Woefully lacking in character and plot development

‘Tactical Magik’ is the fifth novella in the Immortal Ops series. Although each novel in the series is about an individual couple, each story builds on the previous and includes previous couples as secondary characters, giving away spoilers for plot points and character developments. As such it’s best to read the novellas in series order.

This is the first of the novella’s I’ve listened too that had not been revised and extended by the author and narrated by Mason Lloyd. It felt a bit thin on the ground in terms of plot and character development. This was a shame as I’d been looking forward to Eadan’s story, especially after Wilson’s story had been so good.

Eadan came across as a bit smarmy and self-satisfied and Inara was one dimensionally clueless and inexperienced, which just didn’t capture my imagination. I didn’t buy into them as individuals or as a couple in the novella. All Eadan’s angst from his history was swept away and Inara didn’t seem to have a problem with anything except him potentially holding out on sex from her.

The new narrator - Topher Samuels, had a very stilted reading style and didn’t do the character voices justice, which seemed to add to flippancy to the the characters, detracting any gravitas and depth.

The plot didn’t seem to go anywhere in particular and you never got a sense that Eadan or Inara were ever in any true danger. In the end I felt like the author’s heart wasn’t in this one.

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