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Action Figures #2
Black Magic Women
The world is full of magic…and it wants the Hero Squad dead.
Winter in Kingsport heats up when the necromancer Black Betty comes to town, on the hunt for the Libris Infernalis, a legendary book of dark magic with the power to raise hell on Earth...literally.
Facing power beyond their understanding, the Hero Squad turns to the Protectorate’s resident sorceress for help, but the mysterious Dr. Enigma seems to have an agenda of her own. Is she on the side of angels, or is she a devil in disguise?
Winter in Kingsport heats up when the necromancer Black Betty comes to town, on the hunt for the Libris Infernalis, a legendary book of dark magic with the power to raise hell on Earth...literally.
Facing power beyond their understanding, the Hero Squad turns to the Protectorate’s resident sorceress for help, but the mysterious Dr. Enigma seems to have an agenda of her own. Is she on the side of angels, or is she a devil in disguise?
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2014
8 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Michael C. Bailey
29 books35 followersMichael C. Bailey is a professional writer from Falmouth, Massachusetts who kind of hates writing bios.
Michael has been a working writer since 1998 when he simultaneously (and at the same time) sold his first freelance article to Renaissance Magazine and landed a job as a staff reporter for the Enterprise Newspapers. Michael recently ended his time at the Enterprise to focus on his creative writing.
Over the years Michael has contributed several more articles to Renaissance Magazine and other local publications, and has since 2004 been a staff writer for two New England-based renaissance faire production companies: Pastimes Entertainment and the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
In September 2013, Michael's debut novel "Action Figures" became available on Amazon.com.
Michael has been a working writer since 1998 when he simultaneously (and at the same time) sold his first freelance article to Renaissance Magazine and landed a job as a staff reporter for the Enterprise Newspapers. Michael recently ended his time at the Enterprise to focus on his creative writing.
Over the years Michael has contributed several more articles to Renaissance Magazine and other local publications, and has since 2004 been a staff writer for two New England-based renaissance faire production companies: Pastimes Entertainment and the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
In September 2013, Michael's debut novel "Action Figures" became available on Amazon.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 13, 2015
If you have read the first book, you know who Carrie and the team are so I'm not going to focus on that in this review. If you don't, go and read book one and then come back to visit. Rather than discuss the plot (which is entirely satisfying) I wanted to touch on style.
Michael Bailey has successfully continued the momentum that was created in the first book. The brisk story pacing and attention to detail in the character development continue unabated and the story feels like a natural hand off of the previous endeavor. I dove in and was immediately rewarded with an experience worthy of my time.
As with the first book, this is a guilty pleasure. It's a riveting, rip-through-it kind of read that I devoured in a day or so. I had to know what was going to happen to this group of people that I now cared about. The believable characters get deeper and the story arcs get developed a bit more while becoming more complex leaving the door wide open for future development in many ways.
Bailey is really starting to wrap his narrative hand around the world he's created and once again we find ourselves (and by "ourselves" I naturally mean "me" while encouraging you) drawn into this group and finding them fleshed out and even more human than in the first go 'round. The longer that he settles into this town he's created, the more it seems to feel like a real place. There's a certain coffee shop that I wish was within the hour drive it takes me to get to the Cape.
One giant point in Michael Bailey's favor from the point of view of this reader is continuous authoring. Rather than descending into repetition in subsequent novels as so many authors do, the new book takes some of what was covered before as a given. This frees up pages and word counts to devote to the new book rather than using a rehash to fill out a publisher's book size demand.
While not rehashing seems like a minor quibble, when I read a sequel and the author covers the description of something like a regular hangout, I'm always taken out of the feeling of "being there" when it's obvious that a page or two of text is a cut and paste from an earlier novel. Since I use money that I work for to pay for my books, I always feel cheated - even if only by a few cents.
In stark contrast to this practice, Bailey focuses on different aspects of the same location in each of these novels and employs a style akin to pointillism. This lets each version stand on its own. Yet, when taken in sequence the instances work in tandem to flesh out your mental picture of the place being visited.
Thank you for Michael for not being lazy and for making a world that I can't wait to revisit. If you read this review, I thank you for your efforts, but please stop wasting time and get back to the next installment already!
Michael Bailey has successfully continued the momentum that was created in the first book. The brisk story pacing and attention to detail in the character development continue unabated and the story feels like a natural hand off of the previous endeavor. I dove in and was immediately rewarded with an experience worthy of my time.
As with the first book, this is a guilty pleasure. It's a riveting, rip-through-it kind of read that I devoured in a day or so. I had to know what was going to happen to this group of people that I now cared about. The believable characters get deeper and the story arcs get developed a bit more while becoming more complex leaving the door wide open for future development in many ways.
Bailey is really starting to wrap his narrative hand around the world he's created and once again we find ourselves (and by "ourselves" I naturally mean "me" while encouraging you) drawn into this group and finding them fleshed out and even more human than in the first go 'round. The longer that he settles into this town he's created, the more it seems to feel like a real place. There's a certain coffee shop that I wish was within the hour drive it takes me to get to the Cape.
