Target: Kree: A Marvel: Crisis Protocol Novel

Marvel Aconyte Novels

by Stuart Moore

The Avengers clash with the Guardians of the Galaxy in a desperate search for a planet-killer, in this action-packed novel set in the world of the Crisis Protocol game

Following the destruction of their world, a group of Kree refugees come to Earth to work for Stark Enterprises. But the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive soon after, believing that the world-killer is actually one of those Kree, now hiding out on Earth. But there are others after the killer too, and the Avengers have no choice but to respond – and both Tony Stark and Ms Marvel have to choose between the fate of the Earth and the people they care about.

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, Comic Book, Science Fiction

397 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2021

About the author

STUART MOORE is a writer, a book editor, and an award-winning comics editor.

Among his current writing projects are THE ZODIAC LEGACY, created and cowritten by Stan Lee and published by Disney, featuring an all-new team of teenaged super heroes in a series of illustrated prose novels and graphic novels; DOMINION: LAST SACRIFICE, a comic book series for Amazon/Jet City; and THANOS: DEATH SENTENCE, an original Marvel prose novel. Recent work includes EGOs, an original comic book series from Image Comics, and GARTER'S BIG SCORE, an original ebook novella for Kindle. He also contributed two series, TEACH and OUT WITH A BANG, to the launch of the online comics app Stela. Other comics work includes WOLVERINE NOIR and NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT (Marvel); FIRESTORM (DC Comics); assorted Star Trek and Transformers projects; and the science-fiction graphic novels EARTHLIGHT, PARA, SHADRACH STONE, and MANDALA. Prose writing includes the novel version of Marvel’s CIVIL WAR, and Disney Worldwide's JOHN CARTER: THE MOVIE NOVELIZATION.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Guardians of the Galaxy come to Earth looking for a planet killer. Then the Avengers arrive once the Guardians go off half-cocked starting a 100 page fight between the two groups. This has some fun moments. I wasn't a fan of how the villain was portrayed operating behind the scenes. The plan was way too subtle for the individual involved. Anyone who knows their Marvel history will figure out who it is once a certain character appears.

Having Stuart Moore write the book was a smart idea. He's been a comic book editor at Vertigo and Marvel along with writing comics and novels before. Overall, this was a solid read.

Received a review copy from Aconyte and NetGalley

[Milou · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do enjoy my Marvel comics from time to time, and I had a great time with the Elsa Bloodstone novel. So when I saw this book on Netgalley of course I requested it.

I am finding this one quite difficult to review. Because I did have a fun time with it. But did I bother to stay up past my bedtime to read the final 20 pages? No… And part of that is definitely my preference for solo hero stories instead of these massive group projects. But objectively looking, there were also some errors with it.

First of I did very much enjoy the first part. Here we follow the Guardians trying to evacuate and save a Kree planet. Especially Drax was very well written, but in general the atmosphere here was great. But then it just went downhill and turned into 400 pages of just battles scenes. And most of them unnecessary.

This book just made no sense. So over 30% of it is several heroes fighting against one another, even though they have a common goal and if only they could just be bothered to TALK to each other we could save ourselves a Lot of time and pain. Then there is the hole WHY? Why any of it… There is a great evil master that destroyed the Kree planet because…. why? Then he bothered to hijack their rehabilitation project to make sure they were exploited because… why? At to that a bunch of plotholes you could fly a spaceship through.

The writing itself wasn’t great either. Apart from Drax all of the characters felt very flat and the dialogues awkward. There were Way too many characters. Sure, I know you want a big, epic hero mashup… but that one chapter where Black Panther looks at a computer screen, was that really necessary? Then there was the weird instalovey things of Kamala with a Kree guy she only meets that day. I know she is a teen but still?! Like I said I prefer solo hero stories, mainly because they give us more time to explore the character and the person behind the mask. I am not sure if this book had a single chapter in which no one was fighting. I needed a bit more than that.

