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Cobalt Blue
THE BRAND NEW HEART-POUNDING ACTION THRILLER FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & CREATOR OF #1 NETFLIX FILM INTERCEPTOR
*FEATURING BONUS Includes two blockbuster short stories and an author Q&A*
'Undeniably addictive.' FINANCIAL TIMES
For 35 years, the United States and Russia each had their own superhero.
Three days ago, America's hero died.
Today will be bad.
In the face of an overwhelming attack, one young woman - unassuming and anonymous - might be America's only hope.
Her codename ... COBALT BLUE
*FEATURING BONUS Includes two blockbuster short stories and an author Q&A*
'Undeniably addictive.' FINANCIAL TIMES
For 35 years, the United States and Russia each had their own superhero.
Three days ago, America's hero died.
Today will be bad.
In the face of an overwhelming attack, one young woman - unassuming and anonymous - might be America's only hope.
Her codename ... COBALT BLUE
Audio CD
First published August 2, 2022
About the author
Matthew Reilly
80 books5,945 followersBorn in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realised reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 432 reviews
September 22, 2022
Holy crap that was EPIC.
GIVE ME MORE (please).
This ridiculously fun novella was all kinds of crazy.
It's The Boys meets Captain America with no punches pulled - the action is hectic and non-stop, and the good guys just cannot catch a break. It's a steady rise of stakes that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering how this could possibly end well.
I'm a massive fan of Matthew Reilly's work because, even though it's often predictable, it delivers action I can really see in my mind. I think sometimes the predictability element helps in sucking me in - even if I think I know what's going to happen, it's still a lot of fun to watch it play out.
Reilly has made no secret of his film-making aspirations (and indeed produced his first, Interceptor, which was released earlier this year) and I believe it's that love of film that helps bring his stories to life. This book was a superhero movie I was able to watch quite vividly in my head. There's no time wasted on insignificant details, but there's somehow still enough description that we can easily find ourselves within the pages of the story.
I blitzed through this book and I'm definitely keen to read more from this world of megalomaniac supes. It was dark, brutal and fast, and left me craving more.
Don't go into this looking for anything too genius, but if you're keen for a damn good time that keeps you hooked, this ought to be a fun few hours.
GIVE ME MORE (please).
This ridiculously fun novella was all kinds of crazy.
It's The Boys meets Captain America with no punches pulled - the action is hectic and non-stop, and the good guys just cannot catch a break. It's a steady rise of stakes that will have you on the edge of your seat wondering how this could possibly end well.
I'm a massive fan of Matthew Reilly's work because, even though it's often predictable, it delivers action I can really see in my mind. I think sometimes the predictability element helps in sucking me in - even if I think I know what's going to happen, it's still a lot of fun to watch it play out.
Reilly has made no secret of his film-making aspirations (and indeed produced his first, Interceptor, which was released earlier this year) and I believe it's that love of film that helps bring his stories to life. This book was a superhero movie I was able to watch quite vividly in my head. There's no time wasted on insignificant details, but there's somehow still enough description that we can easily find ourselves within the pages of the story.
I blitzed through this book and I'm definitely keen to read more from this world of megalomaniac supes. It was dark, brutal and fast, and left me craving more.
Don't go into this looking for anything too genius, but if you're keen for a damn good time that keeps you hooked, this ought to be a fun few hours.
September 17, 2024
I finally have read Matthew Reilly! I am on a short story kick. This is not my genre, but if it was, it would get a five.
This narration was amazing, completely suiting the action, the vibe and the super heroes fighting it out for their prospective countries.
Russia and America. The supreme fight between good and evil, each country having their superpower rulers. Each one had a family of supreme offspring, whether they were conceived naturally. Or not. Cobalt was my fave.
An action pack fight for good and evil, the evil was pure hatred. It was kind of slapstick, the younger audience will love it. Lots of death, though.
This was fun and wild, I am not target audience, but if I was, it would be a 5⭐
This narration was amazing, completely suiting the action, the vibe and the super heroes fighting it out for their prospective countries.
Russia and America. The supreme fight between good and evil, each country having their superpower rulers. Each one had a family of supreme offspring, whether they were conceived naturally. Or not. Cobalt was my fave.
An action pack fight for good and evil, the evil was pure hatred. It was kind of slapstick, the younger audience will love it. Lots of death, though.
This was fun and wild, I am not target audience, but if I was, it would be a 5⭐
August 8, 2022
Oof.
Been a vocal fan of Matthew Reilly for a very long time. This is not just his worst work, but it's something that is so reprehensible that I don't even want the book in my house in case my kids pick it up and read it.
Every character in the book is either a caricature or a cardboard cutout, with two egregious examples of absolutely terrible character writing. This isn't just bad, it's writing so terrible that his editors and publishers should have stepped in. One example is the bad guy - he's just BAD because he's crazy and Russian. Oh, and he regularly threatens sexual violence against women, even threatening to turn our hero into a slave to breed with. Then there's another superhero character called Cobalt Gold who at every turn is referenced as 'the gay one' in some fucked up 90s caricature of a queer person.
The titular hero - Cobalt Blue (which is already a character named in DC universe as a Flash villain) - doesn't do anything for 80% of the story. Through the disjointed, confusing and homogenous tone/voice of various head-hopping proto-chapters we're told constantly that Cobalt Blue is this clever hero-in-waiting, but she DOES NOTHING to prove this until she puts on the suit. And even when she does, the victory is all hollow because she does nothing to earn it except be walked through a funhouse of flashbacks.
