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Blink
"It was clear, the image projected in these panels was not a reflection--it was a projection from the other side. Whatever or wherever that was.
Smith kept his gaze locked on the other’s eyes for about ten seconds, unmoving until something happened.
He saw himself blink."
* * * * *
Agent Smith and the agents of The Utility Company are tasked with the jobs too weird or too strange for other law enforcement agencies. When portals start opening up all around the country from an alternate universe, it’s up to Smith to not only figure out what’s happening, but to put a stop to it.
For Nik Davidson, his home and family are at the heart of the interdimensional conspiracy. By the time Agent Smith knocks on his door, Nik’s whole family is in danger. What will Agent Smith and Nik do when the fate of two different worlds are on the line? What do they do in order to save those closest to them? Who do you trust when those looking back in the mirror may not have your best interests at heart?
Blink is a thrilling introduction to Agent Smith and the adventures of The Utility Company by brothers Will and Paul K. Swardstrom.
Smith kept his gaze locked on the other’s eyes for about ten seconds, unmoving until something happened.
He saw himself blink."
* * * * *
Agent Smith and the agents of The Utility Company are tasked with the jobs too weird or too strange for other law enforcement agencies. When portals start opening up all around the country from an alternate universe, it’s up to Smith to not only figure out what’s happening, but to put a stop to it.
For Nik Davidson, his home and family are at the heart of the interdimensional conspiracy. By the time Agent Smith knocks on his door, Nik’s whole family is in danger. What will Agent Smith and Nik do when the fate of two different worlds are on the line? What do they do in order to save those closest to them? Who do you trust when those looking back in the mirror may not have your best interests at heart?
Blink is a thrilling introduction to Agent Smith and the adventures of The Utility Company by brothers Will and Paul K. Swardstrom.
- GenresScience Fiction
448 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2016
8 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 8, 2016
If you're a fan of movies like Men In Black or shows like The X-Files and Fringe, then Blink should be right up your street. The Swardstrom brothers work flawlessly together to create a fun and exciting start to this series as Agent Smith and Co. investigate strange occurrences that lead to a huge conspiracy spanning entire dimensions.
Blink is frenetically paced and never lets up, and the main characters are well crafted with snappy dialogue to match the pace of the narrative. The authors have a lot of fun with the agents names, with lots of geeky references, and the story develops quickly enough to keep the reader's interest.
While some of the themes and story ideas will have been seen before in the shows mentioned above, the Swardstroms add enough of their own concepts and personality to give it their own mark, and it sets the tone for other novels to come. Hugely enjoyable.
Blink is frenetically paced and never lets up, and the main characters are well crafted with snappy dialogue to match the pace of the narrative. The authors have a lot of fun with the agents names, with lots of geeky references, and the story develops quickly enough to keep the reader's interest.
While some of the themes and story ideas will have been seen before in the shows mentioned above, the Swardstroms add enough of their own concepts and personality to give it their own mark, and it sets the tone for other novels to come. Hugely enjoyable.
March 10, 2016
What happens when the television shows Sliders and Fringe are mashed together? Blink. Straight up. If you like both those shows, and you like to read, then Blink is a no-brainer. I can also see little touches of The X-Files and Men In Black.
The action keeps rolling and doesn’t stop, ever, until the book is done. No downtime; no time to catch your breath… Okay, well, except for the two interludes… Those were a little boring. They seemed like gratuitous info dumps. But, this wasn’t an issue, because the chapters are short and easily digestible. And the action action ACTION in the rest of the book compensates for it. The three parts of the book (separated by the interludes) seem to be the perfect length. It was easy to stop for the night at the conclusion of each part.
There was a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor with the naming sequences, and as I’m sure others will say, the Corn Avenger was just the right splash of absurdist humor to set the tone for the rest of the book. Blink is a fast; fun read that’ll leave fans of a few genres begging for more. And that’s great since this is book one of a series. The ending is satisfying, and it didn’t end with an overused cliffhanger.
Blink is a must-buy and is easily a five-star read.
The action keeps rolling and doesn’t stop, ever, until the book is done. No downtime; no time to catch your breath… Okay, well, except for the two interludes… Those were a little boring. They seemed like gratuitous info dumps. But, this wasn’t an issue, because the chapters are short and easily digestible. And the action action ACTION in the rest of the book compensates for it. The three parts of the book (separated by the interludes) seem to be the perfect length. It was easy to stop for the night at the conclusion of each part.
There was a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor with the naming sequences, and as I’m sure others will say, the Corn Avenger was just the right splash of absurdist humor to set the tone for the rest of the book. Blink is a fast; fun read that’ll leave fans of a few genres begging for more. And that’s great since this is book one of a series. The ending is satisfying, and it didn’t end with an overused cliffhanger.
