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Mind Storm (Strykers Syndicate #1)

by K.M. Ruiz (Goodreads Author)

3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 · rating details · 133 ratings · 40 reviews

The first in an exciting new sci-fi series that’s being described as Blade Runner meets X-Men

Two hundred and fifty years after the world was nearly wiped out by nuclear war, what’s left of society fights over the scraps of the Earth as the rich and powerful plan to ascend in secret to another planet. But the deadly new breed of humanity that the rulers have enslaved to pr...more

Hardcover, 293 pages

Published May 10th 2011 by Thomas Dunne Books (first published April 28th 2011)

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Jul 10, 2012 Chris Bauer rated it 3 of 5 stars

In my opinion this book by novelist KM Ruiz is an excellent example of what happens when an author creates a compelling and vivid background, comprehensive and interesting world building, and plenty of action scenes but fails to execute on other fundamentals such as character, drama and the narrative itself.

In "Mind Storm" Ruiz crafts a frightening future vision of global dystopia, enigmatic psion powers and shadowy conspiracies. I was immediately drawn to the painstaking details of the alt-futu...more In my opinion this book by novelist KM Ruiz is an excellent example of what happens when an author creates a compelling and vivid background, comprehensive and interesting world building, and plenty of action scenes but fails to execute on other fundamentals such as character, drama and the narrative itself.

In "Mind Storm" Ruiz crafts a frightening future vision of global dystopia, enigmatic psion powers and shadowy conspiracies. I was immediately drawn to the painstaking details of the alt-future rendered in the work. The details and raw creativity of psion-oriented combat was also very novel and fun to read; telepathic haymakers and pyrokinetic jabs splashing over weakening telekinetic shields was excellent imagery.

But...

Most of the time I felt as if I were watching my son play a videogame on his XBOX. The narrative was mediocre in terms of pure storytelling. In video games there is term for a certain class of first person shooter called a "rail shooter" wherein the player is forced to follow a pre-determined path and takes actions in a purely reactive fashion. There is no option to leave the rail. I felt this book was a similar experience. Got a little boring early on.

The protagonist of the story was actually nothing of the sort. The protag is swept up in events, making no decisions, taking no actions unless bid by a pseudo-deus ex machina character who is all powerful and all-knowing. At no point in the book was there any actual tension in part because the primary characters were simply 2D cutouts. No individual motives, no sense of individuality aside from their "labels" granted by their particular psi-powers. Could not have cared less what happened to them.

The most interesting characters in the entire book are the antagonists which is fine, but there is a likely a problem when a reader starts to root for the bad guy simply because they are DOING something.

I understand there is a sequel to the book and I'm going to read it just to see some of the impressive world-building and backstory created in the series.

I just hope the author chooses to breathe a little more life into the main characters this time around.

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May 17, 2011 Paradoxical rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reading-list, books-in-room

The thing is, Mind Storm isn't Threnody's story, like the book jacket claims. Instead, Mind Storm is a hugely plot driven story that has a myriad cast of characters, all of whom get a moment in the spotlight, as the POV switches frequently among the cast. Only a small portion of the book truly focuses on Threnody, though she is integral to the plot. There are, however, several people more important to the plot than she (or at least, this far into the series), chief among them being Lucas and Ais...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

This was like a cross between the new TV show Alphas and a typical dystopian novel. Be warned right off, there's a lot of use of the F bomb in odd places which broke up the prose for me. But whatever, as long as you know.

This book was a little confusing. So many different people with different names and different statuses and yet I still couldn't keep them all straight. The one off putting thing for me was the changing of P.O.V. because I had a hard time transitioning from each story. But they d...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Jeffrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, science-fiction

I would have liked this book better if there was one likeable character in it. Instead practically every character is a ruthless evil monster who kills indiscriminately, graphically and bloodily.

In Mind Storm, after a nuclear war, the world is limited to a few enclaves of prosperity controlled by the World Court. Psions, specially talented mutants who came into being as a result of the war, are untrusted by humanity, so are rigidly controlled by the World Court. The Psions are charged with prote...more I would have liked this book better if there was one likeable character in it. Instead practically every character is a ruthless evil monster who kills indiscriminately, graphically and bloodily.

In Mind Storm, after a nuclear war, the world is limited to a few enclaves of prosperity controlled by the World Court. Psions, specially talented mutants who came into being as a result of the war, are untrusted by humanity, so are rigidly controlled by the World Court. The Psions are charged with protecting humanity, and dare not rebel because each has a neuro bomb implanted in their skulls. One bad move, and they are dead.

The Psions, telepaths, who read minds, empaths, who can disable minds, telekinetics, who move objects and pyros, who start fires are all graded on a sliding scale. The lower your Class talent, the higher your power. Multiple talents are extremely rare. Almost all Psions are in the Stryker Syndicate, which is controlled by the World Court, but some renegade Psions undermine the World Court’s power.

Unbeknownst to the The World Court, Nathan Serca, a powerful businessman in the elite of the world, is also a Psion. His family developed the special bioware, that most of the World Court members wear to protect themselves from the Psions, but Nathan's family have secret ways to bypass the bioware. Plus he has masterfully maneuvered the World Court for decades. Uncontrolled by the neurotransmitters, free to wreck havoc on the hapless humans, and powerful enough to manipulate the minds of the World Court members, the Serca’s ruthlessly use their Psion soldiers and family to control the world.

The World Court has a plan to escape the dying Earth and go to Mars, which was being terraformed at the time of the war, with so-called clean humans, those with DNA unsullied by any traces of Psion power. Nathan, however, has a plan as well, destroy the other Psions and go to Mars where he can rule. Nathan has genetically altered his children to be warriors in his control. His daughter Samantha, a powerful telepath and her twin Gideon, an equally powerful telekinetic. His son Lukas, who is a Class One Talent, and his youngest daughter, an insane empath, who has to feed on human and Psion minds to live. Nathan ruthlessly controls his children by forcibly mindwiping them.

Two years ago, however, Lukas rebelled against his father and left. It seems that Lukas was contacted by Aisling, a young Precog, who lived hundreds of years prior to this book. Lukas, who has a plan as well. He recruits 4 Stryker Synidcate Psions, Threnody, an electrokinetic, her partner, Quinton, a pyro, Jason, a telekininetic and his partner, a powerful damaged telepath, in his plot to save the people of Earth from being left to die when the World Court takes only the “clean” humans to Mars.

The buildup is impressive, and there is plenty of action to go around as Lukas battles his siblings Samantha, Gideon and his father’s soldiers. Meanwhile there is continuous political maneuvering. Sounds cool.

Granted that Nathan is a monster, who mindwipes humans into controlled slaves, but Lukas also kills ruthlessly and the body count rises to epic proportions. Other Sercas eat minds and destroy other Psions in particularly grotesque ways.

Plus the novel ends on a cliff hanger.

So all in all, I can only give the author kudos for a good first novel, in what seems to be a coming trilogy, but we need a little more humanity and a little less morbid bloodshed.
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May 29, 2013 Sarah added it

Wow. This book was beyond expectations. I found this book because the sequel was on the Science Fiction / Mystery Recommended at the library. I thought that looked interesting until I saw there was a book that came before it so "sight-unseen" I borrowed this book.

I highly recommend this book to people who like Science Fiction or Post-Apocalyptic events. It is both and more, though the inside jacket does not do a good job of explaining either the plot or the main characters.

This is a book about p...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are many really good things about this story: the well-crafted post apocalyptic world, the super powered psions, the politics, the cover ups, the rich and various conflicts that keep you turning pages. But as many other reviewers have already pointed out, there is a critical flaw in how the main character is dealt with - and that is, barely at all.

Threnody Corwin is described as the main character, but the number of pages where we actually spend time with her are very small. The author set...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Bob rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

I had high hopes for this book: "Ooh, just like X-Men in book form", I thought. I was somewhat disappointed. Parts of it are very creative and well-thought-out, but the premise of all these superhumans being enslaved and marginalized (while at the same time quietly considering themselves superior) I found hard to rationalize. The politics of the book just doesn't make sense to me. The quasi-romantic but continually sterile relationships in the book were confusing, too: okay, I wondered, are thes...more

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May 28, 2011 Grace rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This book was the first book I was ever sent to review, so it holds quite a soft spot for me. At first I Was a little iffy about it because science fiction is not really my thing, I had put it off for a while because I had other books to read. When I finally got down to it I thought why did I wait so long!? Usually when I read science fiction I'm lost, I get so confused with all the science of it and it loses my attention real fast. Thankfully this book wasn't like that and I was able to read th...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Ala rated it 3 of 5 stars

While the world this story is set in is well defined and realistic, and the powers at play are interesting, the rest of the book just doesn't hold up.

