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Glynn Stewart
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ONSET: To Serve and Protect Kindle Edition

by Glynn Stewart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120 ratings
A small town cop with an unexpected gift
A shadowy government agency on the side of justice
A call no good man could turn away

When vampires attack David White’s small town, only luck, firepower, and the intervention of an elite government task force save his life. The aftermath of the attack leaves him in the middle of the world’s biggest secret: the existence of government agencies that regulate the supernatural.

They insist that David’s “luck” is actually a supernatural gift, and he’s immediately recruited into ONSET, the most shadowy part of America’s thin blue line of police protectors.

Questioning both his gifts and the agency he now serves, David is drawn into an escalating battle that threatens all of humanity. If he isn’t what ONSET thinks he is, the entire world may pay the price.
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  1. Book 1 of 4
    ONSET
  2. Print length
    402 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 29, 2016
  5. File size
    2.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

urban fantasy police procedural super

ONSET Series

urban fantasy police procedural super

Policing the Supernatural

A small town cop with an unexpected gift ends up in over his head

urban fantasy police procedural super

Containing Clandestine Threats

A strike team is tasked with protecting humanity from supernatural forces

urban fantasy police procedural super

World-Changing Action

When humans meddle in the forces of the supernatural, the balance of power shifts—and not always for the better

To Serve and Protect
My Enemy's Enemy
Blood of the Innocent
Stay of Execution
Murder by Magic
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Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,680
4.6 out of 5 stars 1,196
4.6 out of 5 stars 1,354
4.5 out of 5 stars 332
Price $2.99 $4.99 $4.99 $4.99 $2.99
Series ONSET Book 1 ONSET Book 2 ONSET Book 3 ONSET Book 4 ONSET Prequel Novella
faolan's pen space opera science fiction glynn stewart military sci-fi

Glynn Stewart is the Canadian science fiction and fantasy author of the Starship’s Mage, Duchy of Terra and Exile series. Writing managed to liberate him from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Faolan’s Pen Publishing is an action-oriented science fiction publisher with an emphasis on unique high concepts and optimistic views of the future. Lead characters grapple with and are driven by a sense of duty—both to their cause and the people around them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship's Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible-but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Vigilante, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood. Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MXSN5IA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faolan's Pen Publishing Inc. (November 29, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120 ratings

About the author

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Glynn Stewart

Glynn Stewart

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Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Peacekeepers of Sol, Scattered Stars, and Castle Federation, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.

Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Alberta with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,120 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book entertaining and well-written, with a fast-paced plot that delivers compelling action and believable character development. Moreover, they appreciate the interesting world-building, with one customer noting the excellent blend of heroes and supernatural elements. Additionally, the book serves as a fantastic start to a new series.

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75 customers mention "Readability"70 positive5 negative

Customers find the book readable and entertaining, keeping them engaged and interested in reading more.

"...It's fun, it's exciting and would make a good movie but for now it's Bermuda first in Flynn Stewart's new series ONSET...." Read more

"...Overall a great book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series." Read more

"...The magic here is different and still ultimately good. I’m going to read book 2 now while I wait for book 15 of the Mage series to come out...." Read more

"...It has a good blend of action segments, but also good and meaningful slice of life parts to build up the chemistry between the different characters..." Read more

65 customers mention "Plot development"58 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the plot development of the book, finding it engaging with compelling action and a believable storyline that flows well, with one customer noting its strong good-versus-evil narrative structure.

"...The author, being a very experienced writer, put together a very well developed story that, to me, was better than Monster Hunter and for this..." Read more

"...The plot holds together, the substories are interesting. There is a parallel story that isn't bad at all...." Read more

"...The story itself is interesting and I did enjoy it overall, but there are some things with the author's writing that just bugged the hell out of me...." Read more

"...Slow development of main character capabilities made for compelling action." Read more

33 customers mention "Character development"30 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting the self-aware protagonist and another highlighting the excellent blend of heroes.