Blink is a must-buy and is easily a five-star read.
March 25, 2016
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2016/03/2...
Publisher: Pew Pew
Publishing Date: February 2016
ISBN:9781523771295
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: DNF
Publishers Description: Agent Smith and the agents of The Utility Company are tasked with the jobs too weird or too strange for other law enforcement agencies. When portals start opening up all around the country from an alternate universe, it’s up to Smith to not only figure out what’s happening, but to put a stop to it.
Review: This was pretty fun for the first few pages. Then the mirror/portal event shows up in the story line and it is back and forth with the dam mirrors and the pages of internal dialogue. “What is wrong with me……….its something about those mirrors…….I saw myself blink…….I have to change the mirror…..”. Now everyone is portal focused and the story line begins to stagnate . What little movement there is rendered even flatter with the lack of character development.
Besides the obvious shortcomings mentioned, the novel just failed to capture my imagination and I was left flipping the pages to find some sense of the surreal. The cover art doesn’t help either.
Publisher: Pew Pew
Publishing Date: February 2016
ISBN:9781523771295
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: DNF
Publishers Description: Agent Smith and the agents of The Utility Company are tasked with the jobs too weird or too strange for other law enforcement agencies. When portals start opening up all around the country from an alternate universe, it’s up to Smith to not only figure out what’s happening, but to put a stop to it.
Review: This was pretty fun for the first few pages. Then the mirror/portal event shows up in the story line and it is back and forth with the dam mirrors and the pages of internal dialogue. “What is wrong with me……….its something about those mirrors…….I saw myself blink…….I have to change the mirror…..”. Now everyone is portal focused and the story line begins to stagnate . What little movement there is rendered even flatter with the lack of character development.
Besides the obvious shortcomings mentioned, the novel just failed to capture my imagination and I was left flipping the pages to find some sense of the surreal. The cover art doesn’t help either.
March 10, 2016
Blinktastic.I enjoyed this book.The authors created interesting characters i felt invested in.I loved The Corn Avenger who made me laugh.The humorous choices in names such as Smith and Wesson throughout the book was quirky fun.I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2016
BLINK by Will Swardstrom and Paul K. Swardstrom is a sci-fi action piece that kept me entertained and engaged until the very end. Agent Smith and The Utility Company are assigned to monitor and deal with problems out of the ordinary and are uniquely challenging to deal with. Project Blink is the most recent challenge, and Agent Smith has to use all of his wits and instincts as a agent to solve the case. BLINK deals with alternate realities transportation, and these discoveries could destroy our world.
Being a sci-fi fan, I immediately felt influences from X-FILES and FRINGE, not just in subject matter, but in properly placed humor and witty, sometimes even corny, banter throughout the book. BLINK starts with a quick case of the Corn Avenger, which was really just a vehicle to introduce Agent Smith and The Utility Company and how they work in the real world, albeit a kind of silly case. Soon, the book thrusts the reader into the Blink case, with things happening fast and clues towards the big picture slowly revealng themselves. Agent Smith is a likable confident agent who I started pulling for right away. The supporting cast are well written too, the good guys as well as the bad guys. Without reviewing the whole plot, I thought there were some good twists and turns and in the end, a satisfying conclusion. I would definitely recommend BLINK to any sci-fi fan and I look forward to the continuing adventures of the Agent Smith and The Utility Company!
Thanks to Pew! Pew! Pew! Publishing, Will Swardstrom and Paul K. Swardstrom, and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!
Being a sci-fi fan, I immediately felt influences from X-FILES and FRINGE, not just in subject matter, but in properly placed humor and witty, sometimes even corny, banter throughout the book. BLINK starts with a quick case of the Corn Avenger, which was really just a vehicle to introduce Agent Smith and The Utility Company and how they work in the real world, albeit a kind of silly case. Soon, the book thrusts the reader into the Blink case, with things happening fast and clues towards the big picture slowly revealng themselves. Agent Smith is a likable confident agent who I started pulling for right away. The supporting cast are well written too, the good guys as well as the bad guys. Without reviewing the whole plot, I thought there were some good twists and turns and in the end, a satisfying conclusion. I would definitely recommend BLINK to any sci-fi fan and I look forward to the continuing adventures of the Agent Smith and The Utility Company!
Thanks to Pew! Pew! Pew! Publishing, Will Swardstrom and Paul K. Swardstrom, and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!
April 14, 2016
What this book has is thrill, action, supernatural awesomeness and fascinating plot. What this book doesn't have though is character development and close personal journeys. But who cares! Thrill, action, supernatural awesomeness and fascinating plot is enough to carry this story and it was such an exciting read. It's fast paced and unexpected and just like many other have said, it definitely has a MIB/Fringe/X-files vibe to it.
The parallel worlds are fascinating and the plot that uncovers is interesting and thrilling. It has a fun and quick dialog, it's wonderfully geeky and there is a quirkiness to it that I really liked. As I was reading this I could definitely imagine it as a TV series but like many TV series, it takes a couple of episodes, or seasons even, to get to know and love the characters, and this one book was definitely not enough time to get to know agent Smith and the rest of The Utility Company. But that will come, I'm sure of it.
It's just a fast and enjoyable read and I recommend it warmly to anyone who wants a fun and quick sci-fi read.
The parallel worlds are fascinating and the plot that uncovers is interesting and thrilling. It has a fun and quick dialog, it's wonderfully geeky and there is a quirkiness to it that I really liked. As I was reading this I could definitely imagine it as a TV series but like many TV series, it takes a couple of episodes, or seasons even, to get to know and love the characters, and this one book was definitely not enough time to get to know agent Smith and the rest of The Utility Company. But that will come, I'm sure of it.
It's just a fast and enjoyable read and I recommend it warmly to anyone who wants a fun and quick sci-fi read.
February 3, 2016
What do you get when Sliders and Men in Black have a baby... I think it comes out lookin' a little like Blink a book written by Paul and Will Swardstrom...
Agent Smith heads a team of professionals trying to get to the bottom of some weird, possibly paranormal phenomena... This weirdness um, lets call 'em crimes have been committed across the country and Agent Smith is just trying to connect the all dots and not every police dept. is willing to cooperate fully with the investigation...
Nik Davidson's family is in serious danger. In fact by the time Agent Smith is ready to close in on next event site, Nik's home... Nik's world has already been turned upside down... And all Nik wants to do is to go rescue his family... But, Agent Smith has made some assumptions and Smith has other plans for Nik...
This is an alternate reality hopping frolic... Actually it's a mad scramble to save our reality as we know it... To find out how, you will need to get the book...
Agent Smith heads a team of professionals trying to get to the bottom of some weird, possibly paranormal phenomena... This weirdness um, lets call 'em crimes have been committed across the country and Agent Smith is just trying to connect the all dots and not every police dept. is willing to cooperate fully with the investigation...
Nik Davidson's family is in serious danger. In fact by the time Agent Smith is ready to close in on next event site, Nik's home... Nik's world has already been turned upside down... And all Nik wants to do is to go rescue his family... But, Agent Smith has made some assumptions and Smith has other plans for Nik...
This is an alternate reality hopping frolic... Actually it's a mad scramble to save our reality as we know it... To find out how, you will need to get the book...
March 12, 2016
Blink was one of the books I decided to take a chance on as I wasn't sure I was going to like the premise. When it turned out the premise was a similar one to The Men in Black, I was hooked. The action was non-stop (almost too much), the characters were extremely interesting, and the book was well-written. Humor is always a nice touch which this book had plenty of. Although, I have to confess, after reading this book, I'm a tad afraid sometimes of looking in the mirror. If you enjoy a bit of adventure, humor, action, suspense, then please give this book a try! I'm really looking forward to more! Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and Pikko's House/Pew! Pew! Pew! Publishing for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will also be posted on Amazon and Goodreads.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pikko's House/Pew! Pew! Pew! Publishing for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will also be posted on Amazon and Goodreads.
June 24, 2016
This book was torture for me. Wait! Before you get the wrong idea, let me explain. I had read the Swardstrom brothers' Christmas story about Agent Smith and the Utility Company, and was really looking forward to reading a full novel in that world. So I got it as soon as it came out and started reading it. And then other stuff got in the way. It was like the universe was playing a trick on me or something. Every time I tried to get back to this wonderful story, I had something come up, and wasn't able to get back to it right away.
I'm happy to say I was finally able to finish it, and it's fantastic. The only thing that rivals time travel stories for me is parallel universes, and these guys write a parallel universe story like nobody's business. I like the characters, I like the story, and I can't wait to read more about Agent Smith and the agency he works for.
I'm happy to say I was finally able to finish it, and it's fantastic. The only thing that rivals time travel stories for me is parallel universes, and these guys write a parallel universe story like nobody's business. I like the characters, I like the story, and I can't wait to read more about Agent Smith and the agency he works for.
February 12, 2016
Blink is a awesome book with a certain amount of creep factor, but tons of action and suspense. It would really strange to be looking at your reflection in the mirror one day only to see yourself wink back at you, than your whole world and how you perception of everything in it would change in a blink of a eye. Exactly what government agency do you call to help you with this weird stuff? Well, the utility company of course, hey don't they get all the strange stuff anyways.
This is a great book you won't want to miss, it is like when you know you should go to bed but you just want to read one more chapter than just one more, than another and another, than the book is done and it is way past your bedtime, except during this book you probably won't want to go to the bathroom.
