On A Blog – Spotlight
August 10th - Book Escape – Top 10/ Spotlight
August 11th – A Leisure Moment ~ Review (Proxy/Guardian)
August 11th – Reads All The Books – Review (Proxy/Guardian)
August 12th – Debbie Bookish – Review (Proxy/Guardian)
August 13th – Unconventional Librarian – Review
August 14th – Word Spelunking ~ Review (Guardian)
August 14th – Kate Tilton's Blog – GIF Interview
August 15th - Fangirlish – Review (Proxy/Guardian)
August 15th - What A Nerd Girl Says – Review (Guardian)
August 16th - Books To Remember – Review (Guardian)
August 16th - A Bookshelf Full of Sunshine – Review (Guardian)
August 16th - The Reading Date ~ Review (Guardian)
August 16th - Reading Fictional ~ Review (Proxy/Guardian)
September - Bookish Tiffany – Review (Proxy/Guardian)
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