STERLING STRIFFE

Sterling Striffe is an agent of the CIA.

Maybe. I could be really wrong about that. I have no true idea who he works for. I know that his mentor, Dr. Lucent Arcane, is the head of the Directorate for Science and Technology of the CIA working out of Area 51 so if Striffe is not an actual agent for them, he is closely connected.

Striffe is "of average size and height, his mind was much bigger. A ruggedly handsome face spoke of confidence and readiness to command. In excellent physical condition for his age, he was prone to action. He had what I called a hard charging nature. His hair was cut close and had a grayish tint. A trimmed salt and pepper goatee added to the affect. Standing there, he wore an olive colored turtleneck sweatshirt, khaki trousers and brown hiking boots. He could've been on a safari. Draped loose about his broad shoulders hung his tan belted trench coat. A brown fedora was cocked to one side of his head. An expensive Cuban cigar was clenched in his teeth. Mysterious in nature, he projected a sense of power. Swashbuckling and daring, he was every bit a noble warrior.

"His mind embraced ancient teachings of the martial arts. Taught by gifted masters, there was a time when he disappeared for secret studies. Upon returning from the Far East, he'd changed. He'd experienced things beyond the normal senses, in the realm of the supernatural. He had mystical insights and had become the master."

He holds a doctorate in at least one field and is addressed as Doctor by most of the people with whom he deals. He was for a time a Colonel in the Special Forces of the U.S. Army. Not a lot of his background is known though it was said "Sterling grew up in a family of World War II spies, foreign intrigue and social privilege". A while before the first recorded adventure he had lost his wife, a woman he adored deeply and missed terribly. He was also briefly engaged to Myla Trench, aka Pandora de Lusitania, a woman who became a terrorist going by the nickname Black Widow.

Interesting comment: "Dr. Striffe said that life unfolds in trilogies, triangles, and trinities."

It does not take long into these adventures to see that it lives up the publisher blurbs about it in that it is a mixture of the cloak and dagger thriller, paranormal suspense, and a large dash of science fiction. There are metaphysical musings galore and while a good number of them are over my head, some are quite interesting and all are entertaining.

This is an ... um, interesting series in that the combination is odd but the implementation is odder and after reading both these adventures, I cannot say for sure whether I like them or not. The dialogue is odd and by no means realistic but enchanting nevertheless. For that reason alone I would invite comments.