So objectively speaking this book wasn’t good. Was it fun though? Sure! Was it what I would expect it to be? Yeah. The Avengers movies are also mainly just a series of fight scenes, and I enjoy those (though preferebly with a alcoholic beverage, and the charm the actors give to the characters may help as well). So yeah, if you are in the mood for a superhero book that is just dumb fun and has no substance? Read this…

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one wasn't paced the way I thought it would be; more battling and less personality than I'd hoped. However, from a story that gives you a bunch of Avengers, multiple villains and all of the GotG, it had a lot to do, and it did it. Fun.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel’s Crisis Protocol: Target Kree by Stuart Moore is novel based on “Marvel: Crisis Protocol” miniature tabletop game, and tells an original story based on this Marvel game universe. Crisis Protocol: Target Kree, focuses on the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy ending up embroiled in a plot that has already seen the destruction of an alien world, and might now see Earth threatened too.

The action begins on a distant Kree colony planet, where thousands of inhabitants are trying desperately got get aboard a handful of evac vessels as the planet is torn apart under them. Trying to manage the mad dash to the limited escape vessels, the Guardians of the Galaxy are doing what they can for the people; though it soon becomes clear that they're not going to be able to save everyone. Trying to find out why this is happening, Gamora manages to see a lone figure inside the centre of the energy that's tearing the planet apart, indicating that this isn't a natural disaster, but the actions of an outside party. Sadly, the Guardians are unable to stop the planet's destruction and tens of thousands are lost; including one of their own.

A year later, one of the Kree evac ships that was able to flee the destruction has managed to find a new home for it's people on Earth, where Tony Stark has agreed to provide them with housing and support in exchange for giving them jobs inside his company. However, things don't seem to be as good as the Kree hoped, and thanks to someone below Stark taking control of the project the Kree refugees have become little more than slaves, living in squalid conditions, and forced to work themselves to exhaustion.
This information has barely been brought to Tony's attention by the Kree's lawyer, Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk, when the Guardians turn up on the scene. They're convinced that the planet killer is amongst the Kree refugees trying to build a new life on Earth, and have set their sights on getting revenge for their former team-mate. Now Tony Stark and a handful of his fellow Avengers have to stop the Guardians from possibly attacking an innocent person; but it soon becomes clear that there might be more going on than anyone suspects, and that a mysterious entity might be under their noses, just waiting to destroy Earth.

Crisis Protocol Target: Kree flows extremely well, and whilst there is plenty of action and spectacle mixed in with character moments and story beats, the two are never fighting against each other for centre stage. Just like with comics it's managed to find this wonderful balance where you can come for the characters, to see what happens to them and their stories, but also enjoy some over the top, epic fight scenes that leave you feeling awed.

The book really manages to capture the essence of the various superhero characters too, and you can tell Moore knows them well. Everyone has a very distinct voice, and feels really different from each other; which is no easy feat considering how many established characters actually end up featuring in the book once everything's said and done. Some of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy are particularly stand-out, with both Rocket Raccoon and Drax being a ton of fun to read whenever they're on the page. But if I were to pick one character who really stands out it's Ms Marvel. Ms Marvel is the one character in the book that I'm the least familiar with, and I've not read as much of her stuff as I have the other Marvel characters. That being said, I found that I got to know her pretty quickly, and soon came to like who she was. Moore managed to make her feel young and hopeful, filled with worry about if she's good enough to be a hero, let alone an Avenger, yet also determined to help out and try to make the world a better place. She had an energy to her that I think was sometimes lacking from the older, more world weary characters; and if I have one real criticism of the book it's that we didn't spend enough time with her, because she was just delightful.

Overall, If you love superheroes getting in fights with each other, if you like big team ups against powerful foes, if you like stories where the stakes are the entire planet, and if you're a fan of comics this is the kind of novel that will appeal to you. It throws so much at the reader that you're constantly on your toes, excited to find out what's going to happen next, or eager to see which hero might appear at the last minute to help save the day. A ton of fun that every Marvel superhero fan is sure to love.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what to think about this novel. It was okay; I liked parts of it and felt like most of it dragged on and on and on. On a “bright note,” the author used a villain that I do not recall ever having been used in a novel before, so that was pretty cool. There is quite a bit of action in the book, there is no doubt about that. However, I rapidly reached the point of getting bored with the fights that kept breaking out amongst the heroes because I wanted to learn more about the “mystery” that was supposed to be solved by the end of the story. It is funny; it is “only;” 396 pages or so long, but it felt quite a bit longer. I honestly though maybe 100 pages could have been cut and it might not really have adversely affected the story (it might have made it better, actually).