The story is a bit sluggish and plods along rather haphazardly. At times interesting and page-turning, at other times so sloggy you almost want to just quit reading out of boredom. And the ending? There isn't one. It simply stops. Yay for series I guess.

As for the characters? Most are simply flat and boring with no realness to them at all.

I hope...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Jessica Strider rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

Pros: lots of psionic action, complex post-apocalyptic world, political intrigue

Cons: little character development, repetition

Roughly 250 years after the nuclear war that destroyed the world, humanity is still picking up the pieces. DNA clean humans run the World Court, governments and businesses, while unregistered humans struggle to survive. Out of the radiation fallout rose a new race, those with psionic abilities. Those the government controls with an implanted kill switch are called the St...more Pros: lots of psionic action, complex post-apocalyptic world, political intrigue

Cons: little character development, repetition

Roughly 250 years after the nuclear war that destroyed the world, humanity is still picking up the pieces. DNA clean humans run the World Court, governments and businesses, while unregistered humans struggle to survive. Out of the radiation fallout rose a new race, those with psionic abilities. Those the government controls with an implanted kill switch are called the Strykers Syndicate. They fight against unregistered psions and a well organized group called the Warhounds.

Nathan Serca is head of the Serca Syndicate and unknown to the World Court only one of two triad psions. The other triad is his eldest, now renegade, son, Lucas. For two years his other children have been unsuccessful in tracking and killing Lucas. Nathan's patience is running out as important plans come to fruition.

Meanwhile Lucas is amassing a team of psions to help him with his own plans.

The action is plentiful and varied, showing the various powers off. While relegated to a handful of powers (telepaths, telekinetics, teleporters, empaths, pyrokinetics, psychometrists, precognitives and elctrokinetics), the characters use their powers in creative ways. The limit on their powers (the more they use them, the sooner they die) was a nice touch.

Action scenes are offset by political intrigue between several groups of players, all of whom think they know everything that's going on, none of whom actually do.

The world is realistically complex and detailed: from the towers and bunkers where rich humans live to the slums of the poor and uninhabitable deadzones. The characters are a mix of colours and nationalities, denoting the chaos and integration after the Border Wars.

Give the number of characters it's impressive that there was never any confusion as to who the reader is following at any given time. Having said that, there's little opportunity to get to know characters, so the reader is constantly told things about each character with no opportunity to see the truth of these statements in their actions. The book takes place over a short period of time, making character development a moot point.

As with James Knapp's Revivors trilogy, you have to pay close attention to what's going on. Ruiz repeats several important points which, given your frame of mind, are either helpful or irritating over time. Similarly, if you liked the action and spunk of Those Who Walk in Darkness by John Ridley, you'll love Mind Storm.

This is the first book of the series and is ultimately merely set-up for what comes next. But what a set-up!

Like X-Men, only more brutal.(less)

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Feb 07, 2012 Kristin Lundgren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-sci-fi

A YA/Adult Sci-fi book, set in the post-apocalyptic future of about 250 years, it's about a world lead by a strictly controlled world court, and a few powerful syndicates. After the bombs dropped some genetic code was altered, allowing for "psions," a group of people with powers, like telekinesis, empathy, telepathy, pyrokinesis, etc. There are two groups at odds with each other, and one rogue psion, who might be the most powerful of all. Part of a set I believe. Very entertaining, and she had s...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

If there's one word that's overused by reviewers of sci-fi oriented fiction it has to be the word "accessible," but it's an almost necessary evil for those of us who are scientifically illiterate. That said, please don't think I mean to imply that "Mind Storm" is lacking in complexity because I would include the word accessible in its description-- many of my favorite books, including "Old Man's War," share that quality and I consider it a mark of a good author to take intricate ideas and presen...more If there's one word that's overused by reviewers of sci-fi oriented fiction it has to be the word "accessible," but it's an almost necessary evil for those of us who are scientifically illiterate. That said, please don't think I mean to imply that "Mind Storm" is lacking in complexity because I would include the word accessible in its description-- many of my favorite books, including "Old Man's War," share that quality and I consider it a mark of a good author to take intricate ideas and present them in a way that appeals to a wide array of readers and K.M. Ruiz does exactly that in "Mind Storm."

