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The Administration #6
First Against the Wall
Who is leading the rabble to victory? Toreth shifted against the wall, trying to get comfortable. Between bruises and handcuffs, he didn't have much success. On the first day, in the first cell, the lights had been on, the water dispenser working, and the prisoner feeding schedule still running. Then the lights went out, and things had gone steadily downhill from there. Now, he sat in darkness so absolute that he couldn't see a hand in front of his face, if he'd been in a position to check. The last time he'd been taken out of the cell it had been light in the corridors, which was something. If the power to the building failed totally, they would suffocate down here. At the moment, the air cycling was still functional, feeding chill air into the cell--like the lights, the heating systems had been switched off or had broken down. He couldn't accurately estimate when he'd last eaten. Two days or so, probably, but he was starting to feel the effects. The water system worried him most. It worked only intermittently and the water had an unpleasant, overly chemical flavor. The systems were failing. Something had gone badly wrong, and had continued to go wrong for so long that he'd been forced unwillingly to conclude that it had to have hit more than I&I. Revolution has come to the Administration, as the citizens rise up against government and corporate oppression. With old and new enemies all around them, what will the new future hold for despised para-investigator Val Toreth, and corporate highflier Keir Warrick? And how long will that future last?
283 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Manna Francis
46 books635 followersI'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.
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 125 reviews
April 27, 2020
oh god, karen, you are reading more gay smut?
well no, not exactly.
i love this series, and i am so glad dana turned me on to it. this one is her very favorite book of the series, and yet it also happens to be the least smutty one of all! for one thing, it is hard to focus on the lovemaking when you have a revolution on your hands, but even in the sexxy scenes that are included, a lot of them have that tasteful gauze curtain drawn over them and are more implicit than erotic.
so what gives, dana? as the reigning queen of M/M fiction, to the extent that you have this for your nook cover:
i would have expected a bit more manly love in your favorite installment!
but i get it - this one has a lot of action, intrigue, plotting, and character progression. it is also one of the only ones to be a complete novel, and not a novella with a bunch of short stories tacked on at the end. and manna francis can really sustain a narrative, so i don't know why her books are always in that format.so it has a lot going for it and doesn't need to rely on the bedroom scenes to keep a reader's interest.
i have to confess, i got lost a couple of times with all the manipulation and high-stakes espionage, but i trusted that she knew what she was doing, and i just went along for the ride, assuming that the crossing and double-crossing would work itself out in the end. watching carnac and toreth in their battle of wits and manipulation was crazy-good fun. it is nice to see toreth come up against an opponent equal to himself in intellectual vanity and potential for cruelty.
i love warrick more and more with each passing book, and even though i still think toreth has got a ways to go, i just love them so much together, even though they violate my rule of "goddammit, just talk to each other already." because although so much time is wasted in this one because of their avoidance of issues, i kind of think in their case it is necessary, because toreth is like some kind of easily-startled wild animal who needs to be handled a certain way or off he will go, like a sexual monster.
it is a testament to francis' writing skills that i do not hate toreth outright. he is a supremely frustrating character, but after 6 books, he really sort of grows on you...
he'd never taken candy from a baby, because he disliked both sweets and kids, but it had to be something like this.
but the ending of this one??? so cruel.
so. so. cruel.
and unexpected.
and because of its shattering cliffhanger-y out-of-nowhere ending scene, you can bet i will be reading the seventh (and final?) book before the end of the year. because of all the books, this is the one with the most lasting repercussions, both to the administration and to warrick-and-toreth.
and i will hate to see this series end, but i really need to know what happens.
come to my blog!
well no, not exactly.
i love this series, and i am so glad dana turned me on to it. this one is her very favorite book of the series, and yet it also happens to be the least smutty one of all! for one thing, it is hard to focus on the lovemaking when you have a revolution on your hands, but even in the sexxy scenes that are included, a lot of them have that tasteful gauze curtain drawn over them and are more implicit than erotic.
so what gives, dana? as the reigning queen of M/M fiction, to the extent that you have this for your nook cover:
i would have expected a bit more manly love in your favorite installment!
but i get it - this one has a lot of action, intrigue, plotting, and character progression. it is also one of the only ones to be a complete novel, and not a novella with a bunch of short stories tacked on at the end. and manna francis can really sustain a narrative, so i don't know why her books are always in that format.so it has a lot going for it and doesn't need to rely on the bedroom scenes to keep a reader's interest.
i have to confess, i got lost a couple of times with all the manipulation and high-stakes espionage, but i trusted that she knew what she was doing, and i just went along for the ride, assuming that the crossing and double-crossing would work itself out in the end. watching carnac and toreth in their battle of wits and manipulation was crazy-good fun. it is nice to see toreth come up against an opponent equal to himself in intellectual vanity and potential for cruelty.
i love warrick more and more with each passing book, and even though i still think toreth has got a ways to go, i just love them so much together, even though they violate my rule of "goddammit, just talk to each other already." because although so much time is wasted in this one because of their avoidance of issues, i kind of think in their case it is necessary, because toreth is like some kind of easily-startled wild animal who needs to be handled a certain way or off he will go, like a sexual monster.
it is a testament to francis' writing skills that i do not hate toreth outright. he is a supremely frustrating character, but after 6 books, he really sort of grows on you...
he'd never taken candy from a baby, because he disliked both sweets and kids, but it had to be something like this.
but the ending of this one??? so cruel.
so. so. cruel.
and unexpected.
and because of its shattering cliffhanger-y out-of-nowhere ending scene, you can bet i will be reading the seventh (and final?) book before the end of the year. because of all the books, this is the one with the most lasting repercussions, both to the administration and to warrick-and-toreth.
and i will hate to see this series end, but i really need to know what happens.
come to my blog!
October 21, 2013
3.5 stars.***Review posted October 20, 2013
First off I'd like to say that I love this series. However, there's no getting around it to point out that I'm slightly disappointed with First Against the Wall. I really liked it but didn't love it, and I hope you won't throw any rotten tomatoes at me for confessing my honest opinion. In fact, the high average rating of 4.70 is somewhat intimidating, but I can't change how I feel about this book. As I see it, I won't bother writing an extensive and in-depth review because there are so many great ones already. Go check them out. I will just give you a summary of what didn't work out for me and of course I will tell you what I liked.
The story begins with a bang which I really loved and I was so hooked right from the get-go. Unfortunately though, it wasn't meant to last until the end.
What happened afterwards wasn't a big surprise to me. The Nuisance Factor Number One and evil motherfucker, Socioanalyst Carnac. Of course one can't expect anything good coming from that disgusting vermin.
Let the the mind games begin...
Let's talk about sex….or…not. Honestly, it's nothing to write home about anyway. Granted, the sex in Toreth's office was good. Still, I KNOW how HOT and KINKY their smexy times can be, so whichever way I look at it, FAtW was simply disappointing considering how freaking lengthy the book is.
This scene annoyed me because I expected Warrick to support Toreth in regards to
Toreth to Warrick
**************************
Now let me get to my main issue. Boredom. While I enjoyed some parts a lot, there were some that bored the hell outta me, they were really "blah". Besides, FAtW was waaaaay too long-winded. As far as I'm concerned I would have shortened the book considerably. In hindsight it's too bad I didn't take specific notes, so I could have told you exactly when I felt bored. I *think*, however, that most of the not so inspiring parts took place between 35 and 63 %.
At 64 % there was another very loud bang and I was wide awake again. As a matter of fact, that specific incident made my blood boil and I was internally screaming. I really wanted to shout all kinds of vile things at Monsieur Carnac. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
CARNAC YOU BLOODY EVIL MOTHERF@CKER…I WANT YOU F@@@ING GONE. DESTROYED. YOU SHALL SUFFER A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH. SOD OFF YOU CREEP! Can someone please tell me Thank you.
I was forewarned that FAtW was all about Carnac and Toreth. Still, I can't help and criticize that I wanted more Warrick and Toreth. I mean this was a bloody long book and what was there of Warrick was somewhat bland and forgettable.
And last but not least the final two chapters could have been GREAT if…
Toreth hadn't drowned in self-pity and all the misery. That was pathetic and once again long-winded.
The ending of the final chapter…da fuck?
That is all. Don't mind me and read it. I'm sure you'll love it since I'm the odd one out there. FAtW goes straight on my shelf books-everyone-loved-but-baba.
First off I'd like to say that I love this series. However, there's no getting around it to point out that I'm slightly disappointed with First Against the Wall. I really liked it but didn't love it, and I hope you won't throw any rotten tomatoes at me for confessing my honest opinion. In fact, the high average rating of 4.70 is somewhat intimidating, but I can't change how I feel about this book. As I see it, I won't bother writing an extensive and in-depth review because there are so many great ones already. Go check them out. I will just give you a summary of what didn't work out for me and of course I will tell you what I liked.
"Excellent." Warrick opened the top drawer of his desk, rummaged through the contents, and produced a tub of hand cream. "I thought I remembered that you kept something suitable in there."
He straddled Toreth's thighs and sat, facing him, reading the label. "Mm. Hypoallergenic, unscented, dermatologically tested." One eyebrow arched. "How very convenient."
That was, Toreth felt, a touch unfair. He DID use the cream for its intended purpose, because the over-processed air down in the interrogation levels was extremely drying and the gloves made his skin…but Warrick didn't look as if he'd be the least bit interested.
The story begins with a bang which I really loved and I was so hooked right from the get-go. Unfortunately though, it wasn't meant to last until the end.
What happened afterwards wasn't a big surprise to me. The Nuisance Factor Number One and evil motherfucker, Socioanalyst Carnac. Of course one can't expect anything good coming from that disgusting vermin.
Let the the mind games begin...
"Shut up. In that case, Carnac, you can go fuck yourself,
"No, no. I understand. I was merely contemplating the fact that informing me that you had sex with someone else last night--after --falls under the heading of your being unusually considerate."
Let's talk about sex….or…not. Honestly, it's nothing to write home about anyway. Granted, the sex in Toreth's office was good. Still, I KNOW how HOT and KINKY their smexy times can be, so whichever way I look at it, FAtW was simply disappointing considering how freaking lengthy the book is.
This scene annoyed me because I expected Warrick to support Toreth in regards to
Toreth to Warrick
**************************
Then I'm going to nail their testicles to the wall. Or whatever else I can get hold of, if they don't have any.
