Douglas E. Richards
Author of Wired
About the Author
Douglas E. Richards is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of Wired, its sequel Amped, The Cure, Mind's Eye, Quantum Lens and six other middle grade adventures. He incorporates action, suspense, and science into his novels. He earned a BS in microbiology from Ohio State university, show more a master's degree in genetic engineering from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He put all that knowledge to work as a biotech executive. He soon began writing science fiction. In recognition of his work, Douglas was selected to be a "special guest" at San Diego Comic-Con International, along with such icons as Stan Lee and Ray Bradbury. He has written numerous feature articles for the award-winning magazine, National Geographic KIDS. His title Split Second made the Self-Published Best Seller List in 2017. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Douglas E. Richards
Unidentified 17 copies
The Rift 8 copies
The Rift: A Science-Fiction Thriller 5 copies
The Rift 2 5 copies
Nexus: A Science-Fiction Thriller 4 copies
Echoes of Time 3 copies
Das galaktische Orakel 1 copy
Echoes of Deceit 1 copy
Echoes of the Fall 1 copy
Visions of the Future 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Richards, Douglas Elliot
- Birthdate
- 1962-05-07
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Chicago (MBA)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (MS - Molecular Biology)
Ohio State University (BS- Microbiology) - Occupations
- science fiction writer
biotechnology executive - Short biography
- Douglas is an ex-biotechnology executive who has written extensively for National Geographic KIDS magazine and American Fencing Magazine. He has a wife of 18 years, a boy and a girl, and two dogs.
Douglas is the author of The Prometheus Project Series, TRAPPED, CAPTURED, and STRANDED. The books were reissued with new covers (and in the case of CAPTURED, a bonus chapter) in May of 2010.Douglas E. Richards (born May 7, 1962) is an American writer, primarily of science fiction and both nonfiction and fiction for children.
Richards grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from Finneytown High School, in Ohio, in 1980. He obtained a B.S. in microbiology from Ohio State University before getting a master's degree in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and two children.
George Noory wrote, "Douglas E. Richards has been widely praised for his ability to weave action, suspense, and science into riveting novels that brilliantly straddle the thriller and science fiction genres." - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
Douglas E. Richards is known for his mind-bending science fiction thrillers that are a touch different from the mainstream variety, not to mention a penchant for throwing in unexpected twists that will leave you reeling. I finally got the chance to experience Richards' work for myself with his newest technothriller The Cure, and it appears that his knack for storytelling has not been exaggerated.
But first, readers should be aware that the prologue contains extremely graphic and brutal show more violence. I had a very hard time getting through it myself, and was tempted to skip the entire scene all together. However, as abhorrent as it was, this section served its purpose -- we are introduced to the main character Erin Palmer, whose entire life was shaped by a severely traumatic experience with a psychopath when she was just eleven years old.
Now a grad student, Erin has dedicated much of her life to studying and trying to understand psychopathy. When her research attracts the attention of neuroscientist Hugh Raborn who contacts her with a possible treatment and ultimately a cure for the condition, one would think Erin would be over the moon. And yet, she is troubled by the ethical implications of a such a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, not to mention her suspicions that Raborn isn't being completely honest with her.
Then, enter the HUGE twist. Let's just say I spent a lot of time during the first third of this book scratching my head trying to figure out where the "science fiction" aspect comes in with regards to the plot. Granted, the author gets innovative and very high-tech when it comes to the science and medical theory, but up to this point, The Cure came across as more of a suspense-thriller. Suffice to say, everything changed when Richards drops a huge bombshell, at once giving me my sci-fi fix and taking the story in a direction I never would have seen coming in a million years!
For obvious reasons, I can't say much more pertaining to this development without revealing any major spoilers, and really, where would be the fun in that! If the book's plot sounds intriguing to you though, I do encourage you to check it out; albeit I admit I was initially skeptical over this new turn of events, they gradually grew on me. By the end of the revelation I was at least curious enough and willing to go along to see where Richards will take me, and it's a good thing I did because the rest of the book can only be described as one wild ride -- emphasis on wild. If nothing else, this twist has definitely piqued my interest in the author's other books.