The official synopsis of "Mind Storm" references "Blade Runner" and "X-Men" and it's fair to say that the story has elements that may borrow, just a little bit, from both stories. But "Mind Storm" leaves behind most similarities pretty quickly as it establishes its own framework. The psions in Ruiz's world aren't mutants in the same sense as the X-Men, though their powers are a result of mutations that occur after a nuclear war that devastates the planet. The psions are integrated, by force of a brain implant with the power to kill, into the Stryker Syndicate and required to protect and fight for a human majority that would wipe out all the psions if they weren't so useful. Their powers run the gamut of telekinesis, pyrokinesis, telepathy, empathy and precognition-- or a combination of two or more powers (though this is rare) but their powers are dangerous and generally limit the lifespan of a psion to half that of a normal human.

Initially I was afraid that the characterizations in "Mind Storm" were going to be somewhat stereotypical as some of the early scenes with members of the Serca family are a bit heavy-handed in portraying them as power hungry, heartless and needlessly cruel. But when Lucas Serca enters the story the character development hits its stride and his interactions with Threnody and the other Strykers bring the depth the early chapters were lacking and by the time I was halfway through the book I was hooked.

Ruiz does an excellent job of layering the story by telling it from the viewpoint of several characters including a mysterious child named Aisling whose precognition seems to be the main force behind Lucas' actions. Hints are dropped along the way but the main motivations of the Serca family aren't revealed until later in the book and the action ramps up to keep pace with each revelation. The technology is well thought out and lends itself to some great clashes between Threnody and her group of Strykers and the Serca Warhounds. There were times when I wondered if it would be possible for someone to (theoretically) be powerful enough to shear the wings off a jet with the power of their mind, but it's a small consideration when weighed against the tightly woven plotting that keeps the suspense up all the way to the end of the book.

Reading "Mind Storm" made me remember how much I enjoy a good sci-fi novel. Too often I convince myself that fantasy is easier to follow than science fiction, but "Mind Storm" shows that convincing tech is often better than fuzzy magic when it comes to creating realistic super powered characters. "Mind Storm" does finish with a bit of a cliff-hanger ending; thankfully the second half of Ruiz's duology Terminal Point has already been released and I can't wait to see how the story ends.
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Sep 14, 2011 Krystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this post-nuclear world, the author creates a new race of people (psions) whose radiation-altered genes give them super-human abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation, electro kinesis, and even precognition. Many of these psions (the Strykers Syndicate), including Threnody, have become the willing slaves of pure-gene humans. The psions even allow devices to be inserted into their heads which will kill them instantly at the order of the human World Court. How unlikely is that?
T...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mind-storm is a fast paced future world. The world is well developed, and you can really get a sense of what it would be like to live there. The story is told in a multi-person narrative, which makes it more difficult to really connect with the characters. I think when authors write this way, they think they are making a more suspenseful and complete story line, and while some of that is true, I never connect as well with the characters. One other problem I had with this book is that most people...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Twenty years after the child prophet Aisling foresaw the future the human mutant psions, Threnody Corwin and her partner Quinton Martinez are dispatched to what remains of Los Angeles, now known as ‘The Slums of the Angels’ on a suicide mission for failing to obey orders on Corwin’s last mission. The two are part of the Strykers Syndicate, enslaved solders contracted out on the most dangerous missions.
Psions came in various class and strengths, armed with telepathic strengths with the ability to...more

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May 11, 2011 Nora rated it 5 of 5 stars

Confession: I almost didn't read Mind Storm.

I'm really picky when it comes to science fiction; I don't have the brain to appreciate it. Give me aliens and shiny tech and badass weapons, just don't expect me to understand how it all came to be. The second an author starts describing tech or going a little too in-depth in the science of it all, I go catatonic in self-defense.