Now let me get to my main issue. Boredom. While I enjoyed some parts a lot, there were some that bored the hell outta me, they were really "blah". Besides, FAtW was waaaaay too long-winded. As far as I'm concerned I would have shortened the book considerably. In hindsight it's too bad I didn't take specific notes, so I could have told you exactly when I felt bored. I *think*, however, that most of the not so inspiring parts took place between 35 and 63 %.
At 64 % there was another very loud bang and I was wide awake again. As a matter of fact, that specific incident made my blood boil and I was internally screaming. I really wanted to shout all kinds of vile things at Monsieur Carnac. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
CARNAC YOU BLOODY EVIL MOTHERF@CKER…I WANT YOU F@@@ING GONE. DESTROYED. YOU SHALL SUFFER A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH. SOD OFF YOU CREEP! Can someone please tell me Thank you.
I was forewarned that FAtW was all about Carnac and Toreth. Still, I can't help and criticize that I wanted more Warrick and Toreth. I mean this was a bloody long book and what was there of Warrick was somewhat bland and forgettable.
And last but not least the final two chapters could have been GREAT if…
Toreth hadn't drowned in self-pity and all the misery. That was pathetic and once again long-winded.
The ending of the final chapter…da fuck?
That is all. Don't mind me and read it. I'm sure you'll love it since I'm the odd one out there. FAtW goes straight on my shelf books-everyone-loved-but-baba.
December 14, 2023
Holy hand grenade!
From the first sentence until the last, I felt as if a small bomb was about to explode.
We begin with Toreth in captivity. The torturer has become the tortured. All hell has broken out and a ‘revolution’ is blasting through the Administration. My stomach started to flip and flop, and honestly it never stopped.
Toreth believes his fight is over and stumbles to relay a message to Warrick;
“Could you tell Warrick—"….
"Tell him I..."
My heart is breaking for him. He has no idea how to properly love anyone, especially himself and his torment in expressing any emotion haunts me.
Never fear, Warrick is here! Toreth I am thanking your sweet hard ass that you had the sense to chose a brilliant partner. I am dying to know what strong powerful words were said & for Toreth’s ears only when they returned to the flat. What did he say???
Sara and Rob. That was an interesting combo. Disappointed how things turned out. Maybe there is still hope?
Unfortunately, we have an appearance of the asshole assassin, Carnac. Complete wanker who is determined to kill any happiness Toreth’s fragile heart is holding. Yes, fragile. He is scared shitless and has become a professional escapee when it comes to his emotions.
Action packed, emotional cheese grater, and jawdropper conclusion.
Four favorite words of the entire series so far~
"'Just you. It's enough.'"
ps…Warrick- I wanna know why. Pleaaasee?
From the first sentence until the last, I felt as if a small bomb was about to explode.
We begin with Toreth in captivity. The torturer has become the tortured. All hell has broken out and a ‘revolution’ is blasting through the Administration. My stomach started to flip and flop, and honestly it never stopped.
Toreth believes his fight is over and stumbles to relay a message to Warrick;
“Could you tell Warrick—"….
"Tell him I..."
My heart is breaking for him. He has no idea how to properly love anyone, especially himself and his torment in expressing any emotion haunts me.
Never fear, Warrick is here! Toreth I am thanking your sweet hard ass that you had the sense to chose a brilliant partner. I am dying to know what strong powerful words were said & for Toreth’s ears only when they returned to the flat. What did he say???
Sara and Rob. That was an interesting combo. Disappointed how things turned out. Maybe there is still hope?
Unfortunately, we have an appearance of the asshole assassin, Carnac. Complete wanker who is determined to kill any happiness Toreth’s fragile heart is holding. Yes, fragile. He is scared shitless and has become a professional escapee when it comes to his emotions.
Action packed, emotional cheese grater, and jawdropper conclusion.
Four favorite words of the entire series so far~
"'Just you. It's enough.'"
ps…Warrick- I wanna know why. Pleaaasee?
March 31, 2018
I loved the book. I enjoyed it tremendously.
The beginning of the book was instantly riveting. It was a really good start designed to trap you right away.
All the things that happened towards the conclusion left me with a great sensation at the end of the book. Regardless of the problems I might have found during the body of the book, the last part erased most of that.
THE STORY-LINES:
The plot was very interesting this time, better than any of the other investigative/mystery story-lines in the other books of this series. However, there was too much of it, too much of I&I’s intrigue, just way too much for my taste; this seems to be a consistency with the books of this series (I mean the main books, the long stories and novellas, not the short-stories about Warrick and Toreth's relationship). I was entertained by the plot, but not that much as to want to have the amount of details that we find of it. In a regular basis, all that detailed intrigue becomes tedious and unnecessary for me when I’m reading a book, I am more interested in the romance story-line. I am saying all this because that is the reason why I didn't give 5 stars to this book.
I loved the struggle in their relationship, it was excellent and what I am always looking for in a book. It's a shame that the really good part of the emotional struggle didn't come until late in the book. External circumstances forced their relationship to advance, and as a consequence, as many times happens, one step forward also means two steps back and two steps forwards sometimes means one step back. This going back and forwards was great to read, charged with underlying emotion, satisfying and at the same time leaving you needing more.
THE CHARACTERS:
I love the characters in this series. But, oh boy do they vex me! Sara is great, a breath of fresh air amidst the toilsome angst of it all. Dilly is so believable and real that she could be a number of people I know. Toreth and Warrick…well, they are unique. I love them both even when I want to sake Warrick so he’ll do something and even when I want to punch Toreth for being such an asshole.
Toreth & Warrick:
I don’t understand very well why it’s so important for the author to stay away from materializing any real emotion. The subtlety and underlying meanings and feelings where fine at the beginning, but after 6 books my patience it’s running extremely thin.
I get that Toreth has issues, but it’s been 5 years since his sentimental relationship with Warrick began. It’s too long to still be hang up on all his internal drama, he needs to start getting over it because it has become increasingly infuriating. At the beginning his fears were endearing, now they are exasperating. The progress that their relationship has reached, has been mostly accomplished by the events and occurrences that had revolved around them, as well as the pass of time and Toreth letting his sexual desires and his need for Warrick guide him that way. But never due to a conscious decision and admittance of his feelings; he let himself (with great difficulty) advance towards the natural direction, he didn't dwell on it or actively, definably and knowing the meaning and consequences of it chose that path. Toreth has never owned up to his feelings and emotions and after 6 books, his cowardice makes me mad and disgusts me.
I can’t fathom how Warrick can be ok with how things are. I get he tiptoes around Toreth so he doesn't scare him away, but in my opinion, it’s been too long since that behavior was acceptable, they have been together for 5 YEARS. I can’t figure out how Warrick can envision a future under those circumstances (it’s clear now that he has no intention of ever leaving Toreth, so there IS going to be a future). I don’t see how he can be satisfied that way, keeping the feelings hidden or at least unsaid to not spook the panther. Honestly, the panther needs to get over himself, heal and stop being a sissy (the actual panther at the zoo did, so it’s time he does too). The leniency that Warrick gives Toreth confuses and frustrates me. According to Warrick's actions I grasp that he accepts how Toreth is completely, but I don’t see why he lets him get away with everything. Of course, the main reason as to why I don’t understand it, it’s because we never get a single thought regarding Warrick's feelings towards Toreth, towards his behavior or their situation and relationship. We only get what we infer reading between the lines, never anything concrete, defined. Thus, it is perfectly comprehensible my lack of understanding towards Warrick. All that that deducing is achieving is frustrate me.
Sara:
I am so glad she finally got some. I am just sad that it didn't go how I would have liked it. I hope there is more of it in the future; I’d like her to have someone beside Toreth.
I have similar problems towards Sara that I have with Warrick. She also tiptoes around Toreth, she lets him get away with running away from feelings, with not facing his issues. One thing is to accept a person for how and who they are, and another to enable them. Toreth is extremely damaged and not helping him get over it because he gets riled up, it’s the easy thing to do, it’s selfish, unhealthy and being a crappy friend. Toreth needs an awakening and he obviously can't do it alone; if the people that love him don’t help him heal, then he never will. Both, Sara and Warrick, need to stop enabling Toreth in his desperation to evade real emotions and make him confront his fears and feelings. They need to stop letting him get away with things. TORETH NEEDS AN INTERVENTION.
I am incredibly socked by how it ended (I’m referring to the very last sentence in the book); in fact, I think it shocked me more than anything else I've read in this series due to the unexpectedness of it. I am incredibly mad about it. I hate Leo! Fuck the Administration and fuck duty! Family comes first, ALWAYS!!!
I am absolutely addicted to this series and to Toreth and Warrick, so I am off to the next installment!
Cheers!
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
The beginning of the book was instantly riveting. It was a really good start designed to trap you right away.
All the things that happened towards the conclusion left me with a great sensation at the end of the book. Regardless of the problems I might have found during the body of the book, the last part erased most of that.
THE STORY-LINES:
The plot was very interesting this time, better than any of the other investigative/mystery story-lines in the other books of this series. However, there was too much of it, too much of I&I’s intrigue, just way too much for my taste; this seems to be a consistency with the books of this series (I mean the main books, the long stories and novellas, not the short-stories about Warrick and Toreth's relationship). I was entertained by the plot, but not that much as to want to have the amount of details that we find of it. In a regular basis, all that detailed intrigue becomes tedious and unnecessary for me when I’m reading a book, I am more interested in the romance story-line. I am saying all this because that is the reason why I didn't give 5 stars to this book.
I loved the struggle in their relationship, it was excellent and what I am always looking for in a book. It's a shame that the really good part of the emotional struggle didn't come until late in the book. External circumstances forced their relationship to advance, and as a consequence, as many times happens, one step forward also means two steps back and two steps forwards sometimes means one step back. This going back and forwards was great to read, charged with underlying emotion, satisfying and at the same time leaving you needing more.
THE CHARACTERS:
I love the characters in this series. But, oh boy do they vex me! Sara is great, a breath of fresh air amidst the toilsome angst of it all. Dilly is so believable and real that she could be a number of people I know. Toreth and Warrick…well, they are unique. I love them both even when I want to sake Warrick so he’ll do something and even when I want to punch Toreth for being such an asshole.
Toreth & Warrick:
I don’t understand very well why it’s so important for the author to stay away from materializing any real emotion. The subtlety and underlying meanings and feelings where fine at the beginning, but after 6 books my patience it’s running extremely thin.
