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Modi Operandi
The Debian Combine is the most diabolical alliance of twisted madmen ever to plague Central Systems space, or at least they would be if they could get their act together. Instead of ruling the universe, this league of super villains waste their time sabotaging each others devilish schemes and stealing each others lab supplies.
Some in the Combine know this must stop. They know they need an administrator. Somebody with the organizational skills to focus an alliance of madmen, juggle the huge egos they boast, and make the most of their wide variety of skills. Beth Belontalus, a young woman working for the Central Systems Post Service appears to be the ideal candidate. Beth, a smart yet ordinary young woman is kidnapped and dropped into this den of diabolical evil with only one mandate; bring the Combine to its full potential, or perish at the hands of her employers. As Beth tries to find some method in this madness, she will encounter clones with drawn on eyebrows, dancing zombie death disco, abandoned science experiments and biological weapons that are cuddly.
Some in the Combine know this must stop. They know they need an administrator. Somebody with the organizational skills to focus an alliance of madmen, juggle the huge egos they boast, and make the most of their wide variety of skills. Beth Belontalus, a young woman working for the Central Systems Post Service appears to be the ideal candidate. Beth, a smart yet ordinary young woman is kidnapped and dropped into this den of diabolical evil with only one mandate; bring the Combine to its full potential, or perish at the hands of her employers. As Beth tries to find some method in this madness, she will encounter clones with drawn on eyebrows, dancing zombie death disco, abandoned science experiments and biological weapons that are cuddly.
202 pages, ebook
First published February 3, 2014
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 1, 2016
Copy and Paste on two versions of same book???
I found this when I searched the term "henchmen" and that was a genius idea of mine because it led me to delicious, DELICIOUS brilliance!!!! Found the start a leetle bit slow, but it was totally worth it. I found the characters relate-able and awesome. The worldbuilding was great. The plot was cool... EPIC COOL at times and I want the next book with unholy want!!!! Counting down to September...
I found this when I searched the term "henchmen" and that was a genius idea of mine because it led me to delicious, DELICIOUS brilliance!!!! Found the start a leetle bit slow, but it was totally worth it. I found the characters relate-able and awesome. The worldbuilding was great. The plot was cool... EPIC COOL at times and I want the next book with unholy want!!!! Counting down to September...
February 1, 2016
Copy and Paste on two versions of same book???
I found this when I searched the term "henchmen" and that was a genius idea of mine because it led me to delicious, DELICIOUS brilliance!!!! Found the start a leetle bit slow, but it was totally worth it. I found the characters relate-able and awesome. The worldbuilding was great. The plot was cool... EPIC COOL at times and I want the next book with unholy want!!!! Counting down to September...
I found this when I searched the term "henchmen" and that was a genius idea of mine because it led me to delicious, DELICIOUS brilliance!!!! Found the start a leetle bit slow, but it was totally worth it. I found the characters relate-able and awesome. The worldbuilding was great. The plot was cool... EPIC COOL at times and I want the next book with unholy want!!!! Counting down to September...
June 10, 2019
All I have to say is "Where the hell is the next one?"
I got this book more of a whim. I have gotten bored with the whole hero being the main protagonist thing so I wanted something different.
Plot: The Debian Combine is an organisation full of master criminals and the most hunted madmen in the universe. Mad Scientists, galactic pirates, assassin monks, and reporters turned terrorists. They could be a super power in the universe, the problem is their home base is a s***hole and they love screwing each other over.
Seeing that it would be a miracle if they A) didn't kill each other, or B) Their base didn't have a meltdown. one of the master minds decides to kidnap a new team member to sort the place out. Enter Beth.
Beth not only has to survive the crazy antics of the most wanted men and women in the universe but make sure the place is still running at the end of the day.
Characters. I have to say for a first novel the characters seem well rounded. Robinson doesn't just blurt out Beth's main history but slowly suggests that her past is much more complex than her being just another middle management ball breaker. I think many people would like Beth as she tries to handle all of these mad personalities and over-inflated egos.