The character development was fine, I suppose. Actually, I felt it could have been better. I realize it has a large cast of characters, and I think the lack of real character development in favor of fights between the heroes actually took away from the story. This is because there were characters who were introduced that I found myself wishing I could have learned more about because some of them end up having a more prominent role in the story than I thought they would by the end of the story.

I would say the heroes in this book are from “another universe” (that being the universe of the Marvel: Crisis Protocol game) as opposed to the movies and/or comics. This is because of the varying “power levels” and abilities of the characters. Drax is definitely stronger in the book than he is in the movies and probably closer to his power levels in the comics, yet he still sounds like the character from the movies (he seemed to go in phases in terms of speech and intelligence after the Annihilation Wave event). Iron Man feels like he is “weaker” in terms of his armor and his artificial strength; I know Tony is portrayed as being overworked and stressed out (which is a bit unusual for him, most of the time), so perhaps this has something to do with how much weaker he is than usual in this story? Peter Quill actually seems not just stronger than he is in either movies or comics (granted, I have always felt he was “underpowered” in the movies, myself, considering his heritage) but “dumber” as well. Gamora seems to go back-and-forth regarding her strength and skills, as does Natasha Romanov. Cap is injured (broken arm) yet still manages to hold his own for the most part, which is probably about par for the course. I also felt that Jennifer Walters was weaker than she should have been when she was in her Hulk form, so that was a bit odd to me as well.

I was surprised that Doctor Voodoo was captured and enthralled by the Hood and the Hood’s master. I was also surprised that Doctor Strange (and Spider-Man, for that matter) played such a small role in the book (more of a cameo at the end). It is revealed that Doctor Strange gave Ms. Marvel some “cousin” to the Eye of Agamatto, which also seemed goofy to me because of how Strange did not join the fight. Perhaps if Strange had revealed to Khamala (Ms. Marvel) and Spider-Man why he did not join the fray against the Hood and the Hood’s enchanted thralls, I would have been “okay” with it. But the Hood is being empowered by an even stronger source of mystical power (the “Master” who turns out to be Dormammu), so one would think that Strange would have been involved from the get-go.

I think part of the “problem” is that the Avengers do not seem to be fully staffed when they come to face off against the Guardians and then the Hulk. I found myself wanting to know who should have been on the team and why they were not there. Why wasn’t Jennifer returning to assist against the Guardians as well as against her cousin? How long should it really have taken any “reinforcements” to arrive, honestly? NYC has one of the heaviest, highest concentrations of super-powered heroes, and the X-Men are not too far away, either. It seems like the lack of “reinforcements” for Cap and Natasha was pretty pathetic and inexcusable, in my opinion.

And then you have Khamala who is attending school in the greater NYC metro area. Tony Stark is also in NYC; he is said to be in an office discussing the legal action the Kree refugees have pressed against him after accepting his invitation to come work for him on Earth. Both leave Tony’s high-rise building to oppose the Guardians who arrive and are harassing the Kree survivors in a facility adjacent to Tony’s skyscraper. When Nat and Cap arrive in a Quinjet, Rocket slams the Guardian’s ship in the belly of the Quinjet, causing the two vessels to become stuck together (162). Eventually they are said to have been pushed by Iron Man “out to sea” and away from the NYC metro area (174). Then the combined vessels apparently start circling around in the sky (189). THEN when Tony makes the comment “at least we’re 50 miles from NYC,” FRIDAY tells Tony they are “63 miles” away from NYC and not “fifty miles” (183). Yet, on page 184, the two vessels are “drifting” back over the pier where the Kree refugees are located along with Cap, Ms. Marvel, Drax, Rocket, and Gamora. What’s up with that? Where, exactly, is this facility housing the Kree in conjunction to NYC and Connecticut? It was very confusing.