I get that Toreth has issues, but it’s been 5 years since his sentimental relationship with Warrick began. It’s too long to still be hang up on all his internal drama, he needs to start getting over it because it has become increasingly infuriating. At the beginning his fears were endearing, now they are exasperating. The progress that their relationship has reached, has been mostly accomplished by the events and occurrences that had revolved around them, as well as the pass of time and Toreth letting his sexual desires and his need for Warrick guide him that way. But never due to a conscious decision and admittance of his feelings; he let himself (with great difficulty) advance towards the natural direction, he didn't dwell on it or actively, definably and knowing the meaning and consequences of it chose that path. Toreth has never owned up to his feelings and emotions and after 6 books, his cowardice makes me mad and disgusts me.
I can’t fathom how Warrick can be ok with how things are. I get he tiptoes around Toreth so he doesn't scare him away, but in my opinion, it’s been too long since that behavior was acceptable, they have been together for 5 YEARS. I can’t figure out how Warrick can envision a future under those circumstances (it’s clear now that he has no intention of ever leaving Toreth, so there IS going to be a future). I don’t see how he can be satisfied that way, keeping the feelings hidden or at least unsaid to not spook the panther. Honestly, the panther needs to get over himself, heal and stop being a sissy (the actual panther at the zoo did, so it’s time he does too). The leniency that Warrick gives Toreth confuses and frustrates me. According to Warrick's actions I grasp that he accepts how Toreth is completely, but I don’t see why he lets him get away with everything. Of course, the main reason as to why I don’t understand it, it’s because we never get a single thought regarding Warrick's feelings towards Toreth, towards his behavior or their situation and relationship. We only get what we infer reading between the lines, never anything concrete, defined. Thus, it is perfectly comprehensible my lack of understanding towards Warrick. All that that deducing is achieving is frustrate me.
Sara:
I am so glad she finally got some. I am just sad that it didn't go how I would have liked it. I hope there is more of it in the future; I’d like her to have someone beside Toreth.
I have similar problems towards Sara that I have with Warrick. She also tiptoes around Toreth, she lets him get away with running away from feelings, with not facing his issues. One thing is to accept a person for how and who they are, and another to enable them. Toreth is extremely damaged and not helping him get over it because he gets riled up, it’s the easy thing to do, it’s selfish, unhealthy and being a crappy friend. Toreth needs an awakening and he obviously can't do it alone; if the people that love him don’t help him heal, then he never will. Both, Sara and Warrick, need to stop enabling Toreth in his desperation to evade real emotions and make him confront his fears and feelings. They need to stop letting him get away with things. TORETH NEEDS AN INTERVENTION.
I am incredibly socked by how it ended (I’m referring to the very last sentence in the book); in fact, I think it shocked me more than anything else I've read in this series due to the unexpectedness of it. I am incredibly mad about it. I hate Leo! Fuck the Administration and fuck duty! Family comes first, ALWAYS!!!
I am absolutely addicted to this series and to Toreth and Warrick, so I am off to the next installment!
Cheers!
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
November 17, 2012
WAHOOOO! Thank god…I’m STILL alive!
After working myself up over what could possibly happen in this much touted and anticipated part of TA, I can say with confidence that…it wasn’t that bad! Look mom, I’m ok! (And at least 1000 less exclamation points than I’m used to using when a book tears me apart!)
Now, on to the book...
I am nothing if not predictable. I love me some romance. And unfortunately, for 2/3 of this book, there wasn’t much. Warrick was noticeably absent and I was starting to get grouchy. Yes, the resistance/I&I takeover/rebuild/Toreth storyline was interesting…but I didn’t get THIS far in this series to not demand and expect more interaction among our main characters! C’mon!
Well, guess I’ll just have to distract myself with the magic and wonder that is CARNAC! He was SO FABULOUS in this book! Holy cow! I mean…GEE-ZUS…that scene in Warrick’s apartment where Carnac gets his last jabs in…deliciously BRUTAL. Whooo…it hurts! Manna Francis writes Carnac with such genius that I’m left terrified…and begging for more. (still mulling over his last scene in the car, trying to drive away, physically effected by what he’d done…)
But alas, the BEST part(s) of the book were ALL Warrick and Toreth…
*sigh*
Good, good stuff…
April 6, 2013
This is not the first time I’ve said 'this is the best of the series'; but THIS one really and truly IS the best of the series. Manna Francis I bow to you, First against the Wall is astounding!
Having gone to the effort of picking my jaw up off the floor; I still feel like I’m coming down from one of the most epic acid trips ever experienced (I’m a child of nineties- sue me).
Reeling over the revelations, characterisations and sheer genius of the game play here. I have chewed my nails to the quick and held onto the kindle so tightly my fingers ached. And through it all, I have realised (so much), agonised (over everything), valued (Toreth and Carnac!) , seethed (Toreth and Carnac!), anguished (Toreth, Warrick and yes Carnac too!), raged (Toreth, Carnac, and Sara!) , gasped (constantly) and whooped it up, to finally being left weak, freaked and heartbroken with some underlying anxiety and trepidation of what’s to come – Bugger me, but this was great stuff!
Toreth vs Carnac, Carnac vs Toreth, Carnac vs I&I, Resisters vs The Administration, Toreth vs Toreth, Warrick vs Carnac. I could go on but I’d spoil too much.
The plot is forever taking unexpected turns as each player makes their play. My morals are turned inside out and sent into a conflicting battle about the good guys are and who are not.
Then I recalled this --> There are no bad guys. There are no good guys. There are only better guys, and worse guys. – Manna Francis. Mind Fuck
Carnac : Our socioanalyist and spook is ba aack and he is in top form. I dread his appearance and crave it, I love and loathe him but through it all Carnac has got to be the most fascinating, frightening, and intellectual character ever written. He kind of turns me on *cringe* I can’t help it. He is an enigma and I defy anyone who cannot appreciate the brilliance that is Carnac. I might hate him, but I can appreciate him…like Susan says, nobody but Carnac can put Toreth in his place, and what a place it is.
Toreth: I’ve finally accepted (with Kate’s help) Toreth’s almost-zero impulse control where sex is concerned. I see now how he uses it as a tool to achieve his own goals; it really does mean nothing to him. I understand it better, but I still do not like this need he has to loose himself so completely with strangers – it’s irrational and destructive; but I guess that’s the point huh?
Sara: What is wrong with you? *pokes you repeatedly with a fork* you stupid spineless twit! Where the hell is the strong-take-no-shit-super chick with the strength to carry out her convictions? When will you learn to shut. your. mouth?!What’s with the pathetic weeping damsel-in-distress act?
Every nice thing I said about Sara in the earlier books? I lied, I take it all back, the whore! Get your own man bitch! Oh no, wait! You don’t deserve one do you, you pretentious cow. Urgh….I wipe my hands of you.
Warrick: I missed him. There wasn’t much Warrick here, but what there is of him, really counts. Warrick is such an admirable man, so in control and so perfectly aware, he is perfect.
Okay, I’ve waffled on for too long and have nothing else to add…for now.
Sorry, just a few things.
1) I hope we haven’t seen the last of Carnac.
2) I have a really bad feeling about the Kate situation
3) I hope Sara wakes the hell up, or she must die
Fingers crossed as I go forth :)
Having gone to the effort of picking my jaw up off the floor; I still feel like I’m coming down from one of the most epic acid trips ever experienced (I’m a child of nineties- sue me).
Reeling over the revelations, characterisations and sheer genius of the game play here. I have chewed my nails to the quick and held onto the kindle so tightly my fingers ached. And through it all, I have realised (so much), agonised (over everything), valued (Toreth and Carnac!) , seethed (Toreth and Carnac!), anguished (Toreth, Warrick and yes Carnac too!), raged (Toreth, Carnac, and Sara!) , gasped (constantly) and whooped it up, to finally being left weak, freaked and heartbroken with some underlying anxiety and trepidation of what’s to come – Bugger me, but this was great stuff!
Toreth vs Carnac, Carnac vs Toreth, Carnac vs I&I, Resisters vs The Administration, Toreth vs Toreth, Warrick vs Carnac. I could go on but I’d spoil too much.
The plot is forever taking unexpected turns as each player makes their play. My morals are turned inside out and sent into a conflicting battle about the good guys are and who are not.
Then I recalled this --> There are no bad guys. There are no good guys. There are only better guys, and worse guys. – Manna Francis. Mind Fuck
Carnac : Our socioanalyist and spook is ba aack and he is in top form. I dread his appearance and crave it, I love and loathe him but through it all Carnac has got to be the most fascinating, frightening, and intellectual character ever written. He kind of turns me on *cringe* I can’t help it. He is an enigma and I defy anyone who cannot appreciate the brilliance that is Carnac. I might hate him, but I can appreciate him…like Susan says, nobody but Carnac can put Toreth in his place, and what a place it is.
Toreth: I’ve finally accepted (with Kate’s help) Toreth’s almost-zero impulse control where sex is concerned. I see now how he uses it as a tool to achieve his own goals; it really does mean nothing to him. I understand it better, but I still do not like this need he has to loose himself so completely with strangers – it’s irrational and destructive; but I guess that’s the point huh?
Sara: What is wrong with you? *pokes you repeatedly with a fork* you stupid spineless twit! Where the hell is the strong-take-no-shit-super chick with the strength to carry out her convictions? When will you learn to shut. your. mouth?!What’s with the pathetic weeping damsel-in-distress act?
Every nice thing I said about Sara in the earlier books? I lied, I take it all back, the whore! Get your own man bitch! Oh no, wait! You don’t deserve one do you, you pretentious cow. Urgh….I wipe my hands of you.
Warrick: I missed him. There wasn’t much Warrick here, but what there is of him, really counts. Warrick is such an admirable man, so in control and so perfectly aware, he is perfect.
Okay, I’ve waffled on for too long and have nothing else to add…for now.
Sorry, just a few things.
1) I hope we haven’t seen the last of Carnac.
2) I have a really bad feeling about the Kate situation
3) I hope Sara wakes the hell up, or she must die
Fingers crossed as I go forth :)
March 4, 2015
First Against the Wall is one of my favorites in The Administration series. I never want to leave the feel of the words and world. I sipped my way through this re-read actually. Reading and re-reading small doses every night. Never in all my reading life have I read and re-read like this. I savor every word. Even polite, every day phrases feel so powerful between these men. The “Ssh”s or “Just you”s or pleases hold such meaning. I wait for certain words now. I feel the power and weight of every word and moment between Warrick and Toreth.
"I apologise for interrupting, but you seem to have hold of something of mine.”
I didn’t and don’t want to let go. Toreth and Warrick reveal so much in this suspense filled chess match. Every touch, look, moment together and apart felt perfect to me. They made me want for more. Want and NEED for more! These characters will get under your skin and stay there.
