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derek

Hey friends! I'm Derek, a soon-to-be debut novelist. Looking forward to connecting! Check out my own work at drobbooks.com

110 points

0% overlap
Level 2
Reading...Blacktop Wasteland
My Taste
Project Hail Mary
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Gone World
Recursion
Dark Matter

derek finished reading and wrote a review...

1w
  • Quantum Radio
    derek
    Apr 16, 2025
    3.5
    Enjoyment: 3.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 3.5Plot: 3.5
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    ✈️

    Quantum Radio is a fun sci-fi thriller. This story is what I would call hard science fiction. We're not making a few small jumps to suspend disbelief here; we're diving head-first into quantum physics to carry out a story that, at many junctures, feels too contrived. This story relies on quite a few fantastic coincidences for characters being in the right (or wrong) places at the wrong times. The first half of this story really captivated me. Tyson Klein makes a breakthrough scientific discovery, only to shortly thereafter find himself in a world of trouble. It's a break-neck pace that keeps you turning the pages. The story reaches what feels like a first climax around halfway through, and then... well, it feels like it undergoes a complete makeover. It becomes a deep dive into an alternate historical fiction, in a world where our very history is drastically changed. It didn't lose me, but it felt like it morphed its identity a bit. And without revealing anything as a spoiler, I will just say that the ultimate resolution of the story might have the reader saying... "Really? That worked?" I think A.G. Riddle wrote a fun story here. I think it lost its way at times, and I wasn't totally satisfied with the ending. But it was a fun read. 71% Derek Dragonfruits! 🐉🍉

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  • derek finished reading and wrote a review...

    3w
  • The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)
    derek
    Mar 30, 2025
    4.5
    Enjoyment: 4.5Quality: 4.5Characters: 4.5Plot: 4.0
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    ⚔️
    ✝️

    The Pale Horseman is an excellent follow-up to The Last Kingdom. Being a big fan of the Netflix series, I have a prior bias toward this series by Bernard Cornwell. There are times when the plot moves a bit slowly in this book, but Cornwell's illustration of 9th century Wessex and the journey of Uhtred (an awesome character) is thoroughly enjoyable. He has that Game of Thrones style "nobody is safe" narrative in his stories, many of which are grounded in real history. I appreciate the afterwords in these novels that explain which elements are historically accurate and which were created as fictional devices. Bernard Cornwell is a master with his battle scenes. They are gory and graphic, but they recreate the battlefield experience and reel you in. Show-related note: Books #1 and #2 in The Saxon Stories only map to Season 1 of The Last Kingdom show. From what I hear, Books #3 and #4 map to Season 2. After that, there is some variance, but many key events are still lined up, roughly 2 books per 1 season. I'll certainly be continuing with these novels! Verdict: 83% Derek Dragonfruits 🐉🍈!

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  • derek earned a badge

    3w
    Level 2

    Level 2

    100 points

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    derek set their yearly reading goal to 12

    4w

    derek's 2025 Reading Challenge

    4 of 12 read
    The Lincoln Highway
    In Plain Sight
    The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)
    Quantum Radio
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    derek wants to read...

    4w
    Between the World and Me

    Between the World and Me

    Ta-Nehisi Coates

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    derek wants to read...

    4w
    The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)

    The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)

    James Islington

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    derek wants to read...

    4w
    All Better Now

    All Better Now

    Neal Shusterman

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    derek commented on a post

    4w
  • Project Hail Mary
    Thoughts from 72%
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