One giant point in Michael Bailey's favor from the point of view of this reader is continuous authoring. Rather than descending into repetition in subsequent novels as so many authors do, the new book takes some of what was covered before as a given. This frees up pages and word counts to devote to the new book rather than using a rehash to fill out a publisher's book size demand.
While not rehashing seems like a minor quibble, when I read a sequel and the author covers the description of something like a regular hangout, I'm always taken out of the feeling of "being there" when it's obvious that a page or two of text is a cut and paste from an earlier novel. Since I use money that I work for to pay for my books, I always feel cheated - even if only by a few cents.
In stark contrast to this practice, Bailey focuses on different aspects of the same location in each of these novels and employs a style akin to pointillism. This lets each version stand on its own. Yet, when taken in sequence the instances work in tandem to flesh out your mental picture of the place being visited.
Thank you for Michael for not being lazy and for making a world that I can't wait to revisit. If you read this review, I thank you for your efforts, but please stop wasting time and get back to the next installment already!
July 10, 2014
Another winner -- buy it if you read the first book in the series and liked it. I was not thrilled with the plot summary as described on amazon, but decided to buy it anyway since the first book was so well written. Thankfully the second book is just as entertaining and I now await the third one :-)
July 8, 2018
At least as good as the first one, though somewhat shorter. I am also reading The King in Yellow at the same time, and I suddenly realized that Kingsport MA is an entirely fictional town made up by H. P. Lovecraft -- who gets other bits and pieces of love in this book. Nicely done, Mr. Bailey. Nicely done.
February 16, 2016
Issue One was, no wait, let me tackle that first. What’s up with “Issue”? I realize that it’s a superhero book, but I repeat, it’s a book. None of these are equivalent to a comic book issue. They are more equivalent to a comic book collection or graphic novel. I mean, issues are roughly 26 to 32 pages in length and tend to, not always, but tend to be fragments, bits and pieces of a larger story. This book and the previous one are more than fragments. They are not the entire story in terms of ‘person born, did stuff, died’ but they are an entire story for what they tell. It helps to have read the previous book to fully ‘get’ this book here, but there is an entire story in the first book, and an entire story in this book. So these are not issues.
Basically, what I am saying is that the whole ‘issue’ thing is bugging me and making me all annoyed and stuff. A short story would be closer to an issue. These are not short stories. These are books. Technically, to go with the ‘comic book’ theme that is attempted by using ‘issue’, the author should have used ‘volume’. Volume One: Secret Origins. Volume Two: Black Magic Women. Etc. Or, if you wanted to pull tv fandom into it, Episode.
Right. Where was I? Oh right. So, Issue One: Secret Origins was heavily science fiction-y, what with an alien falling from the sky, passing his powers over to a young woman. And add in that the main villain was an artificial intelligence. What’s more science fiction-y than an intelligent computer, eh? Well, here, in Issue Two: Black Magic Women, the main villain is all magic-y and stuff. Technically, the first involves an evil corporation, and the second involves demons from alternate dimensions which are hell-ish, but let’s just go with ‘issue one – science fiction’, ‘issue two – magic’.
There’s another of those openings at the start of this book, but no references to anything like ‘I’m recording this with a camera’ or anything like that, so the multiple point of view changes, and the numerous scenes that Carrie would not have been able to have had knowledge about does not hurt the integrity of the book like it did in the first book. The first book was tied to a young woman recounting what had happened to her during the prior year. This time, Carrie is still the main focus, but others have their tiny little moments in the sun, and it doesn’t pull me out of the story like it did last book. Since, as I noted, there is no indication that everything was being told a year after the events had occurred. And told through Carrie’s eyes. I feel like I’m both beating a dead horse and not accurately conveying what I wish to convey, but whatever.
In terms of characterizations – the first book was better there. In terms of plot . . . um . . . there were good solid plot lines in both books I’ve read.
One thing I will note – even though there were more than one science obsessed person who threw their hands up and muttered every time magic started to be talked about, or shown, I liked how there actually was some potential framework underlying the magic. More indirectly expressed than directly, but there.
Basically, what I am saying is that the whole ‘issue’ thing is bugging me and making me all annoyed and stuff. A short story would be closer to an issue. These are not short stories. These are books. Technically, to go with the ‘comic book’ theme that is attempted by using ‘issue’, the author should have used ‘volume’. Volume One: Secret Origins. Volume Two: Black Magic Women. Etc. Or, if you wanted to pull tv fandom into it, Episode.
Right. Where was I? Oh right. So, Issue One: Secret Origins was heavily science fiction-y, what with an alien falling from the sky, passing his powers over to a young woman. And add in that the main villain was an artificial intelligence. What’s more science fiction-y than an intelligent computer, eh? Well, here, in Issue Two: Black Magic Women, the main villain is all magic-y and stuff. Technically, the first involves an evil corporation, and the second involves demons from alternate dimensions which are hell-ish, but let’s just go with ‘issue one – science fiction’, ‘issue two – magic’.
There’s another of those openings at the start of this book, but no references to anything like ‘I’m recording this with a camera’ or anything like that, so the multiple point of view changes, and the numerous scenes that Carrie would not have been able to have had knowledge about does not hurt the integrity of the book like it did in the first book. The first book was tied to a young woman recounting what had happened to her during the prior year. This time, Carrie is still the main focus, but others have their tiny little moments in the sun, and it doesn’t pull me out of the story like it did last book. Since, as I noted, there is no indication that everything was being told a year after the events had occurred. And told through Carrie’s eyes. I feel like I’m both beating a dead horse and not accurately conveying what I wish to convey, but whatever.
In terms of characterizations – the first book was better there. In terms of plot . . . um . . . there were good solid plot lines in both books I’ve read.
One thing I will note – even though there were more than one science obsessed person who threw their hands up and muttered every time magic started to be talked about, or shown, I liked how there actually was some potential framework underlying the magic. More indirectly expressed than directly, but there.
April 11, 2014
I read Action Figures—Issue One: Secret Origins when it first came out and really liked it, so I was looking forward to reading this sequel. Second books in series often aren't as good, so I was thrilled when Bailey's follow up was just as strong as the first. Issue Two follows the Hero Squad again, this time as they tussle with super-villains of the magical variety. I loved the tension between science and magic that's included in the book and, as in the first book, there's a great balance between action and everyday non-superhero drama. We continue to see Carrie and her friends grapple with romance, family relationships, and growing up. The new characters introduced here are fun and we get to know some of the secondary characters better, too. Bailey hints at some more reveals to come within the series, so I'm looking forward to what he writes next. Overall, definitely worth a read.
August 20, 2018
This is a fun read!
I have enjoyed both the first two books very much. The characters are very relatable, and the action scenes are great. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed The Hungarian Games, or The Avengers.
I have enjoyed both the first two books very much. The characters are very relatable, and the action scenes are great. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed The Hungarian Games, or The Avengers.
August 18, 2016
In only two books, Michael Bailey has made a complete fanboy out of me.
I love comic book stories, and superhero stories, and YA stories, so this book, just like the previous one in the series, is right in my wheelhouse.
Mr. Bailey, if you read this, let me say: I have read many, many books with great heroines, but Carrie has just zoomed into my Top Ten of All Time (and believe me, Missy isn't far behind, I totally heart Missy like gangbusters). These two, along with their cohorts Sara, Matt and Stuart - the indefatigable "Hero Squad" - are the centerpieces for one of the coolest and kickassingest high-school dramas I've ever read.
This time out, the world of science and magic collide as a demon who calls herself Black Betty has cropped up on the east coast, with designs to unleash, literally, hell on earth. Things go from bad to worse in a flash, and even though we have a cornucopia of superheroes to counter the problem, it may not be enough.
What is so great about these books is that it goes far beyond the "BAM!" "OOF!" "SPLAT!" one might expect. There are human beings under these costumes, with the same feelings, insecurities and problems that so-called "normal" people have. Superheroing is a dangerous business, fraught with lethal dangers, and Bailey never lets us forget that.
I'm moving RIGHT on to Book #3. If you haven't started this series yet.... start. Now.
I love comic book stories, and superhero stories, and YA stories, so this book, just like the previous one in the series, is right in my wheelhouse.
Mr. Bailey, if you read this, let me say: I have read many, many books with great heroines, but Carrie has just zoomed into my Top Ten of All Time (and believe me, Missy isn't far behind, I totally heart Missy like gangbusters). These two, along with their cohorts Sara, Matt and Stuart - the indefatigable "Hero Squad" - are the centerpieces for one of the coolest and kickassingest high-school dramas I've ever read.
This time out, the world of science and magic collide as a demon who calls herself Black Betty has cropped up on the east coast, with designs to unleash, literally, hell on earth. Things go from bad to worse in a flash, and even though we have a cornucopia of superheroes to counter the problem, it may not be enough.
What is so great about these books is that it goes far beyond the "BAM!" "OOF!" "SPLAT!" one might expect. There are human beings under these costumes, with the same feelings, insecurities and problems that so-called "normal" people have. Superheroing is a dangerous business, fraught with lethal dangers, and Bailey never lets us forget that.
I'm moving RIGHT on to Book #3. If you haven't started this series yet.... start. Now.
May 24, 2015
This was another great adventure for the Hero Squad. I'm fascinated by the distinction between science and magic, and the hint that there's actually no distinction at all. Lots of great character interaction, and development as a team. I worry about Matt, though (who I identify the most with, of course). He seems to be getting the short end of the stick pretty consistently, and while he's clearly got incredibly powerful magic, a brilliant mind, and big plans, he ends up being the butt of everything. I really hope things start turning in his favor....
September 11, 2014
A fantastic follow-up book! Carrie and her friends continue to develop, both as people and as superheroes. And I loved the introduction of magic to the world, and seeing how it interacted with the technology already in place. Can't wait for the rest of the series!
May 28, 2016
Great follow up to the first book! I loved the new characters and deeper relationships between the people and the teams.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews