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Order of Scion #1

Latent Prowess: Order of Scion Book 1

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They say one wrong decision can ruin your life…     But one right decision, made at the right time, can make the difference between a life well lived, and a truly spectacular life.
Mitch Murphy’s life is at a dead end.  He hasn’t been decisive in a decade, and after being overlooked and taken advantage of for so long, he’s practically invisible.  But all that is about to change.

Latent Technologies has discovered the secret formula for unlocking the untapped abilities inside each of us.  It’s a process that can transform an average guy like Mitch Murphy into almost superhuman proportions if he survives the procedure.  The only catch is that to get Latency Enhancement you have to enlist in the Colonial Marines and agree to leave Earth behind forever.


Humans aren’t the only intelligent species in the galaxy, but they are very much alone in what they are learning is a very hostile universe.  New Terra is the only colonized world outside the Sol system, and holding onto it is getting harder every single day.  But mankind might just be on the cusp of something they have yet to imagine exists.  They are being watched by the mysterious Order of Scion and soon the entire universe might just be at their doorstep.


Latent Prowess is the first book in an epic Science Fiction series by master storyteller Toby Neighbors.  After publishing ninety-nine novels, he finally felt ready to tackle the grandest story of his career.  What starts as a military Sci-Fi story will become a sweeping epic of humanity’s entrance into an old, old struggle that holds the entire universe in its grip.  It is a tale filled with wonder, amazing power, and the conflict that is as old as time itself.  Latent Prowess is sure to become your next obsession.  You’ll want to read this one again and again.

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2024

355 people are currently reading
69 people want to read

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Toby Neighbors

157 books267 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Per Gunnar.
1,330 reviews76 followers
April 4, 2024
Review of book 1 and 2:

This is one of those books where I really felt I had to read more than the first book in the series before reviewing it. The first book did a lot of setting up but it kind of ended just when we got to the real story.

I like the story. That is what got and kept my interest while reading.

The premise of some regular guy having a really shitty day enlisting for some experimental treatment turning him into a super-marine is already a good start for me. Then we have the Order of Scion which take it to the next level although it takes the entire first book until they are introduced in the last few pages. That is essentially why I really wanted to read the second book before reviewing it.

Apart from the story, which I liked so far, the main protagonist is an overall likable, and competent, guy. Of course he turns out to be a bit more than the rest of the marines, hence the interest from the Order of Scion.

There is a lot of action, marine action, in these books. It is overall quite well made. There are some quirks in the story and the universe the author has created though. It is not always very plausible and sometimes downright bizarre. Especially some of the aliens encountered on New Terra. Here we enter more into science fantasy than science fiction.

But then when the Order of Scion is introduced and we go on to the second book, well then the story is pretty much turned full on into a science fiction and fantasy hybrid.

It is still not bad though and I do wish to see where the story goes.

One thing that really drags down the books though is this utter asshole of a General who only cares about how he will look and his own career. This moron does not shy away from sacrificing his soldiers or nuke a planet just so he can look good. That kind of thing just pisses me off.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,245 reviews53 followers
March 17, 2024
Ok, I don’t think I’m on the dumb side of intelligence, but I had to look up the word “prowess”. It’s not a word is see use very often and I had not idea what it meant. According to my dictionary, prowess means “skill or expertise in a particular activity or field”. It also can mean, “bravery in battle”. So, in my opinion, this title fits this story perfectly even if it sounds a little strange.

Mitch Murphy is the worst bad luck guy in the world. He’s in a rut of a job that he’s held for ten years with the same company, never seeing a promotion or any suggestions that he might get advanced upward. Of course he’s not really ambitious nor is he what you would call a hard charger. He does his job well and that’s about it. He married a college sweetheart who didn’t finish college because she wanted to stay at home while he worked. That was fine for a few years, but his wife also had some expensive shopping habits. Mitch tried to keep up with her demands for more stuff and even purchase an apartment that he really couldn’t afford and now he was heavily in debt.