Read it.
********************
Dec. 2012
*sigh* Wow! My heart needs a moment. Just fucking amazing!
April 4, 2015
4,5 stars
This instalment is the most difficult for me to rate.
I loved it.
I hated it.
I loved it.
The beginning was great, the ending was spectacular and the writing was brilliant, but I was struggling through the plot in the middle of the story and was really, I mean VERY CLOSED to skip.
And it is always bad.
I start to skip-I lose interest. Period.
But Toreth...-who is as always very reserved about his abilities-
"I'm the best fuck in the solar system."
Toreth has outdone himself.
Forgive me my silly thoughts at the middle, Manna!!!
I simply can't skip Toreth! Period.
And I was rewarded.
For everything.
That I came so far with the series.
For my being bored at 20 to 60% by First Against the Wall.
For a lot of administrative staff with re-build and re-organisation of Administration. Too much revolution for my taste!
For my patience- BECAUSE DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH I WANTED IT, I DIDN'T SKIP!
For my complaining on a high level (inside) for having too less of Warrick- I missed him BADLY, I missed THEM badly.
Up to the end!
For my HATING of Carnac!!!
For my NOT KILLING him-well, maybe it was a mistake, because I feel that he is not disappeared forever!
(Susan, how can you ADMIRE him??!!GRRRRR)
For my being annoyed with Sara!
What happened to her?! She was not always on top of the situation.
But maybe it made her more human(?!)
For much too much of political games and intrigues between Corporate, Int-Sec, I&I and Service.
It was not bad but it was just too long to hold my attention for the duration. It was too long comparing to the ROMANCE part.
BUT
At 60% I forgot EVERYTHING. I WAS HOOKED. I WAS MESMERIZING. I WAS BEWITCHED. I WAS IN. I WAS ADDICTED. I WAS....F*CK!...
And at the end I was rewarded.
And I'm still thinking about it.
I'm still there...there....there...*sigh*
More I think about it, more I like it....*sigh*
The ending...it is not just a small cherry on top, it is a big sweet pineapple!
GREAT! FANTASTIC! BRILLIANT!!!!
September 26, 2013
*Clears throat*
*Slips into New London accent*
Listen, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
First Against the Wall is by far the richest, most brilliant installment of the Administration series.
By far. Anyone who says otherwise is a complete tosser.
In FAtW, Toreth has to navigate his way through a brutal takeover attempt by the resisters. He's working his damnedest to expose and take down the bloody prat Carnac. It's Toreth at his finest, people: calculating, planning, always thinking one step ahead about his next move. It's a proverbial game of chess.
In no other Administration story do we see more clearly that Toreth is Warrick's panther at the zoo, prowling his terrain, itching to be free, but utterly clueless about what to do with himself outside the confines of his cage.
Yeah, the story's short on Warrick, but you simply don't notice because Warrick's such a fundamental player to the story line. He's there, always, on page or not.
For all his plotting and evilness, Carnac exposes something very important as the FAtW story progresses.
This thing between Toreth and Warrick?
It's no ordinary love.
But...LOVE.
BOLLOCKS!
Toreth and Warrick are in love.
Look, anyone who's invested in this series already knows this.
And I suspect the resolution we got at the end of FAtW is the closest we'll ever get to a proclamation of love between these two. But it was there, and I, for one, am gutted Toreth got as close to the word as he did.
One last thing, my cheeky reader.
Warrick's father!
Warrick's father!
What does this mean?
What happens next?
Will Carnac return?
Does I&I live on?
I can't believe I'm at the start of book seven, near the end of my journey with the Administration. I rather fancy a glass of wine just thinking about it...
***
Well, cheerio. I've got to bugger off. More books to read and all that.
*Slips into New London accent*
Listen, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.
First Against the Wall is by far the richest, most brilliant installment of the Administration series.
By far. Anyone who says otherwise is a complete tosser.
In FAtW, Toreth has to navigate his way through a brutal takeover attempt by the resisters. He's working his damnedest to expose and take down the bloody prat Carnac. It's Toreth at his finest, people: calculating, planning, always thinking one step ahead about his next move. It's a proverbial game of chess.
In no other Administration story do we see more clearly that Toreth is Warrick's panther at the zoo, prowling his terrain, itching to be free, but utterly clueless about what to do with himself outside the confines of his cage.
Yeah, the story's short on Warrick, but you simply don't notice because Warrick's such a fundamental player to the story line. He's there, always, on page or not.
For all his plotting and evilness, Carnac exposes something very important as the FAtW story progresses.
This thing between Toreth and Warrick?
It's no ordinary love.
But...LOVE.
BOLLOCKS!
Toreth and Warrick are in love.
Look, anyone who's invested in this series already knows this.
And I suspect the resolution we got at the end of FAtW is the closest we'll ever get to a proclamation of love between these two. But it was there, and I, for one, am gutted Toreth got as close to the word as he did.
One last thing, my cheeky reader.
Warrick's father!
Warrick's father!
What does this mean?
What happens next?
Will Carnac return?
Does I&I live on?
I can't believe I'm at the start of book seven, near the end of my journey with the Administration. I rather fancy a glass of wine just thinking about it...
***
Well, cheerio. I've got to bugger off. More books to read and all that.
Read
September 7, 2012Very, very good. Read it on a business trip to Warsaw, and 4 hour flights (and several hours of delays) were never that short. I believe Manna Francis saved the lives a of some airline staff, too.
June 27, 2015
Awe has rendered me speechless. I...I'm not even going to attempt to write a review at this point. I need at least a day, or 2, to recover.
Also what Diana said
Also what Diana said
March 15, 2011
Review written after reading the book for the third time. Contains spoilers and ramblings, but I'm trying my best to be vague in terms of plot details.
A few notes on the series in general: it's the best m/m original fiction I've read, probably because it's more than just an m/m story. There's more than enough m/m content to satisfy, but there's also some more than decent plot and interesting political and philosophical issues. And that is what I want in an m/m story (or, although at this point I'm thinking I'll never get that, a decent f/f story). In fanfic, it's alright if the focus is just on the relationship, but in original fic that tends to be too boring for me and it just feels flat overall. This never feels flat.
I kind of wish I knew someone who's read The Administration series because there are some things I desperately want to discuss, but then again, I'm really not sure whether any of my friends might like it (mostly because of the kink content) and the things I want to discuss aren't the kind I could discuss with just anybody.
"First against the wall" is by far my favorite in the Administration series. The other books are excellent as well, but this stands out, for several reasons. I'm going to talk about them now.
There are two stories that stand out in this novel - there's the political thriller plot and the love story, and both result in an emotional roller coaster for the reader that is unlike any other I've experienced so far. (The one thing that comes perhaps close is watching the first four seasons of OZ, but thankfully the Administration series isn't quite so depressing and fucked-up. Close, in terms of fucked-upness, but there is a difference.)
The basic plot: There's been a revolution in the Administration - the resisters have banded together and launched a strike against institutions like I&I - Interrogation & Investigation, the place of employment of one of our main characters, Val Toreth. What follows is what happens after the revolution, and it's interesting on many, many levels.
The one thing that always strikes me is that you almost cannot help but side with Toreth, even though he does represent what is wrong. (It's never quite that simple, especially in this book, but I suppose we can all concur that torture is bad and Toreth is a torturer.) Part of that may be because the alternative would be siding with Carnac who truly is the one fictional character I hate more than any others, even though he does have his points but in a way is a lot worse than Toreth.
The fact that you're siding with the bad guy is reminiscent of tv shows like the above-mentioned OZ and The Sopranos, so if you like that sort of thing, this series may be something for you. In terms of kink-content, this is the most vanilla book of the series, so it may not be a bad choice for a stand-alone read, although I can't say whether you would still be siding with Toreth in that case.
Anyway, what stands out for me (apart from the second thing which I'm going to mention in a bit) is that conflict between good and evil. I still remember the introductory quote to the series - There are no bad guys. There are no good guys. There are only better guys, and worse guys. No where is this more evident than in this book.
The plot itself is very well structured, with many twists and turns that leaves you breathless (in my case, even when reading this for the third time). Even if it had ended right after the whole I&I thing had been resolved, it would have been a very good book and probably even then the high point of the series for me.
But we do get something more: first, we get one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever read (and I mean it, that one scene is so so horrible I had to take a break and walk around my apartment after the first time I read it) and then we get the best make-up scene I have ever read. And I mean that, too.
Toreth and Warrick's relationship is endlessly fascinating to me. Part of it may be because Toreth's fears, while stemming from his - let's call it - special issues for the most part, are just the same fears a lot of us have. Trusting someone is really, really scary, and the thought that the person we want to love us might one day stop doing that - it's horrible. But because it's Toreth, those fears are given a much sharper expression and stand out more, or at least that's what it feels like for me.
I equally love and hate the last forty or so pages of this book. I love them more than I hate them, because they are difficult to read, but they are outstanding.
[Written right after ordering the printed version:]
My favorite in the Administration series, hands down. I can't wait to hold this book in my hands, despite - or probably because - of the emotional turmoil this caused me. God, that book. I remember that while I was reading this for the first time I would have paid for someone to read it for me, to tell me whether I would be okay with the ending or not. Let's just say that I was very okay with the ending. And all of the rest.
A more detailed, reasonable review may follow once I've reread it, but then again, maybe not, because just thinking about it gets me all upset.
First read February 7, 2010
A few notes on the series in general: it's the best m/m original fiction I've read, probably because it's more than just an m/m story. There's more than enough m/m content to satisfy, but there's also some more than decent plot and interesting political and philosophical issues. And that is what I want in an m/m story (or, although at this point I'm thinking I'll never get that, a decent f/f story). In fanfic, it's alright if the focus is just on the relationship, but in original fic that tends to be too boring for me and it just feels flat overall. This never feels flat.
I kind of wish I knew someone who's read The Administration series because there are some things I desperately want to discuss, but then again, I'm really not sure whether any of my friends might like it (mostly because of the kink content) and the things I want to discuss aren't the kind I could discuss with just anybody.
"First against the wall" is by far my favorite in the Administration series. The other books are excellent as well, but this stands out, for several reasons. I'm going to talk about them now.
There are two stories that stand out in this novel - there's the political thriller plot and the love story, and both result in an emotional roller coaster for the reader that is unlike any other I've experienced so far. (The one thing that comes perhaps close is watching the first four seasons of OZ, but thankfully the Administration series isn't quite so depressing and fucked-up. Close, in terms of fucked-upness, but there is a difference.)
