Synopsis (per Goodreads):
Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.
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. 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, transforming him 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.
Review:
I didn't intentionally read this right after reading Steelheart. Two books with different takes on Stan Lee's "with great power yaddayaddayadda." Opposite ends of what Magneto would hope to strive for. In Steelheart, the powered populace essentially run the world (what's left of it). In Control Point we see Magneto's greatest fear. Government. What does the United States (or any) government due when something threatens its way of life? It regulates the shit out of it! All powered individuals in the army... now!
Control Point is heavy into the military side of things. The plot, dialogue, acronyms. This is military fantasy fiction. And Myke Cole knows his stuff. That's him on the right looking like he can rip your head off (and he probably can). Three tours in Iraq and still a reservist to this day. How did Patrick Rothfuss word it?... "He's a hell of a nice guy, and a bit an an exception to the fantasy author cliche. He's not a bearded pudgy ex-D&D geek. He's a clean-shaven, military-fit, ex-D&D geek." Well put, Mr. Rothfuss (as always).
Control Point is a man questioning his decisions, his government, all of the rules and regulations that had guided his life. Who does the government serve? In whose best interest is a war beyond the realm of the average citizen? The questions don't all have answers and Oscar does quite of bit of reflecting over these points (again and again... probably the biggest downside is his repetition of the same questions to himself). As a whole, the book is certainly interesting. My experience in military fiction is... well... this. So, I'm pleased it kept my attention. And I have added book #2 to my "to read" list (I know... book #3 comes out soon... I'm behind *cough*Warcraft*cough* leave me alone).
And who doesn't like stories with super powers?
I give it... Professor X firing Wolverine (click the link for the video).
No comments:
Post a Comment