Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Military Fantasy
Pages: Paperback, 440pp
ISBN-13: 978-1937007249
ISBN: 1937007243
(Received for an honest review from Ace)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound
Myke Cole on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter
Excerpt from Control Point
Synopsis:
Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.
Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. As a lieutenant attached to the military's Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power and is transformed overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.
The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down - and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he's ever known, and that his life isn't the only thing he's fighting for.
Thoughts:
Control Point is Myke Cole's debut novel and the first book in the Shadow Ops series. This book is a cross between military fantasy and urban fantasy. Cole uses a unique blend of world-building that straddles the line between the two sub-genres and will appeal to many types of readers. Cole uses his own experiences with the military to write a very taunt, gripping novel that is hard to put down and full of action.
I have to admit that this book was a little out of my comfort zone. I like romantic suspense. I like paranormal and fantasy writing in just about every aspect but military fantasy is not normally my thing. However, this book really appealed to me for some reason and after reading it, I'm glad I decided to give it a try. Myke Cole is an excellent writer with a very matter of fact kind of style. He doesn't sugar coat and he lays it on the line, exactly what I expected from a writer who who has served in Iraq. Cole uses his experiences to bring the hero Oscar Britton to life.
Oscar is a hard-nosed military man. But he is being asked to do something that goes against his grain. When normal everyday people start coming down with magical abilities, the government gets scared and starts taking them out. But Oscar isn't too fond of the idea. I liked the fact that he was a somewhat flawed hero. He did some things he wasn't proud of even before he started manifesting abilities of his own. This book is all about choices and those decisions that not always black and white. It was very interesting.
The world building alone in this book was incredible and Myke Cole does an excellent job of putting the reader right in the middle of the action. His descriptions are vivid and full of emotion. The fight scenes are detailed and certainly get the blood pumping. Oscar is a kick-ass hero and he knows how to throw down. I enjoyed his attitude and thought Cole did a a great job of getting his point across.
The whole paranormal aspect of the book, with the magical abilities, was a really interesting premise and made for an interesting book. There were a lot of things I liked about this book and not very much that I didn't. So, that was a big plus. I will definitely read more from this author and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I am really glad I broadened my horizons a bit and tried this kind of book and I think you will too!
Control Point is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag.
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