This whole book is like a weird 80s or 90s throwback. It honestly doesn't belong in 2022, and if Reilly published this back in the 90s, it's very likely he wouldn't have the career he does today.
Been a vocal fan of Matthew Reilly for a very long time. This is not just his worst work, but it's something that is so reprehensible that I don't even want the book in my house in case my kids pick it up and read it.
Every character in the book is either a caricature or a cardboard cutout, with two egregious examples of absolutely terrible character writing. This isn't just bad, it's writing so terrible that his editors and publishers should have stepped in. One example is the bad guy - he's just BAD because he's crazy and Russian. Oh, and he regularly threatens sexual violence against women, even threatening to turn our hero into a slave to breed with. Then there's another superhero character called Cobalt Gold who at every turn is referenced as 'the gay one' in some fucked up 90s caricature of a queer person.
The titular hero - Cobalt Blue (which is already a character named in DC universe as a Flash villain) - doesn't do anything for 80% of the story. Through the disjointed, confusing and homogenous tone/voice of various head-hopping proto-chapters we're told constantly that Cobalt Blue is this clever hero-in-waiting, but she DOES NOTHING to prove this until she puts on the suit. And even when she does, the victory is all hollow because she does nothing to earn it except be walked through a funhouse of flashbacks.
This whole book is like a weird 80s or 90s throwback. It honestly doesn't belong in 2022, and if Reilly published this back in the 90s, it's very likely he wouldn't have the career he does today.
November 11, 2023
For 35 years, America and Russia had their own superhero. This created a Cold War kind of peace between the two global superpowers, as they each had their own superhero to keep the other in check. Then America’s superhero dies and the Russian superhero attacks America. The only one who has a chance of stopping him is the titular Cobalt Blue, the daughter of the deceased American superhero.
I am a big fan of Matthew Reilly. But I’ve been putting off reading this book for a reason. I’m just not even remotely a fan of superhero stories. And I pretty much got what I feared I would get. It’s well written and action-packed to say the least, with spectacular battle scenes that could do well on the big screen as it’s pretty much a superhero movie script turned into a novella. But it’s just too much of a superhero story for me. With so many of its stereotypes that I really don’t like. For example, it’s too simple and too black and white. The bad guy is completely evil, killing and raping is all he cares about. And the good girl superhero is purely good, she cares about people and wants to save the world. Even the despicable crooked politicians are way too bad and stereotypical for my taste. It’s just a concept that doesn’t work for me.
This is by far the weakest and least enjoyable Matthew Reilly book I’ve ever read, hence my rating. Just take this with a big grain of salt as I really don’t like superhero stories in general. So you’ll probably like this more if you’re actually into superheroes. But even so, this is not on the same level as any of his other books.
I am a big fan of Matthew Reilly. But I’ve been putting off reading this book for a reason. I’m just not even remotely a fan of superhero stories. And I pretty much got what I feared I would get. It’s well written and action-packed to say the least, with spectacular battle scenes that could do well on the big screen as it’s pretty much a superhero movie script turned into a novella. But it’s just too much of a superhero story for me. With so many of its stereotypes that I really don’t like. For example, it’s too simple and too black and white. The bad guy is completely evil, killing and raping is all he cares about. And the good girl superhero is purely good, she cares about people and wants to save the world. Even the despicable crooked politicians are way too bad and stereotypical for my taste. It’s just a concept that doesn’t work for me.
This is by far the weakest and least enjoyable Matthew Reilly book I’ve ever read, hence my rating. Just take this with a big grain of salt as I really don’t like superhero stories in general. So you’ll probably like this more if you’re actually into superheroes. But even so, this is not on the same level as any of his other books.
August 3, 2022
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Cobalt Blue by Matthew Reillyis gold! It’s a special edition, small hardcover novella with coloured text in sections and some coloured pics! I found the story action packed and entertaining, I really enjoyed Reilly’s writing style!
Both the United States and Russia have their own superhero, Cobalt and Fury Of Russia but Cobalt at seventy-nine has just died of heart failure and guess who has just become the villain!
I loved these super heros, the action is non-stop entertainment and fun. The scenes are quite gruesomely graphic at times and I was clapping for Golden Gary, Cassie and her husband Trey.
This was a fast read for me and I look forward to maybe a series or a kickass Netflix series as it would be perfect for the screen!
Publication Date 02 August 2022
Publisher Macmillan Australia
Thank you Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
Cobalt Blue by Matthew Reillyis gold! It’s a special edition, small hardcover novella with coloured text in sections and some coloured pics! I found the story action packed and entertaining, I really enjoyed Reilly’s writing style!
Both the United States and Russia have their own superhero, Cobalt and Fury Of Russia but Cobalt at seventy-nine has just died of heart failure and guess who has just become the villain!
I loved these super heros, the action is non-stop entertainment and fun. The scenes are quite gruesomely graphic at times and I was clapping for Golden Gary, Cassie and her husband Trey.
This was a fast read for me and I look forward to maybe a series or a kickass Netflix series as it would be perfect for the screen!
Publication Date 02 August 2022
Publisher Macmillan Australia
Thank you Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.
July 30, 2022
Another review from the husband -a novella from his favourite Australian author, Matthew Reilly.
Full of action, this is a super hero story with a twist. For 35 years, both the USA and Russia had their own superhero. Then, the American died. And it all went bad.
In true Matthew Reilly style, the pace is non stop, the action is brutal and the story shifts from current day to days past almost seamlessly, building the narrative and fleshing out the characters. It is only 199 pages long and I was left wanting more.
