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Where are all the good guys?

No protests, no bombings, no subversion. Is it possible that in one part of the European Administration at least, almost all the citizens are happy with their lot in life? It seems unlikely. When the numbers don't add up at the Athens branch of the Investigation and Interrogation Division, Para-investigator Toreth is sent there from New London to review their procedures. With sunshine, a less-than-urgent assignment, and hosts who seem anxious to ensure that he has a good time, it seems like the perfect chance for a holiday on Administration time.

Or it would if he didn't have to leave Sara and the rest of his regular team behind. Working alone for once, as the investigation becomes more complex Toreth finds himself surrounded by people he can't trust. Worse than that, he has to leave Warrick on his own in New London, a situation further complicated by the reappearance of an old adversary.

The fifth book in the Administration series contains the novella Quis Custodiet and seven short stories, following the careers of para-investigator and inveterate trouble-magnet Val Toreth and ambitious, if occasionally blinkered, corporate Keir Warrick in the near-future dystopia of the European Administration.

248 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

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About the author

Manna Francis

46 books635 followers
I'm the author of The Administration Series, a near-future SF dystopia published by Casperian Books. You can find the series in paperback, e-book, or (partly) on line at the Mannazone website.

I've been writing original slash since 2002 — or homoerotic fiction, m/m romance, yaoi, as you prefer. Original slash is my personal term of choice because I feel it best represents my writing in terms of style and what readers can expect to find there. Individual stories may or may nor be sexually explicit.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
May 25, 2021
oh, i do so hope boycop is watching! i would love to be scolded on teh internets again for how lame and boring my sense of humor is. come to me, boycop, i have read the fifth volume of the administration series, and am eager for your judgment of me, please! here - i will repost your own review of this book here so i can refer to it more easily. i need to know what is the most acceptable form of review for books in this series.

As the title implies, the plot is mainly about the political machination of the Administration, but with enjoyable insights into Toreth's inner demons.

Manna's writing is once again excellent. The characters are alive and believable, but also broken and incomplete (as humans), but the writing never perpetrates into sentimentality or easy solutions.


yes, that was very informative. thank you for showing me how it ought to be done. and for your well-reasoned arguments in the past. remind me to be grateful later, when i am finished using my sense-making skills to even understand your criticisms of me.

so. volume five. this book reads like the fifth or sixth year of a perfectly matched relationship. the fireworks are predictable, there are petty jealousies and quiet nights and a couple of role reversals to keep it spicy in a world where where "no" doesn't mean "no" so much as "ask again." but it's fine - i still love the characters, i am just waiting until the sixth volume - the one that makes dana's eyes go all faraway.

as far as it goes - i thought the novella that opened this collection was among the strongest (except the first one, which got me started in my love for these two characters), but i always find her resolutions to be a little abrupt and weak. but before that part, it was very strong - plenty of intrigue and some changes in toreth that make me hopeful for his prospects for humanization.the stories were good, but i didn't get the same aspect of character development that other stories have offered. but. i still love this series, and i am apprehensive that there are only two more. especially because of the presence of stories that only have one of "my boys" in it, or different characters altogether! it is seriously frustrating.

those are my opinions. they are not meant to be humorous.
i apologize if any humor leaked out.

come to my blog!
Profile Image for Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘.
1,314 reviews3,106 followers
October 8, 2019
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*I Can't Stand It*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

We're back with Senior Para-investigator Valantin ‘Val’ Toreth (35) and Doctor Keir Warrick (36), the head of the minor corporation (SimTech). First, I have to be honest and say I skimmed/skipped a lot. There's no point in denying that. Second, I find that the reason I keep putting myself through this torture is that I hate giving up. I've read 5 books in this series so far and I don't like ANY of them. The sex - which is a HUGE part of this series - is something I seriously don't like. Heavy BDSM just doesn't do it for me. This sucks as the only thing that is Toreth and Warrick's relationship is sex. I had, however, expected there to be more development in their relationship, or at least in Toreth, but nooooo, there's absolutely nothing. They are one a fucking standstill, as they have been from the beginning. This is seriously pissing me off. I should just call this series a complete bust and call it a quits. Seriously. I don't even like the investigating part, so what the hell am I here for?! I absolutely hate that Toreth can't - won't - even try to be monogamous. That being said, I think I need to stop. I don't like the storyline, I don't the character, I don't like the sex, I don't like the "friendship", I don't like anything about this series, and I seem to be the only one :/

