Flex

Before I started reading this, I was struck by how much it appeared to be like Michael Underwood's Geekomancy, and after reading it, of course there were a few similarities, but where Geekomancy was all delightful snark and nostalgia wrapped into a wonderfully magical system, Flex was a lot more dark and serious, and...

Shall I say it? Yeah. I have to say this was the better novel of the two. Sorry, Michael! I love your stuff, but this was just too sharp!

We can scratch out most of the nostalgia and jump right into a well-crafted tale. The hero is a damn surprising hero, too. Just hearing about what he did, I honestly wanted to cringe and go... "How is that going to be fun?" And then after reading him in action, all my fears flittered show more away as I began to realize that this is the freaking Breaking Bad of urban fantasy. Just being a clever and unique magic system is fantastic, too, but my god, we jumped, wonderfully, from a guy who uses magic to do paperwork into a brilliant drug dealer. And not only does it work, but it's far from being the best aspect of the book.

Look. We've got an ex-cop who was branded a hero for accidentally killing a 'Mancer even as he respected what he saw, turned his badge in, as well as losing a foot, to become an insurance agent. If that sounds boring, then stuff it. Mr. Steinmetz makes it work well. The core of the book is about people who focus so much on what they love that they become travelling black holes of universe-changing power that comes with it's own built-in correction system.

For those of us who've played and loved the Mage storytelling system, you're right on target. Mr. Steinmetz acknowledges his debts here and to Mr. Underwood.

MC Paul's arch-enemy was fantastic. Paul was fantastic. Valentine was fantastic. And my heart-strings were so thoroughly manhandled by his poor burned daughter that I wasn't sure I was going to get out of this novel alive.

Sure, it might just be another novel set to destroy NYC, but on the other hand, I felt utter joy in the reading. I literally couldn't put this title down for the life of me. It was magical.

It's true I probably wouldn't have picked this novel up in the first place if I hadn't received an invitation to read its sequel in Netgalley, but that's my own damn problem. I'm leased to be proved an idiot. Never judge a book by either its cover or its blurb. Flex is no sophomore addition to a crappy UF collection. It's serious and it's brilliant.

All you peeps who want magic systems and UF and seriously excellent character progressions need to go out and pick up this title. It's pretty close to perfect. show less

At the start I found this to be crude in an uncomfortable way, and I debated if I should stop the book completely. I actually set it aside for a few days. I decided to continue because one other thing was also clear from the start: THE MAGIC IS COOL.

Flex abounds with dark and twisted magic that manifests when random people's obsessions suddenly become a way for them to channel the mysteries of the universe. That universe still has laws, though. That's why flux exists--it's an immediate karmic backlash that occurs after using 'mancy. It causes death and mayhem, and is a big reason why 'mancers are hunted down and zombie-fied into faithful government drones. Paul has a different kind of power, though, the kind that thrives on order over show more chaos: bureaucromancy. Pens and forms are literally magic for him. But when his six-year-old daughter is severely burned in another 'mancer's flux attack, forms can only do so much... until he decides to hunt down the person who caused his daughter's pain.

The book reminds me of Chuck Wendig's dark and gritty Blackbirds crossed with Michael R. Underwood's light, fun pop culture magic in his Ree Reyes Geekomancy series. With a dose of Breaking Bad in there, too, with magic as the brew. The start was rough for me, but it evolved into a strong, gripping read. A big part of this were main characters like Valentine (whose magic pulls from video games, which leads to awesome homages to Portal, Mario Bros, and Mario Kart) and Paul's young daughter Aliyah, who with ferocity and passion steals every scene she's in. show less

Welcome to the world of Flex, where it’s actually possible to love a thing so much, the power of your obsession can kick the laws of physics in the ass so hard that reality literally comes undone. This is what gives rise to the many different kinds of magic users. You get illustromancers. Deathmetalmancers. Collectomancers! Or even videogamemancers. In the case of Flex protagonist Paul Tsabo, he loves his job as a number-cruncher at his insurance company SO MUCH that he’s turned paperwork into more than just an art. He’s become a bureaucromancer, and this means he can work magic on anything in the world, as long as what he needs is logged somewhere on paper.

Thing is, if you’re not a ‘mancer, you can still use magic. Distilled show more magic can come in the form of crystallized Flex, a powerful drug brewed by ‘mancers. But working ‘mancy and using Flex can cause one hell of a blowback. Maybe with the power of Flex you can twist reality to match your vision – but only for a time. After the effects wear off, the backlash called Flux will hit. Because if there’s one thing the universe hates more than anything, it’s being bent to a magic user’s will. It will fight back with a vengeance, and you can bet the universe always wins.