A fun, easy read. My 14 year old daughter will enjoy this.
Thanks to MacMillian Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes in Australia on August 2nd.
Full of action, this is a super hero story with a twist. For 35 years, both the USA and Russia had their own superhero. Then, the American died. And it all went bad.
In true Matthew Reilly style, the pace is non stop, the action is brutal and the story shifts from current day to days past almost seamlessly, building the narrative and fleshing out the characters. It is only 199 pages long and I was left wanting more.
A fun, easy read. My 14 year old daughter will enjoy this.
Thanks to MacMillian Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes in Australia on August 2nd.
August 17, 2022
Sorry Matt this was not it.
Love ya.
Love ya.
August 8, 2022
This book was shockingly bad.
A novella by definition, the book deals with a world where the United States and Russia have a superhero, each acting as nuclear deterrents in an alternate timeline. The question posed at the beginning is what happens when the US hero dies, and the answer is absolute nonsense.
I have adored the author's writing style for years as he takes his time setting up the stakes for the adventure while fleshing out the characters judiciously so that the story gains from it. However, in his recent outings, including the atrocious movie 'Interceptor' written by the author himself, he has resorted to cliches built upon cliches ending in stale action set pieces. Cobalt Blue is another outcome of the same.
This book reads like an amateurish attempt by an edgy teen high on the America good, Russia bad patriotism juice binge-watching the plethora of superhero material available in media today. The antagonist is the literal embodiment of a dumb, yesteryear macho man with repressive ideologies towards anything progressive. The protagonist and her herd of superpowered children are total goody two shoes who somehow don't have the basic common sense to band together against the supervillain even though they know he is coming to destroy them. Everyone has to take on the antagonist in a solo fight, even though it has been established for decades that they are powerless against him. Action, which is usually a highlight in a Matthew Reilly book, is comically stupid to a point where it is just kick-swish-bang-punch. Seriously, what in the ever-loving god was that?
I want to point out how badly written the flashbacks were. They intercept every other thought in the present to the point where the whiplash from jumping across time interfered with the poorly written story, and I just wanted to stop reading. Thankfully, the suffering was only for 150 odd pages, and I marched on. The ending was laughably stupid as the titular Cobalt Blue emerges victorious because she is the main character, I believe.
In the end, there is a short interview with the author where he claims this novella was initially a movie script. That explains the uneven pacing, but the bigger problem is the author turning a subpar story into a bombastic adventure that makes no sense from start to finish. An undercooked tale served with glossy decorations doesn't do justice to the author's legacy.
I wish the author took his time to write stories, as he did in the past, because if this were my first introduction to the author's works, I wouldn't seek out his other books.
A novella by definition, the book deals with a world where the United States and Russia have a superhero, each acting as nuclear deterrents in an alternate timeline. The question posed at the beginning is what happens when the US hero dies, and the answer is absolute nonsense.
I have adored the author's writing style for years as he takes his time setting up the stakes for the adventure while fleshing out the characters judiciously so that the story gains from it. However, in his recent outings, including the atrocious movie 'Interceptor' written by the author himself, he has resorted to cliches built upon cliches ending in stale action set pieces. Cobalt Blue is another outcome of the same.
This book reads like an amateurish attempt by an edgy teen high on the America good, Russia bad patriotism juice binge-watching the plethora of superhero material available in media today. The antagonist is the literal embodiment of a dumb, yesteryear macho man with repressive ideologies towards anything progressive. The protagonist and her herd of superpowered children are total goody two shoes who somehow don't have the basic common sense to band together against the supervillain even though they know he is coming to destroy them. Everyone has to take on the antagonist in a solo fight, even though it has been established for decades that they are powerless against him. Action, which is usually a highlight in a Matthew Reilly book, is comically stupid to a point where it is just kick-swish-bang-punch. Seriously, what in the ever-loving god was that?
I want to point out how badly written the flashbacks were. They intercept every other thought in the present to the point where the whiplash from jumping across time interfered with the poorly written story, and I just wanted to stop reading. Thankfully, the suffering was only for 150 odd pages, and I marched on. The ending was laughably stupid as the titular Cobalt Blue emerges victorious because she is the main character, I believe.
In the end, there is a short interview with the author where he claims this novella was initially a movie script. That explains the uneven pacing, but the bigger problem is the author turning a subpar story into a bombastic adventure that makes no sense from start to finish. An undercooked tale served with glossy decorations doesn't do justice to the author's legacy.
I wish the author took his time to write stories, as he did in the past, because if this were my first introduction to the author's works, I wouldn't seek out his other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2022
I can’t even with this.