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Science Fiction/Dystopia (M/M). Heavly BDSM themed.
Series: - Series, Book Three.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - None.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Unsure.
Would I recommend this book/series? -Not really.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 1.5 stars.
Profile Image for Penny Well Reads.
935 reviews233 followers
July 26, 2019
Rating Clarification: 3.5

This review is divided in two parts: About the novella, and about the short-stories.

About the Novella:

Just like with Mind Fuck (The Administration, #1) , and the novella Control (The Administration, #4) , I wasn't interested in the investigation. This time I actually skimmed most of it and concentrated in the parts that had something to do with Warrick.

I don’t know why Warrick is not pushier, or why he lets pass so much to Toreth, he allows him way too much, and I am not sure if is for fear of losing him or because he accepts it completely and doesn't really mind it. We mostly hear about Toreth, but it would be nice, for once, to know about Warrick’s feelings clearly, it would make me understand him better. It’s so frustrating to have so little of his voice and head when we have so much of Toreth, whom is not really evolving lately, Toreth seems to be stuck (if we don’t count the increasingly and worrying jealousy that is starting to turn Toreth into a crazy person).

About the Short-Stories:

I am disappointed, I expected much more.
I was expecting the relationship to advance more, I wanted more moments of intimacy between them. Yes, there were nice moments between the two of them, fun and entertaining stories, however it wasn't enough. This time everything is the same, emotionally speaking, their relationship is stuck.
We still know nothing of Warrick's real feelings about the whole thing, except perhaps that for the moment he is perfectly satisfied since he doesn't do anything to change the situation. This frustrates me, Warrick frustrated me. I really feel like we don’t know him well enough.



My reviews of The Administration series’ books:
Book 1: Mind Fuck - 3 Stars
Book 2: Quid Pro Quo
Book 2.1: Unlucky Break - 2 Stars
Book 2.2: Friday - 3 Stars
Book 2.3: Pancakes - 5 Stars
Book 2.4: Surprises - 4 Stars
Book 2.5: Family - 4 Stars
Book 2.6: Mirror Mirror - 4 Stars
Book 3: Games & Players - 5 Stars
Book 3.1: Game, Set - 4 Stars
Book 3.2: As Long As It Lasted - 3 Stars
Book 3.3:Fuck of the Day - 3 Stars
Book 3.4: Wine, Women and Cushions - 2 Stars
Book 3.5: Playing with Fire - 5 Stars
Book 3.6: All Work and no Play - 3 Stars
Book 3.7: Gee - 2 Stars
Book 3.8:Shopping & Fucking - 5 Stars
Book 3.9: Pool School - 3 Stars
Book 3.95: Without the Game - 4 Stars
Book 4: Control - 4 Stars
Book 4.2: Wait For It - 4 Stars
Book 4.3: Caged - 5 Stars
Book 4.4: Unaccustomed as I Am... - 3 Stars
Book 4.5: Helen - 4 Stars
Book 4.6: Shopping, No Fucking - 4 Stars
Book 4.7: Losing It - 4 Stars
Book 4.8: Coming from America
Book 5: Quis Custodiet - 3.5 Stars
Book 5.2: Gratuitous Kink - 4 Stars
Book 5.3: Then and Now - 4 Stars
Book 5.4: Friends in the Right Places - 2 Stars
Book 5.5: Smoke & Cameras - 4 Stars
Book 5.6: Sunday - 3 Stars
Book 6: First Against the Wall - 4 Stars
Book 7: For Certain Values
Book 7.1: Family Values
Book 7.2: Boy's Toys - 3 Stars
Book 7.3: Make it a Surprise
Book 7.4: Prodigal
Book 8: Blood & Circuses
Book 9: Corpora Delicti
Gratuitous Epilogue
864 reviews229 followers
November 13, 2012

