This is a terrific read. Nathan Farrugia gives us a fast-moving story of a shadowy world-spanning conspiracy, its SPECTRE-level plans to control humanity's future, and a tiny band of agents who overcome their – quite literal – programming to rebel against their masters.Our heroine, Sophia, is smart, skilled, and tougher than leather. From the first chapter and its gunfight and doublecross, she takes us on a whirlwind adventure, pulling back the veil of the sinister Fifth Column along the way. Sophia and her team aren't infallible – they make mistakes along the way, but when they fall, they fall forward.Farrugia has a great skill at crafting action and thriller scenes. When he writes, things HAPPEN. Bullets fly, vehicles of every stripe careen along, and blood and adrenaline flow. While a lengthy read, The Chimera Vector never drags. If you like competence porn, supercapable heroes and villains, clever plotting, healthy doses of hardware, and a simply fun read, you owe it to yourself to check out The Chimera Vector.And now for some nerdery. See, I'm a tabletop gamer. In the chance that you are, too, here's my take on The Chimera Vector from a GM's perspective – possible spoilers follow. You Have Been Warned.Like your Spycraft? Has this book got a villain agency for you. The Fifth Column's a perfect opponent, no matter what scale you're gaming at. There's a healthy dose of more-than-human ability throughout, and plenty of plots for your own agents to be drawn into.Mutants and Masterminds more your speed? Got you covered there, too. Lower the default PL and sic your heroes on the bad guys. One power each, plenty of skills and feats, and you're good to go.Disclaimer: This review copy was provided by the author, and no review was requested. The first few pages of this book had me wondering if it was my type of story, but as I read on it picked up speed and was hard to put down.My initial worry was what seemed like a need to describe equipment every second line! Admittedly I have a wonderful ability to suspend my disbelief and will accept that you can set a phazer to stun, learn to shoot zombies with accuracy while on the run, and even fold space and time with a wacky doctor; so I tend to get frustrated with details that to me mean nothing of consequence to the story. It turns out this detail was just easing me into a very complex, rich,and twisty tale.I think this book transcends genre classification. It really had something for everyone. I make no claim to the validity of the science, history, or realism presented in the book, but he pulled his tale off in a very convincing manner.The conspiracy theories abounded and the interpretation of real world past events was both interesting and disturbing. I loved it, I mean any book that makes you take even just one second and think, hmmm what if, is a winner.Anyone who enjoys an action book with more layers under the layers you expect to find, bad guys who may or may not be bad, and really cool science speculation will enjoy this. I noticed there are more books in the series... must be moving on and perusing those!Well worth the read, even if you don't know a browning from a.. different handgun? This book may make you want to go look up historical events, I know I am curious to see how close the plot comes to recorded events.
What do You think about The Chimera Vector (2012)?
liked it alot it was different but still well explained in every area, well I thought it was anyhow
—mariette
This book is fast and full of action. With so many twist and turns. Will keep you up all night
—Tariq
Thoroughly enjoyable read, very happy to find out that there are 2 other books in this series.
—reneet
Terrific page-turner! Tightly written, fast-paced action, and technical accuracy.
—Kai
Great action/thriller/syfy book that keeps the you guessing. Totally baddass
—lucikins