I also did not like how the heroes kept saying they wanted the same thing and yet kept fighting. It made the fights seem tedious, unnecessary, and boring. I know Marvel is famous for having its heroes start fighting amongst themselves before resolving the misunderstanding and joining forces to unite against a common foe. It doesn’t really work in this novel. I also found myself getting suspicious that Gamora might have something to do with all of the bad things happening on Earth after her arrival because of how she was behaving.

There is also what seems like a wasted moment. Natasha says she called for backup; that backup included James Rhodes, aka War Machine, and Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. Yet it takes them forever to arrive and no explanation is given why. Again, city on the earth with the highest concentration of superheroes, yet none can be found to assist in what is going on at this Stark facility. Nor is any alarm going out to SHIELD or any other government organization that this Stark facility with interstellar, extra-terrestrial refugees are located. One would think that such an attack would draw at least some kind of attention from the government! Or the Fantastic Four, if nobody else!

I thought T’Challa’s “cameo” was a wasted moment in the book because it has what appears to be absolutely no bearing on the final outcome. I don’t know who he was calling, because at this point Bruce has turned into the Hulk and been taken over by the mysterious entity that has taken control of Doctor Voodoo and Iron Man. He demands to be given the means by which to contact Captain America but then changes his mind and wants to call somebody else. We never find out who this mystery person is; it was a little frustrating because of how pointless it was. Actually, it felt like the “running gag” in Marvel’s various books in the 90s. Whenever a book might have been dipping in sales, either Wolverine or Spider-Man would “guest star” in the next story or whatever. They might only show up on the cover and a brief panel in the comic itself, but this was done to boost sales. That is almost what this felt akin to, having the Black Panther and his sister Shuri showing up like they do just to say a few lines and then disappear from the book.

Star Lord (Peter Quill) was just plain annoying in this book. Plus, it felt like the author made him more of Tony Stark’s equal than I think he should have been in terms of power and abilities, but I just did not care of how he was portrayed in this story. He felt like even more of a thickhead, goofy lug than usual. Honestly, I do not remember him being this goofy in the Annihilation Wave event or the follow-up Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series to the Annihilation: Conquest event. The Peter Quill in this book felt like his character was developed more from the movies than the comics but then pushed to an extreme level and I was not a big fan of him in this book.

There were some moments in the book that I liked. I liked the growing friendship/relationship between Halla-ar and Khamala; it may have felt rushed at times, but other times it felt “normal” in some respects. I also enjoyed the dynamics between Halla-ar and his older sister Kir-ra; that felt normal and natural to me. I liked that Halla-ar was both an artist and a warrior at heart; it would be interesting to see how his character would continue to develop in future adventures with the Guardians under the tutelage of Gamora. Kir-ra was pretty awesome, truth be told, and I’d love to see her in more stories and develop further as a character. The moment that Tony and Jennifer shared were amusing, too. I wish Jennifer had not disappeared like she did about halfway through the book, but I did like how she knocked the Hood out before rejoining Tony and the others at the end of the battle/novel. I liked how Kir-ra was able to hold her own at times against Gamora as well as how the two came to an understanding and joined forces towards the end of the novel. Tony hitting on Kir-ra was hilarious and “the same old Tony” in some respects, but also felt odd considering his bemoaning his recent break-up with Pepper and her subsequent departure. So perhaps Tony and Pepper were not in quite the serious relationship that developed in the movies and maybe the comics?

It was interesting to read about a Tony Stark who was not fully in control like he tends to be portrayed. Even when he is supposed to be “struggling,” he usually feels like he is in some semblance of control (moreso than a normal person). Probably the closest one comes to his looking like things are truly “out of his control” in the movies would be in Iron Man 3, followed by the events in Infinity War (which was the result of just poor scripting and trying to make it seem like the claim that there was only one way to defeat Thanos was more impressive than it truly was). I know there have been some storylines in the comics in which he is not in control (like the classic Demon in the Bottle storyline through, say, issue 200, and another storyline I vaguely recall reading which was closer to issue 300), but most of the issues I have read seem to portray him as being totally cool, unflappable, and in control. Perhaps because I have not followed the comics like I used to when I was younger, RDJ’s portrayal in the movies is interfering with what I remember from the comics. In any case, it was really unusual to read about Tony having trouble with his multitasking and keeping things straight in his own mind. It made him seem like a more fallible and relatable character, which is not how he always comes across in the comics or the movies.