1 star – A Carnac sighting!
1 star – Paul (but let’s get real…Paul is worth 5 stars on his own) How FANTASTIC is HE?
1 star – jealous Toreth…love me some jealous Toreth
1 star – patient Warrick; I love him more and more the more and more he puts up with Toreth
1 star – I found out that Sara is Asian! How did I miss that before?! My peeps!
1 star – Paul…oh, wait…I gave him one already right? He's hysterical!
1 star – brilliant writing

Oh dear, I’ve given out too many stars!

Toreth – as I mentioned, I do love jealous Toreth. But he scares me when he talks about killing Warrick if he catches him cheating. I have a love/hate relationship with this man.

Warrick – true, he should have given Toreth a harder time about having him investigated & followed. But, I love how Warrick knows how to handle Toreth. He loves him. He deals with him. He owns him. I want him.

One of my favs in the series. Even though, again, I would have loved more Warrick, he was perfectly placed in the parts he was in AND he was never far...always in Toreth's thoughts.
Profile Image for Lenore.
611 reviews372 followers
February 29, 2012
To be honest, this story deserves more than five stars. I won't start on how much I love Toreth and Warrick and about the quality of the writing.

BUT. Yes, there is a but.

I'm so mad at Warrick right now. For hell's sake. The man had you followed. That's how much he trusts you. He embarrassed you in front of your colleagues and friends and endangered the future of your beloved company. He also keeps fucking around (note: someone please shoot that syrupy guy, Paul, for me. I would be eternally grateful) and lies to you all the time and he genuinely believes he's justified and allowed to do it and he would leave you in a heartbeat if you asked him to stop.
He would also kill you first than see you with anyone else but you don't know that so ok, maybe you haven't realized the full extent of his pathological jealousy and possessiveness.

But the point is, how much more of Toreth's shit are you willing to take Warrick? How much more, damn it?
Profile Image for Laura.
1,520 reviews253 followers
December 18, 2012

I should probably discuss the frustration and anger this story pulled out of me with the twisting & turning mind games, deception, omissions, jealousy, paranoia, and CARNAC! Carnac all dressed up in his slimy charm and treachery brings out a very scary, insecure Toreth to play and sets my nerves on edge. I mean teeth grinding anger edge! But all I have in my eyes and heart right now are stars….

“More stars than he’d seen in his life. More stars than he’d ever imagined existed. Even the gaps between them looked different—a deep velvety blue only a shade away from black. The unexpected beauty of it held his gaze, leaving him unaware of time passing.”

Quis Custodiet held one of the most beautiful, romantic, and heartfelt moments of the series for me so far. A moment I will keep close to my heart. Breathtaking words and images swept me right in. Stars and Warrick…

“Warrick still lay against him, light in the water, holding him securely to stop the currents pushing them apart. He breathed slow and steady—very nearly asleep.”

I have said it before, but I will say it again…I love Manna Francis! The force of her words, tone, and pace can bring me to my knees! These stories and characters produce such a potent, indescribable mix of tenderness, need, comfort, anger, desire and mutterings out of me! I’m loving every single word.

I can’t recommend this reading experience enough. Read it! Please.
Profile Image for Pam.
995 reviews36 followers
July 20, 2020
3.5 stars

Is it a coincidence that my favorite three-book arc in this series starts with Toreth practically monogamous for long stretches of time?? Probably not, but it *is* ridiculous since the man has a literal pathological need to fuck around, and you should definitely not come anywhere near this series if that's going to be a problem for you.

It will still never cease to amaze me how quickly Toreth can pingpong back and forth between "I will fuck all the people" and "Warrick fucks NO ONE ELSE" over and over again in the same thought WITHOUG EVER MAKING A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO!!!!