When first faced with the driving pace and unique blend of suspense and science in The Cure, one of my earliest thoughts was that Douglas E. Richards' style reminds me very much of the late Michael Crichton's. It also came as no surprise when I finished the book and did some further reading to discover that many others have also made the same comparison. The writing took some time to get used to, since at times it was awkward and seemed almost didactic in nature, but it is clear Richards knows what he's talking about. I am no molecular biologist like the author, nor am I well-versed in fields like quantum physics or psychology, but he took some very complex theories and made it straightforward enough to make the story compelling, and for me to understand that there is a lot at stake.
The book wraps up nicely, which is astounding in light of the widely different subjects involved as well as multiple twists in the plot. The story is suspenseful, audacious and a lot of fun, especially if you're a fan of the kind of science-fiction thrillers by authors like Crichton or Douglas Preston. Once in a while, a book like this comes along and shakes up my reading list, which is something I can appreciate, and on top of that, it gave me plenty to think about. show less
But first, readers should be aware that the prologue contains extremely graphic and brutal show more violence. I had a very hard time getting through it myself, and was tempted to skip the entire scene all together. However, as abhorrent as it was, this section served its purpose -- we are introduced to the main character Erin Palmer, whose entire life was shaped by a severely traumatic experience with a psychopath when she was just eleven years old.
Now a grad student, Erin has dedicated much of her life to studying and trying to understand psychopathy. When her research attracts the attention of neuroscientist Hugh Raborn who contacts her with a possible treatment and ultimately a cure for the condition, one would think Erin would be over the moon. And yet, she is troubled by the ethical implications of a such a revolutionary scientific breakthrough, not to mention her suspicions that Raborn isn't being completely honest with her.
Then, enter the HUGE twist. Let's just say I spent a lot of time during the first third of this book scratching my head trying to figure out where the "science fiction" aspect comes in with regards to the plot. Granted, the author gets innovative and very high-tech when it comes to the science and medical theory, but up to this point, The Cure came across as more of a suspense-thriller. Suffice to say, everything changed when Richards drops a huge bombshell, at once giving me my sci-fi fix and taking the story in a direction I never would have seen coming in a million years!
For obvious reasons, I can't say much more pertaining to this development without revealing any major spoilers, and really, where would be the fun in that! If the book's plot sounds intriguing to you though, I do encourage you to check it out; albeit I admit I was initially skeptical over this new turn of events, they gradually grew on me. By the end of the revelation I was at least curious enough and willing to go along to see where Richards will take me, and it's a good thing I did because the rest of the book can only be described as one wild ride -- emphasis on wild. If nothing else, this twist has definitely piqued my interest in the author's other books.
When first faced with the driving pace and unique blend of suspense and science in The Cure, one of my earliest thoughts was that Douglas E. Richards' style reminds me very much of the late Michael Crichton's. It also came as no surprise when I finished the book and did some further reading to discover that many others have also made the same comparison. The writing took some time to get used to, since at times it was awkward and seemed almost didactic in nature, but it is clear Richards knows what he's talking about. I am no molecular biologist like the author, nor am I well-versed in fields like quantum physics or psychology, but he took some very complex theories and made it straightforward enough to make the story compelling, and for me to understand that there is a lot at stake.
The book wraps up nicely, which is astounding in light of the widely different subjects involved as well as multiple twists in the plot. The story is suspenseful, audacious and a lot of fun, especially if you're a fan of the kind of science-fiction thrillers by authors like Crichton or Douglas Preston. Once in a while, a book like this comes along and shakes up my reading list, which is something I can appreciate, and on top of that, it gave me plenty to think about. show less
What I probably liked best about his 4-5 star science fiction story is that it hints of golden age Heinlein or Asimov while skipping the golden age's glaring foibles. In those days, science fiction writers were often like having teachers of future science telling you an exciting story about how it will be, THEN. That, and I think Mr. Richards wants to test the idea of how long he can get a reader to hold their breath.
