W. A. R. P. The Reluctant Assassin

W.A.R.P. Book 1

By: Eoin Colfer

Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Shortlisted for the Red House Children’s Book Award 2013

If Artemis Fowl is “Die Hard with Fairies”, then W.A.R.P. is “Oliver Twist” meets “The Matrix”…

The Reluctant Assassin is the first book in the W.A.R.P. series. W.A.R.P. stands for ‘Witness Anonymous Relocation Programme’. The assassin of the title is young Riley who has been apprentice to Albert Garrick, a Victorian illusionist who has fallen on difficult times and taken to using his unique conjuring skills to gain access to victims’ dwellings. On one such murderous escapade he brings his reluctant apprentice along on his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI’s W.A.R.P. program, and Riley is transported to modern day London, followed closely by Albert Garrick. In modern London, Riley is helped by Chevie Savano, a nineteen year old FBI agent sent to London as punishment following a disastrous, undercover, anti-terrorist operation in Los Angeles. Together they must evade the assassin, Albert Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip through the wormhole. Garrick is now more than human and is determined to track Riley down and use the timekey in Chevie’s possession to make his way back to Victorian London where, with his new knowledge on all things scientific and technological, he can literally change the world.

©2013 Eoin Colfer (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic Reviews

"Colfer has the ability to make you laugh twice over: first in sheer subversive joy at the inventiveness of the writing, and again at the energy of the humour." (Sunday Times)

"Readers mourning the end of the Artemis Fowl series can take heart: this first book in the time-bending W.A.R.P. series is an all-out blast." (Publishers Weekly)

A good foundation to a new series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it is a good story, with interesting characters who you can't help liking.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Albert Garrick was by far the most memorable character, but then the villains always are. I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of him yet.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Maxwell Caulfield?

Not sure, he did a good job, but I could not help thinking that the story would have really flourished with some of the great narration of Nathaniel Parker from the Artemis fowl series.

A change of direction but a gripping story.

Despite being in my 60s, I am a great Artemis Fowl (AF) fan and, since Eoin Colfer was not going to write any more stories in that series, I was very interested to see how this new book developed. WARP is a very different type of story from AF (no elves, goblins etc), yet still has the flights of fancy, and attention to detail, that made those books so enjoyable.

A time wormhole enables the FBI, through the use of a key set to a particular historical date, to provide the ultimate safe house for witnesses who might otherwise be assassinated before they could give evidence. A young FBI cadet is forced, by circumstances, to pass through the wormhole to the Victorian period, where she meets a young lad who is an orphan being trained up by a stage magician who also happens to be a thoroughly unpleasant, ruthless, professional assassin. The two form an unlikely partnership as they go on the run from the assassin, who is determined to get the time key and travel to the future and back, enabling him to take advantage of future developements centuries before they should occur. An FBI witness who has been marooned in the past and who has been exploiting his own knowledge to attain wealth and status in the Victorian era, also threatens the young pair.

I listened to the whole book over a weekend, whilst gardening, and throughly enjoyed it. The good news is that the ending was constructed in such a way that there could be more stories.Maxwell Caulfied did a superb job of bringing the characters to life and added enormously to my enjoyment of the book. I hope he will be kept as the reader for future books. I thoroughly recommend WARP as an entertaining read.

A fun packed, fast pace read.

My first read of the Artemis Fowl genre and what fun it was. It might be primarily aimed at a younger generation, I'm a 50 year old sci-fi / mystery reader at heart, but listening to the book on my daily commute seemed to halve the journey. A simple plot once you understand the flipping between the 19th and 21st Century's, and well read by Mr Caulfield. That was an understatement, splendidly narrated by Mr Caulfield.

Bring on Book 2 please.

That was a surprise ...

Any additional comments?

I bought this really by mistake not realising that it was aimed at teens ... I nearly returned it but thought I'd give it a go. Blood guts and gore, what a surprise, if they made this into a film I would have thought it would have be an 18 certificate. From start to finish it had me hooked, great story, characters and narrated brilliantly.
So this big 54 year old kid has just bought book 2 !!
Put your headphones on, turn off the lights and give it a go.

A title you can't hide from.

A good story, well read. The supervillian in this is such a great character and strangely believable. You know Eoin writes well but what I would like to add is that this is a totally original story with original characters. The sequel I so look forward to can't make the same boast, but I don't care, I'm hooked now.

The reader is like a vocal contortionist. The ranges and differences for each character are startling - to go from one to another so fluidly- just amazing. I'm going to start looking for other books read by this guy, and I've never searched for a book in that way before! He must have learned the book to perform it so well.

Would listen again

What was one of the most memorable moments of W. A. R. P. The Reluctant Assassin?

The discription of the of Riley's master was brilliant and had me disliking him from the start. The foulness of Victorian London was projected well.

What does Maxwell Caulfield bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Maxwell Caufield made Riley's master completely horrid and evil

Colfer does it again!

Having read most of Mr colfers offerings I was not disappointed with this amazing adventure!
I like the way he has tied in characters from his other swashbuckling title The airman of which I also strongly recommend.

Good story. Shame about narrator

I tried to see it through as it’s a good idea for a story. Although the narrator is ok on most of the dialogue - sometimes the accents get confused. Is he spoke Scottish when it should have been American or talked as a player when it should have been his story telling voice.
The main narration telling the story is too irritating And his ‘cockney’ drops in and out.
It is a good story though.

Captivating

Great fun, a well paced story that allowed you to get to know abs love the characters. A modern take on time travel, hints of steam punk but still anchored in the real world.

Not in Artemis Fowl's league

Narration is terrific - just a shame about the story. It might take a second listen to warm to this, if I can make it to the end the first time round (almost finished). W.A.R.P's premise is great and Eoin Colfer is usually such a fantastic storyteller (absolutely love the Artemis Fowl series) but this is just missing something and I think it's the usual dry humour.

A futuristic tale

Some nasty people around in this story and two young people have to fight hard to stay one step ahead and certainly a story I did not want to put down, not the ending I would have liked but perhaps book two will put that right.