I liked how Cap was portrayed as able to hold his own despite having one arm in a cast. That was pretty cool, and I felt believable. I was also surprised by the “animosity” between Jennifer Walters and Natasha Romanov. It seemed like there was more hostility between the two of them than I would have expected since they had been teammates off-and-on together for some time. But, again, if this is a different universe than the comics, that would make more sense for there to be hostility (considering Jennifer is prone to defend people while supporting the law and Natasha is presented as being more comfortable with breaking the law to get the job done while protecting the innocent as well as using lethal force if she deems it necessary).

Overall, I would probably rate this book somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. I’d love to rate it 3 stars or higher, but I felt like it got bogged down quite a bit (especially being over 55 chapters long broken up into seven “major parts,” an “introduction,” and an epilogue) and was “messier” than it needed to be, like the story could have been maybe cleaned up a little. I liked it more than 2 stars, though, and would probably rate it 2.5 – 2.7 stars, generously rounded up to 3 stars. If there are any more books in this “universe/series,” I hope they turn out to be better than this one. The ending of this book definitely left it open for more books to be written. I guess I am glad that I read it; I just wish I didn't feel so letdown with it now that it is over.

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun! I haven't read many of the Marvel comics and haven't played the game that takes place in the Marvel: Crisis Protocol world, but I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies! This was my first prose Marvel book that I've read and was unsure how I would feel about it with it being new to me, but I really enjoyed it!

Brief synopsis:
Praeterus, the planet of a group of lower class Kree workers, has been destroyed causing a group of Kree refugees come to Earth to work for Stark Enterprises. The Guardians of the Galaxy follow them there, believing that the one who destroyed the Kree planet is with them. After the chaos of the Guardians' arrival, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and The Avengers are dragged into the conflict to protect Earth, those they care about, and to get to the bottom of the destruction plaguing their races

Overall thoughts:
This book was action packed and exciting! I really did feel like I was watching a Marvel movie while reading. I found myself getting excited every time one of my favorite Avengers showed up on the page and the humor/banter between the characters was so fun to read. The book did a great job of explaining the back stories of some of the characters and important information that you would need to know if you weren't super familiar with them, which was the case for me. I never felt lost or like I didn't understand what was going on even though I haven't read the comics or other prose books. I would highly recommend this for any sci-fi, superhero, and/or Marvel fans!

This book is out July 6th and available for pre-order now!

Thank you to Netgalley and Aconyte Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.


About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marvel: Crisis Protocol miniature game gets its first novelisation from Aconyte Books this week as the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy end up embroiled in a plot that has already seen the destruction of an alien world, and might now see Earth lost too.

The action begins on a distant Kree planet, where thousands of inhabitants are trying desperately got get aboard a handful of vessels as the planet is torn apart under them. Trying to manage the mad dash to the limited escape vessels, the Guardians of the Galaxy are doing what they can for the people; though it soon becomes clear that they're not going to be able to save everyone. Trying to find out why this is happening, Gamora manages to see a lone figure inside the centre of the energy that's tearing the planet apart, indicating that this isn't a natural disaster, but the actions of an outside party. Sadly, the Guardians are unable to stop the planet's destruction and tens of thousands are lost; including one of their own.

Several months later, one of the ships that was able to flee the destruction has managed to find a new home for it's people on Earth, where Tony Stark has agreed to provide them with housing and support in exchange for giving them jobs inside his company. However, things don't seem to be as good as the Kree hoped, and thanks to someone below Stark taking control of the project the refugees have become little more than slaves, living in squalid conditions, and forced to work themselves to exhaustion.

This information has barely been brought to Tony's attention by the Kree's lawyer, Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk, when the Guardians turn up on the scene. They're convinced that the planet killer is amongst the Kree trying to build a new life on Earth, and have set their sights on getting revenge for their former team-mate.

Now Tony and a handful of his fellow Avengers have to stop the Guardians from possibly attacking an innocent person; but it soon becomes clear that there might be more going on than anyone suspects, and that a planet killer might be under their noses, just waiting to destroy Earth too.