The basic plot: There's been a revolution in the Administration - the resisters have banded together and launched a strike against institutions like I&I - Interrogation & Investigation, the place of employment of one of our main characters, Val Toreth. What follows is what happens after the revolution, and it's interesting on many, many levels.
The one thing that always strikes me is that you almost cannot help but side with Toreth, even though he does represent what is wrong. (It's never quite that simple, especially in this book, but I suppose we can all concur that torture is bad and Toreth is a torturer.) Part of that may be because the alternative would be siding with Carnac who truly is the one fictional character I hate more than any others, even though he does have his points but in a way is a lot worse than Toreth.
The fact that you're siding with the bad guy is reminiscent of tv shows like the above-mentioned OZ and The Sopranos, so if you like that sort of thing, this series may be something for you. In terms of kink-content, this is the most vanilla book of the series, so it may not be a bad choice for a stand-alone read, although I can't say whether you would still be siding with Toreth in that case.
Anyway, what stands out for me (apart from the second thing which I'm going to mention in a bit) is that conflict between good and evil. I still remember the introductory quote to the series - There are no bad guys. There are no good guys. There are only better guys, and worse guys. No where is this more evident than in this book.
The plot itself is very well structured, with many twists and turns that leaves you breathless (in my case, even when reading this for the third time). Even if it had ended right after the whole I&I thing had been resolved, it would have been a very good book and probably even then the high point of the series for me.
But we do get something more: first, we get one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever read (and I mean it, that one scene is so so horrible I had to take a break and walk around my apartment after the first time I read it) and then we get the best make-up scene I have ever read. And I mean that, too.
Toreth and Warrick's relationship is endlessly fascinating to me. Part of it may be because Toreth's fears, while stemming from his - let's call it - special issues for the most part, are just the same fears a lot of us have. Trusting someone is really, really scary, and the thought that the person we want to love us might one day stop doing that - it's horrible. But because it's Toreth, those fears are given a much sharper expression and stand out more, or at least that's what it feels like for me.
I equally love and hate the last forty or so pages of this book. I love them more than I hate them, because they are difficult to read, but they are outstanding.
[Written right after ordering the printed version:]
My favorite in the Administration series, hands down. I can't wait to hold this book in my hands, despite - or probably because - of the emotional turmoil this caused me. God, that book. I remember that while I was reading this for the first time I would have paid for someone to read it for me, to tell me whether I would be okay with the ending or not. Let's just say that I was very okay with the ending. And all of the rest.
A more detailed, reasonable review may follow once I've reread it, but then again, maybe not, because just thinking about it gets me all upset.
First read February 7, 2010
February 8, 2013
I decided to finally write a review for at least one of the books from The Administration series. It was really hard for me to choose just one for now, but I think that First Against the Wall is the best so far. The very beginning of the 6th book was so masterfully written that I was reading it with my mouth hanging open. This is how all authors should write, they should create a brilliant plot, make the reader unable to stop reading, not fill the gaps with meaningless scenes (usually romantic ones). Even when I root for a couple and want some nice moments between them, I still need a lot of action and intrigue. Love me some good plot… And in this book it was breathtaking. Manna Francis is a genius and I admire her immensely. I read the entire series during one week last summer, took a 2-week long break and read it again, which proves the fact that these books are just perfect.
But the characters are far from being flawless. Very far. Which is probably why I’ve grown so attached to them. Especially to my dear, beloved, amazing, beautiful and brilliant Keir Warrick. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’m not in love with him, because I totally am. Sometimes I just want to cry, because he’s not real. I like Toreth, too, of course. He doesn’t deserve it, though. I know that he’s not normal, I know that what he has with Warrick terrifies him, but he could start treating him better. I hope for more character development in the future. And I should probably say something about Carnac, but I'm not sure how I feel about him. At first I hated him, then I felt sorry for him and now... I just think he's very interesting. I don't particularly like him, I don't hate him anymore. I'm just curious about him.
As for the romance… Even though in this book there weren’t many scenes with both of the main characters and the lack of Warrick was driving me mad, their relationship seemed to progress significantly in First Against the Wall. I love them together and I can’t wait to read about them more.
Also, the last chapter of this book was incredible.
Anyway, I think that The Administration series is the best thing I’ve ever read and I just want the 8th book or at least another short story now. Please?
But the characters are far from being flawless. Very far. Which is probably why I’ve grown so attached to them. Especially to my dear, beloved, amazing, beautiful and brilliant Keir Warrick. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’m not in love with him, because I totally am. Sometimes I just want to cry, because he’s not real. I like Toreth, too, of course. He doesn’t deserve it, though. I know that he’s not normal, I know that what he has with Warrick terrifies him, but he could start treating him better. I hope for more character development in the future. And I should probably say something about Carnac, but I'm not sure how I feel about him. At first I hated him, then I felt sorry for him and now... I just think he's very interesting. I don't particularly like him, I don't hate him anymore. I'm just curious about him.
As for the romance… Even though in this book there weren’t many scenes with both of the main characters and the lack of Warrick was driving me mad, their relationship seemed to progress significantly in First Against the Wall. I love them together and I can’t wait to read about them more.
Also, the last chapter of this book was incredible.
Anyway, I think that The Administration series is the best thing I’ve ever read and I just want the 8th book or at least another short story now. Please?
April 17, 2017
Re-read March 2015; April 2017 - Still loved every minute of it!
First Against the Wall is the sixth book in The Administration series and IMO the BEST so far. Manna Francis has written a brilliant, kick ass book with a fascinating plot while continuing to delve deeper into her character's psyche. There's non-stop suspense from the first page up until the very end.
The story begins with Toreth beaten and held captive in a cell at I&I. The Administration, including I&I have been taken over by the resisters. The Revolution to stop The Administration's oppression has begun, with Toreth smack in the middle of it all. There's complete chaos at I&I and killing the para-investigators is at the top of the resister's list. Ironically, the resisters and civilians become everything they despise about I&I.
The man currently in charge at I&I for the "new" Administration is none other than Toreth's nemesis, Carnac. This was an "Oh Fuck" moment. The games have now begun and I loved every minute of it. The head games these two played were so compelling that it had me completely enthralled the entire time. They both played dirty and used whoever and whatever they could to win, but Carnac had the advantage, he knows Toreth's biggest weakness - Warrick. Carnac hits below the belt and hurts Toreth in ways that I never saw coming and leaves scars behind that I'm afraid will never go away.
No matter who Toreth hurts along the way, I always find myself rooting for him. This is a testament of what an outstanding author Manna Francis truly is. Toreth tortures people for a living, he uses people for whatever he needs and doesn't give them a second thought. In the end, his pain was so heart-breaking I couldn't feel anything but sympathy and love for him.
One thing I did miss was seeing more of Warrick's POV. I would have liked to have heard more about his struggle with Toreth's plans and his feelings toward the "new" Administration. However, it didn't take away from the book.
This was a crazy roller coaster ride packed with psychological head games, betrayal, pain, and love. There are non-stop twists and turns with an unexpected ending that left me speechless.
I can't wait to see what's in store for Toreth and Warrick next.
First Against the Wall is the sixth book in The Administration series and IMO the BEST so far. Manna Francis has written a brilliant, kick ass book with a fascinating plot while continuing to delve deeper into her character's psyche. There's non-stop suspense from the first page up until the very end.
The story begins with Toreth beaten and held captive in a cell at I&I. The Administration, including I&I have been taken over by the resisters. The Revolution to stop The Administration's oppression has begun, with Toreth smack in the middle of it all. There's complete chaos at I&I and killing the para-investigators is at the top of the resister's list. Ironically, the resisters and civilians become everything they despise about I&I.
The man currently in charge at I&I for the "new" Administration is none other than Toreth's nemesis, Carnac. This was an "Oh Fuck" moment. The games have now begun and I loved every minute of it. The head games these two played were so compelling that it had me completely enthralled the entire time. They both played dirty and used whoever and whatever they could to win, but Carnac had the advantage, he knows Toreth's biggest weakness - Warrick. Carnac hits below the belt and hurts Toreth in ways that I never saw coming and leaves scars behind that I'm afraid will never go away.
No matter who Toreth hurts along the way, I always find myself rooting for him. This is a testament of what an outstanding author Manna Francis truly is. Toreth tortures people for a living, he uses people for whatever he needs and doesn't give them a second thought. In the end, his pain was so heart-breaking I couldn't feel anything but sympathy and love for him.
One thing I did miss was seeing more of Warrick's POV. I would have liked to have heard more about his struggle with Toreth's plans and his feelings toward the "new" Administration. However, it didn't take away from the book.
This was a crazy roller coaster ride packed with psychological head games, betrayal, pain, and love. There are non-stop twists and turns with an unexpected ending that left me speechless.
I can't wait to see what's in store for Toreth and Warrick next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2015
During this marathon read I’ve come to admire Manna Francis. She is able to make me root for a guy who’s fucked up in more ways than one. No charmer this one, a guy who makes me want to slap him till my arm hurts. But still I root for him. And moreover, what does she make me do? She makes me consider the guy with a solution, yes an extremely violent, pragmatic, logical solution, but still a solution, as the bad guy. I bow to you Ms Francis, I do.
BR marathon with Irina – otherwise know as Overdosing with Toreth & Warrick
BR thread for the whole series
Read Online version: one novel
June 4, 2017
I did a slow reread of this gem. Slow = I didn’t zoom to my favorite parts, I actually paid close attention to the plot and in particular I have become interested in the pre/post revolt Administration. In many ways, the post revolt Administration doesn’t seem all that different. It just makes things a bit more confusing as to the good and bad guys are. Then again, that is kind of the point of this series. Anyway, this is deliciously good and the push-me/pull-you of the TW relationship will keep me coming back for more.
I have mentioned this in other reviews, but I am always impressed by Ms. Francis’s futurist skills. Take the voice activated home control, Alexa, turn the page!
Also, I ❤️ Warrick for showing some vulnerability when he was explaining to Dilly that Toreth has left him: “A couple of weeks ago. Exactly fourteen days, in fact. If you give me a moment to work it out I can humiliate myself for you and do it in hours, minutes, and seconds”.
2017 reading challenge checks the box for 18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile. It’s Manna Francis, it will always make me happy
I have mentioned this in other reviews, but I am always impressed by Ms. Francis’s futurist skills. Take the voice activated home control, Alexa, turn the page!