This is a great book you won't want to miss, it is like when you know you should go to bed but you just want to read one more chapter than just one more, than another and another, than the book is done and it is way past your bedtime, except during this book you probably won't want to go to the bathroom.
March 31, 2016
On 9/11/01, Dr. Bridges disappeared along with Agent Street from our world. Years later, Nik Davidson noticed his image blink in the mirror when he did not blink. Within days, his wife and children had disappeared through the mirror, he found he had a double and a secret government agency (The Utility Company) was chasing him and his double. UC Agent Smith and his group discovered that all was not right with their fellow agents and worked to hold off an invasion from another world. The book reminded me of Men in Black, but without the aliens. A fun read. I will be on the lookout for more in the series.
August 15, 2016
I finally gave up on this after the 12th time I picked it back up to slog through a few more chapters of unending perspective shifts, failed attempts at clever mirror-universe humor, self-referential dialogue, and overly-long, unedited scenes.
There's a germ of an idea here that should make for good reading. Instead, we get two-thirds more of a novel than should have been published meandering away from a good story that, at best, should have been an afternoon read.
I found the writing pedantic, didactic, and self-absorbed, the main characters boring, unrelatable, and unbelievably stupid (especially for secret government agents), and the plot tedious, drawn out, and uninspiring.
There's a germ of an idea here that should make for good reading. Instead, we get two-thirds more of a novel than should have been published meandering away from a good story that, at best, should have been an afternoon read.
I found the writing pedantic, didactic, and self-absorbed, the main characters boring, unrelatable, and unbelievably stupid (especially for secret government agents), and the plot tedious, drawn out, and uninspiring.
April 21, 2016
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I do not feel that this has biased the following review.
Take a little Fringe, dash in some X-Files, add a pinch of MiB, stir vigorously and garnish with some light geek humor and you end up with a fun secret agent sci-fi thriller with great action and likable characters.
I found it a fast, enjoyable read. The action and dialogue were well paced, the story moved quickly, never feeling bogged down by the sci-fi premise, and I liked the main characters.
Take a little Fringe, dash in some X-Files, add a pinch of MiB, stir vigorously and garnish with some light geek humor and you end up with a fun secret agent sci-fi thriller with great action and likable characters.
I found it a fast, enjoyable read. The action and dialogue were well paced, the story moved quickly, never feeling bogged down by the sci-fi premise, and I liked the main characters.
February 6, 2016
What would you do, if you looked in a mirror and saw yourself blink?
A complex story about Agents, a family, and a parallel universe. Think Men in Black and Jumper.
Lots of twists, plenty of action (practically non stop), with an immense array of characters on both sides of the mirror.
This book kept me entertained and even had my jaw dropping at times. Great outcome, an overall great ride!
Endless possibilities abound from this series!
A complex story about Agents, a family, and a parallel universe. Think Men in Black and Jumper.
Lots of twists, plenty of action (practically non stop), with an immense array of characters on both sides of the mirror.
This book kept me entertained and even had my jaw dropping at times. Great outcome, an overall great ride!
Endless possibilities abound from this series!
August 12, 2016
Swap
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. I thought it might be a mixed up, weird conglomeration of characters that would be hard to follow. But, in was wrong. Even though it dealt with double characters it was so well written that you never got them mixed up. An d you got to know the characters and start cheering for them and maybe shedding a tear when things didn't work out. This was a great book. I'd love to read more of Agent Smith books.
I really had no idea what to expect from this book. I thought it might be a mixed up, weird conglomeration of characters that would be hard to follow. But, in was wrong. Even though it dealt with double characters it was so well written that you never got them mixed up. An d you got to know the characters and start cheering for them and maybe shedding a tear when things didn't work out. This was a great book. I'd love to read more of Agent Smith books.
February 15, 2016
WOW!! what a Wild Ride!
Agent Smith was like Tommy Lee Jones in MIB, minus the weird aliens... I TRULY adored this Spy-Thriller-Science-Fiction book. It had me hook, line and sinker.
What a great collaboration by the minds of two brothers. I hope to see more of the two of them getting together. Alone, either is GREAT... But - together? WOW - they knocked it out of the ball park!
Agent Smith was like Tommy Lee Jones in MIB, minus the weird aliens... I TRULY adored this Spy-Thriller-Science-Fiction book. It had me hook, line and sinker.
What a great collaboration by the minds of two brothers. I hope to see more of the two of them getting together. Alone, either is GREAT... But - together? WOW - they knocked it out of the ball park!
August 13, 2016
Everyone, it seems, compares this to several of my favorite TV shows and mocked (The Fringe, Sliders, X-Files, MIB, etc) but honestly? I just could not get into this book! It read like a speed freak talks! Sorry, but it's just not my culpa tea.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews