Who Wants A Library Full Of Books He's Already Read?
Lately, I've accumulated a big pile (virtual and real) of books in various stages of "read." So, of course, the next book I've finished this year did nothing to reduce its size.
Imagine a world where people suddenly manifest incredible powers. Add in the destruction of a cherished national monument, a world on the edge of crisis, and governments using military responses to these new and terrifying individuals.
Contrary to what you may think, I'm not describing Marvel's X-Men franchise. Shadow Ops: Control Point is the debut novel from Myke Cole. While Cole's "latents" (not mutants) manifest magical powers in rather specific flavors, the world's reaction is a very believable mix of paranoia, fear, and overreaction.
This book surprised me. First, because despite the fantasy elements, a lot of this book is squarely in the military fiction genre, one of my least favorite subjects. I picked it up because too many people I respect said it was good, but I expected to have to put my blinders on and swallow a lot of Tom Clancy rah-rah bullshit along the way.
Didn't happen.
Mr. Cole is a former soldier. That much is clear. It's also clear that he loves the military. However, he doesn't shy away from portraying the bad along with the good, whether it's individuals or policies. And there is some serious bad going on in this book. One might even use the word "dystopian" to describe it.
In short, this book surprised me. Check it out.
Imagine a world where people suddenly manifest incredible powers. Add in the destruction of a cherished national monument, a world on the edge of crisis, and governments using military responses to these new and terrifying individuals.
Contrary to what you may think, I'm not describing Marvel's X-Men franchise. Shadow Ops: Control Point is the debut novel from Myke Cole. While Cole's "latents" (not mutants) manifest magical powers in rather specific flavors, the world's reaction is a very believable mix of paranoia, fear, and overreaction.
This book surprised me. First, because despite the fantasy elements, a lot of this book is squarely in the military fiction genre, one of my least favorite subjects. I picked it up because too many people I respect said it was good, but I expected to have to put my blinders on and swallow a lot of Tom Clancy rah-rah bullshit along the way.
Didn't happen.
Mr. Cole is a former soldier. That much is clear. It's also clear that he loves the military. However, he doesn't shy away from portraying the bad along with the good, whether it's individuals or policies. And there is some serious bad going on in this book. One might even use the word "dystopian" to describe it.
In short, this book surprised me. Check it out.