Quantum Radio

First sentence: In an auditorium at CERN, Tyson Klein stood behind a wooden podium, watching his colleagues arrive. It was the end of the workday, and most seemed tired.

Premise/plot: Tyson (Ty) Klein is one of four protagonists in A.G. Riddle's newest science fiction thriller. His newest discovery proves dangerous. The day he reveals his latest research, an attempt is made on his life. He flees to the United States with the help of his father. But it comes at a cost. The powers that be in the U.S. don't want him so closely involved in the project--even if it does rely heavily on his research. Both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" want to be the first to build and use a quantum radio. No one is quite sure exactly, exactly what it will show more do...but there is this race to be first.

When it is turned on or dialed, Ty and three companions are transported to an alternate universe--one of many in the multi-verse. They have a mission to solve though none of the four know what it is they are supposed to be doing. But they get an idea that that world--at least--will end within the week if they don't stop it from ending.

My thoughts: This one had all the elements that you would think I would naturally love, love, love. It reminded me in many ways of one of my favorite, favorite all-time favorite television shows that was cancelled way too soon. Perhaps because I kept thinking of that show--its twists and turns--I had a harder time connecting with the book in hand. That plus my natural skepticism/realism when it comes to "good guys" and "bad guys" in science fiction. There are obvious-obvious bad-guys, no doubt, but I'm not personally sure that the from-the-future-in-an-alternate-universe "good" guys are being 100% honest and straightforward.

This one stayed a strong "almost" for me for most of the novel. I think if the plot was a little tighter, perhaps, I would have loved it more? Or maybe I just need it to be a television show. show less

I listened to the audio version narrated by Ray Porter (who does a great job). I really liked the first 3/4's, but the ending was a bit weak for me. I didn't really care for the whole 'big reveal'. Up until that point, there was plenty of intrigue, action, and mystery. I found the characters likeable, except for the musician. Her character development was shaky at best. The only other A.G. Riddle book I've read is Lost in Time and the ending was kind of letdown on that too.

The other reviews here leave some good criticism regarding contrived dialogue and awkward exposition. I’m willing to forgive Riddle that because, contrived and awkward notwithstanding, those scenes do advance the plot and more-or-less keep the pace of the tale going. It does seem to flag a little bit at times, which is mildly annoying, but in my view didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. I liked the main characters, which are flawed and relatable, and the overall premise combines sci-fi tropes in an entertaining way. Riddle sets us up for a sequel or 10, and I, for one, am looking forward to them.

Very fast read. Initial development quite good, but tailed off and (temporary - first of a series?) resolution was unsatisfying. I found the female characterisations weak especially the artist. I think it would have been better if the characters were young adults and the book aimed at them as despite the science and history included, it read like a comic book adventure. I did like that he started WWII in 1937, rather than at the entry of Europe or the even later entry of USA into the conflict.
Those into conspiracy theories might also enjoy this book.

The first in a series, but has a concrete ending.

This book is like a 3.5.

My first book by A.G. Riddle, it's pretty good. Full of big ideas, good plot twists, solid interpersonal scenes, characters with discernable texture. But the infodumps - they're without parallel. At one point, two characters literally read half a century of world history from a museum display and later, another character reads the national history book to fill in the section that had been missing in the museum. This covered 10s of pages.

I'll probably give book 2 a chance, though I'm probably not going to go back and try out earlier books by the author.

Quantum Radio by A. G. Riddle has an intriguing premise: A quantum physicist working on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN discovers information encoded into the debris from high-energy particle collisions. I find the development of the idea less successful than the setup. To say more would lead to spoilers. 3.5 stars.

definitely an attempt to be crichton-esque, but for me, it lacked the focus and propulsion that his books always had, for better or for worse -- without spoiling the book, it's just such a sprawling story and it just feels like the 500 pages the author used to set up what is clearly meant to be a series could've been better used