| Title | : | The Winter Soldier: Cold Front |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1368022278 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781368022279 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2023 |
But he wasn’t always the Winter Soldier . . .
1941: As World War II begins, sixteen-yearold Bucky Barnes is determined to enlist in the US army—if only the local commander will stop getting in his way. When Bucky is offered enrollment in a training program with the British Special Operations Executive—the UK’s secret service—he leaps at the chance to become a hero. But Bucky has hardly touched down in London when he finds himself running from a mysterious assassin and accompanied by an English chess champion fond of red lipstick and double crosses. She’s in possession of a secret every side is desperate to get their hands on. If only they knew what it was . . .
Decades later, the Winter Soldier struggles to solve the same mystery Bucky is just beginning to uncover. As their missions intersect across time, their lives collide too—in a way that neither of them would have expected, and that will change the course of their respective wars.
In The Winter Soldier: Cold Front, on-sale on February 7, 2023, New York Times best-selling author Mackenzi Lee explores the youth of one of Marvel’s most compelling characters, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes—and the enemy soldier he is forced to become.
The Winter Soldier: Cold Front Reviews
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Did somebody say BUCKY BARNES??
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*sobs* This is quite possibly the most heart-breaking book I've ever read and I've read a lot of heartbreaking books. Maybe it's because I care so much about Bucky's story- whether it's his character in the comics, in the MCU, or in this book.
I loved this re-imagining/AU of Bucky's story, but let me just say... IT HURTS. IT HURTS SO BAD. I keep sobbing just thinking about it (like, real tears.)
If you're expecting a happy, satisfying ending... don't. Just don't. It hurts. This whole book *hurts*. I just want to wrap poor Bucky in bubble wrap and protect him from all the pain. 😭
I have more thoughts, but right now I'm still processing what I just read. 😭😭😭 So... just go read this book if you're a Bucky fan and then come back to this so that we can sob together. -
If you know me at all you know that much like Steve Rogers, I too would start a civil war for James Buchanan Barnes...so like I'm very excited about this news. Also, the cover is just something else. I CANNOT wait to get my hands on this book and devour it!!!
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"Bucky... finds himself running from a mysterious assassin and accompanied by an English chess champion fond of red lipstick and double crosses. She’s in possession of a secret every side is desperate to get their hands ."
PEGGY ?? PLEASE BE PEGGY ! 🤯🤩😭 -
If Bucky doesn’t act exactly the way I have imagined in my head (aka every fic I’ve ever read) I don’t want it😶
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One word: HYPED
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"Do you know what a desperado is? In chess? A desperado is a piece you know you can't save, so you do as much damage with it as possible before it dies. That's what I told you I was, in one of our letters. You told me I had a very grand opinion of myself. Which I did. You weren't wrong. But every gambit requires a sacrifice."
--Imogen "Gimlet" Fleming
"All that means is you've realized the world can't be neatly divided into good guys and bad guys. That's the first step. Now you can quit worrying about doing what's right and start focusing on doing what's needed."
--Steve "Captain America" Rogers
TL;DR: An action-packed, fast-paced doozy of a spy-thriller-chess gambit, which rounds out Mackenzi Lee's "anti-hero" series for Marvel. And if she wants to, Marvel, please let her write more.
Lee scaffolds two timelines following Bucky Barnes -- 1941 at the start of his military/superhero career and 1954 as the Winter Soldier used as the "perfect weapon" used by the Russian government. The two narratives work to establish Bucky as Steve's foil, but also his equal -- and give some insight into his character which (I believe) is fully developed in the comics, but glossed over in the MCU.
Worth noting: unlike Lee's other two Marvel novels, this one is not MCU canon. That is, Lee's Bucky is an amalgamation of the MCU/Comics versions of Bucky, so keep that in mind before reading. Lee's Bucky is not, for example, childhood friends with Steve/Cap, and
I found this summary of his character to be really helpful.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley & Disney Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Vibes: MCU meets The Queen's Gambit, with a dash of Tolstoy and James Bond
Genre: MCU / Marvel companion novelization
**I'd say the darkest of the three Lee has written for Marvel -- which tracks, as Bucky's history is pretty dark.
Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 ♡
Doomed Lovers Trope. Much of Bucky's relationship is implied -- we see him meet Gimlet and fall for her, but aside from one fairly chaste kiss, most of their relationship is lost to memory inhibition compounds and Bucky (and the reader) only get glimpses and flashes of it.
