bigbear73's review
4.0
FANtastic magic system. I'm looking forward to seeing where Myke goes with the sequels.
kodermike's review
3.0
Imagine everyone woke up one day to discover that magic was very much real again. As with so much in our modern life, the first reaction of the government would be to regulate it, to determine what the best uses of that magic was for the welfare of the nation - and what magics would be considered safe, and what magics would be prohibited.
Welcome to the world of Shadow Ops: Control Point. Oscar Britton is your average enlisted grunt, bagging and tagging people that have manifested prohibited, or "Probe" talents, keeping America safe from one latent to probe at a time. What happens when this good guy suddenly finds himself marked a probe as his latent magic power manifests itself unexpectedly in a discipline that is forbidden (though outside his control)?
He runs.
As a concept, I think Cole has a good formula here. Magic meets military fantasy in a contemporary landscape? What's not to love in this comic book like milieu that is so reminiscent of Marvel and DC copyrights?
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and its in the execution that we find the lumps. The world building is as solid as needed - why magic suddenly exists is as much of a mystery to the characters as to us, and that's fine. The fact that Cole chose to set this in our modern world relieves the burden of painting an extremely rich picture to convince us with. We already know the setting, which leaves us with only the unknowns to deal with - the characters and the magic. With the world so easily established, its really in the strength of the characters and the magic they wield that we rely on to entertain us.
For the magic, its rather simple and easy to grasp. You either come up with magic at some point in your life, or you don't. If you do, its in one of a few defined talents, most of which seem to be centered around control of the Greek elementals - water, fire, air, earth, and spirit (life, death, etc.). The prohibited magics are a little less well defined, but at least we don't have mixed talents (that we know of?). There doesn't seem to be any penalty to using the magic (weakness, inflammation, etc.), but it also isn't easily or quickly mastered. Simple and sweet and easy to follow once you understand the terminology that Cole bandies around.
But the characters, like with any summer eye candy, is where I got hung up with in this novel. Even in the context of the story, Oscar's waffling at whether he's a team player or being beaten down was annoyingly inconsistent. Either track would have been fine, but I needed something to rally behind, and I didn't get that from Oscar. I found many of the other characters in the book equally baffling, leaving me wanting. This is probably just hindsight, but it seemed that there were chapters during the span of which Oscar would change his mind on whether he was committed to the cause, to and fro, multiple times.
So, great concept, and perfect if you have an afternoon or two to kill and want a little magic versus assault chopper action. Myke's a really nice guy, so I have high hopes that the sequel will cast off the training wheels that were so evident in this first novel.
Welcome to the world of Shadow Ops: Control Point. Oscar Britton is your average enlisted grunt, bagging and tagging people that have manifested prohibited, or "Probe" talents, keeping America safe from one latent to probe at a time. What happens when this good guy suddenly finds himself marked a probe as his latent magic power manifests itself unexpectedly in a discipline that is forbidden (though outside his control)?
He runs.
As a concept, I think Cole has a good formula here. Magic meets military fantasy in a contemporary landscape? What's not to love in this comic book like milieu that is so reminiscent of Marvel and DC copyrights?
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and its in the execution that we find the lumps. The world building is as solid as needed - why magic suddenly exists is as much of a mystery to the characters as to us, and that's fine. The fact that Cole chose to set this in our modern world relieves the burden of painting an extremely rich picture to convince us with. We already know the setting, which leaves us with only the unknowns to deal with - the characters and the magic. With the world so easily established, its really in the strength of the characters and the magic they wield that we rely on to entertain us.
For the magic, its rather simple and easy to grasp. You either come up with magic at some point in your life, or you don't. If you do, its in one of a few defined talents, most of which seem to be centered around control of the Greek elementals - water, fire, air, earth, and spirit (life, death, etc.). The prohibited magics are a little less well defined, but at least we don't have mixed talents (that we know of?). There doesn't seem to be any penalty to using the magic (weakness, inflammation, etc.), but it also isn't easily or quickly mastered. Simple and sweet and easy to follow once you understand the terminology that Cole bandies around.
But the characters, like with any summer eye candy, is where I got hung up with in this novel. Even in the context of the story, Oscar's waffling at whether he's a team player or being beaten down was annoyingly inconsistent. Either track would have been fine, but I needed something to rally behind, and I didn't get that from Oscar. I found many of the other characters in the book equally baffling, leaving me wanting. This is probably just hindsight, but it seemed that there were chapters during the span of which Oscar would change his mind on whether he was committed to the cause, to and fro, multiple times.
