By Jigounov & Mythic
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781905460861
Julien (aka Alpha) and Assia are looking for a safe haven in Moscow while all around them various factions move to settle scores and thin the opposition. There are a lot of despicable individuals involved, and it all, essentially, comes down to greed. What was unexpected is that there may be an interest here closer to home than he bargained for.
This second volume sees a change of writer with Mythic taking over the scripting. Alpha’s character gets to show his competence and skill, but there are so many characters and groups floating around here that he barely makes it into the foreground to establish a presence in the book. It’s not detrimental, and I anticipate that the next couple of books will reveal more about him and present a more rounded personality. The book as a whole is a solid thriller, drawing from the economic and political upheavals resulting from the end of the Cold War and the consequent changes in Europe. Rather than a grand scheme of domination or a stereotypical pantomime villain, we get a more base motivation for the actions of those involved.
Quite where the conclusion leaves Alpha will obviously have to resolved in the next volume, and one I’ll happily pick up and read next. Alpha’s proving to be a mature, intelligent spy series, devoid of the gadgets and gimmicks of some its contemporaries and suggesting it’s quite willing to explore its own path in the genre.
And if you liked that: Volume 3, The List, is out now
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