Two stars only because I couldn’t bring myself to give Matthew Reilly 1 star. 😅
Two stars only because I couldn’t bring myself to give Matthew Reilly 1 star. 😅
April 15, 2024
২০২২ রিভিউ:
অনেক বছর পর প্রিয় পাগলা লেখক ম্যাথিউ রাইলির লেটেস্ট উপন্যাসিকা পড়তে গিয়ে পুরাই হতাশ, এবং ভয়াবহ রকম বিরক্ত। একেবারে যা-তা লেভেলের ফালতু কাহিনি আর হাস্যকর ঘটনাপ্রবাহ! ১৯৯২-তে প্রকাশিত হলে হয়তো চলতো, কিন্তু ২০২২-এর পোস্ট-এমসিইউ পোস্ট-দ্য বয়েজ সুচিন্তিত সুলিখিত সুপারহিরো ফিকশন/অ্যাডাপ্টেশনের বর্তমান পৃথিবীতে এমন এক চিলতেও গভীরতা না থাকা, চরম মাত্রার ক্যারিক্যাচারময় সস্তা চিল্লাচিল্লির, বিন্দুমাত্র ইন্টারেস্টিং চরিত্র বা উপস্থাপন বিহীন কেবল আজাইরা ক্লিশে ছুপারহিরু দুম ফটাশ বস্তু রাইলির মত অ্যাকশন-অ্যাডভেঞ্চার জনরায় অন্যতম সেরা ও অভিজ্ঞ সুপার-কাইনেটিক অ্যাকশন থ্রিলার লেখকের কাছ থেকে একেবারেই আশা করা যায় না। ���ার সাথে যুক্ত হয়েছে উপন্যাসিকার প্রতিটা মোড়ে মোড়ে চরিত্রদের সামান্যতম কমনসেন্সের বোধগম্যতার বাইরে থাকা একের পর এক চূড়ান্ত নির্বুদ্ধিতার সব ডিসিশনমেকিং!
খুবই আফসোস, কারণ প্রাথমিক প্লট কনসেপ্টটা যথেষ্ট আগ্রহোদ্দীপক ছিল: কী হবে যদি আমেরিকা আর রাশিয়ার সমমাত্রার ক্ষমতাসম্পন্ন সুপারহিরো থাকে (সুপারম্যান ও সুপারম্যান রেড সান, অনেকটা), আর তার ফলে নতুন আরেক সুপারকোল্ড ওয়ারের সূচনা ঘটে, এবং একসময় আমেরিকার সুপারহিরো কেবলমাত্র বয়স বেশি থাকায় মারা যায়? চাইলেই দুর্দান্ত একটা সাসপেন্সফুল পলিটিক্যাল কোল্ডওয়ার ��িক্সড উইথ সুপারহিরো অ্যাকশন থ্রিলার উপন্যাস লেখা যেত, ম্যাথিউ রাইলির পক্ষে সেটা খুব ভাল মত সম্ভবও ছিল, যদি তিনি প্লটটা নিয়ে যৎকিঞ্চিত পরিমাণও তলিয়ে চিন্তা করে কাহিনিটা গোছাতেন... কিসের কি। আর কিসেরই বা "কাহিনি"! লেখক তো লেখক, বইটার সম্পাদক-প্রকাশকদেরও লজ্জিত হওয়া উচিত কোনোপ্রকার অতি দরকারি কাটাছেঁড়া ছাড়াই এহেন জঘন্য জিনিস প্রকাশ করায়!
নিঃসন্দেহে আমার পড়া ম্যাথিউ রাইলির তথা অ্যাকশন-অ্যাডভেঞ্চার-সাসপেন্স জনরার অন্যতম সর্বনিকৃষ্ট লেখা, লেখা না বলে যাকে নিরেট আবর্জনা বলা অধিক যুক্তিযুক্ত। সবদিক থেকেই পাঁচে এক তারা। কেবলমাত্র রাইলি আমার প্রিয় লেখক আর তার লেখার প্রতি অতীত ভালবাসা থেকে টেনেটুনে দেড় খানা তারা দেয়া যেতে পারে। গুডিতে হাফ তারা দাগাতে আরো কত দেরি পাঞ্জেরী?
অনেক বছর পর প্রিয় পাগলা লেখক ম্যাথিউ রাইলির লেটেস্ট উপন্যাসিকা পড়তে গিয়ে পুরাই হতাশ, এবং ভয়াবহ রকম বিরক্ত। একেবারে যা-তা লেভেলের ফালতু কাহিনি আর হাস্যকর ঘটনাপ্রবাহ! ১৯৯২-তে প্রকাশিত হলে হয়তো চলতো, কিন্তু ২০২২-এর পোস্ট-এমসিইউ পোস্ট-দ্য বয়েজ সুচিন্তিত সুলিখিত সুপারহিরো ফিকশন/অ্যাডাপ্টেশনের বর্তমান পৃথিবীতে এমন এক চিলতেও গভীরতা না থাকা, চরম মাত্রার ক্যারিক্যাচারময় সস্তা চিল্লাচিল্লির, বিন্দুমাত্র ইন্টারেস্টিং চরিত্র বা উপস্থাপন বিহীন কেবল আজাইরা ক্লিশে ছুপারহিরু দুম ফটাশ বস্তু রাইলির মত অ্যাকশন-অ্যাডভেঞ্চার জনরায় অন্যতম সেরা ও অভিজ্ঞ সুপার-কাইনেটিক অ্যাকশন থ্রিলার লেখকের কাছ থেকে একেবারেই আশা করা যায় না। ���ার সাথে যুক্ত হয়েছে উপন্যাসিকার প্রতিটা মোড়ে মোড়ে চরিত্রদের সামান্যতম কমনসেন্সের বোধগম্যতার বাইরে থাকা একের পর এক চূড়ান্ত নির্বুদ্ধিতার সব ডিসিশনমেকিং!