The author, or editor, knows commercial fiction rules, like… something show more has to be happening at least every other page. This makes the book an extremely fast and exciting read. This is the case with Wired.
In retrospect, the prologue seems odd at best. Introduce one of you main characters with a false name being betrayed by one of the bodyguards she hired to guard her. No doubt that turned out to be a solid hook dragging you quickly into the book, but looking back, it seems irrelevant, except for the mighty fact it does drag you over lumps and bumps well into the story.
The story starts proper with another of our main characters, David Desh, an ex-special forces soldier, being asked by a top tier black ops officer, Col. Jim Connely to come in and consult on an operation their black operatives have already failed more than once. This alerts us that David is extraordinary and he's being asked to do a job his fellow special ops buddies have already failed. It tells us just by the meeting that the Colonel in charge believes David Desh is uniquely qualified to do the job. Then we learn rather quickly that the mission is a higher priority than trying to stop UFOs from messing with our nuclear arsenal.
The threat is Kira Miller, a genius who was of Einstein quality when she was ten, who's gifts with biology and genetics is far above the best in the field. That is before she finds a way to enhance her intelligence. What has the black ops office dragging in one of his best ex-operators, is this genius is working with terrorist and the kinds of things she reportedly can do with genetics and bio-weapons would frighten a psychopath. Imagine a virulent airborne virus genetically engineered to kill anyone who ingests pork, but is harmless to those who don't partake.
This isn't the fright, although the idea is examined, but it outlines the kind of threat this woman is. That…, and her mother, father, brother, and ex-boss have all been murdered by her. Oh, she took out both six men special ops teams sent after her like they were flies and she had industrial bug spray aleady waiting for them.
Straight off, this series promises to be exciting.
There are some rookie writer things that can be distracting. Pro writers teach rookies, "show, don't tell". After you're told "she's dangerous" more times than grandpa pees every hour, you're ready to "see" her being dangerous. As if learning on the job our author does get the hang of it, but it seems cliche and too much telling for my tastes, but in his favor, Mr. Richards seems to have figured it out by the end of the novel. That or you're just too breathless to notice anymore.
What Mr. Richards does have going for him start to finish is he doesn't "Just want to write" nor "Just be commercially successful". He wants to share and explore ideas as if he were a golden age Sci Fi writer. In those golden days the stories were often primarily about "the idea" or the psuedo science they hoped would come to be real science. There is a lot of Heinlein like character introspection or interaction that is really about opening the reader's mind to some of the exciting ideas that can be sparked by current research. In the process Mr. Richards examines morality of his "what-if" ideas.
So, in addition to having an exciting action adventure science fiction story, you have a scientist pondering if advancing their science is good or evil, right or wrong. How it can go wrong and how great it might be if it doesn't go wrong.
Read (and listened) over 5 session from on four days between Thursday, September 26, 2019 and Tuesday, October 08, 2019. This review if of both ebook and eAudiobook with special thanks to narrator Peter Berkrot.
The author, or editor, knows commercial fiction rules, like… something show more has to be happening at least every other page. This makes the book an extremely fast and exciting read. This is the case with Wired.
In retrospect, the prologue seems odd at best. Introduce one of you main characters with a false name being betrayed by one of the bodyguards she hired to guard her. No doubt that turned out to be a solid hook dragging you quickly into the book, but looking back, it seems irrelevant, except for the mighty fact it does drag you over lumps and bumps well into the story.
The story starts proper with another of our main characters, David Desh, an ex-special forces soldier, being asked by a top tier black ops officer, Col. Jim Connely to come in and consult on an operation their black operatives have already failed more than once. This alerts us that David is extraordinary and he's being asked to do a job his fellow special ops buddies have already failed. It tells us just by the meeting that the Colonel in charge believes David Desh is uniquely qualified to do the job. Then we learn rather quickly that the mission is a higher priority than trying to stop UFOs from messing with our nuclear arsenal.
The threat is Kira Miller, a genius who was of Einstein quality when she was ten, who's gifts with biology and genetics is far above the best in the field. That is before she finds a way to enhance her intelligence. What has the black ops office dragging in one of his best ex-operators, is this genius is working with terrorist and the kinds of things she reportedly can do with genetics and bio-weapons would frighten a psychopath. Imagine a virulent airborne virus genetically engineered to kill anyone who ingests pork, but is harmless to those who don't partake.
This isn't the fright, although the idea is examined, but it outlines the kind of threat this woman is. That…, and her mother, father, brother, and ex-boss have all been murdered by her. Oh, she took out both six men special ops teams sent after her like they were flies and she had industrial bug spray aleady waiting for them.
Straight off, this series promises to be exciting.
There are some rookie writer things that can be distracting. Pro writers teach rookies, "show, don't tell". After you're told "she's dangerous" more times than grandpa pees every hour, you're ready to "see" her being dangerous. As if learning on the job our author does get the hang of it, but it seems cliche and too much telling for my tastes, but in his favor, Mr. Richards seems to have figured it out by the end of the novel. That or you're just too breathless to notice anymore.
What Mr. Richards does have going for him start to finish is he doesn't "Just want to write" nor "Just be commercially successful". He wants to share and explore ideas as if he were a golden age Sci Fi writer. In those golden days the stories were often primarily about "the idea" or the psuedo science they hoped would come to be real science. There is a lot of Heinlein like character introspection or interaction that is really about opening the reader's mind to some of the exciting ideas that can be sparked by current research. In the process Mr. Richards examines morality of his "what-if" ideas.
So, in addition to having an exciting action adventure science fiction story, you have a scientist pondering if advancing their science is good or evil, right or wrong. How it can go wrong and how great it might be if it doesn't go wrong.
Read (and listened) over 5 session from on four days between Thursday, September 26, 2019 and Tuesday, October 08, 2019. This review if of both ebook and eAudiobook with special thanks to narrator Peter Berkrot.
- 9780982618486 (ebook),
- 9781452626987 (eAudiobook),
- Library of Congress
Einstein had a Theory but not the Time
Nathan Wexler is a physics mastermind, on parallel with Newton, Einstein and Faraday. He's just completed a unique mathematical proof that will change the course of humankind.
Jenna Morrison is a top-notch geneticist who happens to be madly in love with Wexler. Although incredibly bright herself, she feels as if she pales in comparison to the light of Wexler's genius.
Wexler and Morrison receive a mysterious phone call after he published an outline of his show more theory on the internet. Approached by what they think is a very aggressive potential investor, they soon find themselves kidnapped.
In the ensuing struggles, Jenna manages to escape but witnesses Wexler's brutal assassination. Heartbroken, and determined to get to the bottom of the cesspool of criminals after her, Jenna hires ex-military P.I. Mike Blake.
The reminder of the book is an astonishing look at a new way to perceive space time and how Governments and people without ethics would handle this new technology.
It is also a hold your breath, close your eyes, muffle the shrieks and try not to allow your dinner to come back up most tension filled story I've read in ages. Douglas Richards knows his science but, man, can he write a thriller! show less
Nathan Wexler is a physics mastermind, on parallel with Newton, Einstein and Faraday. He's just completed a unique mathematical proof that will change the course of humankind.
Jenna Morrison is a top-notch geneticist who happens to be madly in love with Wexler. Although incredibly bright herself, she feels as if she pales in comparison to the light of Wexler's genius.
Wexler and Morrison receive a mysterious phone call after he published an outline of his show more theory on the internet. Approached by what they think is a very aggressive potential investor, they soon find themselves kidnapped.
In the ensuing struggles, Jenna manages to escape but witnesses Wexler's brutal assassination. Heartbroken, and determined to get to the bottom of the cesspool of criminals after her, Jenna hires ex-military P.I. Mike Blake.
The reminder of the book is an astonishing look at a new way to perceive space time and how Governments and people without ethics would handle this new technology.
It is also a hold your breath, close your eyes, muffle the shrieks and try not to allow your dinner to come back up most tension filled story I've read in ages. Douglas Richards knows his science but, man, can he write a thriller! show less
The new trite in technothrillers?