Also, I ❤️ Warrick for showing some vulnerability when he was explaining to Dilly that Toreth has left him: “A couple of weeks ago. Exactly fourteen days, in fact. If you give me a moment to work it out I can humiliate myself for you and do it in hours, minutes, and seconds”.
2017 reading challenge checks the box for 18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile. It’s Manna Francis, it will always make me happy
November 13, 2012
The revolution has come. Two inexorable bastards are pitted against each other in a battle for the future of I&I.
This is the pinnacle of the series I've been waiting so patiently for. Finally, truths were brought to the surface and exposed, just when I had resigned to accept that they never might.
And who else could be responsible for the destruction of so much single handedly? Why, none other than everyone's favorite narcissistic socioanalyst, Carnic! Francis developed him with the obvious intention of giving me a heart attack. What a perfect antagonist though. So intelligent, clever, and cunning, so fun to hate. The whole story unfolded like a game of chess, and Francis even uses that analogy once. As cliche as that sounds, it never felt predictable and she managed to keep me on my toes until the very last line.
If it weren't for the final chapter, I might have said this would be a good ending to the series. Alas, there are more, and it would be act of futility to try and stop myself now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF8khJ7P4Wg
This is the pinnacle of the series I've been waiting so patiently for. Finally, truths were brought to the surface and exposed, just when I had resigned to accept that they never might.
And who else could be responsible for the destruction of so much single handedly? Why, none other than everyone's favorite narcissistic socioanalyst, Carnic! Francis developed him with the obvious intention of giving me a heart attack. What a perfect antagonist though. So intelligent, clever, and cunning, so fun to hate. The whole story unfolded like a game of chess, and Francis even uses that analogy once. As cliche as that sounds, it never felt predictable and she managed to keep me on my toes until the very last line.
If it weren't for the final chapter, I might have said this would be a good ending to the series. Alas, there are more, and it would be act of futility to try and stop myself now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF8khJ7P4Wg
January 14, 2023
Another fave in the series! That final confrontation with Carnac in Warrick’s flat (and its aftermath) makes me tear up every single time.
March 21, 2013
I'm not sure if I will be able to write anything coherent.
The tension killed me.
I was hurting, I was nervous, I was stressed to the extreme.
And I craved for more.
The best installment so far.
The tension killed me.
I was hurting, I was nervous, I was stressed to the extreme.
And I craved for more.
The best installment so far.
March 7, 2012
Bloody hell! That's all I can say right now.
August 14, 2010
I know I’m going to be the lone person who didn’t like this offering so before everyone yells let me say that I love this series so much and this particular book has moments of sheer genius that show why the series as a whole is one of the best written, most edgy urban fantasy series out there. The fact that it’s offered FOR FREE is astounding. Now after I’ve said that, I didn’t like this book for several reasons, which centers mostly on the characters themselves. The plot is superb and the conflict absorbing and compelling. The writing is excellent but tends to show the author preference for Toreth. I love the guy, make no mistake, but it’s clear how much the author –adores- this character and definitely plays to him too much in my opinion.
This offering starts with Toreth, bound and beaten, in a holding cell of I&I. Incidentally, if you haven’t read the previous books, you need to before starting this one. Don’t pick this one (or any of the series) up as a standalone. Read in order and you’ll be sucked in properly. For those who are familiar, I&I have been taken over during a resister coup and mass execution and torture has gone on. Not that much different from their everyday working conditions granted but now the tables are flipped. When arch-enemy Carnac appears and offers Toreth the job to re-establish I&I, both men enter into a dangerous game to see who can accomplish their goals the fastest.
The plot itself is intricate, fascinating, and completely compelling. The moments of sheer genius shown here, such as the very ending, are chilling and leave that eerie feeling of greatness. They show the strength of the series in never letting any character be safe, the threat of violence is not only omnipresent but it’s graphic and in your face. The gritty urban setting again is highlighted in the best ways and helps to really immerse the reader in an alternate reality. One of the best compliments I can pay the series and this book especially is that you’re totally immersed in the action and completely invested in the characters and outcome. No matter that I didn’t particularly like this story, the writing and series as a whole make this a book I’d re-read several times.
Now what I didn’t like about the book mostly revolves around the characters. The plot to save I&I and the mental games of Carnac versus Toreth are interesting but unfortunately the entire time I wanted the bad guy Carnac to win. I personally had a hard time buying into the belief that I&I are necessary and the destruction (minus well mass death) is a bad thing. I actually agreed with Carnac on many levels, which makes an interesting reading experience when you’re actively and vigorously rooting against the hero.
Toreth is another reason that I struggled to like this story. First of all he feels like he’s reverted back to type and the five years of progress over the course of 5 books and countless stories/novellas/etc has all disappeared. Toreth is at the height of his selfish, egomaniacal, bastardly behavior. He screws anyone and everyone (literally and figuratively) to accomplish whatever goal only he sees. His single minded obsessive behavior is fascinating to watch but difficult to like. I love Toreth as a character because his contrast is so striking and so unapologetic; he’s one of the best men in fiction I’ve come across. Yet he’s so destructive, so fearful, and uncaring that often I’m cold to his hurt. I want him to hurt. I want him to feel horrible and I also don’t want him to find redemption. Unfortunately this offering pulled the good feeling I had for Toreth and flushed them so I’m convinced he’s undeserving of a happy ending. While this isn’t bad in my opinion, it does create a rift when the story is trying to generate sympathy for a character that never shows any of his own. Hence I liked Carnac’s last actions and only wished they had a more lasting effect. I realize I’m likely to be alone in that feeling.
Furthermore since the series is becoming more Toreth-centric, I find Warrick less appealing. Here he’s practically non-existent except to help Toreth in whatever way that is necessary. Even Warrick’s rather weak protest that he won’t help save I&I is overturned quickly and without explanation. Warrick used to be a strong, intelligent man that accepts Toreth and his cruel behavior for a reason. Unfortunately here Warrick comes across as clinging, weak, and willing to take Toreth’s abuse without any recompense. Perhaps if the story had devoted more time to Warrick and his POV, I could have understood his obsession and compulsion to stay with Toreth no matter what but it comes across confusing given how cruel Toreth behaves towards Warrick. I like this couple together and ultimately do want them to be happy but this story left me feeling as though they shouldn’t be together and I didn’t like that.
Additionally the character of Sara felt intrusive, whereas previously she is delightful. She adds color and fun to the story yet I found her to robot Toreth too much. Her attack on McLean made me uneasy when I couldn’t understand the vitriol she felt. And her relationship with Toreth is getting muddy. She’s clearly in love with him so her actions skirt the line of inappropriate –though it is Toreth so not shocking- but I just didn’t warm to her like I have in past books. I also had difficultly appreciating her trauma when she’s locked up in a room with food, water, heat, and friends versus the others being beaten, tortured, and killed for days on end. Her nightmares felt very weak and superficial in comparison.
Ok so those are my complaints with this one. It doesn’t ruin what I feel for the series (which is that it's on my keeper shelf and I'll review the entire series in one review coming up) but frankly I find Toreth’s over the top cruelty and self absorption in this particular offering to be tiring. The caveat is that’s also what makes him a compelling character. So perhaps read these more spread out but like crack I just can’t stop. I need a strong opposing character for Toreth that reins him in and this used to be Warrick, so hopefully his spine will be surgically re-implanted and someone will stand up to evil dictator.
This offering starts with Toreth, bound and beaten, in a holding cell of I&I. Incidentally, if you haven’t read the previous books, you need to before starting this one. Don’t pick this one (or any of the series) up as a standalone. Read in order and you’ll be sucked in properly. For those who are familiar, I&I have been taken over during a resister coup and mass execution and torture has gone on. Not that much different from their everyday working conditions granted but now the tables are flipped. When arch-enemy Carnac appears and offers Toreth the job to re-establish I&I, both men enter into a dangerous game to see who can accomplish their goals the fastest.
The plot itself is intricate, fascinating, and completely compelling. The moments of sheer genius shown here, such as the very ending, are chilling and leave that eerie feeling of greatness. They show the strength of the series in never letting any character be safe, the threat of violence is not only omnipresent but it’s graphic and in your face. The gritty urban setting again is highlighted in the best ways and helps to really immerse the reader in an alternate reality. One of the best compliments I can pay the series and this book especially is that you’re totally immersed in the action and completely invested in the characters and outcome. No matter that I didn’t particularly like this story, the writing and series as a whole make this a book I’d re-read several times.
Now what I didn’t like about the book mostly revolves around the characters. The plot to save I&I and the mental games of Carnac versus Toreth are interesting but unfortunately the entire time I wanted the bad guy Carnac to win. I personally had a hard time buying into the belief that I&I are necessary and the destruction (minus well mass death) is a bad thing. I actually agreed with Carnac on many levels, which makes an interesting reading experience when you’re actively and vigorously rooting against the hero.
Toreth is another reason that I struggled to like this story. First of all he feels like he’s reverted back to type and the five years of progress over the course of 5 books and countless stories/novellas/etc has all disappeared. Toreth is at the height of his selfish, egomaniacal, bastardly behavior. He screws anyone and everyone (literally and figuratively) to accomplish whatever goal only he sees. His single minded obsessive behavior is fascinating to watch but difficult to like. I love Toreth as a character because his contrast is so striking and so unapologetic; he’s one of the best men in fiction I’ve come across. Yet he’s so destructive, so fearful, and uncaring that often I’m cold to his hurt. I want him to hurt. I want him to feel horrible and I also don’t want him to find redemption. Unfortunately this offering pulled the good feeling I had for Toreth and flushed them so I’m convinced he’s undeserving of a happy ending. While this isn’t bad in my opinion, it does create a rift when the story is trying to generate sympathy for a character that never shows any of his own. Hence I liked Carnac’s last actions and only wished they had a more lasting effect. I realize I’m likely to be alone in that feeling.
Furthermore since the series is becoming more Toreth-centric, I find Warrick less appealing. Here he’s practically non-existent except to help Toreth in whatever way that is necessary. Even Warrick’s rather weak protest that he won’t help save I&I is overturned quickly and without explanation. Warrick used to be a strong, intelligent man that accepts Toreth and his cruel behavior for a reason. Unfortunately here Warrick comes across as clinging, weak, and willing to take Toreth’s abuse without any recompense. Perhaps if the story had devoted more time to Warrick and his POV, I could have understood his obsession and compulsion to stay with Toreth no matter what but it comes across confusing given how cruel Toreth behaves towards Warrick. I like this couple together and ultimately do want them to be happy but this story left me feeling as though they shouldn’t be together and I didn’t like that.
