Audiobook Review: The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz

A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Flux by Ferrett Steinmetz

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 2 of ‘Mancer

Publisher: Audible Studios (10/6/15)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Narrator: Peter Brooke | Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Let me start my review of The Flux the same way I started my review of the first book Flex. There was some of this:

And then some of this:

And this:

As well as this:

And even…this:

By the way, if you haven’t read Flex yet, I highly recommend picking it up first because you’ll definitely want the complete ‘Mancer experience. If nothing else, getting the full rundown of the magic system will be worth it, because this series features some of the most intricate and unique concepts I’ve ever seen.

Imagine a world where magic is based around obsession. Love something hard enough—whether it be cats, cooking, or donuts—and it might just actually become your special power, giving you the ability to shape reality to your vision. As you can imagine, the possibilities are virtually limitless. For instance, protagonist Paul Tsabo (he loves paperwork, God help him) is a bureacromancer, and his friend and partner in crime Valentine is a videogamemancer (three guesses what her favorite hobby is?)

In The Flux, a third ‘mancer character also rises to prominence—Paul’s own daughter Aliyah Tsabo-Dawson. The events at the end of Flex might have turned her into the world’s most dangerous eight-year-old, but to Paul she’ll always be his little girl. It’s now up to him to hide Aliyah’s secret and protect her from those who will want to use her or do her harm. But Paul is living a double life himself, hunting rogue ‘mancers for the government by day and brewing magical drugs by night. To make matters worse, there’s now a new power-player in town called “The King of New York” and he’s got Paul and Valentine in his sights.

Like its predecessor, The Flux was pure geek escapism. In general I still think Flex was the better book, though I liked certain aspects of this sequel more. For one thing, Valentine plays a much bigger role. I remember being so excited when I realized that was her on the cover. She’s my favorite character in this series, and not just because she has great taste in video games. I am totally in love her offbeat personality, and her confidence also makes her a force to be reckoned with. Because of her, the plot is also heavier on videogamemancy. Needless to say, I was right where I wanted to be. We’re talking loads more gaming references, which to me was one of the best things about Flex. Gamers will no doubt experience multiple nerdgasms while reading this series, though in truth, I think anyone can appreciate the humor and action in these books.

Speaking of which, The Flux also introduces Valentine’s new friend Tyler Durden, whom I hope we’ll be seeing again soon in some way, shape or form. Yes, I said Tyler Durden. Didn’t I say the possibilities were limitless?

Okay, so maybe this book went just a tad overboard with the pop culture references. Which is why I’m thankful for the story’s focus on family again, especially the father-daughter bond between Paul and Aliyah. In this book, Paul faces the challenges of raising an angry and traumatized little girl, while Aliyah realizes that her father doesn’t have all the answers. If it weren’t for the emotional hurdles, ‘Mancer might have been just another entertaining yet hollow urban fantasy series, but the emphasis on relationship dynamics gives both the characters and story much needed depth.

Final thoughts on the audiobook: I started the series in this format, so I decided to continue in this format, and I am quite happy with my decision. Peter Brooke is fantastic with voices (especially with his New Yorker accent) and in my opinion the only character he faltered with was Aliyah. Granted, this probably has something to do with her written dialogue itself, which I didn’t find convincing. Still, there’s a very good chance I’ll do the third book in audio too. All in all, well worth the listen!

Story:  | Performance: | Overall:

More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Flex (Book 1)