Official Review: MXX: Agent Soldier by Donald Schlising
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NanoWasabi
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Official Review: MXX: Agent Soldier by Donald Schlising
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "MXX: Agent Soldier" by Donald Schlising.]
4 out of 4 stars
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MXX: Agent Soldier, written by Donald Schlising, is a very action oriented book, with a good plot to keep you interested. There are likable characters, and unlikable ones, all of which are memorable, and dynamic combat, or as dynamic as it can get in book format. I enjoyed reading this very much, and felt myself hooked on the suspense. All in all, this book is definitely a worthy entry in the sci-fi genre.
The story is told from the perspective of Maxx, an Agent Soldier who is trying to complete a contract for his employers, the Solonians. We are never explicitly told what an “Agent Soldier” is, but from what I could gather, they are the crew of ships for hire. These ships can perform any type of mission; Maxx’s current mission is cargo delivery. Unfortunately, the UG (Unified Governments) also want the cargo, and will stop at nothing to get it. After being attacked by the UG, Maxx is separated from his ship, and must somehow locate it and bring the cargo safely to the Solonians before the UG finds it. Other complications arise when the Solonians decide they are through waiting for the cargo and hire a group of mercenaries to retrieve the cargo by force.
These mercenaries have their work cut out for them, because Maxx is probably the most hardcore character I have ever read about. He shows almost no emotional weakness, and is only defeated once in hand to hand combat, despite his insistence to not use the illegal body enhancement chips known as JaCs that can make a person stronger, faster, and even pain resistant. Maxx’s character development was one of my favourite parts of the book; we see him transform from a merciless killing machine to someone who views his crew as friends of a sort.
One thing this author is really good at is withholding information. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found it quite annoying. Maxx’s backstory remains a complete mystery throughout the entire book; only his semi-romance with ex-crew member Liriana gives us any idea what his past is like. His mysterious “MXX” tattoo, his resentment towards the government, and the title “Agent Soldier” are never explained. There are going to be more books in the series where these things can be covered, however, I still would have liked more knowledge about the main character. Also, the prologue, while interesting, had almost no bearing on the rest of the story, which made me wonder how necessary it was.
As for editing, this book gets an award for very few typos. There were still one or two spots that had incorrect word usage, but it was nice reading through a book where the author knew what he was doing in terms of grammar. This, together with the excellent plot, action, and characters, gets this book a solid 4 out of 4 stars. This is one of the most exciting books I have read, and I am eager to see more by this author.
******
MXX: Agent Soldier
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4 out of 4 stars
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MXX: Agent Soldier, written by Donald Schlising, is a very action oriented book, with a good plot to keep you interested. There are likable characters, and unlikable ones, all of which are memorable, and dynamic combat, or as dynamic as it can get in book format. I enjoyed reading this very much, and felt myself hooked on the suspense. All in all, this book is definitely a worthy entry in the sci-fi genre.
The story is told from the perspective of Maxx, an Agent Soldier who is trying to complete a contract for his employers, the Solonians. We are never explicitly told what an “Agent Soldier” is, but from what I could gather, they are the crew of ships for hire. These ships can perform any type of mission; Maxx’s current mission is cargo delivery. Unfortunately, the UG (Unified Governments) also want the cargo, and will stop at nothing to get it. After being attacked by the UG, Maxx is separated from his ship, and must somehow locate it and bring the cargo safely to the Solonians before the UG finds it. Other complications arise when the Solonians decide they are through waiting for the cargo and hire a group of mercenaries to retrieve the cargo by force.
These mercenaries have their work cut out for them, because Maxx is probably the most hardcore character I have ever read about. He shows almost no emotional weakness, and is only defeated once in hand to hand combat, despite his insistence to not use the illegal body enhancement chips known as JaCs that can make a person stronger, faster, and even pain resistant. Maxx’s character development was one of my favourite parts of the book; we see him transform from a merciless killing machine to someone who views his crew as friends of a sort.
One thing this author is really good at is withholding information. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found it quite annoying. Maxx’s backstory remains a complete mystery throughout the entire book; only his semi-romance with ex-crew member Liriana gives us any idea what his past is like. His mysterious “MXX” tattoo, his resentment towards the government, and the title “Agent Soldier” are never explained. There are going to be more books in the series where these things can be covered, however, I still would have liked more knowledge about the main character. Also, the prologue, while interesting, had almost no bearing on the rest of the story, which made me wonder how necessary it was.
As for editing, this book gets an award for very few typos. There were still one or two spots that had incorrect word usage, but it was nice reading through a book where the author knew what he was doing in terms of grammar. This, together with the excellent plot, action, and characters, gets this book a solid 4 out of 4 stars. This is one of the most exciting books I have read, and I am eager to see more by this author.
******
MXX: Agent Soldier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Barnes and Noble
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Latest Review: Lemoncella Cocktail by Rene Natan
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schlising
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I’m honored that you’ve read my novel and posted this detailed review. Thank you so very much for your time and honest feedback. I can’t thank you enough.
Don
Don