Both men are highly intelligent and know each other very well -- which is key to my love for them -- and Toreth can seem so very normal when he's using logic and his observational skills, but the moment emotions are involved... he just can't. He literally cannot engage with them. The neurological pathways just aren't there to make the connection, and any attempts cause him to lash out in fear-rage like a cornered wild animal. 

I do believe that he loves Warrick, I just think that that's ultimately irrelevant since he can't actually connect with that emotion. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that he *would* love Warrick if that portion of his brain were available to him? But it's just not, so again, irrelevant. And if you're going to read these, you just have to be comfortable sitting in the gray area. 

But you have really good company, because Warrick's right there with you :) And he's ok with it. This series doesn't work for me if Warrick's unhappy with the realities of being with Toreth, or if he's just sticking it out with some vague hope that things might change, but that's not Warrick. He knows what he gets with Toreth and he knows what he's missing without him, and he's happy with his choice. Which could ultimately be said of any successful relationship, even if the details/extremes of this one are very, very different.

(And also, I did really like the Athens plotline :) 
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,418 reviews196 followers
January 31, 2021
RE-READ 2021
A little bit boring but enjoyable nevertheless.


Crazy love
It is offical..they are madly in love. We Begin with a lovely bedroom scene. I adore the tenderness that has formed between them. Toreth slips an "I'll miss you" which deserves an award in itself. He doesn't want to go on his out of town business trip, only because of Warrick awwwww and wants to wrap it up as quick as possible. Then he plans on staying loyal to Warrick while he is away.
I KNOW RIGHT??
Suddenly there is a kink in his plans and not the good kind. A surprise visit home to see his man and he finds his nemesis wine and dining him. He loses it, which is to be expected and there goes his 'present' for his honey.
Then we meet Paul. Oh my, there are no words. mmmm mmm!
Toreth is overwhelmed with his investigation, which wasn't so boring this time around. I didn't mind seeing him in action (at work that is).
Warrick comes to visit..and yep, its absence makes the cock grow harder.
This time he has a special gift for Toreth.
Toreth is an insecure, paranoid psychopath, but he is Warrick's insecure paranoid psychopath ...so, life is pretty good.
Profile Image for Shelley.
395 reviews557 followers
March 28, 2013
I guess it was okay. Paul was a nice colourful distraction, up until ...well yeah, not hard to guess what comes next huh?

Toreth is just such hard work and Warrick, well...

 photo tumblr_inline_mhvejiIStG1qz4rgp_zps73ba6d9a.gif


I just don't know what to do with you.


I'm getting tired of their drama now...
 photo tumblr_m5lwc98aDw1rs3f7jo1_400_zpsc4107c75.gif

Profile Image for Jenni.
255 reviews41 followers
September 6, 2013
My review is for the book Quis Custodiet, which included Quis Custodiet, Ipsos Custodes, Gratuitous Kink, Then and Now, Friends in the Right Places, Smoke and Cameras, Sunday Game, and Paws for Thought.

Proceed with caution, mild spoilers ahead.

*****
As much as I love the Administration series, this book was, for the most part, a complete miss for me.

While I thoroughly enjoy seeing both Toreth and Warrick in their working element, I more thoroughly enjoy seeing them together. Working on...each other.

Let's break things down, shall we?
In Quis Custodiet, Toreth travels to Greece for *sigh* another long, drawn out investigation, zzzzz. He has Warrick trailed because an old nemesis returns to town, jealous looooover (...okay, that part was fun).

Ipsos Custodes sees Warrick working, blah, blah, blah. Toreth gets busted with the trailing, BOOM.

Gratuitous Kink was delicious good fun, with Toreth on his best/worst behavior and Warrick outsmarting us all because---> wise to the naughty all along and accepting Toreth for being Toreth, thank-you-very-much.

Then and Now, background on Toreth, informative, but zzzzz.

Friends in the Right Places, what was the point of this story? I'm still not sure, except maybe Toreth is Alpha Male Interrogator(TM), hear him roar? Actually, I suppose this little story might be set-up for something later down the road...