So, great concept, and perfect if you have an afternoon or two to kill and want a little magic versus assault chopper action. Myke's a really nice guy, so I have high hopes that the sequel will cast off the training wheels that were so evident in this first novel.
marklpotter's review
2.0
I thought this premise had some promise and it still might but this book felt pretty forced, the whole way though. The big bad evil US military trope was rode hard and put away wet. The world seems fractured and not in the sense I think the author meant for it to be fractured.
That said the characters were the saving grace in this one. I'll read the next, maybe not soon, to see how Cole progresses as a writer and only because he did enough right with the characters that I surprised myself by caring abut them even with the way everything seemed kind of forced and over-done in most other aspects. I rarely write authors off because of an effort that doesn't agree with me and I won't start doing so now. I do hope the next book in this series is better.
That said the characters were the saving grace in this one. I'll read the next, maybe not soon, to see how Cole progresses as a writer and only because he did enough right with the characters that I surprised myself by caring abut them even with the way everything seemed kind of forced and over-done in most other aspects. I rarely write authors off because of an effort that doesn't agree with me and I won't start doing so now. I do hope the next book in this series is better.
toynbees's review
4.0
I love this book, and the entire series. Since I know nothing about the Military, real or fictional, I appreciate the little index for all the technical terms. Even without it, Myke Cole writes it in a way I always knew exactly what was going on even if I didn't know the Military jargon. It's a super unique take on sci-fi that I LOVE.
perch15's review against another edition
3.0
Myke Cole, by all accounts, is a very fan-friendly author who has some wonderful ideas about writing and fantasy. The premise of the book--an awakening of "latent" magical powers in the modern world--and its effect on modern life is excellent. And his choice to use the military to tell the tale is an inspired one. I wanted to like this book more. I really did. The problem is that the book is a bit disjointed--both in plot and character development. I often found myself asking questions like "who are the bad guys? what is motivating Britton to make these decisions? why is this person acting in this manner?" Cole's reach, in this first book, exceeded his grasp.
Now, from everything I've heard, the follow-up books improve upon the first in nearly every way. So my hope is that this is simply a case of Dresden-itis, meaning that Cole will improve with every novel. He certainly has all the tools, and the world he's created is one chock full of storytelling possibilities. I'm compelled to read the subsequent books to see what happens next, so I would say Cole ultimately accomplished his mission. He reached his destination--it was just a bumpy road getting there.
Now, from everything I've heard, the follow-up books improve upon the first in nearly every way. So my hope is that this is simply a case of Dresden-itis, meaning that Cole will improve with every novel. He certainly has all the tools, and the world he's created is one chock full of storytelling possibilities. I'm compelled to read the subsequent books to see what happens next, so I would say Cole ultimately accomplished his mission. He reached his destination--it was just a bumpy road getting there.
jarichan's review against another edition
5.0
Myke Coles "Shadow Ops"-Reihe habe ich blöderweise mit dem zweiten Band angefangen (Grenzfeste), doch nun habe ich es auch endlich geschafft, den ersten Teil zu lesen. Dieser funktioniert genauso wie "Grenzfeste". Heisst: ich liebe es!
Grundsätzlich kann ich meiner obigen Rezension also nichts mehr hinzufügen. Nein, Bookbinder taucht leider nicht auf, dafür haben wir mit Oscar Britton einen ausserordentlich faszinierenden Charakter. Er ist hin- und hergerissen von seiner Verpflichtung der Army gegenüber, seinem Wunsch, mit seinen Kräften Gutes zu tun, und seinem Freiheitsdrang. Oscar ist einer jener Figuren, die gerade aufgrund ihrer Widersprüchlichkeit sehr menschlich wirken.
Wie auch schon im ersten Buch, das ich von Cole gelesen habe, handelt es sich hierbei um einen sehr kritischen Titel. Auch hier werden von offzieller Seite aus geschmiedete Gesetze hinterfragt und die Strukturen des Militärs angezweifelt. Ausserdem greift der Autor das Thema Kolonisation auf, unter der die einhemischen Dobbys- sorry, Goblins!- zu leiden haben. Auf diese Weise wird auch Rassismus angesprochen, doch ohne gross mit dem Zeigefinger zu wackeln. Sehr geschickt eingefädelt!
