The Derelict: First Wave

by Daniel Young

Ancient tech. Lost history. A mission buried in silence.Salvager Massey has seen plenty of strange things in deep space... but nothing like the massive, silent vessel drifting near the edge of known territory. No heat. No life signs. Just a relic from a war no one's ever heard of.

Then the ship powers on.

Trapped inside a labyrinth of deadly alien technology with a crew on edge and systems that seem to have a mind of their own, Massey must figure out what the ship wants... and what it will destroy.

IT'S NOT ABANDONED. IT'S HUNTING.

But Massey and crew aren't alone for long. Others are interested in the ship. Raiders are closing in. A cold war is heating up. And something terrifying is waking in the dark.

Welcome aboard the Vanguard. Pray it doesn’t remember what it was built to do.

Genres: Science Fiction

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

This entry is for the scifi fiction author.

Reviews

[Slugpuppy3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed FIRST WAVE, Book 1 of THE DERELICT. It is a fast paced, shoot-em-up space adventure. Cole and Quinn are determined to salvage an alien derelict ship, but the ship has different ideas. Of course, the alien ship’s AI is crazy as a Mad Hatter so who knows what will happen?
WARNING: this book ends with a cliffhanger.
I received an ARC of this book with no strings attached.

[Manie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually came to like the two main characters, Quin and Cole. Erstwhile criminals, now salvagers in space of derelict spaceships or parts thereof.
And they do quite well seeing the big and grand salvaging ship they have and operate.
But it is when they came across a really sleek spaceship, obviously a derelict, abandoned.
Except the ship came alive by itself and all hell breaks loose.
The Derelict: First Wave by author Daniel Young is a first in a new series in which Earth is about to get targeted by an alien fleet and Armageddon is about to break out.
Of course, the plot and action certainly guarantees non stop reading by mesmerised readers. Take note!
Enjoy

[Carol Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cole & Quinn, a salvage crew, find a derelict ship in space. Who would have suspected that it was an alien ship. With an AI running it. And a crew in stasis. Their goal: the conquest of Earth. Can the brothers get the ship to the authorities? Great cliff hanger. There were a few minor plot points that didn’t make sense, and I didn’t appreciate the swearing, which is why I gave it a 4. I received a free copy of this book, with no obligation.

[Y.I. Washington · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish.


I do wish the author well. Writing is hard, but fun, work.

However, I didn't make it out of Chapter One. I found factual and plot errors in the span of two pages. I'm not interested in finishing this or the remaining ones in the series. I already feel like I'd spend most of my time highlighting, commenting and, submitting errors, instead of enjoying the fun adventure I hoped this would be.

A note to the author: Don't rush the process. Gather a tribe of critique partners and beta readers. Take the time to make sure your art is as polished as possible before publishing. The premise of the series sounds very intriguing. If these novellas are edited and revised, I may give them another chance.

[Susan Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning! Cliffhanger ending.

Quinn and his brother Drake are salvagers. They encounter an entire ship drifting in space. It appears derelict but has some power on board. When they enter the ship, they find a small crew in stasis, an AI in control and more trouble than they know how to deal with. The ship is part of an invasion fleet and somehow was separated from the rest. The destination; Earth.

The two brothers now have a new mission, take the ship back to Earth Federation Space and report the invasion threat. However the AI has now decided they’re a threat and as it is embedded in all the ship’s systems they can’t switch her off.

[GREGG CORDELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

A lot went on in this book and it was a very interesting read. The two brothers that are x criminals and have gone straight on just salvage work run into an abandoned space ship of there dreams just to find out it's the start of an ongoing nightmare for them and a few others , like all of earth.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this story and the setup to it all. A new hero group to follow, danger, a mysterious ship, and bad guys. It was fun to read and watch it all set up and wonder what might be coming. Plus a mystery ship was a cool setting. Fast paced and crazy made for a good story.

[Luc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very talented author has succeeded in creating a story that grips the reader from the start and never lets up.

Two brothers alone on a frigate, in space, are now making a living salvaging abandoned vessels left in the vast expance of space .

There, they meet up with a ship that appears stranded with pods that have what looks like humanoids on bord.

A page turner that I rate 5 Stars, highly recommend and look forward to the sequel.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story you can't put down.

A really great story that you can't put down,
Full on action from start to finish,great characters and plot makes you want to start the next in the series straight away.

[Robbie Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a struggle

Finally got to the end , it's worth writing a review to warn others ,if you are a masochist this is for you , unimaginable back and forth fight scenes , ridiculous last minute changes ,very muddy 😭

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange mission that will keep Massey busy trying to figure out what to do How will this all end. Full of suspense and secrets and definitely dangerous. Loved this beginning to a new series.

[Andrew Neale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started a bit slow but livened up as the story went on, I marked 9/10 on my scoring, will read the follow one's.