Shadow Ops: Control Point [NOOK Book]

Hot cover, cool book

This was a great read. I generally avoid fantasy set in the modern (or sorta) world, and never considered myself a military-anything buff. So Control Point was a very-pleasant surprise. I devoured the book in two days.

Cole does a great job of building an alternative reality that’s believable and authentic. He sprinkles in fantastic nuggets of how the world we know and live in now would react to a subset of the population suddenly popping up with magical powers. He examines the political and social impact without ever moralizing or making a judgment. It would be easy to draw a clear good/evil line in a story like this and get preachy but Cole did none of that.

All of this in the middle of taking us into a fully-realized alien world full of its own creatures and cultures and believable magic system. Cole not only seamlessly knit together a fantastical world with ours, but did it without you noticing. No long info-dumps, no boring explanations. Just great details drizzled in and among the action.

This is a great debut and I’m thrilled to have found it.

But because every book has its faults, I do have the following complaints:

I couldn’t give Control Point five stars because Cole used one of my pet peeve writing techniques, internal monologue. I’ve gone on record before about how much I hate IM, but I know it doesn’t bother most readers so that’s probably neither here nor there to the majority reading this.

I also agree with another reviewer who wondered when Britton would “man up.” At some point it began to feel like he debated a point with himself, only to forget the next day what he’d decided the day before.

That said, neither of those annoyances were enough to override the imaginative plot and worldbuilding and the realistic action scenes. Definitely a recommended read. Enjoy!

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A great read for modern fantasy fans.

I enjoyed reading this book. I think it can be best described as Tom Clancy meets Gary Gygax. The premise of the book is a little shaky at first, with the author using in media res. But, as the first few chapters progress, the particulars are quickly covered. There is a definite flavor of Harry Turtledove in the alternate reality presented here. I look forward to the author's next release, as the ending presents a definite shift in the structure of the world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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,

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent story

This was a very interesting book! It is the 2nd of a series and while it is not necessary to read the original book first, do yourself a favor and do so!

Great Idea!

This was a pretty good novel with an interesting premise; there's magic in the world and it's been militarized by the world's big governments. And, while I wasn't in the military myself, I've known quite a few guys who were, and the military aspects of this novel are spot on!

It's a novel idea presented in a good, fun, adventurous way.
Worth getting!

very interesting but

I liked the theory, but didn't like where the story ended - looked like the next book would be darker - I mean it ended well, but they only won the day not the war maybe. left me a little depressed, so I have not planned to BUY the sequel although I had seen it first and was interested. Would check it out at the library though.

This is an excellent book, neatly combining contemporary fantasy

This is an excellent book, neatly combining contemporary fantasy and military action-- from someone who understand the modern military.

I highly recommend it!

Unexpected

Pretty much nothing in this book worked out how I thought it would. It will take the next book to know if the betrayals will pay off. Or whether Oscar really is just an intractable bastard who should have gotten over himself.

Awsome thrill ride of book

I really enjoyed this book. Great blend action and fantasy which is also mature.

One of my favorite reads of 2012. The magic system is amazing, a

One of my favorite reads of 2012. The magic system is amazing, and very well-utilized throughout. The moral landscape created by the restriction of magic resonates with me as an X-Men fan, and I thought the main character's struggles between the way he thought the world should work and the situations he is pressed into were very effective. I'm very much looking forward to Fortress Frontier.

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.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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.

Control Point takes place in a world both familiar and new -- ou

Control Point takes place in a world both familiar and new -- our world but suffused with magic. Some people are spontaneously manifesting powers. Magic is highly regulated in the US. Latents must use powers only under governmental direction or be deemed fugitives. A dutiful US Army soldier apprehending rogue latents, Oscar Britton himself suddenly manifests prohibited power. He'd like to believe years of service afford him special consideration, but Oscar knows being latent irreversibly alters everything and he flees. Apprehended by heretofore comrades and facing ultimate punishment, he's forced to join an ultra-secret unit of magic users in a parallel world - The Source. Oscar finds new purpose, mastering his powers and forging new friendships. All is not well, however, as he realizes it's barely disguised forced servitude. Many look at him with fear, distrust, or contempt. He is less and less certain of friend or foe, right or wrong, and must eventually determine where he ought to stand in the great magical divide.

Read Control Point if you like seat-of-your-pants action. Read it if you like immersing tales. Read it if you like both or anything in between. Initial pages handily draw you in, the following keep you reading, and the final hundred pages are heart-stopping -- until the final page when you tear your hair out because book 2 won't be out until 2013 and you want to know NOW what happens to your favorite characters.

Highly Recommended - you must check it out!!

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

I was so excited to read this book, I made sure to have plenty o

I was so excited to read this book, I made sure to have plenty of coffee on hand so I could read late into the night. I had trouble reading through the first couple dozen pages, as I tried to get into the story and familiarize myself with who was who. Once I got past that however, the story picked up a nice pace and I was able to discern one character from another.

The world created by Mr. Cole held my attention throughout the book. I did feel some parts were missing or not explained enough, but I hope that in future books those questions are answered. I think some description was traded for action, and the story was definitely full of action.

Despite how much I did love the premise of the story and will read future books, I have to say that the main character, Oscar Britton, annoyed me to no end. At first, it was understandable, even relatable as Oscar first discovered his magical abilities and began his new training that he didn’t know where he fit. Was he ” army” or “rebel?” Could he live with his new life or not? But after a while, it just became annoying. I wanted him to make up his mind! And in the end, even though he took some sort of action, I don’t think he ever really decided to do it, it was just how he reacted to the circumstances. So, even at the last scene, I wasn’t sure where Oscar stood in the grand scheme of things on a personal level, although it was obvious where he stood based on the circumstances he was in (physically speaking).

The ending was slightly disappointing as after all the reading through training and missions up to that point, it was wrapped up in a few pages. Don’t get me wrong, it was action packed and tense – I was on the “edge of my seat” as it were, but then all of a sudden it was over. I scrolled back a few pages to make sure I didn’t miss something as I was certain I had. I understand this might be the first in a series. It wasn’t a bad ending, just abrupt.

The fight scenes were really where this book shined. The amount of detail made me see each strike, each block, each magical projection. I was impressed with how the scenes were handled, knowing each character’s movement without ever taking me out of the scene with too many adjectives or body parts to keep track of.

CONTROL POINT was a fun way to pass my evening hours and I don’t regret picking it up for a read. I enjoyed it despite the hiccups I mentioned above. I’d look forward to more from Mr. Cole in the future.

Not bad

Not bad.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not recommended

This was the only book of the thousands I have read that had me rooting for the "bad guys" and hoping that they would take down the "hero". I understand that the author was using this hero as a metaphor and all that, But he simply wined about his lot in life the whole story, especially about the army killing people wrongly. However, he ends up killing way more than his "oppressors." I could not figure out where this author was going with this; ultimately, I skimmed through the last several chapters and chalked up a waste of $7.99.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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