খুবই আফসোস, কারণ প্রাথমিক প্লট কনসেপ্টটা যথেষ্ট আগ্রহোদ্দীপক ছিল: কী হবে যদি আমেরিকা আর রাশিয়ার সমমাত্রার ক্ষমতাসম্পন্ন সুপারহিরো থাকে (সুপারম্যান ও সুপারম্যান রেড সান, অনেকটা), আর তার ফলে নতুন আরেক সুপারকোল্ড ওয়ারের সূচনা ঘটে, এবং একসময় আমেরিকার সুপারহিরো কেবলমাত্র বয়স বেশি থাকায় মারা যায়? চাইলেই দুর্দান্ত একটা সাসপেন্সফুল পলিটিক্যাল কোল্ডওয়ার ��িক্সড উইথ সুপারহিরো অ্যাকশন থ্রিলার উপন্যাস লেখা যেত, ম্যাথিউ রাইলির পক্ষে সেটা খুব ভাল মত সম্ভবও ছিল, যদি তিনি প্লটটা নিয়ে যৎকিঞ্চিত পরিমাণও তলিয়ে চিন্তা করে কাহিনিটা গোছাতেন... কিসের কি। আর কিসেরই বা "কাহিনি"! লেখক তো লেখক, বইটার সম্পাদক-প্রকাশকদেরও লজ্জিত হওয়া উচিত কোনোপ্রকার অতি দরকারি কাটাছেঁড়া ছাড়াই এহেন জঘন্য জিনিস প্রকাশ করায়!
নিঃসন্দেহে আমার পড়া ম্যাথিউ রাইলির তথা অ্যাকশন-অ্যাডভেঞ্চার-সাসপেন্স জনরার অন্যতম সর্বনিকৃষ্ট লেখা, লেখা না বলে যাকে নিরেট আবর্জনা বলা অধিক যুক্তিযুক্ত। সবদিক থেকেই পাঁচে এক তারা। কেবলমাত্র রাইলি আমার প্রিয় লেখক আর তার লেখার প্রতি অতীত ভালবাসা থেকে টেনেটুনে দেড় খানা তারা দেয়া যেতে পারে। গুডিতে হাফ তারা দাগাতে আরো কত দেরি পাঞ্জেরী?
September 16, 2022
The amount of sexual violence - both real and threatened- in this book (which is really a novella) is extremely off-putting. The fact that it is being marketed as YA even more so. I hated this book because of it, and the fact that it didn't even need to be part of the plot is infuriating.
I've been a fan of Reilly's for many years but he's lost me with this book.
I've been a fan of Reilly's for many years but he's lost me with this book.
August 17, 2022
Ok, I'm a long time Matthew Reilly fan... But this is terrible. I mean, it had some fun parts and the pacing is very fast and the prose very neat. BUT, it was written to be a screenplay, between him releasing his last novel and working on his movie. Because of this busy time, and the original purpose of the text, this novella adaption he has released is leagues beneath the quality of his prior work. It might be a bit of fun for young boys, but there is no depth here. Sometimes he even repeats lines as if he forgot he wrote them in the prior chapter. Very strange. I would not recommend this to big readers. Might recommend to new readers who don't care for character development or story substance, but I wouldn't even recommend this to a Matthew Reilly fan.
September 28, 2022
Tell me how a man with almost 25 years of writing experience, who has written over a dozen books and sold millions of copies worldwide, can write something so lacking in setting and character depth.
No one will be accusing him of being too descriptive because there are no descriptions. Each character has exactly one stereotypical personality trait of which we are constantly reminded of every time the character is mentioned.
This felt like the first draft of an amateur writer. A wattpad fan fiction. It was just straight up bad writing, painfully cheesy. I genuinely don’t understand how this got published.
No one will be accusing him of being too descriptive because there are no descriptions. Each character has exactly one stereotypical personality trait of which we are constantly reminded of every time the character is mentioned.
This felt like the first draft of an amateur writer. A wattpad fan fiction. It was just straight up bad writing, painfully cheesy. I genuinely don’t understand how this got published.
August 22, 2022
22/08/2022
1 ⭐
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a review copy of Cobalt Blue
I genuinely cannot believe I'm saying this right now but Matthew Reilly, this was not it. If you know me at all you know how much I adore Matthew Reilly's books but oh boy, my most anticipated book of 2022 is not only Reilly's worst book (that I've read so far) but, it might also be one of my least favourite books that I've read all year. It's a great action story because of course it is, Matthew Reilly wrote it after all. If you're a fan of the tv show The Boys then I'm sure you'd love this bloody action-full superhero story. But, that's really all this book has going for it.
Every character in this book is a glaring stereotype, with two, in particular, being quite egregious and very uncomfortable. The villain is, of course, Russian which means he rapes women, is a serial killer and is just an absolutely atrocious guy. Ya know because he's Russian so duh, right? & the other is that the only gay character in the book is "gay and fabulous" *insert hand flick and pose here* and that's basically their only character trait. I couldn't even tell you their name because they were mostly just mentioned as 'the gay one' who only talks about clothes and being gay.
I love MR's books and usually don't mind if a lot of his characters (particularly his male main characters) feel the same or act as cardboard cutouts. But, he tried something new with this one and it was an absolute flop for me. Mostly this was just a confusing mess of flashbacks and short present-day scenes until around the 80-ish% mark when the main character finally does something. This felt really rushed (probably in part, because it's a novella) and was absolutely not the vibe.
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1 ⭐
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a review copy of Cobalt Blue
I genuinely cannot believe I'm saying this right now but Matthew Reilly, this was not it. If you know me at all you know how much I adore Matthew Reilly's books but oh boy, my most anticipated book of 2022 is not only Reilly's worst book (that I've read so far) but, it might also be one of my least favourite books that I've read all year. It's a great action story because of course it is, Matthew Reilly wrote it after all. If you're a fan of the tv show The Boys then I'm sure you'd love this bloody action-full superhero story. But, that's really all this book has going for it.
