Book Review: Fortress Frontier (Shadow Ops #2)

Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Super awesome follow-up to Control Point. And, honestly? Much, much more!

Fortress Frontier is double the story that Control Point was. If Control Point was the Green Arrow, Fortress Frontier is the Batman. There. I said it.

On with the review…

As I was saying, Fortress Frontier is double the pace, double the magic, double the worldbuilding, double the tension, and, of course, double the excitement… (Shame on me for taking longer to finish it than it really deserved.)

Not just from the point of story and worldbuilding, the growth is evident in Myke Cole’s writing too. He is more magnificent a Storyteller.

What I loved the most?

For me, the ability to stay funny while maintaining the tension is a skill reserved only to the best of writers. Myke Cole owns that department without breaking a sweat and, while at it, probably even manages to do a funky chicken dance.

The Characters

Okay. Honestly, I never really liked Oscar Britton that much in first book (though I almost screamed when he finally showed up in this one). He is an interesting character, with his unique conflicts and menacing seriousness, but he really wasn’t my type.

Problem solved in Book 2.

Introducing Alan Bookbinder. I want to thank Myke Cole for introducing this character. I just love him. He has his flaws, he is funny, he is super nervous, he is a misfit, and he is that odd-hero who somehow just about manages to save the day at the end.

Besides the two of them, the supporting characters are also very real and full of life. Though I haven’t had the profound fortune of travelling with a military officer in a hostile territory over the stretch of hundreds of miles, but I do think that they wouldn’t act too far off the way they did in this book.

The Nagas

Great job on creating this unique creature! Though, being a Hindu, it’s not that unique to me, but its portrayal in fantasy setting was priceless. Further goes on to show the hefty work Cole has put in the research. I thank the author for this.

Twists and Turns

I don’t like a spoiler-ish review so I’ll just stick to saying that the book has a few of those twists that leaves you feeling greatly satisfied. Like that time when…

Finally…

I don’t know what I was thinking taking so much time to get on with the second book. This is simply an awesome military fantasy that probably is one of its kind. Action-packed, magical, fantastical, satisfyingly funny, and now a much, much better a story.

Fantasy lovers, do yourself a favor and just read it. M’kay?

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