Plus some Steve/Bucky subtext is there, if you want it to be.
Character MVP: Gimlet/Ginny/Imogen. I *love* Bucky, and was 100% on board for this, whatever direction Mackenzi Lee took it, but Gimlet is just a fantastic character. Complex and atypical and smart and funny and tragic.
In my head, she looks like Natalie Dormer -- probably because she has a bit role in Captain America, but the blond pin curls and red lipstick made me think of her character -- but she is definitely related to Felicity from Lee's Montague Siblings series. And I stan a complex female character.
Verdict: 5 stars, hands down.
Disclaimer: Mackenzi Lee is an autobuy author for me. I love her work, and I think she is an amazing writer. Seriously, with descriptions like these:
"The sparse bulbs are shaded in amber, turning the light warm-toned and syrupy, like the bar sits in the belly of a whiskey bottle."
"...Bucky could see it perfectly in his head, the knife across the woman's throat, the blood unfurling down her front like unbolted silk."
But she's not just a descriptive writer.
Her plot action packed and well-paced -- she seamlessly moved between the two timelines and the pacing never faltered -- and she unraveled the "mystery" perfectly. (I say "mystery" because if you have any comics/MCU knowledge, you know V's history; the "mystery" is him uncovering it. Although the reader isn't quite sure how Gimlet fits in, so it works on that level as well.)
And her characters -- oh Mackenzi Lee, your characters. They're always so fleshed out and unique, with different voices and personality quirks -- I felt for all of them, despite - or maybe because of - the sense of impending tragedy. Every time Bucky got his hope up and fought valiantly to be free...broke my heart.
The biggest complaints I've seen are (1) that the two timelines don't sync up / mesh well together (which, NO) and (2) that the character here "isn't Bucky." And, if your only experience with Bucky is Sebastian Stan's *excellent* portrayal of him in the MCU, I get that.
But, this isn't the MCU's Bucky -- from what I understand, this is somewhere between the MCU and the comics. Here, like in the comics, Bucky is from Indiana; his parents die and he moves to Virginia to Camp Lehigh, and he's recruited by the SOE. He does work alongside Steve Rogers, but he's captured not by Hydra, but by the Russians who still turn him into the Winter Soldier. (Although it's more of a bionic/memory thing than a super soldier serum thing.) And it's not quite the comics since, as I understand it, in Russia Bucky meets Natasha/Black Widow, which doesn't happen in Lee's story (although it seems she lobbied for it; womp womp).
If anything, I thought taking a step back from the MCU's version of Bucky allowed Lee to play with/explore why Cap and Bucky are good together. In the MCU, they're childhood friends, and there's a big brother dynamic to Bucky's relationship with Steve in that he's always looking out for him, since he knows pre-super-soldier-serum-Steve.
But here, we get to see Bucky-outside-of-Steve, in the time before he becomes the Winter Soldier. And I thought Mackenzi Lee did a really good job of showing us that Bucky, just like Steve, has an acute sense of right vs. wrong. Steve/Cap might be a super-stickler for the rules (at least pre-Civil-War in the MCU), and Bucky might show a certain disregard for them, but they're rooted in the same overarching morality. Which makes Bucky -- knowing what we know of the Winter Soldier -- a good foil for Steve -- like a yin-and-yang thing.
And his relationship with Gimlet is sort of a parallel-yet-twisted version of Steve & Peggy's relationship: American soldier falls for a sharp-tongued & empowered British woman. Both Peggy and Gimlet are affiliated with the military/spy-work, but much like the men they fall for, Gimlet is more of an antiheroine with a disregard for the rules just as Peggy is a little bit of a stickler for them.