Additionally the character of Sara felt intrusive, whereas previously she is delightful. She adds color and fun to the story yet I found her to robot Toreth too much. Her attack on McLean made me uneasy when I couldn’t understand the vitriol she felt. And her relationship with Toreth is getting muddy. She’s clearly in love with him so her actions skirt the line of inappropriate –though it is Toreth so not shocking- but I just didn’t warm to her like I have in past books. I also had difficultly appreciating her trauma when she’s locked up in a room with food, water, heat, and friends versus the others being beaten, tortured, and killed for days on end. Her nightmares felt very weak and superficial in comparison.
Ok so those are my complaints with this one. It doesn’t ruin what I feel for the series (which is that it's on my keeper shelf and I'll review the entire series in one review coming up) but frankly I find Toreth’s over the top cruelty and self absorption in this particular offering to be tiring. The caveat is that’s also what makes him a compelling character. So perhaps read these more spread out but like crack I just can’t stop. I need a strong opposing character for Toreth that reins him in and this used to be Warrick, so hopefully his spine will be surgically re-implanted and someone will stand up to evil dictator.
July 12, 2015
Manna Francis is a genius. An evil genius.
The whole story here is a giant rush, it gets your adrenaline going and your pulse up like mad and at the end you feel, again, thoroughly and utterly mind-fucked. This is what this is, a slow, deliberate, precise, and incredibly effective mindfuck. Holy shit.
Theses sons of bitches, Carnac and Toreth. That's what I thought about every other page. You fucking son of a bitch. In a way too admiring inflection. So manipulative, so clever, so.... pitiless. Who cares about collateral damage? These sons of bitches.
I love Carnac. I love his incredible intellect, how he works with people like they are objects, and to him they probably are, because they are as predictable and unchanging and their actions and reactions as easy to calculate to him as the basic properties of a table or a cup or a wall. When you tip over a cup and it falls to the ground, there's a certain probability that it will break into little pieces - or that it will stay whole. These probabilities are dependent on the height of the fall, the material of the cup, the properties of the ground, and so on. To Carnac, people are like that cup, only that when he decides to tip it over, he has almost all information needed to know exactly whether the cup will stay a cup or become a heap of broken pieces.
I love Carnac also because he's so right. I agree with almost everything he thinks about the Administration and the whole system. Yes, his solution seems way over the top at first glance and very, very harsh. But consider what the system has done and might do again. Yes, I'm on his side here.
I love Carnac because he sees truth and speaks it, because he understands exactly what is going on and he despises people for their inertia, for their selfishness and for their self-induced blindness to everything that might force them to actually change things.
And Carnac's final blow, this perfect monologue? It was fantastic, it made me want to weep, really. It was so full of anger and revenge, so to the point and it hit so precisely where it hurts. It was so ice-cold it made me shiver.
It was beautiful.
And yet, despite being right on so many levels, he is the bad guy here, the one that needs to be defeated. And Manna Francis makes me want to thwart all his plans, although these are plans I should support. I hate Carnac and I love him and I hate and love Manna Francis for it. Because it's the perfect dilemma, really, the most genius of ploys. Make the enemy the one who is actually morally right, and the "heroes" or at least the main characters of the story the ones that are morally wrong. And then make sure that the reader is on the main characters' side, not because he or she is convinced by their reasoning, but because of the reader's attachment to them. It forced me (again) to realise how fragile ideals and convictions of right and wrong really are if I can put them aside even when the situation is so unambiguous. Rationally speaking. In a way, in this story, the reader has to feel like I imagine Warrick feels - you obviously root for the wrong team and you know it, but you still do, because you have come to care so much for them.
Yes, Manna Francis is evil. She's also incredibly fucking smart. The best thing about these books might be how convoluted they are, how dirty and full of betrayal and egotistical people that in the end want only to help themselves, want only to survive. Who show that any help might perhaps extend to their in-group as well (in Toreth's and Sara's case to their colleagues), but that's it. There's no pity, no actual compassion, nothing. It's disgusting and real and it makes the books fucking brilliant. And they're so damn clever, the books go back and forth until the very last page and you feel never save as a reader because everything's possible. Because no one in the Administration can feel save. You become paranoid, but you become paranoid for a reason. Bloody hell.
Manna Francis is an evil genius. You gotta love her for it.
The whole story here is a giant rush, it gets your adrenaline going and your pulse up like mad and at the end you feel, again, thoroughly and utterly mind-fucked. This is what this is, a slow, deliberate, precise, and incredibly effective mindfuck. Holy shit.
Theses sons of bitches, Carnac and Toreth. That's what I thought about every other page. You fucking son of a bitch. In a way too admiring inflection. So manipulative, so clever, so.... pitiless. Who cares about collateral damage? These sons of bitches.
I love Carnac. I love his incredible intellect, how he works with people like they are objects, and to him they probably are, because they are as predictable and unchanging and their actions and reactions as easy to calculate to him as the basic properties of a table or a cup or a wall. When you tip over a cup and it falls to the ground, there's a certain probability that it will break into little pieces - or that it will stay whole. These probabilities are dependent on the height of the fall, the material of the cup, the properties of the ground, and so on. To Carnac, people are like that cup, only that when he decides to tip it over, he has almost all information needed to know exactly whether the cup will stay a cup or become a heap of broken pieces.
I love Carnac also because he's so right. I agree with almost everything he thinks about the Administration and the whole system. Yes, his solution seems way over the top at first glance and very, very harsh. But consider what the system has done and might do again. Yes, I'm on his side here.
I love Carnac because he sees truth and speaks it, because he understands exactly what is going on and he despises people for their inertia, for their selfishness and for their self-induced blindness to everything that might force them to actually change things.
And Carnac's final blow, this perfect monologue? It was fantastic, it made me want to weep, really. It was so full of anger and revenge, so to the point and it hit so precisely where it hurts. It was so ice-cold it made me shiver.
It was beautiful.
And yet, despite being right on so many levels, he is the bad guy here, the one that needs to be defeated. And Manna Francis makes me want to thwart all his plans, although these are plans I should support. I hate Carnac and I love him and I hate and love Manna Francis for it. Because it's the perfect dilemma, really, the most genius of ploys. Make the enemy the one who is actually morally right, and the "heroes" or at least the main characters of the story the ones that are morally wrong. And then make sure that the reader is on the main characters' side, not because he or she is convinced by their reasoning, but because of the reader's attachment to them. It forced me (again) to realise how fragile ideals and convictions of right and wrong really are if I can put them aside even when the situation is so unambiguous. Rationally speaking. In a way, in this story, the reader has to feel like I imagine Warrick feels - you obviously root for the wrong team and you know it, but you still do, because you have come to care so much for them.
Yes, Manna Francis is evil. She's also incredibly fucking smart. The best thing about these books might be how convoluted they are, how dirty and full of betrayal and egotistical people that in the end want only to help themselves, want only to survive. Who show that any help might perhaps extend to their in-group as well (in Toreth's and Sara's case to their colleagues), but that's it. There's no pity, no actual compassion, nothing. It's disgusting and real and it makes the books fucking brilliant. And they're so damn clever, the books go back and forth until the very last page and you feel never save as a reader because everything's possible. Because no one in the Administration can feel save. You become paranoid, but you become paranoid for a reason. Bloody hell.
Manna Francis is an evil genius. You gotta love her for it.
March 22, 2013
It was simply too much for him to take in - his world fallen apart around him.
It stripped me bare.
It stripped me bare.
April 6, 2011
I know some people have issues with Toreth's job but the stories that revolve around this are my favorites. So Mind Fuck, despite my unsuccessful try the first time, ended up my favorite on the second attempt. That's been knocked off the top spot with First Against the Wall.
Since the plot contents have already been covered in the other reviews, I'll only comment on the characters and the relationships.
I don't just love the Toreth character even though he's given me more grief than any fictional character has a right to do. I fully accept everything he is and does - an interrogator, sorry - para-investigator, with near-zero impulse control where sex is concerned and pathologically insecure. Yet by the time I reached the end of this book, I hurt with Toreth when Carnac dealt his 'death blow'.
I derive a lot of enjoyment when it's clear the author loves her character, hero or villain, because they get great scenes and in the hands of an author like Manna, it leaves you lost when the series is over. So here, with one more book to go after FAtW, I'm so totally sold on Toreth that though I hate it when he goes off looking for a quick fuck, I still care about him, I still want him to find freedom from his inner demons and I still want that HEA for him and Warrick, if not even more so.
Why? Because you know how it is - you are allowed to criticize, bitch about or hurt the one you love but don't anyone else dare do it! So when Carnac did that, I was waiting for Toreth to kill him. That he didn't showed how far he's come, that he now has something(someone) in his life that if he didn't, would have seen Carnac beaten to a pulp right there and then.
I also liked Warrick's restrained and controlled response to that incident. It showed me he's the absolutely right match for Toreth. Any display of sympathy, any repudiation of Carnac's remarks and accusations would only have filled Toreth with more shame than the man could bear. Toreth, like Sara's Bastard, is one creature that needs a special know-how to handle and Warrick handled the situation beautifully IMO. He let things play out even though he keeps a careful eye on Toreth, even though he does try to find him and contact him. Warrick knows when not to say what he wants to say because he knows when Toreth isn't ready to hear but it doesn't mean Warrick gives up. He just waits for the right time...and even then, gives only just enough and waits again. I'm glad Toreth met a man like Warrick who is able to take care of him so skillfully.
Sara. This woman needs to be given a man of her own. The One, one who loves blow jobs and not another bum. If for no other reason than to give her mouth something else to do other gossip and reveal stuff about Toreth! Stupid cow.
The tension during the action sequences kept me on the edge of my proverbial seat (or should that be 'edge of my reader' these days?). I could hardly wait to flip the page wanting to know what happens next.
Last year, when I asked around about what kind of story TA was, I read that there were stories where the MCs are separated, where one of them would not even be in a story at all or just have a few small scenes. FAtW is one of these, at least during the suspense portion. I didn't miss Warrick at all because this suspense thread was so riveting, with Toreth starring and pitted against his arch-enemy, that I was quite happy to put Warrick on hold.
Unlike Kassa and maybe so other readers, I don't have that negative a reaction of I&I. Perhaps, I'm too much a realist at heart and am rather disdainful of idealistic people. I accept that unpleasant things are here to stay and that unpleasant things (done even by our sons and husbands) keep us safe. So at no time did I wish for Carnac (or Tarin and friends) to win this battle. Carnac would have ended up no different from the evil he deludes himself he is removing. Before anything, he's already decided mass executions of the I&I investigators and interrogators who won't play ball. How different is that, or Carnac, from I&I and Toreth?