So there’s a good reason why the general public doesn’t trust ‘mancers; the effects of their magic defy normality and prediction, and chaos typically follows where they go. For this reason, Paul has gone to great lengths to hide his bureaucromancy. But now there’s a dangerous ‘mancer known as Anathema out there, brewing some very powerful Flex. It’s causing a lot of accidents, a lot of deaths. One night, Paul and his daughter Aliyah become Anathema’s victims when a Flex user in his apartment causes a gas main to blow up. Paul’s ‘mancy saves his daughter’s life, but the little girl still ends up badly burned. To come up with the money for Aliyah’s reconstructive surgery, Paul must find a way to use his bureaucromancy without causing the Flux that will make things worse. And to do that, he must find a mentor.

Enter Valentine. The gamemancer. My heroine.

First I have to tell you that I’m a sucker for any book or story that has to do with video games. When I discovered what Valentine’s power meant, I had myself a squee moment. Flex is one of those books that worked perfectly for me, because it hit that special sweet spot balancing a complex magic system with all-out fun. The world of ‘mancy is full of potential and the possibility of pretty much any kind of ‘mancer you can think of, but all of it still works within the confines of rules that make sense.

Flex is also a book that’s full of heart. After all, so much of ‘mancy and becoming a ‘mancer has its roots in emotion. It’s about love and obsession, both the healthy and unhealthy kind. It’s the idea that you can want or believe in something so hard that the sheer force of that power will make it happen. For that reason, ‘mancers aren’t always happy people. Some are lonely. Some are angry. Some are lost and afraid. When push comes to shove, their obsessions and resulting ‘mancy are literally their ways to escape from the real world. And when it comes to Valentine, video games as escapism is something I can sympathize with and understand. More often than not though, the magic just makes ‘mancers feel even more alone and marginalized.

And also, who can blame Paul, the father who only wants the best for his daughter, even if it means seeking out a killer to help him give Aliyah the chance for a normal life? Flex is a thrilling journey through the dark underbelly of the drug trade, but it’s also about friendship and devotion and finding acceptance. It’s also a story about the desperate hunt for an evil villain, but one that will also allow you to geek out big time.

And geek out I did. I also laughed. And screamed. No doubt about it, Flex is the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time. I was so glad when the audiobook finally released, because I had been wanting to read it forever, in part due to the amazing things I’ve heard from other reviewers. Now I understand what everyone was raving about. I’m a bit in love with this book. Can’t wait for the next one! Highly recommended. show less

I had never heard of the author before, though he appears to have a dedicated online following. This was the pick for my games book club, and I was game to give it a try. I don't think I would have picked it up on my own; the description doesn't really call to me and it's a bit on the fringes of the urban fantasy genre, so I doubt I would have even come across it on my own.

It was definitely different. I enjoyed the world-building a lot, and the hints of what happened to cause 'mancers (basically people who become so obsessed with one thing that that they develop magic focused through their obsession) to become outcasts, both hunted by the government and feared by the people. The drug aspect of this world was definitely unique, and as show more others have pointed it, it's like Breaking Bad with magic... sort of.

The main character, Paul Tsabo, is an ex-cop who is an insurance company paper pusher. He loves paperwork and order and develops magic through bureaucracy. Weird, right? And cool in its staidness at the same time. And he's content to live out his life as a secret 'mancer, only his daughter gets badly burned and nearly killed after his apartment building burns down due to Flux. Because in this world, there has to be balance, and when a 'mancer does magic, the universe exacts a price. And when a mundane takes the drug Flex to do magic, the price is even greater. So Paul goes on the hunt for the 'mancer who is mixing up the Flux that is flooding the city and leading to exponentially larger body counts.

Steinmetz creates a cast of characters who are distinctly different, with quirks and personality. But the problem is, I didn't really care about any of them. He seemed so focus on creating this world and moving the plot along that he neglects the characters, and I ended up not really connecting with any of them.

I also had to put the book down abruptly about a third of the way through because Paul, who had never been described at all up until that point, is suddenly seen through the eyes of another character, as a "scrawny white guy". Which completely threw me out of the story because until then, I'd been picturing him as black. Given his daughter's and ex-wife's names, the descriptions of both as darker skinned, and his own last name, it was an easy assumption. My disappointment in discovering that the POV character was just another white dude in a sea of books told by white dudes was huge. And I never truly recovered from that.