One of the reasons Mackenzi Lee is an autobuy author for me is because there's more to her stories than just the plot and characters: there are thoughtful, intentional layers beneath the surface-level plot action that just gives her work such depth -- which I definitely appreciate. (And which is (one of) my main issues with the Disney books by Serena Valentino: there's very little, if any, depth or substance beneath the (messy) surface-level plot.) More Marvel books from Mackenzi Lee, Disney! -
I will take any Bucky Barnes content my grubby little racoon hands can grab, though I do prefer my head canons and fan fictions to this plot. The book follows Bucky's comic series storyline where he grew up as an Army brat and not as Steve Rogers's childhood friend. While I enjoyed Gimlet's personality, I wasn't as invested in her as a new character. Maybe because I ship Stucky so hard. Still, the plot was engaging, the dual storylines from different time periods lent itself well to the discordance in Bucky's memory and identity, and it was properly angsty. Could use more Captain America though. (Did I see a hint of Stucky mentioned there? Or am I just desperate?)
TW (beyond expected violence, physical trauma, mental trauma, gaslighting, medical experimentations, etc): s*icide, s*icide attempt -
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review to come... -
I really enjoyed this! Bucky isn't necessarily one of my personal top tier Marvel characters but I love Mackenzi's writing so I checked this one out from NetGalley. It's a fun (and traumatizing) WWII and Cold War spy novel. I suspect it's going to make some people mad that Steve Rogers isn't really in this (which I assume is probably due to Marvel's character permissions or whatever) but I liked it for what it was and I enjoyed the new character Imogen. Lots of fun lil historical and literary (and musical theater) references embedded. I'd suggest this to a reader of historical fiction/spy thrillers even if they weren't a big Marvel fan.
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Thank you to Marvel Press and NetGalley for this eArc of The Winter Soldier; Cold Front by Mackenzie Lee. All opinions are my own.
Since I will follow Mackenzie Lee's books to the end of the Earth (and actually follow her to the end of the Earth—I even tried to find her at the bookstore she worked at when she lived in SLC, but that's another story), I was pleasantly surprised to see this one pop up in NetGalley and eager to read it. I had already read her first Marvel novel Loki: Where Mischief Lies, and since there's nothing I love better than a reimagining or a backstory of a superhero or super anti-hero, these books really hit the sweet spot.
Any Marvel nerd (and Lee nerd, obviously) will absolutely love this book. The writing is so, so good—Lee writes this with such intensity. She strikes just the right tone in her telling of tragedy of our hero James Buchanan Barnes, who we know and love as Captain America's sidekick Bucky. In this book, though, Lee explores his origin story as it was originally conceived in the comic books, and let me tell you, Bucky's story is thrilling and unpredictable in a way that I personally find more entertaining and engaging than Steve Rogers'. We all know Bucky as Captain America's lieutenant, his second-in-command, but here he takes center stage, and we learn about all the twists and turns that eventually created The Winter Soldier.
I will add that this book ends with the promise (please, please, please?) of another book. I don't think Lee is done telling Bucky's whole story, and I am very much looking forward to see what happens to our hero next. -
I really wanted to enjoy this. My favorite Marvel character in book form? Yes, please. But it's entirely different! If they had mentioned it as an alternate universe Bucky or sm it would've been fine, but instead there are people I don't even know or care about. Little to no interactions with Steve. It was just okay, but they diminished my favorite character to the point where he was barely recognizable. They made him a bumbling idiot instead of the charming himbo we all know and love. Again, would've been okay with it if it had been introduced that way.
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I honestly didn’t like this very much
*hides* -
I NEED THIS BOOK
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NO FREAKING WAY
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“He’s begged for death. He’s held the knife to his own wrist. But this time- maybe for the first time- he wants more than the death he has evaded again and again. He wants to pick the locks. He wants to see the sky.”
I’ve been absolutely GUTTED by this book. Mackenzi Lee’s novel follows a spy mystery over two timelines, one in 1941 with a young Bucky Barnes just starting out in his military career before meeting Captain America, and the other in 1954 as the Winter Soldier, whose mission echoes with the ghosts of a girl he met in 1941 London.
As many people have noted, this is closer to the comics than the MCU, where Steve and Bucky were childhood best friends growing up in Brooklyn together before WWII. I thought I’d miss that story in this book, but it actually felt so refreshing to read a Bucky Barnes story where he stands on his own two feet wholly separate to Cap. In his eponymous film, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, he has a total of 39 seconds of dialogue; to get such a rich insight into his interiority was exhilarating, not to mention about time, considering he’s a fan favourite character who gets so little screentime. (Lee still has some beautiful gestures towards Steve and Bucky though; of Bucky calling him Stevie, remembering how they’d huddled in the same coat together in the Dolomites, flying over the Northern Lights, driving to Washington to see the flowers in full bloom, and how Steve tasted like spearmint gum. These soft echoes are heart wrenching in that softness as we know that even these fractured memories will inevitably be ripped away.)
Again, and again. ‘Winter Soldier: Cold Front’ is pretty relentless in it’s confrontation with Bucky’s existence in captivity, being tortured over and over every time he remembers that he’s a person. The decision to set the second timeline in 1954, around six decades before Bucky is finally free, was cruelly heartbreaking because we know there’s no happy ending to be found here (Mackenzi Lee I’m begging for a sequel seriously).
“How many lives has he lived? How many times has he died and been brought back to life? How many days has he spent here, locked underground and frozen over, his memories wrung from him and his brain reassembled in the aftermath? How many hot lights has he writhed in pain beneath, and how many cold ice baths has he surfaced from, gasping at the first breath after years- years- of his life have been taken from him?”
The story is action-packed and violent but still manages to feel geared towards young adult audiences. Lee paints the brutality with a careful hand which avoids being too graphic or explicit but still packs a punch. I was less invested in this as a spy thriller action novel and found it was at its best when digging in deeper with character, which I think could’ve been balanced better, but the plot’s still engaging. Her characterisation of Bucky is so perfect in all of his sarcasm, selflessness, and awe-inspiring resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable trauma.
“”Don’t fight it.”
But that’s the only thing they’ve ever taught him how to do.”
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since picking it up, and I just know it’s gonna haunt me for a while. -
The way I pre-ordered this book the second I saw Bucky Barnes 😆 and regret nothing.
This book takes place in a alternate timeline.
Which I admit threw me off at first. (It's weird he didn't grow up in NY with Steve ) this Bucky was raised on an army base and came into the SOE instead of drafting into the army. Captain America was already created/ doing his army camp tours? / on promotion flyers for the USA army by this point which confused me a bit- but again alternate timelines 🤷🏼♀️
Overall the story was entertaining, with the POV changing between a younger James/ Bucky and The winter solider in hydra control. (Which was heartbreaking)
I am now asking for this author to write a Scarlett Witch novel so I can have all three of my fav marvel characters get the attention/ book they deserve 😆
4.2 stars 🌟 -
Looks like I'm the first reviewer on GR?! I say this as Cap and Bucky person: Mackenzi Lee nailed it. She nailed it with a very pointy, sharp stiletto slid between the ribs, which she then proceeded to shove brutally, skewering the heart and ripping it back out, spinning it on her blade like a gyro, all while cackling madly. Yeah, it was that good.
The Bucky herein is the one from original comics: orphaned kid from Indiana (?!) who's too young to enlist but is desperate to join the army and fight. He gets recruited for a top-secret program by the Brits and has An Adventure in England before getting shipped back to the US where his story picks up with Camp Lehigh and Cap. The chapters alternate between the Young Bucky Adventure and the Winter Soldier, whose narrative takes place 13 years later, and it soon becomes clear that the two stories are related for reasons besides the obvious.
I gave this 4 stars because I kept forgetting that Young Bucky acted like he was only 10 years old when he supposed to be, uh, 17 years old? The Young Bucky story was good, if infuriating (how can someone be that dense?!), but I really, really loved the Winter Soldier chapters. Mackenzi Lee has a way of capturing his confusion and sparks of remembrance that is just heart-wrenching. The action sequences and fight scenes here were utterly cinematic. The slow reveal and intertwining of the two seemingly disparate narratives is so well done. Without getting spoilery, I loved how one of the original characters was brought to full life with just a few strokes, such that you recognized her right away when she appeared years later.
Highly recommended! -
Exceeded my expectations and now I need a sequel!!!
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The Winter Soldier: Cold Front is as much a Marvel antihero story as it is a historical spy thriller set in two time war-torn time periods: 1941 and 1954. This is comic book Bucky Barnes, but fans of the MCU will still find an excellent tale of teen angst, trauma, memory, and true patriotism.
Even if you don't care for Marvel or comic book hero stories, The Winter Soldier: Cold Front is a superb upper-YA adventure. It's dark and violent and filled with WWII and Cold War-era espionage dark and violent. It's also of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read. -
Review to come later.
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This was good but I’m unsatisfied I want more
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I am a sucker for Marvel and even more so for Bucky (and if you don't love him you're the problem sorry - kidding obviously) - I have read other works by Lee before and had an idea what to expect, but I still was pleasantly surprised by this one. Full of action and humor this is exactly what I expect of a story about Bucky.
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Thank you to Netgalley and DisneyPublishing for this arc. Bucky/Winter Soldier is one of my favorites. This story captured the character really well and helped show a story we don’t usually get to see from him. There was action and mystery and a familiar face popping up was amazing.
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If you’re a Marvel fan and a Bucky stan, you’ll likely enjoy this one. This was an awesome multiversal, non-MCU-canon take on Bucky’s origin story and what life might have been like for him in the early years as The Winter Soldier.
I really enjoyed the introduction of Imogen Fleming and the parallels she had to Bucky’s own story. I thought their relationship blossoming between the two time periods was well-written, and I enjoyed how she made an impact on Bucky’s story in the course of this novel.
The intro to Steve was interesting! Wish there would have been more, but hey, you can fill in the blanks.
I felt like there were some continuity troubles throughout, certain things that felt important to discuss were skimmed over, especially with the 1941 timeline and how the SOE dealt with Bucky’s shenanigans.
But dang. The author really nailed Bucky’s trauma and the tragedy of his story. I loved reading from his point of view as The Winter Soldier and that ending! I kept trying to turn the page for more but there was nothing 😭 I love Bucky and his tragic story and it makes me want to go watch his MCU redemption arc like now.
Very enjoyable read! 4/5 stars
**I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.** -
I love James Buchanan Barnes with all of my heart and soul so getting an ARC of this book was such a great surprise. I felt like Lee’s Bucky was spot on. He was smoldering and unyielding in the 1954 timeline and the sarcastic, charming troublemaker in the 1941. I could absolutely see Sebastian Stan saying all this dialogue. Both timelines were so well done, plot wise. I really enjoyed seeing the different sides of James Barnes. There were a lot of great action scenes and witty humor and sweet moments…and then that ending. I had tears just streaming down my face as I was nearing it. Even though I know Bucky’s story and the trauma he endures, it was still so brutal and heartbreaking to see on the pages. Lee really packed an emotional gut punch with this one. I’m not sure why I was expecting this to be a middle grade children’s book, but it’s more geared towards older YA/adults. Which, for the story, makes perfect sense. I thought it was really well done.
TW: mentions of torture, mentions of suicide, medical experiments, violence, death
Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Books and Marvel Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. -
"The Winter Solider: Cold Front" is an exciting story that follows The Winter Soldier, aka James "Bucky" Barnes," in 1941 before he becomes Captain America's sidekick and in 1954 during one of his Winter Solider missions. I love Captain America, but I truly enjoyed and appreciated this story of Bucky without him. Bucky/The Winter Solider is such an intriguing character, and this story digs into his character and memory loss in interesting ways. I was engrossed in the story and rooting for him to regain his memories. There's a romance here that's bittersweet and touching. I'd love to read more of Lee's take on the character because the plot, characters, and tone of the story worked so well together. It's a stunning take on a superhero story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review. -
A big thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
*excited screaming* BUCKY! MY BOUNCING BABY BOY! What have they done to you?
He's back and not so much better than ever. The Winter Soldier: Cold Front by Mackenzie Lee is a YA novelization/continuation of the beloved yet deadly story of the MCU's Winter Solider. Aka James Buchanan Barnes. Aka Bucky Barnes. Aka my favorite character right next to Loki. In Lee's novel, we get to see more of the human side of the Winter Solider, with an explanation to his backstory and more on who Bucky was before the whole train incident. As well as the general struggle he faces when trying to discern to two parts of his life: Bucky Barnes and the Winter Solider.
Overall, I thought this was a great novel in the sense of giving Bucky more room to breathe and become a character beyond the movie screen. But I feel like some parts of the book was just unnecessary and took up more space on the page.
Regardless, I was just happy to see my precious baby bean back in action.