Every character in this book is a glaring stereotype, with two, in particular, being quite egregious and very uncomfortable. The villain is, of course, Russian which means he rapes women, is a serial killer and is just an absolutely atrocious guy. Ya know because he's Russian so duh, right? & the other is that the only gay character in the book is "gay and fabulous" *insert hand flick and pose here* and that's basically their only character trait. I couldn't even tell you their name because they were mostly just mentioned as 'the gay one' who only talks about clothes and being gay.
I love MR's books and usually don't mind if a lot of his characters (particularly his male main characters) feel the same or act as cardboard cutouts. But, he tried something new with this one and it was an absolute flop for me. Mostly this was just a confusing mess of flashbacks and short present-day scenes until around the 80-ish% mark when the main character finally does something. This felt really rushed (probably in part, because it's a novella) and was absolutely not the vibe.
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November 6, 2022
Pains me to say that this wasn't great. Matthew Reilly will always be a champion for fun action, but this was just not it.
I can see how it went wrong knowing that this was intended as a film script and buffed out for a novella.
**Spoilers**
Some observations I need to get off my chest:
• Why did the Cobalt children not just immediately join forces? Still would've made for an epic story and considering how smart we're constantly told they are, why was this not a contingency plan already in place?
• "Cobalt Black is soo crazyyý"
• Take a shot to avoid the cringe when they said "sex slave". Did the Furys' have a PR meeting where they decided murder was fine but "sex slave" instead of "whore" (or literally anything else) was more PC? Interesting line to draw.
• "Cobalt Blue is soò smort"
• "Gold is soooooo Fãabulous"
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
I can see how it went wrong knowing that this was intended as a film script and buffed out for a novella.
**Spoilers**
Some observations I need to get off my chest:
• Why did the Cobalt children not just immediately join forces? Still would've made for an epic story and considering how smart we're constantly told they are, why was this not a contingency plan already in place?
• "Cobalt Black is soo crazyyý"
• Take a shot to avoid the cringe when they said "sex slave". Did the Furys' have a PR meeting where they decided murder was fine but "sex slave" instead of "whore" (or literally anything else) was more PC? Interesting line to draw.
• "Cobalt Blue is soò smort"
• "Gold is soooooo Fãabulous"
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2022
It was entertaining, but just not a very good book. The main character never appeared in any real danger, and was completely devoid of emotion or nuance, which was particularly hard to believe when pretty much every big event in the book should have stirred some reaction. I'm normally a big fan of anything by Matthew Reilly, but this one just didn't do it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 3, 2022Just no. There is not one thing to redeem this book. A bunch of tropes, cliches, and memes strung together with atrocities and violence. Everyone associated with this book needs to take a long hard look at their career. If I could give minus stars I would.
August 11, 2024
Signature Reilly. Fast action and heroes. Love it.
August 22, 2022
Let me start by saying I grew up being a huge Matt Reilly fan - I inhaled all of his Jack West and Scarecrow books (all that were released at the time anyway) and couldn’t think of a better author for writing a potential superhero story.
But this was so fucking stupid.
Not just stupid, but actual terrible writing that I can’t believe got past the multiple steps of editing.
It’s obviously inspired by The Boys, Shazam, and a dash of Marvel (I mean, Russia’s secret weapon, America’s greatest hero?? AND A TOP SECRET SUPER EVIL GENIUS?? C’MON), but it was so cringe and flat that even if you’re not a fan of Marvel/DC, you’d think they’re masterpieces compared to this.
The whole thing is laughable, and I admit, it was probably made even more laughable in audiobook format. The narrator did a decent job, even though the Russian accents were a bit much - but hearing the cringey, ridiculous plot read aloud was embarrassing. It was a mess that I just couldn’t stop listening to, so yeah, it probably did it’s job, but lets be real - it’s full of needless deaths that could have been avoided if these supposedly great superheroes uhh… ACTUALLY WORKED TOGETHER?! Why was that never an option????
Also bad guys being bad just for sake of being bad? Pfft. Give us some depth.
And then there’s our lead who apparently has 0 emotions despite a whole bunch of people she loves dying around her within the space of 24 hrs.
The only barely-there semi-interesting characters were Cobalt Black and the new mysterious evil genius which would obviously be the plot of the next book - IF it even gets to that stage because let’s face it, it’s complete shite.
Oh and Cobalt Gold?? Talk about ridiculously stereotypical. Listen, I’m well aware that stereotypical gays exist, but “Golden Gary” was the most 2 dimensional queer character I’ve ever seen.
If it wasn’t filled with WAY too many mentions of r*pe (seriously. Where were those editors..?!) I’d say it COULD have MAYBE worked as a teen action book, but even then it would have been SOOOOO BAD, because once you take away the terrible bits, guess what? You’re just left with the shit writing.
1 star
TW/CWs: mentions of r*pe, bloody violence, body horror, death by science, death of a parent, action violence, destruction of cities
But this was so fucking stupid.
Not just stupid, but actual terrible writing that I can’t believe got past the multiple steps of editing.
It’s obviously inspired by The Boys, Shazam, and a dash of Marvel (I mean, Russia’s secret weapon, America’s greatest hero?? AND A TOP SECRET SUPER EVIL GENIUS?? C’MON), but it was so cringe and flat that even if you’re not a fan of Marvel/DC, you’d think they’re masterpieces compared to this.