Smoke and Cameras, fairly exciting. Insight into the (now very strong) bond between our boys. And, BONUS!, Dilly is going back to Mars?!? YAHOO! (My thoughts on that are that she finally realized after Toreth saved her brother's life that Toreth really does truly, deeply care for Warrick. Yes?)

Sunday Game, sex, sex, sex. Too short.

Paws for Thought...just...weird. And somewhat pointless in my opinion.

Well. Here's hoping things pick up in First Against the Wall, pretty please with sugar and Toreth on top.
Profile Image for Christina.
837 reviews125 followers
November 1, 2025
Re-read: 02/2015; 04/2017

Quis Custodiet - 5 stars

Ipsos Custodes (paperback only) - 4 stars

Gratuitous Kink - 4.5 stars

Then And Now - 5 stars

Friends In The Right Places - 3.5 stars

Smoke and Cameras - 4.5 stars

Sunday Game - 5 stars

Paw for Thought (paperback only) - 4 stars
Profile Image for Aleksandr Voinov.
Author 77 books2,500 followers
Read
September 7, 2012
Manna Francis does it again - she's a captivating writer with great insight into her characters and spellbinding writing. Great stuff, very much recommended.
Profile Image for Sofia.
1,349 reviews295 followers
April 6, 2015

This collection made me a bit sad whilst reading. One thing I realised and which I find beautiful is that inspite of all the ups and downs on both side, they never consider leaving each other an option. Toreth's 'unbearable thought' moment is very very telling.

e-book version:
Quis Custodiet
Ipsos Custodes
Gratuitous Kink
Gratuitous Epilogue
Then and Now
Friends in the Right Places
Smoke and Cameras
Sunday Game
Paws for Thought


BR Marathon with Irina - BR thread for the whole series thanks for 'patiently' waiting.
Profile Image for Claudie ☾.
547 reviews186 followers
January 10, 2023
I enjoyed the contrast between Toreth & Warrick’s sweeter, more emotional moments as their (non-)relationship progressed and an outsider’s first impression of our favorite para-investigator immensely. Reminders that he’s not fully domesticated are always appreciated.

“It was like looking into a well — a cold, empty darkness, showing fractured glimpses of something almost human, a long way beyond his reach.”

Yikes! Wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley. Or would I? 😏

Anyway, he’s only ‘human’ for his bae, bitch. 😌 Well, him and Sara. And not always, mind you.
Profile Image for ElaineY.
2,449 reviews68 followers
April 4, 2011
I accidentally deleted all that I typed for the first three stories in this 5th book and can't be bothered to retype everything! I wish there were an auto-save feature in GR:(

QUIS CUSTODIET
This is one story you'll have to read to fully appreciate Toreth's talent for getting into the shits with Warrick.

As we have come to expect, Warrick forgives Toreth, of course, so it's 'back to business' as usual and where Toreth is concerned, that means back to fucking and lying and more fucking and more lying.

And Warrick will, again, forgive him. Rinse and repeat should be the alternate title for this series.

IPSOS CUSTODIES
Tells the PI debacle from Warrick's perpective and it's at times like these that I get very angry with Warrick for being so willing to settle for whatever he can get from Toreth. Warrick will hop and jump and rant and rave like Rumpelstiltskin but in the end, he's a toothless tiger and will never leave Toreth even though there will be more men like Carnac who will show Toreth up.

GRATUITOUS KINK
Toreth and Warrick attend the Shop's 21st birthday party. The Shop is where Toreth bought Warrick The Wardrobe. Toreth at a party organized by a sex shop? Do we need to say more?

In the end, TA is just a story of two pathetic men who can't live without each other yet can't let the other live. Toreth needs Warrick bad enough to kill his competition, if need be, but can't give Warrick the peace of mind and heart by ceasing his fucking everything with a pulse; Warrick loves and needs Toreth like no other but will never be able to give Toreth the freedom to fuck a duck if that's what T wants because Warrick just isn't wired that way. So Warrick will continue to hop and jump and rant and rave like Rumpelstiltskin at Toreth and the latter will be contrite for about five minutes, or for as long as it takes for Warrick to say, "You can fuck me now.'

I probably lost all hope for Toreth here and am not keen to continue but I've reformatted the stories for my reader such that I have all the stories from Book 5 in a single file so I'll continue to flip my reader and, perhaps, Ms Francis may give me a break.

THEN & NOW
It was a 'pleasant' surprise to see Toreth reminiscing about his childhood (minus the family parts, though) and it fills in the gaps as to how he got to be what he is today. We get to learn why sex coupled with love is a combination that could never occur to Toreth. We learn why sex is just the result of an impulse that's indulged, an itch that's scratched, regardless of who it hurts.

'Then', Toreth was a helpless victim. 'Now', he's still a victim. Just an older one. He may have found love now, but is too damaged to recognize it or know what to do with it. For Toreth, this looks like As Good As It Gets. I felt sorry for him early on in TA. Now, I truly pity him.

FRIENDS IN THE RIGHT PLACES
A short of Toreth at work again. This time, he's asked to give the son of a corporate scion a scare after the brat has been dabbling in anti-Administration games. No Warrick here. I enjoyed this break from the inevitable, unavoidable, obligatory sex scenes which are getting to be rather repetitive and ho-hum.

SMOKE & CAMERAS
Toreth is invited to a Sim-tech celebration. The first production run is done and soon, Warrick's baby will be ready to be marketed. Nothing much in this short story except for a quick grope while they are stuck in a lift when the power goes out.

At least, that's how it looks until I got to the part where something happens to take Toreth another step further concerning Warrick's place in his life. One, small, scary moment and I hope it does lead to more.

SUNDAY GAME
Just another short kinky interlude from Warrick's POV.

PAWS FOR THOUGHT
This short story is about Tom, the cat-boy that Toreth fucked at the Shop's 21st birthday part's in Smoke & Cameras. I thought it was a dreadful waste of paper (this is available only in the paperback) and opportunity. It's obviously just something tacked on for the paperback version and I would have preferred another story, say one of Warrick, giving us a glimpse of his past to help us understand his hard-on for pain. Or Toreth's childhood years at home. Whatever, it would have made more sense to me than a story about that cat-boy having a sim session. I really did not get the point of this story and its inclusion. A surprisingly weak ending to this installment.


SUMMARY OF QUIS CUSTODIET:

Apart from Quis Custodiet, the stories in Book 5 are short but even then, Manna inserts, in each one (apart from Paws For Thought), an important piece of the puzzle to the Toreth picture and his relationship with Warrick . At this point of the series, I confess I am getting a little worn out and have taken to reading another old comfort in the hope that the break will restore my now-flagging interest. I find the entire Toreth-Warrick relationship exhausting and, from what the other readers have told me, there's not going to be much to hope for and my conclusion, based on what I've been told, is that there may not be enough difference in Toreth at the end of the series to justify my plowing through 2,400 reader pages.

I'm not sure when I'll start Book 6, Against the Wall. I'll need to find a motivating factor first. Perhaps, I'll just tell myself to read it for Manna Francis' superb writing and forget about the content per se.
Profile Image for LenaRibka.
1,463 reviews433 followers
September 8, 2016
4, 5 stars!

Almost perfect.

Keyword: TORETH!

Toreth jealous....FUN!

Toreth is working in Athen!... FUN!

Being in Toreth's head!.. FUN!

Toreth in panic!.. FUN!

Toreth shows weakness!.. FUN!

Toreth and Warrick.. as always together FUN!

T-O-R-E-T-H FUN PURE!
Profile Image for Joy.
639 reviews80 followers
February 19, 2015
Re-read February 2015

QUIS CUSTODIET---who guards the guard? Toreth jealous and afraid of losing Warrick--no remorse for having Warrick followed--only sorry he was caught--

IMPOS CUSTODES--Warrick's POV for QUIS CUSTODIET--and how did I not see Carnac setting the stage for FIRST AGAINST THE WALL? Hearing Carnac's thoughts on the Administration is like fingernails down a chalk board

GRATUITOUS KINK--fun story of a party at "The Shop"--Warrick turns the tables on Toreth and we are introduced to cat-boy

THEN AND NOW--learn more of Toreth's youth

FRIENDS IN RIGHT PLACES--told from a young resister's point of view

SMOKE AND CAMERAS--Toreth and Warrick stuck in an elevator

SUNDAY GAME-game always changing

PAWS FOR THOUGHT--cat-boy is back--this time Warrick wants to test him in the sim
Profile Image for Irina.
409 reviews68 followers
April 6, 2015
*Sigh*

What can I say. It made me sad. I keep hoping for a change of character, but really, leopards don't change their spots, do they.

At least there were a few promising albeit subtle moments that made all the sufferings almost worth it.

“Who needed words anyway, when they had this?”


It would've been nice to hear it anyway :)

***3.8 stars***

BR marathon with Sofia - thank you!
Profile Image for Frau Sorge (Yuki).
545 reviews26 followers
March 20, 2013
It deserves a lot more than 5 stars.

Quis Custiodiet - Well, I liked it enough. And I hated Carnac, still hate him. It was exotic to see Toreth in such a scenery, Greece etc..

Gratuitous Kink - I loved how Warrick played Toreth. And it was damn hot.

Then and Now - It started with some jealousy Toreth-style (How many men have you fucked?, but it appeared more than that - it hurts to read about Toreth's past. Even if it suits him.

Friends in the Right Places - I love the way Toreth works. But I've said it before, I think.

Smoke and Cameras Aww. It was sweet that Toreth really cared about Warrick. Definitely an evening to remeber.

Saunday Game Nice. As Sundays usually are.

Paws for thought Well, it was weird.


I took my time with the fifth installment of TA serie. I just can't read it too fast. I'll be devastated when it's over.
Profile Image for Sophie.
2,635 reviews116 followers
February 13, 2011
This. The first two stories in this book were hell to read, but not because they're bad - it's just that in this story universe, there are easy things to read and difficult things to read, and stories that have Toreth do things that endanger his relationship with Warrick are difficult to read. It's all good, though - despite the fact that it is disturbing to root for a character as Toreth. Sometimes it's like I don't have a choice. This is very well done. I know I'm repeating myself, but it'd be so easy to brush over the difficult parts, but the author never does that. I'm just glad there are some more stories left for me to read. <3

First read February 5, 2010
Profile Image for yaishin.
904 reviews118 followers
August 23, 2022
i knew it was way too easy to actually be over😭. and Toreth sure did get forgiven easily for all that Warrick was spitting mad💀.
Profile Image for Trio.
3,610 reviews206 followers
August 19, 2023
No idea how I got out of the intended order for this series, but somehow I missed Quis Custodiet. It didn't hurt the structure of the series to have missed this one, but I'm certainly glad to have seen this humbler, more pious side of Toreth lol. Plus I was really missing out on the seven short stories that are tacked on to the end of this one!
Profile Image for Mich.
242 reviews18 followers
May 14, 2013
..."What the fuck is real-time spline reticulation?" Don't worry Toreth, Warrick isn't laughing at you, he is laughing, er...with you...

Quis Custodiet (don't worry, I had to google it too...) is the 5th novella in The Administration series. Though it is not the fifth story I have read in the series, it follows along nicely with Manna's suggested reading order.

This was probably one of my favorite stories so far in the series. While I was terrified of a Carnac reprieve; his part was quite limited in the story. Most thankfully, we didn't even have to hear the man speak.
Manna introduces a misfit cast of new characters in this book, and the story line is good...really good.

Simply, Toreth goes off to Greece to investigate the Athens I&I team. Seems like the grass is greener in Athens and there are less resisters to the Administration. Our boy Toreth and a couple members of his team try to unearth said mystery...

The only really negative thing I can say about this one is that it got tied together way to neatly at the end. I wanted more drama.

Former slut Toreth decides to be celibate while in Greece...until Warrick comes and visits for the weekend. W gives T a handmade sim video creation featuring Warrick doing, well...I am not sure really and I read it more than once. It was "artsy" and pretty hot.

So, what else?...a surprising admission from Toreth,a roof top gun fight, important people die, somehow T walks away unscathed, the team heads home to New London, and Toreth has to apologize to Warrick for yet another BIG FUCKING screw up.
(Warrick you damn pansy!!))

The only way this story could have been better is if Manna wrote in a random, disjointed appearance by some kitchy, Queen named Paul.
Oh.
Profile Image for Irina Elena.
724 reviews167 followers
September 3, 2013
I'm sick, tired, and feeling bitchy, so this is going to be short and to the point.

This novella was... pretty fucking awesome.
It's entirely Toreth-centric, narrated from Toreth's POV and revealing interesting bits of him, and the plot revolves around shady happenings in Athens I&I. I'm not going to say it was extremely atmospheric, because it wasn't, except for a few details, but there's an explanation: here, we get to see the Administration's effect on all of Europe, a sort of unification in ways, culture and language - and how I wish we knew more about it. *sigh*

The wonderful part, for me, was seeing Toreth at work. And that, I promise, is very weird, because normally it would be the kind of thing that bores me numb. But it's Toreth - he can't bore me. Ever. Especially, it turns out, while doing his job. He's a clever son of a bitch, but watching him flail around in confusion and then figure things out and set them right was a riot.
Let's not even mention Sara, because the girl is my virtual best friend and I'm not going to share her with people.

There was, indeed, very little Warrick in this story, but that didn't bother me; what bothered me is that what little Warrick time there was was glossed over and rushed and cut up and hidden, so I basically got the bare bones of what happened between him and Toreth in this story (because obviously Toreth had to fuck things up. Again) but not much emotion.
Still, a groveling Toreth? That's a sight to see.

Also: Carnac? Die.
Profile Image for Lisa Arbitrary - AttentionIsArbitrary M/M Blog.
332 reviews136 followers
January 16, 2013
~~~

This one left me unsettled for the future of this series. Not in the quality of the writing, not at all but in my concern for the well-being of the characters. Warrick being too forgiving, Toreth being too Toreth and The Administration being too involved. It's interesting to find that nothing changes. As per the title of the story, who is in control indeed.

I found this satisfyingly twisted, complex and tantalizing. The ending left more questions than answers yet didn't annoy with a cliff hanger, it just left me wanting more. Which seems to be a well developed talent with this author.

~~~

Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:

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http://www.attentionisarbitrary.blogspot.com
Profile Image for Marina.
213 reviews12 followers
November 13, 2012
Totaly, completely loved it!

First of all it takes place in Athens (that alone deserves 5 stars)!!!!

Second I loved Toreth!!! My sweet maniac I really love you!
Profile Image for CharlotteSometimes.
124 reviews5 followers
September 30, 2018
Last night I had a nightmare. You know them ones where you’re being held down and you can’t move and you’re screaming and you keep trying to move because at some point you realize you’re asleep and this is a dream, and if you could just scream loud enough or move even a tiny bit, you could wake yourself up and it would all be over? Sleep paralysis or whatever. Well that happened last night, but in the dream I was being interrogated at I & I and that’s why I couldn’t move, and it was terrifying. But when I woke up, I was like.. Wow! I’m dreaming about The Administration. Cool 😎
Profile Image for LenaLena.
391 reviews157 followers
February 22, 2011
This review is for the story Quis Custodiet, not the book, which includes other stories as well. This is one of my very favorite Administration stories. Toreth is so patheticly jealous in this one and Warrick as icy as he gets, it is beautiful!
Profile Image for Trix.
1,355 reviews114 followers
February 10, 2013
This book carried a lot of punch. There were several lines of interest developing and each intense.



So aside from that little snippet, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this installment. Every story is a new layer for the main characters and I love reading about their adventures and trying to understand them better.
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