Sometimes when comic book characters make the leap to other mediums they end up in the hands of people who don't really understand what it is that makes comics work, and you end up with stories that feel too far removed from their source material. Luckily, this book manages to avoid that by actually getting a comic book writer to take on the challenge.

Stuart Moore is a name that some comics readers might recognise, as he's written several big name titles at Marvel over the years; including Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Wolverine: Blood Sorrow, and Thanos: Death Sentence. This isn't Moore's first foray into bringing comic characters to prose, however, as he's also created several prose novels over the years that both adapt existing comic stories as well as ones that are completely new creations.

Moore is one of those rare authors who just seems to completely understand what makes comics work, and knows how to transplant them into a new medium without losing any of that magic. Because of this Target: Kree flows extremely well, and whilst there is plenty of action and spectacle mixed in with character moments and story beats, the two are never fighting against each other for centre stage. Just like with comics, it's managed to find this wonderful balance where you can come for the characters, to see what happens to them and their stories, but also enjoy some over the top, epic fight scenes that leave you feeling awed.

The book really manages to capture the essence of a lot of these characters too, and you can tell Moore knows them well. Everyone has a very distinct voice, and feels really different from each other; which is no easy feat considering how many established characters actually end up featuring in the book once everything's said and done. Some of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy are particularly stand-out, with both Rocket Raccoon and Drax being a ton of fun to read whenever they're on the page. But if I were to pick one character who really stands out it's Ms Marvel.

Ms Marvel is the one character in the book that I'm the least familiar with, and I've not read as much of her stuff as I have the other characters. That being said, I found that I got to know her pretty quickly, and soon came to like who she was. Moore managed to make her feel young and hopeful, filled with worry about if she's good enough to be a hero, let alone an Avenger, yet also determined to help out and try to make the world a better place. She had an energy to her that I think was sometimes lacking from the older, more world weary characters; and if I have one real criticism of the book it's that we didn't spend enough time with her, because she was just delightful.

Aconyte Books have published some other Marvel books, most of which focus on a small handful of characters at most, and even then they'll still put the main attention on one character in particular. But this is the first of their Marvel novels that really showcases a big cast of characters, where everyone gets a moment to shine and the story isn't afraid to jump around as it shows us what everyone's up to. And it really works. It shows that novels are goof for telling focused, character driven stories, but also big bombastic stories where scores of heroes are having to fight to save the entire planet.

One of the most exciting parts of the entire book, however, is the end, because it seems to be setting up for more exciting things to come. One of our heroes from this book is being recruited by a new band of iconic characters to go on and fight a particularly menacing foe; and I really hope that this is setting up for a follow-up because I really need the book that seems to be promising.

If you love superheroes getting in fights with each other, if you like bug team ups against powerful foes, if you like stories where the stakes are the entire planet, and if you're a fan of comics this is the kind of novel that will appeal to you. It throws so much at the reader that you're constantly on your toes, excited to find out what's going to happen next, or eager to see which hero might appear at the last minute to help save the day. A ton of fun that every geek is sure to love.

[Michael Botterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Marvel Crisis Protocol book Target Kree by Stuart Moore, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let this cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

What is Marvel
Look at this point I would bore you with a bit of background to the game/universe, but lets not, you all know the Marvel Universe, if you don’t have you been living under a rock!

Marvel Crisis Protocol is a tabletop skirmish miniatures game from Atomic Mass Games based on the Marvel comic characters, with its starter set conations five of the Avengers (Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Black Widow) and five of the Kabel (Barron Zemo, Red Skull, Crossbones, Doctor Octopus and Ultron).

I own the core set and its well worth investing into, if you fancy it you can purchase it from my Element Games affiliate link!

The Story
The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy team up in a search for a planet killer amongst a group of Kree refugees on earth working for Tony Stark.

The story starts with the Guardians of the Galaxy trying to save which is in the middle of being destroyed, but they sadly fail and lose a beloved member in the process.

The story then picks up on earth six months later as the Guardians hunt down the planet killer and Tony Stark (Iron Man) faces the wrath of Jennifer Walters (She Hulk) and Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel) over the conditions of the refugees from the planet, but of course the Guardians crash the party and chaos ensues.

