[QuickTidal]

Hey guys, I' have my review up for Myke Cole's CONTROL POINT. Great military UF. Not the greatest, but shows a decent amount of potential for a first novel.

http://icebergink.bl...trol-point.html

[kcf]

I liked this one very much. It's getting a huge amount of buzz, and I think it's deserved. An excerpt from my reviewis below:

Quote

Control Point is many things at once – a thoughtful exploration of the conscious of a military officer, the military bureaucracy it depends on, while being a wildly fun, exciting and creative military fantasy. It’s a reflection of the times we live in and the ever-present threat of terrorism and the military’s response to it. Control Point is a reaction from a veteran of the US’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just like Joe Haldeman's The Forever War is a reaction from a Vietnam veteran. It’s a nearly perfect book for a generation of gamers, yet it’s just as accessible to the non-gamers among us (like me). And it manages to do all of these things in thoughtful, balanced way that is an extreme adrenaline ride and one hell of a good read.

Control Point strikes an impressive balance between the tortured introspection of a very conflicted individual versus magical military fantasy in a wild setting with non-stop action. The reader is taken through a myriad of scenes from military raids, to fugitives on the run, hard-ass boot camp Sergeants beating the crap out of new recruits, thoughtful sacrifice and all-out battle chaos. It’s precisely this balance that allows for Control Point to have a little something for everyone – it’s both deep and action-packed, it’s both a conflicted military drama and a journey full of magical adventure, it’s a commentary on our own current government and an unhappy future, and it’s all about one soldier’s conflict with doing what he thinks is right.

The balance act continues as Cole shows a government that is both good and evil. He shows soldiers that do good and bad. There are no easy answers and Cole doesn’t try and provide any. Does Oscar ultimately make the right decision? I don’t know, but I am very much looking forward to reading more in the forethcoming sequel, Fortress Frontier, scheduled for early 2013.
Full Review

[kcf]

sequel is out. It's great. Everyone's reviewed it, so I went in a different direction.

[Ulrik]

Control Point wasnt bad. And Im telling it as military SF fan with high standards. Some parts I disliked (whole prolonged, not ever logical intro, bullshit about European Caliphate), but it got some balls and was fun. Maybe finish was a little bit quality drop but I did not read sequel yet.