Long Live I&I.
The only weak spot I found in this book was Sara's scenes. They were surprisingly weak and contrived. Instead of the competent, resourceful woman I'd become used to, she was now just a weak, tearful blob of jello. Her scenes were so mild and insipid, her incarceration next to nothing that I couldn't see why she was this sniveling shrinking violet when she was imprisoned. She wasn't even beaten or tortured and she should have been because of her blabbing.
Perhaps her damsel-in-acute-distress act was just to get in Toreth's pants again. Slut. Keep your hands off! Kudos to Toreth in that scene! I wanted to bitch slap Sara so bad after what she did blabbing to Carnac and no way do I want her within sight of Toreth after this.
I hate Sara.
This is the part about Toreth I find odd - the amount of patience he exercises with Sara, the long-suffering affection he has for her. If I were Warrick, I would have fed her to the dogs a long time ago. Every nice thing I said about Sara in the earlier books? I take every word back. Bitch.
Back to Toreth. If he's capable of that kind of unconditional love for that bitch Sara, imagine the kind of man he could be if he could be free of what his mother did to him. And it is this hidden, buried side of Toreth that is in torment at the later part of this installment. I loved it when Warrick found him, even if it was with the help of the Bitch, and I switched off my reader with a very satisfied sigh:)
Since the plot contents have already been covered in the other reviews, I'll only comment on the characters and the relationships.
I don't just love the Toreth character even though he's given me more grief than any fictional character has a right to do. I fully accept everything he is and does - an interrogator, sorry - para-investigator, with near-zero impulse control where sex is concerned and pathologically insecure. Yet by the time I reached the end of this book, I hurt with Toreth when Carnac dealt his 'death blow'.
I derive a lot of enjoyment when it's clear the author loves her character, hero or villain, because they get great scenes and in the hands of an author like Manna, it leaves you lost when the series is over. So here, with one more book to go after FAtW, I'm so totally sold on Toreth that though I hate it when he goes off looking for a quick fuck, I still care about him, I still want him to find freedom from his inner demons and I still want that HEA for him and Warrick, if not even more so.
Why? Because you know how it is - you are allowed to criticize, bitch about or hurt the one you love but don't anyone else dare do it! So when Carnac did that, I was waiting for Toreth to kill him. That he didn't showed how far he's come, that he now has something(someone) in his life that if he didn't, would have seen Carnac beaten to a pulp right there and then.
I also liked Warrick's restrained and controlled response to that incident. It showed me he's the absolutely right match for Toreth. Any display of sympathy, any repudiation of Carnac's remarks and accusations would only have filled Toreth with more shame than the man could bear. Toreth, like Sara's Bastard, is one creature that needs a special know-how to handle and Warrick handled the situation beautifully IMO. He let things play out even though he keeps a careful eye on Toreth, even though he does try to find him and contact him. Warrick knows when not to say what he wants to say because he knows when Toreth isn't ready to hear but it doesn't mean Warrick gives up. He just waits for the right time...and even then, gives only just enough and waits again. I'm glad Toreth met a man like Warrick who is able to take care of him so skillfully.
Sara. This woman needs to be given a man of her own. The One, one who loves blow jobs and not another bum. If for no other reason than to give her mouth something else to do other gossip and reveal stuff about Toreth! Stupid cow.
The tension during the action sequences kept me on the edge of my proverbial seat (or should that be 'edge of my reader' these days?). I could hardly wait to flip the page wanting to know what happens next.
Last year, when I asked around about what kind of story TA was, I read that there were stories where the MCs are separated, where one of them would not even be in a story at all or just have a few small scenes. FAtW is one of these, at least during the suspense portion. I didn't miss Warrick at all because this suspense thread was so riveting, with Toreth starring and pitted against his arch-enemy, that I was quite happy to put Warrick on hold.
Unlike Kassa and maybe so other readers, I don't have that negative a reaction of I&I. Perhaps, I'm too much a realist at heart and am rather disdainful of idealistic people. I accept that unpleasant things are here to stay and that unpleasant things (done even by our sons and husbands) keep us safe. So at no time did I wish for Carnac (or Tarin and friends) to win this battle. Carnac would have ended up no different from the evil he deludes himself he is removing. Before anything, he's already decided mass executions of the I&I investigators and interrogators who won't play ball. How different is that, or Carnac, from I&I and Toreth?
Long Live I&I.
The only weak spot I found in this book was Sara's scenes. They were surprisingly weak and contrived. Instead of the competent, resourceful woman I'd become used to, she was now just a weak, tearful blob of jello. Her scenes were so mild and insipid, her incarceration next to nothing that I couldn't see why she was this sniveling shrinking violet when she was imprisoned. She wasn't even beaten or tortured and she should have been because of her blabbing.
Perhaps her damsel-in-acute-distress act was just to get in Toreth's pants again. Slut. Keep your hands off! Kudos to Toreth in that scene! I wanted to bitch slap Sara so bad after what she did blabbing to Carnac and no way do I want her within sight of Toreth after this.
I hate Sara.
This is the part about Toreth I find odd - the amount of patience he exercises with Sara, the long-suffering affection he has for her. If I were Warrick, I would have fed her to the dogs a long time ago. Every nice thing I said about Sara in the earlier books? I take every word back. Bitch.
Back to Toreth. If he's capable of that kind of unconditional love for that bitch Sara, imagine the kind of man he could be if he could be free of what his mother did to him. And it is this hidden, buried side of Toreth that is in torment at the later part of this installment. I loved it when Warrick found him, even if it was with the help of the Bitch, and I switched off my reader with a very satisfied sigh:)
August 24, 2022
ayo why such an ending😭. i hope the next book is investigating that 👀.
and will somebody please do something before Toreth withers away into nothing💀. I'm getting depressed reading his thoughts.
and will somebody please do something before Toreth withers away into nothing💀. I'm getting depressed reading his thoughts.
April 10, 2015
MF does a great job of shocking a reader every time we start to relax. I loved the intensity of this instalment, the Apocalypse-like turn in the plot, the raising of the stakes in the game between two such masterful players and all the tangled mess of other pawns, Kings and Queens. It was very well thought-out and executed, in my opinion.
However, to be honest, I lacked the sense of gratification in this book. Even those little crumbs of reprieve thrown our way on a rare occasion, didn't seem to pacify me this time. The amount of energy I had to spend throughout the series on trying to get used to Toreth's habits and lifestyle, had had surpassed my limits by now and I've decided to have a little break before the next (last so far) instalment.
***4.3 stars***
BR with Sofia - thank you!
However, to be honest, I lacked the sense of gratification in this book. Even those little crumbs of reprieve thrown our way on a rare occasion, didn't seem to pacify me this time. The amount of energy I had to spend throughout the series on trying to get used to Toreth's habits and lifestyle, had had surpassed my limits by now and I've decided to have a little break before the next (last so far) instalment.
***4.3 stars***
BR with Sofia - thank you!
October 22, 2012
Carnac decided to cut to the end, regrettable as it was to lose any of the effect. It would be enough. He put every ounce of conviction he could summon into his voice, driving the words home like knives.
"And, finally, I know that in the end the pathetically little you have to offer Keir will no longer be enough, and he will leave you. And when that day comes, there is nothing you will be able to do to make him stay with you. You're not that good a fuck and, really, what else do you have?"
The ultimate mind fuck--
"And, finally, I know that in the end the pathetically little you have to offer Keir will no longer be enough, and he will leave you. And when that day comes, there is nothing you will be able to do to make him stay with you. You're not that good a fuck and, really, what else do you have?"
The ultimate mind fuck--
July 20, 2020
Best one yet. All the world-building threads pay off in a big way, and we get the trippy experience of viewing a revolution from the bad guy's perspective -- and being ON HIS SIDE 😂
Plus, you know, the sheer numbing bureaucracy of it all... Good lord, what has this series done to me??! You guys... I laughed. I&I colleagues are and Toreth has me giggling while he bitches about Standard Operating Procedures.
There's just something about this government department of high-functioning sociopaths operating at its foundations like any other corporation you've ever worked for that is pure entertainment. I don't know how it works, but it does.
Plus, you know, the sheer numbing bureaucracy of it all... Good lord, what has this series done to me??! You guys... I laughed. I&I colleagues are and Toreth has me giggling while he bitches about Standard Operating Procedures.
There's just something about this government department of high-functioning sociopaths operating at its foundations like any other corporation you've ever worked for that is pure entertainment. I don't know how it works, but it does.
March 23, 2013
I loved this one so very much!!!!!
and I absolutely adore Toreth my sweet psychopath!!!! So vulnerable, so emotional, so scared like a lost puppie......"Jealous, irrational, demanding and utterly unreasonable covers most of the relevant attributes" how can anyone NOT love him........
"Don't go yet. I want five miuites, that's all. One minute. I want you. This could be the last time I see you. This really could be the last time. I want you to - " Toreth
"I want it to stop. That's all. I just want it to stop being like this every fucking minute of every fucking day. Because I don't think I can-" Toreth
and I absolutely adore Toreth my sweet psychopath!!!! So vulnerable, so emotional, so scared like a lost puppie......"Jealous, irrational, demanding and utterly unreasonable covers most of the relevant attributes" how can anyone NOT love him........
"Don't go yet. I want five miuites, that's all. One minute. I want you. This could be the last time I see you. This really could be the last time. I want you to - " Toreth
"I want it to stop. That's all. I just want it to stop being like this every fucking minute of every fucking day. Because I don't think I can-" Toreth
October 24, 2016
First read in 2006 (I can't believe it was so long ago!).
I'll have to review this book on a different (national) website offering ten stars reviews, just like "Mind Fuck". Five stars is not enough for both of those books. What a cynical, realistic view of a revolution. So many things had to change so that everything can stay the same.
ETA: hah, I did not remember well this quote from another great book about political change, "The Leopard" by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa; it says in English: "everything needs to change, so everything can stay the same").
I'll have to review this book on a different (national) website offering ten stars reviews, just like "Mind Fuck". Five stars is not enough for both of those books. What a cynical, realistic view of a revolution. So many things had to change so that everything can stay the same.
ETA: hah, I did not remember well this quote from another great book about political change, "The Leopard" by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa; it says in English: "everything needs to change, so everything can stay the same").
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