"...If you get past this, the worldbuilding is interesting. The characters are believable, if you don't mind black or white, good or evil Only...." Read more

"...Well developed concept for magic military forces. Slow development of main character capabilities made for compelling action." Read more

"...Stewart does his usual masterful job of creating compelling characters and suspense-filled plot...." Read more

"...Full of action and good characters, along with a well formed universe and history, it hits the mark on most of the Urban fantasy prerequisites...." Read more

21 customers mention "Action content"17 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the action content of the book, which features supernatural police agency elements, enhanced humans with supernatural powers, and urban vampire story elements, with one customer noting the addition of military fiction for extra excitement.

"...The book has a good balance of action and interaction focussing mostly on David with the occassional sidetrack most notably a hacker trying to find..." Read more

"...This world has a very wide population of paranormals. Many don't realise they are different until something happens...." Read more

"...His world contains vampires and Mages and enhanced humans with supernatural powers. Even a dragon in the basement...." Read more

"...- urban fantasy meets action-adventure with a dash of military fiction added for some extra zip...." Read more

21 customers mention "Interest"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, with interesting world-building and good concepts. One customer notes the well-thought-out universe of the Supernatural, while another describes it as an exciting adventure story.

"...It's fun, it's exciting and would make a good movie but for now it's Bermuda first in Flynn Stewart's new series ONSET...." Read more

"...If you get past this, the worldbuilding is interesting. The characters are believable, if you don't mind black or white, good or evil Only...." Read more

"...Well developed concept for magic military forces. Slow development of main character capabilities made for compelling action." Read more

"...The magic here is different and still ultimately good. I’m going to read book 2 now while I wait for book 15 of the Mage series to come out...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pace"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fast-paced, with one describing it as a thrilling ride.

"...Simply put, the story was entertaining, the pace was great, and the book overall was extremely polished...." Read more

"I good change of pace and world setting from what I normally see from the author...." Read more

"...Glynn Stewart, along with Terry Mixon, has become my go-to author for fast-paced, fun, exciting entertainment...." Read more

"...Fast paced with plenty of action and a little bit of maybe romance.Without seeming jingoistic the book shows the price for protecting and serving...." Read more

14 customers mention "Start"14 positive0 negative

Customers find this book to be a fantastic start to a new series by Glynn Stewart.

"This new series is awesome - urban fantasy meets action-adventure with a dash of military fiction added for some extra zip...." Read more

"...The start was really promising but it didn't stay that way...." Read more

"This is a re-read for me. It is such a good story and series, that a re-read is a must. This is a story with great characters and great action...." Read more

"...Fantastic start to a series. What is not to like? Bold heroes, super powers love and action. Can not wait for the next. Buy the book" Read more

13 customers mention "Writing style"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with one noting it's an easy read.

"...The author, being a very experienced writer, put together a very well developed story that, to me, was better than Monster Hunter and for this..." Read more

"I really liked the writing style, and the story line has a lot of potential...." Read more

"I thought the book was well written . The plot was believable and the characters made sense...." Read more

"...This is a story with great characters and great action. Great writing." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rock & roll super hero vs magic tale
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Small town cop tries to stop a vampire gang and discovers he is an empowered human. Wait, vampires? Empowered? Nearly killed he awakes in a top secret IS supernatural agency hospital where he is exposed to a world he thought was fantasy. Drawn into this nether world of vampires, seminar and werewolves our small town cop becomes a warrior in the fight I protect humanity. It's fun, it's exciting and would make a good movie but for now it's Bermuda first in Flynn Stewart's new series ONSET. Ross out Harry Potter, that wimp, and let's go kill monsters!
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  • P. Sleijpen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, but requires some suspension of disbelieve
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The story starts with the small town cop David being thrown in the middle of the action, unexpectedly facing a group of supernatural opponents and somehow surviving with the aid of the government agents much better equiped to deal with it. From there it focusses on David, with it the reader, being introduced to the "real" world filled with magic and magical monsters and his new position within as a member of the SWAT team of the FBI for supernatural cases. Introductions are done through various minor combat actions which leaves David stronger and the failout and it ends with the inivitable final confrontation.

    The book has a good balance of action and interaction focussing mostly on David with the occassional sidetrack most notably a hacker trying to find out what is going on after witnessing David's first brush with the supernatural purely by accident. The mood of the book is somewhat dark with the government keeping humanity save albeit barely and at great cost. People die. The fact that magical creatures are not by definition the opposition also adds a bit of gray even if the main villain appears to be utterly evil at least at this point. Of course, David has his own internal struggles dealing with a new world, powers that scare him and a secrecy that conflicts with his own ideals, but not to an extent that it irritates me. The book also ends well with some hints about an overarching plot while still finishing up what it started. No cliffhanger, which is a very good thing in my book.

    The thing that I dislike is, as others pointed out, a bit of repetitiveness in descriptions such as describing how the group gears up in detail several times throughout the book. You also have to be able to belief that the supernatural could honestly be kept secret despite some of the mass scale of the fights. I am really curious how the government of Switzerland would keep it secret if several tanks are blown up in one fight or the USA government when loosing over 15000 troops (and more wounded) in one fight inside the USA and many smaller scale struggles that still leave dozens dead and hundreds wounded. Humans in general are willing to fool themselves to quite some extend, but this much? I can accept that fact for the sake of the story, but it is a bit of a stretch and might be too much for some. Finally, I am a bit worried about what happens next. David is extraordinary powerful by the end of the book. How do you keep the tension? How often can you save the world without wondering why it still exists?

    All in all, a great read and I am both curious and woried about what is to come next.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Rolast
    5.0 out of 5 stars fun action read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    By one of my very favorite authors!

    Do yourself a favor and pick a up!

    Five more words I’m forced to write, how stupid!
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  • Antony Chow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Monster Hunter International, with a Better Plot
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    When I started reading ONSET, I couldn't help but compare this story to Monster Hunter International, the 2009 series about bounty hunters going after paranormal creatures. In ONSET, it was a secret government agency that went after paranormals instead.

    ONSET followed a cop who turned out to be especially gifted, and his survival of an encounter with a paranormal put him on the radar of this secret agency. The author, being a very experienced writer, put together a very well developed story that, to me, was better than Monster Hunter and for this reason, I rated ONSET five stars despite the lack of originality. Simply put, the story was entertaining, the pace was great, and the book overall was extremely polished. ONSET Book 1 is definitely a recommended read if you enjoy paranormal, action-thriller stories.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Barrestwin
    4.0 out of 5 stars The excessive weapon porn is very tedious,
    Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    but goes with the organisation of ONSET. A military wet dream of paranormal storm troopers.
    This world has a very wide population of paranormals. Many don't realise they are different until something happens. (Although having silver poisoning you might give some a hint). ONSET always needs recruits and pulls them in. Here the setup looses all credability. Instead of a medical and magical evaluation to discover the candidates abilities, followed by solid theory to help keep them alive, and then person appropriate physical education, what do they do? Throw the recruits in a barrack, turn them over to a drill seargent who tells them that he will! break them and starts with weapons' training. After only four weeks they are then thrown into fighting.
    But, you might object, they are so short of manpower! Small wonder, with that training...

    If you get past this, the worldbuilding is interesting. The characters are believable, if you don't mind black or white, good or evil Only. The plot holds together, the substories are interesting. There is a parallel story that isn't bad at all.
    The ending is, alas, an orgy of violence and death. ONSET and other fellow organisations loose 70% of all their troops... Already shorthanded, remember. Cliffhanger? Oh, dear me... Tiresome.
    4 stars only because of the worldbuilding.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Cowboy Samurai
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginning to a new series.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    As an avid reader of urban fantasy, I'm on the lookout for a different spin on the "snarky smarta$$" hero which you see far too much in the genre. The author introduces us to police Lt. David White, an average joe who works in a small town PD. Whose world and world view is turned inside out and upside down when he encounters a gang of creatures that could only be vampires. He survives the encounter but his partner is brutally killed. Pursuing them to a warehouse he catches them but is ambushed. During the battle he begins to manifest incredible abilities of his own that enable him to hold his own against six vampires when anyone else would have been instantly killed. Even with those new found powers he still is overwhelmed. If not for the intervention of a secret gov. strike team he would have been killed. He's rescued and is given a crash course in the world of the supernaturally "empowered" and a job offer.

    Overall a great book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Mari_tić
    5.0 out of 5 stars TO SERVE AND PROTECT
    Reviewed in Germany on August 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    David White ein gestandener Mann des Gesetzes muss sich neuen Herausforderungen stellen. Seine Welt öffnet eine neue von der Regierung geheim gehaltene erschreckende Welt der Magie, bevölkert mit neuen Bösewichten, Vampiren. Er erlangt neue Fähigkeiten, um dieser Bedrohung Paroli zu bieten, er verleugnet sie nicht vor sich selbst. Er dient und beschützt die Menschen weiterhin im Credo seiner neuen Rolle a la Peter Parker: wem große Macht gegeben, auf den kommt große Verantwortung. Sein Credo war schon immer: To serve and protect. Deshalb war er Polizist.
    Welt und Charaktere sind überzeugend. Ich konnte das Buch nicht aus der Hand legen. Zur Hilfe habe ich mit dem Audible book auch das Kindle erstanden, so konnte ich meist ohne Unterbrechung lesen, hören oder hörend lesen. Das Buch ist flawless. Ich konnte es nicht aus der Hand legen, aber wenn doch, hörte ich einfach weiter.
    Es war an den richtigen Stellen schnell, dramatisch und flüssig. Und sollte eine neue Entwicklung überhört werden, Kindle! dein Freund und Helfer :)
    Habe ich schon gesagt, dass ich re-reads guter Geschichten und Phantasie sowie Phantasy/SF liebe? Und dann mit Helden, die schon gestandene Männer (Verantwortung beherrschende, serve and protect halt) in ihrem Job sind, auch die Nebencharaktere.
    Glynn Stewart kreuzt überzeugend verschiedene Genres (urban der Krimi, Magie gegen Fantastische Gegner, Organisation des futuristischen Kampfes im FBI-Stil, magisch verbesserte Waffen/Technik der Zukunft, Magier, ihre unterschiedlichen Fähigkeiten und ein weitere fantastische Wesen.. doch ich will nicht spoilern ;) in dieser Reihe.
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  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Histoire captivante!
    Reviewed in Canada on August 19, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Même si les histoires de démons et de loups garou ne font pas partie de mes lectures habituelles, j’ai adoré ce livre. Pas surprenant toutefois car j’apprécie habituellement les romans de cet auteur.
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  • Alex
    5.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed the book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a big fan of the Starship's Mage series by Glynn Stewart and thought I'd give his move into urban fantasy a go. I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed the book. As aways with his stories I find the pace is good with enough detail to describe the characters and situations but enough pace to keep me reading. I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next in the series. I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

    Note: I received a free electronic copy in exchange for an unbiased review (but liked it enough to buy a copy anyway)
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  • Alan K
    5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting Read
    Reviewed in Australia on November 10, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have read a few urban fantasy books where the MC is part of a secret government force holding out against supernaturals, and this was a good one. Tons of action, enhanced abilities and magic infused weapons are the main content of this epic battle between ONSET, vampires, demons, mages and other supernatural beings. The story was well paced and got me locked in fairly early, so a well written piece. Looking forward to reading other books in the series.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start
    Reviewed in Australia on May 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Really struggled to get going with this book. Took a few tries but it got rolling along ok. I feel a little disconnected from the MC but will give the next book a go.
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