MIND STORM does that because it has to. The first part (of nine, technically eight because nine is one page long) lays a lot...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Rabya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi-horror

A captivating tale of a dystopian future where rogue mutants and scavenger humans fight to save humanity from being enslaved by a mutant syndicate and corrupt world government. In the aftermath of the Border Wars, nuclear contamination created human mutants, or psions, who can engage in psychic warfare. Psions are either enslaved by the human world government to work as "Strykers" (yes, with a "y"), or captured by the Serca Syndicate to work as "Warhounds." The book definitely picks up speed fai...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Marita rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Very good potential! Too much dialogue in the first part which made me feel like I was listening to my teenage kids talking about video games... where I usually give up and go do something else! When the style switches to more of the narrative then the book is hard to put down and just when it gets good, it ends... I HATE LOOSE endings when the book cannot stand alone as a complete story. Makes one feel used and manipulated, that IS what this book is about! :)

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Oct 08, 2012 Tasula rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was fascinating. Two disgraced Strykers (psion agents sworn to protect pure humans) travel to join two other psions to track down a rogue psion. They all get more than they bargained for- and the ravaged Earth after catastrophic wars and natural disasters is the background for a politically/financially charged battle for survival. Threnody, Lucas, Quinton, Jason, Kerr, Matron, Samantha, Kristen, Jin Li- all great characters.

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Sep 30, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides marked it as maybe-read-sometime

Shelves: science-fiction

I saw the sequel to this in my library and was curious. The heroine's name is Threnody Corwin ... that's a hefty name to hang on any protagonist, but especially an SF/F protagonist, because of Amber. It felt too much like a first novel, and too Action Girl fanservice-ish for me to want to read right now.

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Oct 01, 2012 Caitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Could have been better. A lot of jumping around, not enough character development... I thought Threnody was going to have a brighter spotlight, but really, it's the world that has the spotlight. The world and the way it works is very well-developed, but the characters themselves could be more likable. Intriguing, I hope the second book will be better.

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Sep 09, 2012 Berrendsci rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I first started reading this book's sequel, and realized I needed more background to deal with it. It isn't a fun or happy tale, and I can't always keep everyone's psi abilities clear as to what they can do/are vulnerable to. It is an interestingly crafted world, and I will now go finish the sequel as this book definitely does not stand on its own.

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Apr 28, 2011 Valdin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

A first novel of a series, with an interesting cast characters and a complex set of abilities. Without realizing it was the first of a series, I was hoping to find more resolution by the end of the book. While there is a certain amount of determination, many ideas and threads are left unwoven to be completed later. Who is Aisling? What is Threnody's role? How are they gonna get away with it all?!

I enjoyed the read, but be prepared for some serious violence, death, and occasional profanity.

Lookin...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Luke rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book randomly at the local library. I found it interesting enough, but I had a little trouble telling the difference between the chatacters. They all seemed the same to me, all of them were unpleasant people and there didn't seem to be a nice guy among them. I also found the writing style a little difficult to follow at times, that said it was an entertaining read

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Nov 19, 2011 Jacintha rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book more than I thought it would. It's a bit X-menney but I like that sort of stuff. Really interesting characters although there are a few holes in terms of explanations and continuity. But all in all a good read.

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Jan 25, 2012 Erika rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really liked the idea of this story; something was missing though. It felt forced sometimes and overwritten. But I did like it enough to read a sequel...if there will be one.

Happy Reading,
Erika

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Jul 28, 2011 Myron Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Video game, comic book, and anime fans

Plot-driven book about psions with tremendous powers doing whatever it takes to save what those who will remain behind after the government decrees that pure humans will move to Mars. Interesting plotline but like others say, it's hard to get behind any one character. This is the first book in a series but there are a lot of unresolved plot elements at the end. Not all the pieces are in place for the main plot at this point.

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Aug 02, 2011 Cristov rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, scifi, wishlist, dystopias

Earth has been shattered by nuclear war and the worldwide government that has risen from the ashes wants to start over but at a very heavy price. They only intend to save the purest genetics by escaping to Mars. An unlikely group of allies has other plans but the cost to achieve their plans will be paid in blood and pain. They have psionic powers on their side with everything from teleportation to empathic abilities to achieve their goals.

While I would like some deeper character development in...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Fincalian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 07, 2013 Cynthiaj rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

I don't know whether I didn't really like this book or if I couldn't give a real chance. Things at work and hectic at home. You know the drill. So I had a hard time finding time to read until I ended up traveling for a workshop over the weekend. Still, I found the premise interesting but thought the delivery fell a little flat.

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About K.M. Ruiz

K. M. Ruiz lives in California with a cat or two for company and the occasional earthquake. She earned a B.A. in English and a minor in American Indian Studies from San Francisco State University. She likes her movies loud, her music louder, and when not writing, spends the rest of her time looking for her next cup of coffee.

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Mind Storm (Strykers Syndicate #1)

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