His debts were so large that he would never pay them off if things kept going the way they were. Something had to change, but Mitch wasn’t actually looking for change. He just didn’t know what to do but keep on doing the same exact thing every day. That is until one day he goes to his office and his assigned cubicle only to be called to the Boss’ office. He’s been terminated. Pack your stuff and leave. No fanfare, no thanks for giving ten years of your life to this company and by the way, send in the pregnant woman in the office, she’s next to get fired! Mitch’s bad day just turned into a very horrible day, but it wasn’t finished yet.

As Mitch had nothing to and no where to go, he figured he’d go home and with his wife’s help, they would figure out what to do next. They’d have to sell the apartment, for sure, and contact some of their lenders to let them know they’d probably get future behind on payments until he found another job. Mitch was 33 and his college degree was in finance, but he was no financial wizard as confirmed by his mountain of debts. Upon arriving at his apartment, he notices that he left some of his clothes scattered on the bedroom floor. He also notices that his wife must have just gotten up since the bed wasn’t made and she was in the shower.

Then Mitch looks at the clothes he just picked up. This was definitely not his kind of clothing. He goes near the shower and here’s his wife laughing which she seldom does and also notices two bodies in the fogged over shower door! Mitch’s wife was obviously having an affair. Still, being the spineless guy he was, he didn’t want to confront her and whoever the guy was, so he fled the apartment. So what’s he supposed to do now?

Fortunately for him, he notices some advertising that talks about a new recruiting program for the Colonial Marines. Humanity had been to the stars for several centuries now and had even found a gateway to another system with a habitatal planet that humanity has started colonizing. Unfortunately, this planet was also attacking other aliens life forms and they didn’t like humans on the planet. So, naturally, humanity fought back. But, they were barely winning. They had to come up with something to counter the aliens superiority.

This is where the new Latent Tech comes into the picture/book. They needed healthy humans from Earth to agree to join the Colonial Marine Corps and agree to allow themselves to be put through a series of bio-enhancements. Mitch found a Marine recruiting office and inquired about the program. He was subjected to some scans of his entire body before they would even talk to him. Once that was done, the recruiter seemed pleased with the results. He told Mitch that he was a good candidate for the Latent Tech program. If he did sign he would get the following benefits. All his debts would be paid and his apartment mortgage would be paid for a full year!

The only problem with this program, which the recruiter didn’t tell Mitch was that the failure/success rate in using the Latent Tech serum was about 50/50. In other words, he could die just as easily as it doing any good for him. On the flip-side, if he took to the serum, he would be physically changed into a stronger, faster and healthier human and he would be a Marine, getting paid while not having any debts at all. Mitch figured that if he died, he would be better off than now, but if he lived, he’d be a new person and could change his life.

Little did Mitch know that his life was drastically going to change forever. See, Mitch turns out to be the best candidate for the Latent Talent Tech. He just had to survive what comes after it.

Great story that’s going to have a very interesting ending. I’m definitely going to follow this series. I really like stories where the human isn’t the weakling Earthling that gets shoved around by all the aliens. Mitch does some shoving himself. Still, this is not a real good reflection on the Colonial Marine Corps. You need to read the book to find out why. Book 2, “Gravity Masters”, now available on Amazon.
Profile Image for Michael  Keller.
943 reviews11 followers
March 7, 2024
True warriors

Mankind's ability to control their growth was awakened with the ability to access and awaken latent abilities. Mitch Murphy was a failure in his life. Well schooled and trained in his chosen field, he seemed to lack ambition or desire to advance from his entry level occupation. Unhappy in both life and love, Mitch was ready for change. He found his path to genetic manipulation which accessed some latent abilities in the bodies and minds of the Marines in the program. From the beginning of his transformation, Mitch was unlike any other candidates ever. The latent abilities he was discovering weren't limited to a few improvements he could learn to control. Mitch was empowering all of his abilities! Strength, speed, control of his physical and mental prowess gave Mitch unheard of power and abilities advanced over anyone in the program previously. With great power and control came responsibility. He became the super soldier that the program strived for.
Great characters and an exciting storyline written by a master storyteller, this is going to be an amazing series! The opening story is as exciting as it was eye-opening! This is a great read and is going to be an amazing series!
23 reviews
March 27, 2024
A great beginning to a series!!

Mitch Murphy, a down on his luck person with mediocre past performance, sees a Marine
recruitment advertisement for the Colonial Marines. Hearing others debate the poster, Mitch continues on to work. He is fired as soon as he arrives. Returning home he walks I to his wife having sex with another man. He leaves, goes to A bar, then the Marine recruitment office. There he volunteers to be an enhanced special forces operator. His life is changed. Well worth the read!!
3 reviews1 follower
May 20, 2024
Another Interesting Series

So there is a Toby Neighbor’s formula: Stage 1: loser guy discovers a different world exists, Stage 2: he becomes a different person while dealing with internal and external adversaries, Stage 3: usually has evil, self serving leadership to deal with, Stage 4: gets abandoned, Stage 5: rallies remaining humans and wins.

This series seemed to be following SSG Van Horn but did an interesting twist at the end.

All the above being said, I still enjoyed myself and look forward to watching the rest of the story unfold.
Profile Image for Tom Steele.
97 reviews8 followers
July 5, 2024
Like a child’s version of the military- very amateurish

This is very amateurish writing. There’s nothing offensive about it, it’s just lightweight. The idea of sending someone into command after a week of training.

The story might be more believable if the process took longer (like months or years) but the idea that a mid level office worker could command space marines with a week of training is hard to swallow.

Parts of it feel like 1950’s sci-fi and part of it feels like a millennial’s idea of what the military should be…

Cannot recommend this one.
55 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2024
Fantastic Future

Loved this story! From a very prosaic beginning, it morphs into a great action story with fantastic beings and locations. The action is gripping and realistic especially when the extraterrestrial environment is considered. The main character is very likeable and I look forward into reading more novels about him especially with these new Interesting characters just Introduced!
54 reviews
March 8, 2024
SIFI has been getting a bit stale for me, but this book brought back my curiosity again!

I loved the writing, subject, and excitement. As I said in the title SIFI books layely have seemed to blend together and have not caught my imagination as they once did. This book tho caused that excitement to re-light and brought me back to the wonders of the genra! Thanks Toby, keep it up!
843 reviews3 followers
March 24, 2024
Book 1

Book 1 was disappointing. The overall had potential, but was repetitive and had a lot of filler information. The character's development was slow and was predictable. The plot did not pick up until the end and was a lot about training and the like. The characters did not do much other than train and get to know each other. Fighting the aliens was also a bit slow and a lot of back and forth running around the planet and base.
260 reviews3 followers
April 5, 2024
Quite Simplistic

A good author branches out and I am not overly impressed with the quality of this work. Quite simplistic in execution. A marriage gone south, escape to “the marines”, become a super soldier and an officer in combat against aliens on a distant colony world in less than 2 months. Fight a last stand, survive, and get rescued by the mighty mystic alien ninja priest warriors and join them?
188 reviews7 followers
April 8, 2024
Just no

Where to begin with this? We have an MC who is a complete loser cu*k, literally pays for his wife to be comfortable with her lover when he runs away, who becomes a ripped off captain america, and also a chosen one for humanity to be picked up by alien priests serving space Jesus who wants to show him the way. Seriously, this is such a cluster fu** of a book I have nothing more to say than “Just no”.
1,211 reviews17 followers
June 20, 2024
Great MC excellent world building and storytelling.

What can I say, this book hit on all cylinders. Very likable MC great world building. Good story. I don’t usually give five stars to a lot of authors and I don’t think I’ve ever given a five star review to Mr. neighbors, but this is a book that hit it out of the ballpark. I will be jumping on the next book as soon as I finish this review. Eagerly wanting to find out where the story is going, don’t miss this book.
138 reviews4 followers
February 26, 2024
The plot seems to be sort of disjointed

The plot is one that has been used a lot over the past few years but is presented in s disjointed v and confusing manner. The Author keeps the story moving and ends it in a jerky discombobulated way , but leaving the reader wanting more of the silly mess.
100 reviews
March 14, 2024
upheaval on many levels

Betrayal, risk, experimental, total, life change, thrill and unexpected consequences for Murphy. A super charged entry into military life in a brutal fight for life on a planet a long way from earth.
Many aliens wanting control of the planet and eventually Murphy stands as earth’s final hope here.
Then a massive twist.
Great stuff!
677 reviews
July 8, 2024
A truly exciting and entertaining series!!!!!

Congratulations to Toby Neighbors for this amazing series. It’s extremely hard to find such an interesting( and exciting author who not only writes intelligently but also provides top rated plots, characters and excitement in the stories. I’m really looking forward to the next book.
8 reviews
August 21, 2024
Formulaic and poorly edited

The setup for our protagonist was lazy and trope driven. Post-setup, we have a miraculously perfect (but still learning!) protagonist who inevitably succeeded at all he turns his hand to.

Lots of simple errors in the text: wracked Vs racked, there's Vs theirs etc etc.

Overall? Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either
159 reviews
August 31, 2024
Another outstanding series!

I don’t know how Mr. Neighbors keep coming up with these fantastic stories. I’ve read some of his other works and knew that this series would also be a delight. He does not disappoint. Insanely creative plot, really interesting characters and beautiful writing.
8 reviews
February 23, 2024
A truly great story

I was ending another story then began checking stories displayed below, this story caught my attention making me download and began enthralled with the story.

Now finished the first volume I am eagerly waiting for the second volume is March
771 reviews4 followers
February 26, 2024
latent Prowess: book 1

Wow this book has it all. A great storyline with a hero that you wish you were. I can not wait for book 2. This series maybe one of the few times I would buy the sequel book, instead of waiting for it to come ou on unlimited.
26 reviews
March 8, 2024
More and more interesting...

I've been reading this series for quite some time now. And I will certainly continue doing so. I'm sure it will be very interesting as it progresses. It's been keeping me guessing, no doubt about that!
Profile Image for Gerald Doyon.
24 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2024
Great story line and action'!

This book has a very familiar story line but the characters are well fleshed out and has a good story arc. Plus, who doesn't like high tech and fights with aliens?! I can not wait to read the next book.
61 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2024
What a cliff hanger!!

I think I've already downloaded the next book! ...I'm ready to continue the story..I LIKE IT!!
The basic idea is a super human who is a marine...classic situations but filled in story lines. I'm ready for the next.

937 reviews9 followers
July 7, 2024
An outstanding start to a new series

Absolutely brilliant sci-fi action. Super soldiers, aliens, bugs and war.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one.
2 reviews
February 15, 2024
loved this book

I thought this book was so well thought out All the characters were interesting and want to see more of them. Can’t wait for more. Good book 👍
5 reviews
February 18, 2024
Excellent book

Easy to read and this make read it in less than 3 days.

I'm looking forward to read the next one in the series.
Profile Image for Robert Savage.
37 reviews
February 22, 2024
eh

Going great right until it fell on its face at the end. Real good premise, kinda like Total Recall but then introduced Jedi like super aliens and it went to crap.
5 reviews
February 22, 2024
great book couldn’t put it down

Lead character was likable and the story was imaginative. It makes you wonder what come next. I can’t wait to get the next book.
19 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2024
Another Toby Neighbors masterpiece

Wow, again. Excitement, drama, action, good people, great characters, no bad language , and a great hero.wonderful read. Thank you Tony.
86 reviews
March 13, 2024
It’s a trash novel ie man down on his luck bad job bad life signs up for medical research and gets super abilities etc etc he saves this he saves that yawn
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
334 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2024
Slow at first but then the story and plot evolved quickly and kept going......... Ready for the next
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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