The whole thing is laughable, and I admit, it was probably made even more laughable in audiobook format. The narrator did a decent job, even though the Russian accents were a bit much - but hearing the cringey, ridiculous plot read aloud was embarrassing. It was a mess that I just couldn’t stop listening to, so yeah, it probably did it’s job, but lets be real - it’s full of needless deaths that could have been avoided if these supposedly great superheroes uhh… ACTUALLY WORKED TOGETHER?! Why was that never an option????
Also bad guys being bad just for sake of being bad? Pfft. Give us some depth.
And then there’s our lead who apparently has 0 emotions despite a whole bunch of people she loves dying around her within the space of 24 hrs.
The only barely-there semi-interesting characters were Cobalt Black and the new mysterious evil genius which would obviously be the plot of the next book - IF it even gets to that stage because let’s face it, it’s complete shite.
Oh and Cobalt Gold?? Talk about ridiculously stereotypical. Listen, I’m well aware that stereotypical gays exist, but “Golden Gary” was the most 2 dimensional queer character I’ve ever seen.
If it wasn’t filled with WAY too many mentions of r*pe (seriously. Where were those editors..?!) I’d say it COULD have MAYBE worked as a teen action book, but even then it would have been SOOOOO BAD, because once you take away the terrible bits, guess what? You’re just left with the shit writing.
1 star
TW/CWs: mentions of r*pe, bloody violence, body horror, death by science, death of a parent, action violence, destruction of cities
August 4, 2022
Worth a single read for Matthew Reilly fans, but to me felt a bit rushed. Cool concept and fast paced as always, just could've done with a bit more detail and expansion!
August 27, 2022
Fast paced and easy but exciting read, it’s short but gonna make an impact.
August 5, 2022
As a lifelong fan of superheroes and pulp fiction, I had to check out Reilly’s latest novella, Cobalt Blue. I devoured it in one sitting. It’s simplistic, maybe even ridiculous, but also entertaining. It reads almost as a screenplay expanded into a fast-paced novella about superheroes. The action gets going from the first page and never slows.
America and Russia both have superheroes - the Fury of Russia (all strength, rage, and hate) and Cobalt Blue (full of compassion and intellectual curiosity). They both got the same powers (think Superman, only better) during the same event. With each country having a superhero, we get a truce of sorts similar to the nuclear standoff during the Cold War.
The problem with this? Cobalt Blue was much older than Fury when she got superpowers, which unfortunately don’t stop aging and heart failure. So one day after Cobalt’s death, the Fury of Russia comes to America to kill her offspring and wipe out the country.
Fury of Russia is a ridiculous villain - a resentful psychopath with no boundaries and a lifetime of anti-American indoctrination. Being insane is his job and hobby. He wants to storm America, crush its monuments, and murder its people, starting with Cobalt Blue’s super-offspring.
Cobalt Blue had eight children, but only one, Cassie, was born naturally. That makes her most desirable for the Fury of Russia. For most of the story, we follow Cassie’s horror as she observes (through media) the Fury of Russia working his way across America toward her while graphically eviscerating her super-siblings and cities. Before each death, we get flashbacks conveying Cassie’s relationship with her parents and siblings.
Structurally, Cobalt Blue is simple. We follow a grim countdown to the showdown, wondering if and how Cassie will make it. The characters offer enough flesh and blood to be convincing but not nuanced or authentic. Reilly is more interested in increasing stakes, fun, the high-speed action with brutal fight sequences. As a result, it’s not elegant or subtle. It’s pure quick-cut and loud entertainment with short paragraphs and short chapters. Russia doesn’t score much love these days in the West, and making the Russian superhero purely evil adds to the book's populist appeal.
The prose here is effective and punchy but rather basic, even crude. If you love superheroes and action pulp, you simply can’t go wrong with it. Don’t expect deep thoughts, it’s all about excitement and pedal-to-the-metal action.
America and Russia both have superheroes - the Fury of Russia (all strength, rage, and hate) and Cobalt Blue (full of compassion and intellectual curiosity). They both got the same powers (think Superman, only better) during the same event. With each country having a superhero, we get a truce of sorts similar to the nuclear standoff during the Cold War.
The problem with this? Cobalt Blue was much older than Fury when she got superpowers, which unfortunately don’t stop aging and heart failure. So one day after Cobalt’s death, the Fury of Russia comes to America to kill her offspring and wipe out the country.
Fury of Russia is a ridiculous villain - a resentful psychopath with no boundaries and a lifetime of anti-American indoctrination. Being insane is his job and hobby. He wants to storm America, crush its monuments, and murder its people, starting with Cobalt Blue’s super-offspring.
Cobalt Blue had eight children, but only one, Cassie, was born naturally. That makes her most desirable for the Fury of Russia. For most of the story, we follow Cassie’s horror as she observes (through media) the Fury of Russia working his way across America toward her while graphically eviscerating her super-siblings and cities. Before each death, we get flashbacks conveying Cassie’s relationship with her parents and siblings.
Structurally, Cobalt Blue is simple. We follow a grim countdown to the showdown, wondering if and how Cassie will make it. The characters offer enough flesh and blood to be convincing but not nuanced or authentic. Reilly is more interested in increasing stakes, fun, the high-speed action with brutal fight sequences. As a result, it’s not elegant or subtle. It’s pure quick-cut and loud entertainment with short paragraphs and short chapters. Russia doesn’t score much love these days in the West, and making the Russian superhero purely evil adds to the book's populist appeal.