Target audience. 14+. no swearing, one sex scene which fades to black, and the gore is not extreme. Over all it is a likeable book. There is no main antagonist rather than Beth trying survive the day without dying.
Similar books. I suppose 'Johannes Cabal the Necromancer', or if you remember the 80's stuff 'Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold' might be close to it. 'Eville' and 'How to Succeed in Evil' would have to be the closet books.
This book was published in 2014 so where is the next one?
I got this book more of a whim. I have gotten bored with the whole hero being the main protagonist thing so I wanted something different.
Plot: The Debian Combine is an organisation full of master criminals and the most hunted madmen in the universe. Mad Scientists, galactic pirates, assassin monks, and reporters turned terrorists. They could be a super power in the universe, the problem is their home base is a s***hole and they love screwing each other over.
Seeing that it would be a miracle if they A) didn't kill each other, or B) Their base didn't have a meltdown. one of the master minds decides to kidnap a new team member to sort the place out. Enter Beth.
Beth not only has to survive the crazy antics of the most wanted men and women in the universe but make sure the place is still running at the end of the day.
Characters. I have to say for a first novel the characters seem well rounded. Robinson doesn't just blurt out Beth's main history but slowly suggests that her past is much more complex than her being just another middle management ball breaker. I think many people would like Beth as she tries to handle all of these mad personalities and over-inflated egos.
Target audience. 14+. no swearing, one sex scene which fades to black, and the gore is not extreme. Over all it is a likeable book. There is no main antagonist rather than Beth trying survive the day without dying.
Similar books. I suppose 'Johannes Cabal the Necromancer', or if you remember the 80's stuff 'Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold' might be close to it. 'Eville' and 'How to Succeed in Evil' would have to be the closet books.
This book was published in 2014 so where is the next one?
September 9, 2016
This is a great read in what I understand to be Robinson's burgeoning period of writing. The author doesn't mess around and gets straight into the fray. I only have two criticisms, the first being the intention of the author to create a strong female character which is always welcomed with open arms. However, I'd like to see the protagonists vices and flaws ventilated more. It's one thing to create a strong female character, but it's another to make them pique the readers interest on deeper levels. To be perfectly imperfect. This is hard to do. I refer critics to Jean M. Auel's Earths Children saga and how it wasn't until the 4th book did Auel, a writer with decades of experience, fully explore the protagonists shortcomings. Strong is good but strong and interesting is even better. My second criticism is the choice of cover art. I personally like cover art that is less detailed so I can make up my own mind about the world. I also think that it doesn't accurately reflect the maturity of the landscape Robinson has deftly created. The world is excellently described with just the right amount of detail and care that evokes images of a Red Dwarf world but allows the reader to fill in the gaps.
January 10, 2017
Don't stall out over the first few pages of set-up. It's not too bad, but get through it and the rest of the book is a fast, fun read.
I liked Beth, the main character, who had a lot of common sense and a lot of heart. She seems a bit stuffy at first, but during the course of the book, she learns a lot about herself, and that maybe she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does. With that said, she also learns that she has a valuable skill set, and they're very much needed in the place she ends up.
Some of the villains turned out to be very interesting also. Colorful, at least. Some are just as bad as expected, some turn out to be okay. There was a lot of morally gray areas in this book, which I liked.
The ending wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, but close. The main storyline is wrapped up, but there's a lot of room for more exploration in this universe.
I liked Beth, the main character, who had a lot of common sense and a lot of heart. She seems a bit stuffy at first, but during the course of the book, she learns a lot about herself, and that maybe she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does. With that said, she also learns that she has a valuable skill set, and they're very much needed in the place she ends up.
Some of the villains turned out to be very interesting also. Colorful, at least. Some are just as bad as expected, some turn out to be okay. There was a lot of morally gray areas in this book, which I liked.
The ending wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, but close. The main storyline is wrapped up, but there's a lot of room for more exploration in this universe.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews