Radioactive Evolution (Radioactive Evolution, #1)

by Richard Hummel

• ISBN10: 173233742X
• ISBN13: 9781732337428
• Publish Date: 16 November 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Richard Hummel
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 482
• Language: English

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

Are you a fan of epic urban fantasy, futurist science fiction, video games and dystopian with dragons this is the perfect book for you. In a world that has been infested with mutations from radioactive posioning you have the lower class that is barely surviving. While the wealthy upper-class hang out in airborne islands. This first book spends a lot of time setting up the relationship between our main dragon Scarlet, who I adore, with all her sass. And the human she bonds with named Jared. They have a great dialogue throughout the story.

The rest of this book also focuses on the establishment of a new colony of what is deemed waterfolk that are rescued from some serious mind control of a water dragon named Razel. Once the colony is moved and established then Jared and Scarlet set out to the center of the earth so to speak to bring her brothers out of hibernation. In hopes, they will bond with the waterfolk and help them to take back control of their cities from the floating islands.

There a lot of information to process as you read through this story but it was written so well that you are totally lost in the story. The science fiction parts are not overwhelming nor do they distract from the story. I really like the aspect of the video game as Jared and Scarlet are enhancing themselves to take on psycho rabbits and at times really weird worms.

I really enjoyed this book for one main reason it different very different from what I normally read. It stands out in the fact that it combines a variety of genres in a wonderful, engaging adventure. The author did an amazing job it a fresh take on the GameLit genre with a great nod to descriptions and world building. I can’t wait to see what happens now that we have Scarlet brothers added into the mix. Should make a very interesting tale.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Gilded Wolves through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Richard Hummel’s debut novel, Radioactive Evolution is nothing like anything else I’ve read. It’s a LitRPG, something I didn’t even know excised before now. It’s also a true sci-fi novel. It also throws in a dash of dystopian and action-adventure for good measure.
A LitRPG is short for Literary Role Playing Game. And it pretty much is exactly what it sounds like. It combines the conventions of science fiction and fantasy novels with the structures of role playing games. Sometimes the combinations are obvious, while other times it can be a bit more subtle.



Radioactive Evolution was an interesting reading experience. I mentioned above that I had never even heard of LitRPG before now, and that’s true. I certainly never had read anything like it before. That alone made this a fascinating adventure.
The familiar elements allowed the story in Radioactive Evolution to move along at a faster pace than it otherwise would have. By making it feel like a game it immediately connected games to an instinctive set of rules. This let Richard Hummel skip steps in his storytelling; skipping ahead to the more interesting elements.
The best way to explain the ups and downs in pacing would be to compare it to a video game. There are the quick action sequences, but then there’s also the part where you have to plan out your equipment and upgrades. Each part is necessary to have a chance at succeeding in the boss fight. That’s really the same concept here; we’re watching Jared prep for his boss fight.
I’ll admit that it took me some time to warm up to Scarlet. At first, her appearance was so sudden, that while I found her to be fairly awesome in the literal sense, I just wasn’t emotionally attached to her. That did change with time.
I actually didn’t know that Radioactive Evolution was a LitRPG from reading the blurb, but in a way, I’m glad I didn’t know that going into it. It gave me the unexpected chance to read something completely new. Ironically I picked up the novel because I was craving something more like Fallout 4. As in, I was craving a book to read like a video game. Hit the nail on the head, huh?
As far as debut novels go, this was a really strong one. I can’t wait to see what Richard Hummel will come up with next. And I’ll certainly be curious to see what genre the next book will be in.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks