Series: (Agents of Change #1)
Author: Guy Harrison
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 380
Published: February 13th 2012
My rating: 3 stars
The first thing I could think of when I saw this book was, I love the cover. And, well, the cover is neat. So I proceeded to read the blurb and all the right things caught my eyes. This book, like many others, started off a little slow for me, but eventually is started to get more into the action of the plot.
Calvin Newsome is your above average man who seems to have one of those hearts that really reaches out towards others. He is caring, and a little too easy going on people. Too much for his own good. I guess I kind of liked that about him. I mean, how often do you see a character who is so whiling to do anything to make other peoples lives easier? So his life is just like everyone else's (sprinkled with a few childhood problems), but that all changes when he is recruited by an agency. The Agency of Influence, a group of people who want to do those little deeds that will help ordinary people who are going through hard times.
I found the idea of such an organisation very interesting and original, but there was one aspect of it that threw me in a flurry of questions. The change machine. It is a machine that can give you the power to change into anyone you like. The thing that got me was that on some occasions, when Calvin needed to change into someone, he chose really famous people. Now, how does that really work out? I mean, so I'm at a store, and Oprah just walks in... A little bit unreasonable if you ask me. But the whole change machine didn't throw me off course or anything.
I really liked Calvin's other job. Match making. The thing that I liked about it in particular was how he was willing to help a teenage boy while in the midst of a crisis. That was really touching.
All in all, I believe this book has a lot of potential, but I couldn't find it in myself to add an extra two stars to the three. The plot, in my opinion, just didn't seem... fiction enough. There were too many real life connections. The way the characters talked didn't seem I don't know, fluent enough for me. But everyone has their own opinion. I just happen to like a more fantasy/sci-fi kind of thing. Overall, though, for a first novel, it was well done.
Author: Guy Harrison
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 380
Published: February 13th 2012
My rating: 3 stars
Blurb
An amiable corporate manager by day and a matchmaker whenever he can get around to it, Calvin Newsome's new dream job falls into his lap when he's recruited by a secret worldwide organization whose agents use uncanny abilities to empower and influence everyday downtrodden individuals. Disaster strikes, however, when an elaborate scheme leaves Calvin as a prime murder suspect...and his new employer is presumably to blame.
With the authorities on his heels and his life left in ruin, Calvin uses his new powers to blend in until a journey for freedom becomes a quest for peace. As the agency's rival organization threatens the security of all of earth's inhabitants, he teams up with unlikely allies and battles surprising enemies hellbent on unleashing their power in a twisted version of justice, innocent lives be damned
With the authorities on his heels and his life left in ruin, Calvin uses his new powers to blend in until a journey for freedom becomes a quest for peace. As the agency's rival organization threatens the security of all of earth's inhabitants, he teams up with unlikely allies and battles surprising enemies hellbent on unleashing their power in a twisted version of justice, innocent lives be damned
My Review
The first thing I could think of when I saw this book was, I love the cover. And, well, the cover is neat. So I proceeded to read the blurb and all the right things caught my eyes. This book, like many others, started off a little slow for me, but eventually is started to get more into the action of the plot.
Calvin Newsome is your above average man who seems to have one of those hearts that really reaches out towards others. He is caring, and a little too easy going on people. Too much for his own good. I guess I kind of liked that about him. I mean, how often do you see a character who is so whiling to do anything to make other peoples lives easier? So his life is just like everyone else's (sprinkled with a few childhood problems), but that all changes when he is recruited by an agency. The Agency of Influence, a group of people who want to do those little deeds that will help ordinary people who are going through hard times.
I found the idea of such an organisation very interesting and original, but there was one aspect of it that threw me in a flurry of questions. The change machine. It is a machine that can give you the power to change into anyone you like. The thing that got me was that on some occasions, when Calvin needed to change into someone, he chose really famous people. Now, how does that really work out? I mean, so I'm at a store, and Oprah just walks in... A little bit unreasonable if you ask me. But the whole change machine didn't throw me off course or anything.
I really liked Calvin's other job. Match making. The thing that I liked about it in particular was how he was willing to help a teenage boy while in the midst of a crisis. That was really touching.
All in all, I believe this book has a lot of potential, but I couldn't find it in myself to add an extra two stars to the three. The plot, in my opinion, just didn't seem... fiction enough. There were too many real life connections. The way the characters talked didn't seem I don't know, fluent enough for me. But everyone has their own opinion. I just happen to like a more fantasy/sci-fi kind of thing. Overall, though, for a first novel, it was well done.
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