You know what there isn’t much to talk about in regards to the plot, its very simply and as it develops you end up with a huge number of Marvel characters making an appearance, most included in Crisis Protocol, but at least two who are not.

Conclusion
This is a hard book to review, on the one hand, it’s filled with lots of fun and some cool interesting fight sequences.

But there is way too much fighting and not enough stories, especially when you are cramming so many characters into the book.

At points it’s felt like they were just throwing in extra characters for the sake of it, I mean there is a scene with Black Panther that goes nowhere and serves no purpose other than to have Black Panther in the book.

The characters all want the same thing but they are too busy fighting each other to figure that out, and that’s not exactly in keeping with the characters.

The book starts off great, the first part is fantastic, but honestly, I think this would have been better as a comic rather than a prose book.

But then again it is promoting a skirmish combat game.

It’s a 3 1/2 stars from me, and had it just had a bit more dialogue and story in it, it could have really been a lot better. That’s not to say its bad, its actually quite fun, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping it would be.

But if all you want is literally a fun beat-em-up story, give this a go as it is rather entertaining.

The eBook is released this Friday the 6th July and the paperback hits the shelves on the 2nd September.

[Stephanie Maris · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley and Marvel/Aconyte Books in exchange for an honest review.**

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and the fact that it had so many of my favorite characters packed into one novel. Some of the battle scenes were really well written, however some just seemed unnecessary. Our heroes tended to rely more on their fists than their words, even though they all had the same end goal in mind. Also, a good portion of the dialogue seemed clunky and a bit out of character. Overall, I liked the book, and would recommend it to Marvel lovers, but it's not one of my favorites.

(Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.)

[Christopher Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Crisis Protocol novel

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

When the Guardians of the Galaxy help evacuate a planet in the process of self-destruction, Gamora encounters the entity responsible and tracks it to Earth, where the Kree refugees from that planet are employed by Stark Enterprises in less-than-adequate conditions. Gamora’s pursuit of the entity brings the Guardians into conflict with the Avengers as Tony Stark reels after finding out about the Kree’s shabby treatment.

There are several POV characters in this book, and the author does a great job handling them all. I particularly love books with a ton of crossover characters, and Target: Kree does not disappoint. It has cover-to-cover action that never gets dull. I gave Target:Kree five stars. I have read several of the Marvel prose novels from Aconyte Books, and this was my favorite one yet.

[nihaarika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic story. I've always loved Marvel novels and seeing as how this had Miss Marvel (Kamala Khan) as one of the characters in focus, I knew I would come to like it. The plot line is quite interesting and includes quite a few characters from the comics, which makes it all the more fun. There are some great fight scenes, including one near the end of the book. My only problem is that there were certain points in the book, where I was having a hard time distinguishing between point of views but it didn't take away from my reading experience.
All in all, this was a super enjoyable read and I would recommend it to all Marvel fans!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Amy Stacey]

I am an avid fan of Comic books and reading this were as if I were watching a new Marvel movie, Drax as always made me laugh and the chapters from the point of view of Ms Marvel was critical to the understanding of characters from a more varied viewpoint as she is a young, Islamic girl you can see how she has felt othered slightly and this allows her to understand the Kree who seek refuge on the planet. It is not marvel without action and despite this being literary and not visual you still feel the intense atmosphere of the fight and remain on the end of your seat from the beginning of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley, thank you. Any opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Daniel Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guardians of the Galaxy are drawn in as a mysterious force wipes out the planet the kree call home. Who is this mysterious person you have to read to find out as the guardians and the avengers try to save humanity as well as the refugee kree's. Little does everyone know that everything that happens is all part of a bigger plan. The story was well written I liked the weave the writer used to keep the reader wanting to continue reading.

I just reviewed Target: Kree by Stuart Moore. #TargetKree #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

[Elizabeth Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did an amazing job of bringing our favorite marvel characters to life in this novel. It is not often I enjoy a novel form story of beloved superhero characters because it seems the visuals end up lost that we experience in comics or movies. While looking back the plot did not involve actually a whole lot, the pace of the book and writing style made it superfluous. It honestly felt like I was watching an Avengers movie!

