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Flex Ferrett Steinmetz 9780857664594 Books

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Flex Ferrett Steinmetz 9780857664594 Books

This is a special one. Blew through it in a day and enjoyed it immensely the entire way through. The book's greatest achievement is the congruency between its worldbuilding and its character arcs. The magic system, in which a person's obsessions allow them to twist the laws of probability (which eventually builds up a reservoir of bad luck that blows back upon them in disastrous ways), is amazing, and it accomplishes the rare feat of making it actually fun to see people cast spells, because: a) you wonder how they're going to adapt their particular obsession (i.e. w/ video games or w/ bureaucracy) to the given situation; and b) you know that even if their magic is successful, something terrible will eventually happen to them.

The nature of the magic system makes it very easy to dramatize the main character's primary conflict, which is that if he does nothing, then he'll experience no bad luck, but he'll also be at the mercy of the universe, whereas if he acts, then he can get his way, but he also risks disaster. It's a very human story: the same story that we all face every single day. But in real life it plays out in subtle and far-reaching way that are maybe hard to understand, whereas in this book, the story plays out with explosions. Still, at its core, this story is very personal and relatable and human. It's about a guy who maybe wants to do good, but who mostly wants to patch his family together and live peacefully and ensure a happy & safe life for his daughter. And that's something I've seen rarely enough in fantasy novels that I thought it was really refreshing.

Also, the book is dense and complex. Ferrett is a good student of humanity, and many of the characters, institutions, and situations in the book are startlingly complex. For instance, the main character's employer, Samaritan Mutual, is an evil corporation, but, unlike most evil corporations in fiction, it's a startlingly amorphous and petty evil. There's no evil CEO who forces it to be evil: instead, selfishness and thoughtlessness is bred right down into its bones. The corporation is evil not because of any one person, but because at every level people are rewarded for ignoring people who need help. Anyway, I could go on, but I won't. This one is one of the better fantasy novels I've read in the last five years, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it blew up and became a best-seller or an award-winner.


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Flex Ferrett Steinmetz 9780857664594 Books Reviews

I quite liked it but I find the all 5 stars reviews a bit over the top.

It starts out amazing in the prologue (that's also where the only really graphic sex scene is to be found). And the rules for magic use/backlash and someone's talent are great (Bureaucracy Wizard??? Brilliant). Add the discrimination/bigotry/witch hunting against magic users and addiction angles. The bit where his daughter would hate him if she knew he was a wizard. This story has legs.

The problem is that you have this setup where the magic users are severely constrained by the eventual lashback from the Flux. Awesome idea. But this is presented as a well known problem and all the magic users have to make do with it. In comes the reluctant hero, Mr. Johnny Come Lately and he magically figures out elegant ways around it throughout. Yeah, like none of the previous wizards would have figured them out before. So, basically, the hero more or less bypasses most of the magic use constraints set up in the world building.

He's not perfect (something I hate with main protagonists), but comes close. But he certainly somewhat invalidates a lot of the "magic use is so hard and dangerous" setup that is the main point of the story. So there is a bit of inconsistency going on here although it doesn't really spoil the enjoyment. I hope that with this success under his belt, the author can write up sequels correcting some of my perceived flaws, because there are lots of potential.

Last, this is light reading. Don't expect anything hugely significant besides a novel take on Urban Fantasy.
Synopsis Flex is the first book in the 'Mancer series by Ferrett Steinmetz. Despite my being in the Angry Robot Army review program, I actually had to buy this book since I only have review copies of the succeeding books. It was totally worth it.

Paul Tsabo is a policeman turned insurance investigator, and he has a knack of sniffing out claims that actually involved magic. Magic, or 'mancy as it's called, is highly illegal, especially after a catastrophic incident in Europe. But more and more a sort of drug called Flex is putting mancy in the hands of everyday people unprepared for how to use it. It's a sort of condense 'mancy that can imbue the powers on someone else. But 'mancy means defying the laws of physics - and the universe tends to fight back with Flux, the backlash from wild use of this magic. Paul Tsabo is a great investigator, but he has also recently discovered that he may have a flavor of 'mancy of his own. And when his daughter's life his threatened, he finds himself without any other choice but to use it.

What I Liked Flex has a GREAT concept behind it if you can get past the need for the apostrophe in the term 'mancy. And the apostrophe is there since everyone's magic is unique and their version of magic tends to define the name. Paul quickly reveals to us readers that he has something he calls bureaucramancy, a magic that finds strength in Paul's belief that systems and paperwork make the world go round. His beliefs define his magic and also its limitations - such as how bureaucracy isn't fast and thus his magic must be well planned and thought-out.

Throw in an easy to follow yet pretty detailed writing style, the book is a pleasure to read with some great characters and exciting sequences. Some bits seem a little wobbly, but for a first major book in what has become a continuing series. And I really enjoyed this book from start to finish.

What Could Have Been Better I could quibble about some finer points about how the plot was constructed or maybe how some supporting characters could have been fleshed out. but it doesn't seem all that important given how the book ultimately flowed. The book had it's opportunities, but in the end the overall experience helped get past that stuff.

TL;DR Flex is a great read with some fun ideas about what magic could be like and what forms it may take. And ultimately his magic is all about passions, interests and obsessions, and all that makes the magic feel that much closer within reach.
This is a special one. Blew through it in a day and enjoyed it immensely the entire way through. The book's greatest achievement is the congruency between its worldbuilding and its character arcs. The magic system, in which a person's obsessions allow them to twist the laws of probability (which eventually builds up a reservoir of bad luck that blows back upon them in disastrous ways), is amazing, and it accomplishes the rare feat of making it actually fun to see people cast spells, because a) you wonder how they're going to adapt their particular obsession (i.e. w/ video games or w/ bureaucracy) to the given situation; and b) you know that even if their magic is successful, something terrible will eventually happen to them.

The nature of the magic system makes it very easy to dramatize the main character's primary conflict, which is that if he does nothing, then he'll experience no bad luck, but he'll also be at the mercy of the universe, whereas if he acts, then he can get his way, but he also risks disaster. It's a very human story the same story that we all face every single day. But in real life it plays out in subtle and far-reaching way that are maybe hard to understand, whereas in this book, the story plays out with explosions. Still, at its core, this story is very personal and relatable and human. It's about a guy who maybe wants to do good, but who mostly wants to patch his family together and live peacefully and ensure a happy & safe life for his daughter. And that's something I've seen rarely enough in fantasy novels that I thought it was really refreshing.

Also, the book is dense and complex. Ferrett is a good student of humanity, and many of the characters, institutions, and situations in the book are startlingly complex. For instance, the main character's employer, Samaritan Mutual, is an evil corporation, but, unlike most evil corporations in fiction, it's a startlingly amorphous and petty evil. There's no evil CEO who forces it to be evil instead, selfishness and thoughtlessness is bred right down into its bones. The corporation is evil not because of any one person, but because at every level people are rewarded for ignoring people who need help. Anyway, I could go on, but I won't. This one is one of the better fantasy novels I've read in the last five years, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it blew up and became a best-seller or an award-winner.