Gemini Cell

A Shadow Ops Novel

By: Myke Cole

Narrated by: Korey Jackson

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

US Navy SEAL Jim Schweitzer is a consummate professional, a fierce warrior, and a hard man to kill. But when he sees something he was never meant to see on a covert mission gone bad, he finds himself--and his family--in the crosshairs. Nothing means more to Jim than protecting his loved ones, but when the enemy brings the battle to his front door, he is overwhelmed and taken down. That should be the end of the story. But Jim is raised from the dead by a sorcerer and recruited by a top-secret unit dabbling in the occult, known only as the Gemini Cell.

With powers he doesn't understand, Jim is called back to duty--as the ultimate warrior. As he wrestles with a literal inner demon, Jim realizes his new superiors are determined to use him for their own ends and keep him in the dark--especially about the fates of his wife and son....

©2015 Myke Cole (P)2015 Recorded Books

Difficult to get through

I am a fan of the series from which this spun off. The book as a whole ends well, but the journey to get there was rough. Most of the book is angsty and depressing, and while that makes sense for the characters, there could have been more comic relief to make it more bearable. Also, some of the more shocking scenes felt cheap and unnecessary. Without ****SPOILING**** too much, let's just say the violent deaths of children should be given more gravity than simple shock value in illustrating how depraved a monstrous killing machine is. That really ruined the book for me. Without that, my rating would probably be much higher. The narrator was excellent, though. And I really enjoyed the shadow ops series. So I know the author is capable of much better.

refreshingly original story

I'm definitely going to be ready and waiting too see this story through hopefully soon

Favorite of 2017

Any additional comments?

Its 4 a.m. and I cant sleep because this is rolling over and over in my head, so I am updating my review. Its because this book is different and important and there are very specific reasons why:

I had a friend named Mike. We hung out in college because we had all the same history classes and together we sponsored study groups and essay rewrites for students that were struggling. We both came from military backgrounds, I was enlisted in the reserves at the time and he was in ROTC. When he graduated we kept in touch. The guy was HILARIOUS. We weren’t best friends or anything but we were decent penpals. We geeked out about the same things, we were über nerds in the military and there just aren’t a ton of those, and we both had crazy plans for sleeve tattoos (he actually got his). Initially he had wanted to be a chaplain but decided to become a military police officer instead, did a few tours, pinned O3 and was home for a spell.

They found him when he didn’t show up for work. When we first found out that Mike was dead there were rumors that it had been an accident cleaning his gun. In the middle of work, I just started crying, I knew that no one that had grown up hunting, that was a military officer, hell, a military *police* officer would make that mistake. It was ruled a suicide a few days later.

Its been years. I still choke up. I see these hilarious mashups of lord of the rings and ghostbusters or dune and I know he would love it. Sometimes I still send him facebook messages because its how I cope. Mostly I am still angry. Im angry that I missed something. That his unit missed something. How many fucking systems had to fail for him.

He isnt my only friend Ive lost to suicide but its the one that hurts the most, the one that shocked me the most. I always expect nerds to be more hopeful. We grew up on story after story about heroes slaying the monsters, overcoming, and then so often receiving their happily ever after. In real life, things have a price. When you see that monster in yourself, when you convince yourself that you are the monster? Well, there are a lot less stories about that. There are less stories about living with yourself afterwards. You don’t hear how the heroes duck at loud noises, get painful adrenaline rushes from a smell, have to take entirely different routes home because they saw a weird box on the side of the road and they just couldnt.drive.past.it.

And thats why Gemini Cell is important. It isnt just a paranormal fantasy book (although its really good at that too). Its a real story about the costs that people pay. Its about PTSD. Its about trying to come home and live again in a world that continued to spin while you were away. Its about losing the story you tell about yourself, what you think makes you “you”, and having to build a new one. Cole wrote a world that is raw with the reality of trauma-survivors... but its also hopeful, it tells a story that so many people need.


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Original Review below
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My audible life really revolves around escapism right now, thank god I've been saving up all these scifi/fantasy books for when the mood struck.

TBF I have not yet read the first trilogy set in this world where magic is waking back up. I started listening to this near Halloween and the plot just seemed more seasonally appropriate. I love this so much that I am definitely going to have to go back and listen to the original trilogy after I finish this one.

Cole brings the best military realism of any fiction work I've read while still managing to give it an update to fit the setting for the novel. The action is fast-paced with a clarity of movement that is hard to find in other books. You never get lost in the combat, which has an interesting symmetry to the concurrent story of Sarah and her grief. Also, the writing surrounding Sarah, her PTSD, and grief is astounding. Its real and its raw and I've seen it and Cole perfectly encapsulates it. Really Jim's story is another level of the story of PTSD- a world moving on without you, how much of your rage you choose/learn to live with when you return home, how you process your emotions and information.

A great book! Cant wait for my next audible credit to continue the series.

A Fantastic New Tale from Myke Cole

Any additional comments?

I loved Cole's newest story in his magical universe. The characters were compelling and the love story was honest and heartbreaking. In a world where magic meets military, the horrors of war are even more terrible and the costs are much higher. The story has a complete arc while leaving us knowing that there is more to tell. Korey Jackson's performance is amazing - giving us an "everyman" voice that evokes all of the fear, frustration and love that Cole has written in this novel.
This was a fast listen because the story was so compelling. Highly recommended!

Pretty good

It definitely captures the excitement and drama of the special forces type fiction. As a acid-fi fan, the supernatural pet was appealing. By the end, it got a bit silly.

Unlike his other book this one anti-Christian themes

Gemini Cell was a real disappointment. This was my least favorite book of the series and if this is the direction Myke Cole's books are going to take then I won't be reading them anymore. Maybe as a writer his previous storylines were starting to bore him but I hope he gets back to them because if not then the Shadow Ops series had jumped the shark. On a positive note Korey Jackson's performance was as solid as ever, bravo to him.

What a waste of a series

This book is completely unrelated to the previous 3. The ONLY link between the two is a, passing, reference to Entertech. No only does the author ruin the beginning with an, unnecessary, sex scene but his grasp of ballistics and firearms is as bad as the false narrative that politicians push. No one is getting blown backwards when they get shot with a pistol. Forgiving those grievances, this story is still mediocre and the author could use a thesaurus. Very repetitive descriptions. I won’t be continuing this series or this author. The narration was pretty decent. Sad it was wasted on this story.