After about a week's hiatus, I managed to pick up the book again but didn't finish in time for my book club meeting, and honestly, I was severely tempted to just abandon the book altogether. But I forced myself to finish it just to get the plot closure.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot. Two giant thumbs up for an incredibly unique urban fantasy. I am still undecided on whether I'll continue with the series or not, though. There were a few hints that there was a secret society (the "Order" that was mentioned very briefly) hunting 'mancers which I want to learn more about, as well as what the hell happened in Europe. But I'm not sure if I'm emotionally invested enough to proactively seek out the next book. show less

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/03/02/review-flex-by-ferrett-steinmetz/

Reading Flex is like ingesting a solid dose of some seriously bad-ass magic. The world comes to life, possibilities that you hadn’t thought of suddenly present themselves, you find yourself immersed in words that portray a familiar, but yet much more magical world. Flex is in some ways, reminiscent of Breaking Bad with a Ready Player One slant but with an added twist all it’s own.

Our protagonist, Paul, is an interesting character. He is a rule abiding, ex-cop who was injured in the line of duty against a ‘mancer. There are definite shades of grey morality as he is forced to make some very hard choices and re-evaluate his show more previously black and white view of the world.

I debated about how much plot detail to go into with this. There are some stories that I think are much better experienced straight from the author, and I suspect this is one of them. So, I am going to focus on the world and magic in this review and hope you get a good enough feel for what makes this story such a great read.

Imagine magic that that does not go to a predetermined set within the population, but a magic that stems from the pain of being isolated and the obsessions that people take on to cope with it. Magic that centers around whatever a person focuses on most to ground themselves, magic that comes from that one thing they have found to immerse themselves in to find some level of joy or sanity in their otherwise lonely or painful life. It creates a fascinating world where magic can stem from anything, and each users abilities and limitations are determined by what brings them magic.

These individuals that manifest these powers are called ‘mancers. The first part of it is determined by their unique ability (obsession). There are videogamemancers, deathmetalmancers, crazy cat ladies can become catmancers (or something like that). You get the idea. A videogamemancer’s capabilities must follow the rules from a video game. The only catch is that there are two sides to the magic. The flex (the good stuff you want to happen) and the flux (the bad stuff that is the price of the flex). So, you can’t just magic yourself something great, like winning the lottery, without something horrible happening (like getting run over by a bus) to balance it out. Karma is a bitch, and so is Flux.

The Flux has put people on high alert to fear all ‘mancers. When they are found, they are sent to be Refactored, where they are pretty much brainwashed to operate within a hive mind of other ‘mancers. They work for the government, and are really just shells of their old selves. They seem like brainwashed zombies, just taking orders.

It makes you wonder why anyone would want to do it, but greed and lack of foresight often wins out in life, this world is no different. But then there is motivation that can sometimes make you take the risk of flux, a motivation that is not at all selfish but comes from a need to help, like the love a parent has for a child that is in dire need of medical help. It’s hard to imagine someone with the ability not trying to help (and just cross your fingers that the Flux doesn’t come back and bite you in the ass, undo all the good, plus).

Now, to make it even more interesting, imagine being able to channel this magic into a material that can be sold, distributed and used like a drug. Anyone can experience the thrill of Flex. Seriously, some very cool things going on in Flex.

Just don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a shallow, just for thrills book. There is more there than just a surface level action story. The very nature of how abilities manifest, the fact that ‘mancers tend to be lonely people with some sort of problems in their life, the cost of the magic, the balance of flex and flux, and the stigma of being ‘mancer in a society where magic is feared and loathed, all of these things speak at a deeper level if the reader chooses to go there. Flex is raw magic with a deep soul. Highly recommend. show less

Dear Ferrett,

Don't take the rating personally. It's not you--it's me. Really, there's a lot to like in your book; a parallel world with 'mancers, magic that comes out of passion, distilled magic as part of the drug trade...

