Shadow Ops: Control Point [NOOK Book]

It's probably not a good sign when the (argueably) most evil character in the book is the one I'm cheering on.

It's probably not a good sign when the (argueably) most evil character in the book is the one I'm cheering on.

The author does a good enough job with world creation (or alteration, given that it's a modern setting with fantasy elements added in) that it doesn't feel like X-Men with the numbers filled off. While most of the magic use does seem more like mutant powers than spell casting, there's enough to show that it is magic instead of "we don't know, it's magic, deal with it".

My problem with it is that I don't think the author thought everything all the way through on some elements. He establishes that a person's emotional state is tied to how they control their magic, with stronger emotions making magic more powerful and more difficult to control. So the best way to deal with an out of control teenager that's just gotten their powers is by sending in two helicopters full of heavily armed soldiers. Repeatedly thought the story, the author uses the phrase "skill over will" to illustrate that it's better to be precise and well trained in the use of one's magic than to be flashy and out of control. And then, instead of having the military sorcerers start off fights with enemy spellcasters by blocking their access to magic, they start off with summoning lightning and throwing fireballs. Combined with the fact that ninety five percent of the characters can be either classified as "jerk" or "spineless", and I can't see myself ever picking up the next book in this series.

I bought this book with high hopes. The concept was very creativ

I bought this book with high hopes. The concept was very creative and sounded like a great combination of my interests but unfortunately it does not pay off. The writing, while touched with some good phrases, is not strong. It feels like it skips and jumps a lot, or that there are bits of information missing. Things that should be gripping (like fights) are slow and confusing. Character development is almost non-existent. Everyone is flat. At almost half way through the book I still did not have a feel for what kind of person the main character, Oscar Britton, was. One second he's a bad-ass portal-making uber-solder, the next he's a weepy, confused guy who can't do 50 push-ups in a single go ("His chest was shredded after 32" LOL. I'm out of shape and can do thirty push-ups easily and this guy's supposed to be in active service). The writer tries to make the character have more depth by throwing sudden bursts of detail that are next to meaningless. For example, Oscar has a conflict with his father early in the book but only when the father takes a swing at his much bigger son do we get a single line about how the father had been abusive.

All the characters are this way. They're cookie cutter characters that have little or no depth and even less motivation behind their actions.

The plot itself is weakly held together. Things pertinent to the plot are eluded to but never explained. Things that should be eluded to are dragged out in depth. A number of elements are so contrived as to be ridiculous. It feel's like a bad custom D&D adventure where the teenage GM wanted to focus on the mundane details of military life and his magic system, rather than weaving a compelling story.

If you're only interest is some action (never mind it's confusing nature), how many t-shirts soldiers are issued in the field and exploring yet another magic system, then this might be worth a read. If you're looking for something new, compelling and well written then keep looking.

Easy, fast paced read

This book was so good I had a hard time putting it down. It wasn't predictable and was a believeable look into the future.

Didnt hold my interest

This book will become one of the books i read when i have nothing else to read, it just didnt grab me,

Science Fiction and speculative fiction are commonly known for a

Science Fiction and speculative fiction are commonly known for asking those interesting philosophical questions, those “what if’s”, and looking at the difficult and dark aspects of humanity. Fantasy has never, from what I’ve experienced, been big into doing the same. Comic books have – hence the comparisons between X-Men and Shadow Ops: Control Point which has taken the time to consider the human implications for the world that Myke Cole has created.

That fact alone makes me respect both the author and the work because far too often are the aspects and consequences for humanity either dismissed or simply glossed over. The fact that this comes from a soldier who has seen the human impact of government policies and geopolitics ultimately lends Shadow Ops: Control Point further strength. Power, be it magical or technological, will inevitable have effects on all aspects of life – from jobs, legislation, religion, culture, etc. and Myke Cole takes all of that into account. So if you want fantasy that takes a hard look at humanity, then this book is for you.

That’s not the only reason to read it, after all it is an entertaining story. One concerned with the military implications of a world suddenly reintroduced to magic and in particular the American military-industrial complex’s response. And predictably that means a complex setup involving contractors who work alongside professional soldiers in a legal gray area. The battles they’re fighting are even in a legal gray area, because after all the laws were not written with magic or a second dimension in mind. Through this new world, and one that has had some time to adapted, we encounter Oscar Britton as he deals with his own magic powers awakening.

As a man given little choice he makes do as he needs to in order to survive. No one can fault him for that, but that doesn’t mean that the decisions he makes are smart. Yet how can anyone expect any or all decisions to be when they’re to be made in a split second and your life is on the line. That poor decision making process continues throughout the book, as some of Oscar’s counterparts like to point out that he’s not as smart as he likes to think he is. Never have I seen this concept so well orchestrated as Myke Cole provides Oscar with both reasoning and motivation for his actions without ever leaving the reader shouting at the page, “Why did you do that?”
Some of the other characters aren’t as well sculpted as Oscar Britton but then again the entire story takes place from his perspective and it is his story. Like Britton we only experience the others when he does so their motivations and histories only get explored as far as he pushes for them. This creates a concise and contained novel that offers glimpses of the larger world through Britton’s interactions as well as the excerpts from “documents” or “interviews” at the beginning of each chapter.

In the end Shadow Ops: Control Point is a rollicking introduction to a world torn by magic and conflict that will satisfy anyone’s need for military or fantasy fiction. It’s also a great outing for a first time novel by Myke Cole and he has created an engaging series that will be fun to see where he takes it. I’m also interested to see if he, being a gamer, makes a game based on his creation as I’d love the chance to play.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

B & N MUST get the next book in the series if there is one!!!

Not bad

Not bad.

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