Game Changer is a near-future science thriller, as brilliant neuroscientist Rachel Howard and Secret Service agent Kevin Quinn rush to stop a madman intent on using a game-changing technology to his own evil ends.
The book is well-paced, filled with narrow escapes and numerous twists. While the general theme – the good and bad of messing with people’s memory – comes through from the very beginning, Richards provides an early twist that caught me show more off-guard and sets the tone for the rest of the book. If there is a downside on pacing and plot flow, it’s that these general reversals of position become a bit repetitious, i.e., the good guys think they have everything in hand until we find that the villain is still a step ahead, over and over. One or two fewer reversals would have worked for me.
Douglas Richards is a master at blurring the line between cutting-edge scientific research and suspenseful fiction, which is always a winner with me. Nothing increases the pucker factor like not knowing whether I need to be on guard now…or if I can sleep tonight. But I was also reminded that this technique achieves its full impact only if the reader knows something of the relevant science, and in this case, I was not aware of some of the specific neuroscience developments he was building upon. So, as strange as this may sound, I got an even greater appreciation for the book by reading the author’s note at the end and checking some of the references. If you are a techno-geek like me, I recommend it.
Perhaps I am reading too much in this genre, however, as I am becoming somewhat tired of heroes who are so atypical as to be more unreal than the technology that is supposed to be at the center of the suspense. Take neuroscientist Rachel Howard. Being a neuroscientist is somewhat distinctive by itself. Then take the fact that she is so brilliant that she is by all accounts years ahead of her peers – yes, years – but is still humble and personable. I realize that no one wants to read about the exploits of their neighborhood tax accountant, but a story with a few characters that weren’t super-geniuses or beyond world-class athletes or super-secret spooks might be nice. Six-sigma personalities have become the new trite of technothrillers.
Even taking into account these minor peeves, which are probably mostly unique to me, I still found Game Changer a completely fascinating read, making me wonder anew which of the many variants of this game-changing technology we will see in our future. Because, it will be one of them. show less
Game Changer is a near-future science thriller, as brilliant neuroscientist Rachel Howard and Secret Service agent Kevin Quinn rush to stop a madman intent on using a game-changing technology to his own evil ends.
The book is well-paced, filled with narrow escapes and numerous twists. While the general theme – the good and bad of messing with people’s memory – comes through from the very beginning, Richards provides an early twist that caught me show more off-guard and sets the tone for the rest of the book. If there is a downside on pacing and plot flow, it’s that these general reversals of position become a bit repetitious, i.e., the good guys think they have everything in hand until we find that the villain is still a step ahead, over and over. One or two fewer reversals would have worked for me.
Douglas Richards is a master at blurring the line between cutting-edge scientific research and suspenseful fiction, which is always a winner with me. Nothing increases the pucker factor like not knowing whether I need to be on guard now…or if I can sleep tonight. But I was also reminded that this technique achieves its full impact only if the reader knows something of the relevant science, and in this case, I was not aware of some of the specific neuroscience developments he was building upon. So, as strange as this may sound, I got an even greater appreciation for the book by reading the author’s note at the end and checking some of the references. If you are a techno-geek like me, I recommend it.
Perhaps I am reading too much in this genre, however, as I am becoming somewhat tired of heroes who are so atypical as to be more unreal than the technology that is supposed to be at the center of the suspense. Take neuroscientist Rachel Howard. Being a neuroscientist is somewhat distinctive by itself. Then take the fact that she is so brilliant that she is by all accounts years ahead of her peers – yes, years – but is still humble and personable. I realize that no one wants to read about the exploits of their neighborhood tax accountant, but a story with a few characters that weren’t super-geniuses or beyond world-class athletes or super-secret spooks might be nice. Six-sigma personalities have become the new trite of technothrillers.
Even taking into account these minor peeves, which are probably mostly unique to me, I still found Game Changer a completely fascinating read, making me wonder anew which of the many variants of this game-changing technology we will see in our future. Because, it will be one of them. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 41
- Members
- 2,530
- Popularity
- #10,144
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 240
- ISBNs
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