Wait, not that last bit. Because while it makes absolute sense, I just don't. I don't do sloppy drug trade setting, and prefer to avoid the realistic setting in anything but Serious Movies. Maybe its because the memory of the last kid I took care of whose 'buddies' dropped him off not breathing and a lovely shade of light blue at the ER. The night was capped off by calling Security when he was ripping out the IV, ready to walk out the door, and his helpless, frustrated mom who walked out before he did. I don't like show more playing in that world during my free time, because I live in it at work. It is heartbreaking and maddening-- there are too many assholes, a lot of sad stories, a truckload of lies--both unintentional and purposeful--and no happy endings. I suppose you might have reached that message somewhere in Flex, perhaps with the concept of Flux coming back to bite the magician in the butt, but what I mostly got was the idea that Paul would deal with the devil to achieve his goal, and if he could make drugs magic without cost, he would. The extreme characterization of a drug dealer who chains his source to a radiator didn't really help your cause.

Let's talk characters, particularly Paul, underdog hero. His endless guilt trips, particularly the self-flagellation about his daughter, Aliyah, and his directionless wandering in his own life did not build a character I cared about. Again, I'm willing to take blame here. I don't have children and don't understand the endless guilt trip Paul has about saving his kid's life and his obsession about getting her plastic surgery. Maybe because his character doesn't have any balance; there's the ex-relationship, the daughter issues, the work issues. His history comes in context of an unhappy divorce and previously unhappy job. Whatever it is, I have a hard time identifying with him or even rooting for him as I watched him run on his mental gerbil wheel. The best parts were the times that Paul delved into his magic and his joy in creating order from chaos was able to shine. For the rest, well... congratulations on being able to bring a whiny, self-centered six-year-old to life (I know, I know; they all are). Your villain, not so much. If we didn't have you switching to the villain's perspective, I don't think I'd know much at all.

Although, if we're being honest, I'd have to say you should share a tad bit of the blame. The storytelling was choppy. I appreciate an experimental narrative structure in the hands of a practitioner, but chapter installments drew attention to the lack of transitions instead of facilitating them. Sometimes the chapter ended and picked up one second later. Sometimes it ended, and the next began in the future, then flashed back to the middle. It's not a bad idea, but you need a story and style that can use the sophistication of that technique. I suppose the underdog, concealed-power plot is based on the superhero tradition, but could you have classed it up a bit? Apparently Paul is able to identify the villain through magical nausea, but lines like "focusing on her magic was like pushing his head deeper into a barf bag" isn't going to win you much love.

The ending pulled it together in a decent way, and your writing finally had a chance to shine. I wish you luck with your series, I really do, but I have doubts I'll continue. It's got the underdog-double life superhero thing going for it, so I'm sure you'll find an audience. I think it'll especially appeal to fans of Wendig's Miriam Black series. Which I also disliked, so you're in fabulous company.

Really.

Two and a half snorts stars show less

I read FLEX a month ago, dictated notes for my review, and now I can't access those notes because Dragon Dictation keeps crashing upon open. So I'll try to rely on my memory here.

There's a lot to love about this book. I'm a fan of "Breaking Bad" and "Firestarter," and this has some of the best elements of both. Paul is a law-abiding citizen who makes a drug in order to save his daughter--but once he gets sucked into that underworld, it's hard to get out. And his drugs are particularly pure, which makes them perfect aids for the worst criminals in society.

To me, the character relationships and emotions were very well-written. There's a swiftly moving plot, and some really fun dialogue and such. I'll definitely read the sequel!

Because show more I'm the world's most critical audience member, I do have gripes. I gripe about almost every story. In this case, my major gripe has to do with world-building and theme, which means I can't talk about it without giving spoilers. If you don't care about the cogency of a magic system or consistency in a story's premise, then skip this next part! It's an awesome book.

Major gripe:
At first, I loved the idea of obsessive behavior translated to sorcery. An art lover has power to make paintings come to life. A video-game collector has power to weave video-game-based spells. A bureaucrat insurance agent has power to override or examine anything related to paperwork. It's a fun idea ... except it falls apart if you think about it for more than 5 seconds. According to this book, any person who loves something fiercely enough gains magic power. The little girl loves her daddy so much, she gains magic power to protect him. Um, wait a minute. So no one else loves anyone quite so much? Only 1 person out of every 50,000 people in the world loves something (or someone) enough to gain magic. That's the statistic given in the novel. I guess the other 49,999 people are just sleepwalking through life, unable to love anyone much, or have much passion for things. Is that really what the author believes? ~7 billion people on this planet are incapable of intense love or intense passion? I'm not comfortable with that belief. Ugh.

There was enough pure awesome joy and fun in this novel for me to enjoy it, despite what I saw as a flawed premise. I can't wait to see what this author does in future novels! show less