The prose here is effective and punchy but rather basic, even crude. If you love superheroes and action pulp, you simply can’t go wrong with it. Don’t expect deep thoughts, it’s all about excitement and pedal-to-the-metal action.
February 7, 2023
A super fun powered read, highly recommend this. Mr Reilly never lets me down.
September 11, 2022
What a great little superhero adventure. Hope there is more to come!
September 24, 2023
First Read August 2022
Second Read September 2023
Second Read September 2023
August 5, 2022
I wasn’t aware that this book was a novella, so that was a tad disappointing to finish it so quickly. That said, it was an enjoyable read and I’d be keen to read any follow up stories. As is typical of Matthew Reilly books, the pace of the book is wild, seemingly like watching an action movie.
January 23, 2024
Cobalt Blue is a standalone novella by the master of breakneck-paced action thrillers Matthew Reilly, and I’ve loved most things he’s written, and enjoy superhero stories, so should’ve loved this. Sadly , I didn’t. I’m surprised how long it took me to get around to it - I was declined a review copy, then it seemed over-priced for it’s length, and the reviews were pretty bad, then I just got busy… but eventually it came up on special and I took the opportunity of a boring plane journey to see for myself whether it deserved all those 1 and 2 star reviews.
America’s Cobalt and The Fury of Russia have been enemies since a mysterious exposure from space gave them matching superpowers decades ago. Now Cobalt is dead, no one can stand against a vengeful Fury set on bringing the US to its knees - except perhaps a shy scientist who happens to be half-superhero…
This is basically a jingoistic homage to the US v Russia Cold War era movies - think Rocky IV - mixed with satirical TV show The Boys. It was originally developed as a screenplay, and probably could’ve been okay as a full length novel, but at this length the flashbacks took over from any kind of character development - the heroine was too boring for words, and the plot was just stupid. The violence was OTT gory for a book aimed at teens, and the losses our heroine sustains seem not to have much impact on her. If you’re new to this author, skip this one and read Ice Station instead.
America’s Cobalt and The Fury of Russia have been enemies since a mysterious exposure from space gave them matching superpowers decades ago. Now Cobalt is dead, no one can stand against a vengeful Fury set on bringing the US to its knees - except perhaps a shy scientist who happens to be half-superhero…
This is basically a jingoistic homage to the US v Russia Cold War era movies - think Rocky IV - mixed with satirical TV show The Boys. It was originally developed as a screenplay, and probably could’ve been okay as a full length novel, but at this length the flashbacks took over from any kind of character development - the heroine was too boring for words, and the plot was just stupid. The violence was OTT gory for a book aimed at teens, and the losses our heroine sustains seem not to have much impact on her. If you’re new to this author, skip this one and read Ice Station instead.
December 23, 2023
Short, Boring, Garbage.
April 5, 2024
For 35 years, Russia & the USA have had an uneasy deadlock, when a joint project saw one American & one Russian hit with an alien gas, turning them into superheroes with amazing (and equal) powers.
When America's hero dies of old age, the younger Russian hero, named "The Russian Fury" attacks the USA straight away & declared his intention to wipe out her progeny, all who have inherited powers from their mother in half-measure.
Can the Russian Fury be stopped? What of his sons, who will come with their own powers? Will might be right, or will the mysterious 8th child of Christine Cobalt, the only one she birthed herself, find another way to resolve this tension?
Cobalt Blue is a classic "Goodies vs. Baddies" book with a fairly simple story line, where the last couple of chapters pull together all of the clues dropped throughout the book. It was quite violent & not particularly imaginative. My biggest issue with this book is that it fit into the mould of American exceptionalism, where the goodies seem to think violence is the answer almost as much as the baddies, but that is OK because they are on "the side of good".
Bubblegum fiction that you might enjoy if you have watched the TV series "The Boys".
When America's hero dies of old age, the younger Russian hero, named "The Russian Fury" attacks the USA straight away & declared his intention to wipe out her progeny, all who have inherited powers from their mother in half-measure.
Can the Russian Fury be stopped? What of his sons, who will come with their own powers? Will might be right, or will the mysterious 8th child of Christine Cobalt, the only one she birthed herself, find another way to resolve this tension?
Cobalt Blue is a classic "Goodies vs. Baddies" book with a fairly simple story line, where the last couple of chapters pull together all of the clues dropped throughout the book. It was quite violent & not particularly imaginative. My biggest issue with this book is that it fit into the mould of American exceptionalism, where the goodies seem to think violence is the answer almost as much as the baddies, but that is OK because they are on "the side of good".
Bubblegum fiction that you might enjoy if you have watched the TV series "The Boys".
January 7, 2023
A solid 3.5 rounded up for this Matthew Reilly - it’s like he fell asleep in a Marvel film screening and woke up with this book in his head. It certainly put in mind for me the next big blockbuster series. For 35 years, due to Events, the US and Russia have had their own superheroes - America’s sweetheart protector Cobalt, and the personification of Old Russia, Fury. They, and their subsequent offspring do battle, until one day Cobalt dies, and Fury takes the chance to kill the superhero offspring and take America for himself. Until they meet the hidden Cobalt child. This was a good example of strong female leads, along with a good bit of science, and a lot of fight scenes. A quick read on a Swiss train,when the appeal of the snow capped mountains started to fade (after several hours).
Heads up though, getting the cast of characters right in your head does take a little time, but once you’re up to speed, it’s off and running.
Heads up though, getting the cast of characters right in your head does take a little time, but once you’re up to speed, it’s off and running.
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