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of these marvel proses. They are just amazing action packed, fast paced, page turning novels.
I always struggled with reading comics as I'm dyslexic. Now these prose are available im over the moon and this one not only brings the avengers together but also the guardians of the galaxy , who doesn't love rocket and groot. I am groot. When I was reading these book it was like a full blown movie going on in my mind. This book could easily be made into a film it was that good.
With each book I read im starting to understand the background or each character more and more.
There is so much excitement packed into this novel. With so many unexpected events happening in this book you can't even imagine being about to predict the ending. So much praise for the author and his publishers Aconyte for producing this brilliant book.
I just can't wait to read more marvel proses. I'm determined to read every one of them !

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take a comic universe (Marvel) then make a tabletop game (Crisis Protocol) out of it. Then do a novel set in that game’s parameters. That gets you this story offering.

As a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers, this romp was enjoyable for me. It is a large cast which the author manages well. The story definitely appears to be the first in a possible series, based on the Epilogue.

[Aighmi* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Marvel prose novels I have read before this one have been full of strong, intelligent characters who work to fight the wrongs with both brains and brawn. This one makes the Avengers look like idiots, running around punching anything they think is wrong, not bothering to ask questions. The plot itself is all that kept me skimming through the endless fights to see the resolution. It ends just as it should, with no more brawls.

[Tobias Lindqvist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realt enjoyed reading this as I am a bug fan of Marvel: Crisis Protocol.

The book was maybe to much action. Sometimes it felt a little forced.

The references to the game was awesome. The story was masterfully timed with the release cycle of the game.

I will defiantly read the next one set in the same universe. Also, I will definitely read more books by the same author.

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous Marvel novel featuring Ms. Marvel.

This novel was OK but a little predictable. It was great that it featured the Muslim super hero, Ms Marvel, Kamala Khan but the story itself was not epic. It just featured battle after battle which became all too much predictable. I will read the 2nd Marvel: Crisis Protocol Novel to find out what happens next.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book based on a miniatures game that’s based on comic characters it was a lot of fun. Some of the dialog doesn’t work as intended but that didn’t diminish how I felt about it overall. I will be reading the other two crisis protocol books I got for my birthday so I think that’s enough of a ringing endorsement.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! Moore does an awesome job of being aware of the personalities characters have established in the MCU while still letting them be original. I had no idea this was based on a game, I just think it's a great start to a potential series!

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was not for me. Too many characters and it felt like something you read before in the comics. Had no interest in what happened or would happen.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

[Foggygirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read but the pace of the story started to drag near the end.

[Rishu Harpavat · Rating 4 out of 5]

this makes the 3rd one make a lot more sense

[Cal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: D

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story obviously doesn't follow the Avengers movies as Thanos is dead and Tony is not. I felt like there were way too many big name characters in the book. I feel like if the author had focused more on fewer characters it would have been a better story and easier to follow.

The story begins with the Guardians of the Galaxy attempting to save a planet of Kree from their soon-to-explode planet. They ultimately fail to prevent the planet from exploding, don't save as many Kree as they would have liked to, and believe that they have lost the team member Drax. Six months later, the surviving Kree have been relocated to Earth to work for Stark Enterprises. Tony Stark is being pulled in too many directions and doesn't realize the conditions that the Kree are living in at his facility. Meanwhile, the Guardians have been working to find who destroyed the planet and killed Drax which leads them to Earth. There is a big fight involving Ms. Marvel, Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man, She-Hulk, the Guardians, and several Kree. They eventually come to an agreement when the roof is melted off of the Kree's dwelling. Tony goes to investigate who allowed the Kree to live like this and gets more than he bargained for. Who is the planet-killer and what do they have to do with the Kree?#TargetKree #NetGalley

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this—it was such a fun and honestly refreshing read.

This read as if I were watching a Marvel movie. The action was great and pretty constant, and I loved reading about all of the interactions between my favorite characters. It was exciting and engrossing and funny. All told, I just had a really good time reading this.

I think if you don’t take this too seriously and just take it for what it is, you’ll enjoy this. Especially if you are like me and can never get enough of the Marvel Universe.

Five out of five, for this reader!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC of this book!