Tribe
by Jeremy Robinson (2019)

For Henry, a seventeen-year-old who feels no fear, the day starts like any other—homeless and alone on the streets of Boston. For Sarah, a twenty-year-old college dropout, it’s an early morning serving donuts and coffee to commuters at North Station. Fate brings them together at the scene of a bank robbery, which they foil together, along with a mysterious and wealthy woman named Helen, who offers to reward them for their bravery.

As the Author writes in the end note:
Tribe is one of my wildest novels. The action is off-the-charts, no-holds-barred crazy. While I’m known for writing some of the most action-packed novels available, this one is a step farther, and for that I have Chad Stahelski (director of John Wick 1–3) to thank. I was lucky enough to see John Wick 3 at the world premiere in Brooklyn, just before starting work on this novel. Seeing the film alongside cast and crew, and attending the after party at the Continental Hotel, home of assassins and killers, was the highlight of my year.

And it shows. This does feel like a sequence of action set pieces strung together with minimal plot. It’s set in contemporary USA, but with magical elements and references back to the days of Troy.

Because of this, there is not much of an interesting story. So while Robinson gets to experiment a bit and it’s up to his usual standards, overall it’s just average for his output.

The Man From D.O.R.C.F.A.C.E.
(Hopeless Harry #3)
by Matt Medlock (2015)

Harry’s back and is stuck at the lowest rung of the lowest ladder for the intergalactic agency of DORCFACE (Democratic Order of Resistance to the Crisis of Fearsome Adversaries Committed to Evil).

When a psychotic super-villain rears his ugly, horned head and threatens to unmake existence with a doomsday weapon, Harry becomes the unlikeliest of heroes.

This story takes all the cliches, tropes and plot from thrillers (mainly the James Bond films) and slams them together in a science fiction setting. It takes a while to setup, but eventually delivers in humour and silliness in only 18 thousand words.