Book Title: Radioactive Evolution
Author: Richard Hummel
Genre: Science Fiction, LitRPG
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Publicist / ARC
Goodreads Summary: How far would you go to change humanity's fate?
Jared Cartwright has spent the last two years delving into the twisted, scarred wastelands of an earth ravaged by nuclear war. The rich and powerful have taken to the oceans and skies on floating utopias, escaping destruction and leaving the rest of humanity to fend off the mutated creatures that roam the earth.
To face his new reality, Jared must become an apex predator if he hopes to survive. He must evolve beyond human limitations to confront those that left mankind to die.
Jared's quest takes a new turn when he discovers dragons are real.
What did I think?
I noticed this book on Amazon because of its striking cover, and was quite intrigued, which is why, when the publicist e-mailed me, I immediately agreed to give it a try.
I'll admit it's a bit outside my comfort zone, overall. Since, I don't really read LitRPG, which is quite different compared to my regular dystopian / sci-fi reads.
It took me a while to get into the story. Hummel's world is complex, detailed, well-built, and the learning curve throughout the first few chapters is overwhelming, and there are quite a few info-dumps, that can't be avoided. Once the story gets going the pacing is on point, and it's hard to put the book down.
Now: dragons! In a post-apocalyptic world. The best of fantasy and the best of sci-fi combined. The dragon, Scarlet, and Jared talk to each other via telepathy, and it took me a while to get used to that. They're constantly in touch, constantly speaking to each other, and it's almost like an internal dialogue for Jared, only with a dragon.
Jared is an excellent main character, fleshed out, somebody the reader can care for, but it's Scarlet that will steal your heart. Their bond is sweet and I liked watching it grow.
One of the LitRPG elements didn't work too well for me: they were constantly attacked, usually resulting in a boss fight after clearing the mob. Of course, that's what a LitRPG fan would expect, and I do recommend those definitely give it a try.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy LitRPG, who've always hoped we'd one day find out dragons have been here all along, and people who want to read something non-traditional, more experimental.
I noticed this book on Amazon because of its striking cover, and was quite intrigued, which is why, when the publicist e-mailed me, I immediately agreed to give it a try.
I'll admit it's a bit outside my comfort zone, overall. Since, I don't really read LitRPG, which is quite different compared to my regular dystopian / sci-fi reads.
It took me a while to get into the story. Hummel's world is complex, detailed, well-built, and the learning curve throughout the first few chapters is overwhelming, and there are quite a few info-dumps, that can't be avoided. Once the story gets going the pacing is on point, and it's hard to put the book down.
Now: dragons! In a post-apocalyptic world. The best of fantasy and the best of sci-fi combined. The dragon, Scarlet, and Jared talk to each other via telepathy, and it took me a while to get used to that. They're constantly in touch, constantly speaking to each other, and it's almost like an internal dialogue for Jared, only with a dragon.
Jared is an excellent main character, fleshed out, somebody the reader can care for, but it's Scarlet that will steal your heart. Their bond is sweet and I liked watching it grow.
One of the LitRPG elements didn't work too well for me: they were constantly attacked, usually resulting in a boss fight after clearing the mob. Of course, that's what a LitRPG fan would expect, and I do recommend those definitely give it a try.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy LitRPG, who've always hoped we'd one day find out dragons have been here all along, and people who want to read something non-traditional, more experimental.
A friend from work has recommended Hummel to me before. I'm still a bit hesitant because this isn't my normal genre, but if you can branch out maybe I can too!
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