Pax and the Secret Swarm

 

Final book in the Pax trilogy by David Barker

David Barker is a prolific writer, whose first published books were about the threat of global warming and the impending threat of water and eventual lack of it in three books that were scientific thrillers.

Following that successful publication run, he has turned his head to young adult fare in the Pax trilogy which has reached its conclusion.

Short sharp books that elicit fond memories of bygone schooldays and the lore of English literature ranging from Tom Brown to Grange Hill with a hint of a wizarding school on top.

The story revolves around the eponymous Pax, an assertive and industrious young boy, who gains admission to the elite school in the hope of becoming an Engineer in New London. This New London is run by a powerful Mayor who has built up new walls around London effectively keeping everyone they do not like out of the capital. 

Pax over the three books disrupts plans by the Mayor to garner more control over his population by way of mind-numbing propaganda and lies about those outside the walls namely the Countryside Alliance. 

Throughout Barkers's work he has always been able to bring an element of real-world truth to his writing as all the best science fiction does; the writing elicits an element of fear of what may be. And with the unsavoury images and stories coming out of America and that countries insatiable desire of total authoritarianism it certainly does ring true. 

Author David Barker 

Pleasingly, Barker knowing his main readers will be young adults he writes with a simpler good versus evil template with Pax and his erstwhile friends the ones wearing capes and flying around doing heroic things with robots, while the bad guys are those that wear masks and hold guns. Again, images all the more familiar nowadays in the days of ICE. 

While this book itself does not hit the heights of the second book in the series in this reader's opinion, the book is a fine straight-shooting end to this thrilling dystopian trilogy.

Pax and the Secret Swarm is out from Tiny Tree Books now on all formats.

My thanks to them for the review copy for an honest review.

Pax and the Forgotten Pincher

 

Second novel from David Barker's London Falling series. 

Out now from Tiny Tree Books

David Barker returns with his YA books which started in 2023 with the first book, Pax and the Missing Head, and is a rip-roaring dystopian set boarding school tale about the eponymous Pax Forby, a workhouse boy who is naturally gifted in robotics and coding. In the first book, he wins a place at the prestigious Scholastic Parliament.

Hoping for a quieter second year, outside the school, New London is as dangerous as ever. Cyber-attacks and drones have intensified causing a climate of fear and uneasiness. During this, Pax and his firm friends - Megan and Samuel - find themselves drawn to the underground resistance movement.

Borrowing from famous English literary titles and evoking the sense of fear and peril that can surround a huge metropolis can towards a young child (aged 9-12) as Pax is meant to be, Barker has again marshalled a story of great thrust and pulsating action.

Keen readers will see nods to the works of Rowling and Tom Brown's Schooldays and the use of Roacher reminded this reader of Batteries Not Included (1986) along with the ever threatening Big Brother-overlord mayor of London who threatens the subjects and citizens of New London.

The Pincher in question is a play on words for youngsters, it actually refers to pensioners, who when people get to an age they are quickly forgotten about and discarded from memory. This is a mark of Barker himself the writer, in his adult thriller series 'Blue Gold' he was very prescient to describe the eventual loss of water that will happen on our planet; and with the heating crisis happening now for our elder population this is a reminder that science fiction always makes the reader have a hard look at their present situation.

Quietly intense and a real joy to read, Barker has again provided a wonderful page turner that is whilst brief does stay with the reader making them look forward to the next instalment with fervour and excitement.

Pax and the Forgotten Pincher is out now from Tiny Tree Books on all formats

My thanks to Tiny Tree Books for giving me a preview copy for an honest review.