Blog Tour Review - Pax and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

 Blog Tour Review - Pax and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker

Pax has made it through the trials of his first year at Scholastic Parliament, but any hopes of a quieter second year are quickly dashed when he makes a shocking discovery in the school’s basement. A new student joins the school, acting suspiciously and muscling in on Pax’s friendship with Samuel. At least being reigning champions in the Parliamentary Polls allows Pax and his friends to explore the city at weekends. But drone raids and cyber-attacks disrupt life in New London while a paranoid mayor cracks down hard on terrorism.

Unwittingly, Pax helps an innocent man get captured. Driven by guilt, he seeks out the Underground resistance movement and is given a mission to steal some codes from the mayor. In the process, Pax uncovers the shocking truth about a new factory that threatens the lives of millions of people. He is torn between stopping this latest sinister plot and focusing on schoolwork to keep alive his dream of becoming an engineer. To achieve both, he’ll need help. But who can he trust in a city full of falsehoods? What sacrifices will he need to make? Find out in the latest instalment in the London Falling series.

I really enjoyed the first Pax book, Pax and the Missing Head. You can read my review here and an excerpt that accompanied the cover reveal here.

Pax and the Forgotten Pincher has more of what I loved about the first book. There's a new school year with a new competition, so we get more of the fascinating invented games, friendships and rivalries. And it continues to skilfully blend together the dystopian future state with the challenges of school. 

This time each element is pushed further, driving the plot in exciting directions. As Pax and his friends get older, friendships become more complicated. The introduction of a new character at school disrupts the tight friendship group, one member of that group pulls away, and secrets threaten to create further divisions. There's also more hints at possible romances, as different partnerships cause further complications and emotions that need to be unravelled and understood. 

The dystopian elements get a lot more serious too, as the Mayor has new evil plans to be revealed and foiled. The tension is seriously ramped up, as Pax, his friends and his robot buddies have to go further than ever before to prevent disaster.

One thing I really loved is how this installment in the series widened the window of what we're seeing. The action moves beyond the Scholastic Parliament into the streets and waterways of New London, showing us more of this exciting world Barker created for his series. There are also a few hints at the world beyond the wall, and the other cities out there that I'm hoping and expecting we'll see more of in book three. 

There's a lot in here that it's all too easy to relate back to current world dynamics. There are strong themes around propaganda, what we're told and what we choose to believe, and how easily governments set up outsiders as the enemy to be hated and feared. I loved seeing how quickly that belief fell apart when Pax actually met a "pincher", a member of that group, and realised that they were just a normal person like him. There's a lot to learn from here, but it's never forced upon us and never feels like preaching. It's well done.

But despite this widening of the scope, Pax and Roacher are still the beating heart of the book, and they're still an adorable couple of character I really feel for. There's so much action and peril throughout too, making this an exciting read.

With a wider scope and rising tension, Pax and the Forgotten Pincher is a fantastic addition to the London Falling series!

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Pax and the Forgotten Pincher by David Barker is out now, from Tiny Tree Children's Books.

I was given a review copy in exchange for an honest review and participation in this blog tour.