Nachdem ich dieses Buch ausgelesen hatte, wollte ich mir natürlich umgend Teil drei der Trilogie holen. Wie enttäuscht war ich, zu erfahren, dass dieser nicht auf Deutsch erscheinen wird! Immerhin hat der Piper-Verlag die Cover de Originals übernommen, sodass es nicht ganz so dramatisch aussieht im Bücherregal. Enttäuscht bin ich dennoch...
Grundsätzlich kann ich meiner obigen Rezension also nichts mehr hinzufügen. Nein, Bookbinder taucht leider nicht auf, dafür haben wir mit Oscar Britton einen ausserordentlich faszinierenden Charakter. Er ist hin- und hergerissen von seiner Verpflichtung der Army gegenüber, seinem Wunsch, mit seinen Kräften Gutes zu tun, und seinem Freiheitsdrang. Oscar ist einer jener Figuren, die gerade aufgrund ihrer Widersprüchlichkeit sehr menschlich wirken.
Wie auch schon im ersten Buch, das ich von Cole gelesen habe, handelt es sich hierbei um einen sehr kritischen Titel. Auch hier werden von offzieller Seite aus geschmiedete Gesetze hinterfragt und die Strukturen des Militärs angezweifelt. Ausserdem greift der Autor das Thema Kolonisation auf, unter der die einhemischen Dobbys- sorry, Goblins!- zu leiden haben. Auf diese Weise wird auch Rassismus angesprochen, doch ohne gross mit dem Zeigefinger zu wackeln. Sehr geschickt eingefädelt!
Nachdem ich dieses Buch ausgelesen hatte, wollte ich mir natürlich umgend Teil drei der Trilogie holen. Wie enttäuscht war ich, zu erfahren, dass dieser nicht auf Deutsch erscheinen wird! Immerhin hat der Piper-Verlag die Cover de Originals übernommen, sodass es nicht ganz so dramatisch aussieht im Bücherregal. Enttäuscht bin ich dennoch...
jazin's review
4.0
Great book. The main character of Britton is good but i did not care for his feelings going back and forth. Great story though and I look forward to the follow up novels
jaymeks's review
1.0
I've started and restarted this book multiple times now and I just can't get through the first 80 pages without thinking about how bored I am. I'm really interested in the concepts and the magic system, but it just drones on and on.
So, I'm going to abandon it until next year. Maybe then I'll be more into the book.
So, I'm going to abandon it until next year. Maybe then I'll be more into the book.
anubis9's review
4.0
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, and I was a little dubious going in because I'm not a big fan of military thrillers, but when I saw Howard Taylor say the same thing, but that he still highly recommended it, I decided to give it a shot.
The description on the cover of "Blackhawk Down meets the X-Men" is pretty on the nose.
It's a interesting world Cole weaves where super powers are actually "magic" and they all fall in line with a natural element (including human flesh) or "portalmancy" where you can open gates to just about anywhere.
The world is a harsh one, where if you're latent (have magic powers) your choices are join the military or die. I also really liked the fact that every latent—if properly trained—can use their magic for it's cool powers or to suppress the powers of someone else. It's an interesting ability used very well in the narrative.
The protagonist is interesting, and I found myself vacillating between routing for him and wishing someone would kick his teeth in. While he seems to think he's a "good guy," I have my doubts, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses through the series.
It's clear the author knows his stuff when it come to the military, which can sometimes get in the way of the narrative flow, and there are a few phrases that are used a few too many times, but it was an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
The description on the cover of "Blackhawk Down meets the X-Men" is pretty on the nose.
It's a interesting world Cole weaves where super powers are actually "magic" and they all fall in line with a natural element (including human flesh) or "portalmancy" where you can open gates to just about anywhere.
The world is a harsh one, where if you're latent (have magic powers) your choices are join the military or die. I also really liked the fact that every latent—if properly trained—can use their magic for it's cool powers or to suppress the powers of someone else. It's an interesting ability used very well in the narrative.
The protagonist is interesting, and I found myself vacillating between routing for him and wishing someone would kick his teeth in. While he seems to think he's a "good guy," I have my doubts, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses through the series.
It's clear the author knows his stuff when it come to the military, which can sometimes get in the way of the narrative flow, and there are a few phrases that are used a few too many times, but it was an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.