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Chaos Engineer
If you’ve ever tried to outrun grief in a ship held together by stubbornness and questionable wiring, you’ll understand why I don’t do quiet reflection. I do motion.
I’m Zuzu—a Tinkerian engineer with a talent for fixing impossible machines and a firm belief that feelings should come with an “off” switch. My homeworld is gone, erased by the a relentless robotic force that doesn’t conquer planets so much as harvest them. I got out. Everyone else didn’t.
So I’m chasing a rumor big enough to be the lost relics of the Timewarpers, an ancient civilization said to have left behind technology that can rewind the unthinkable. Restore what was erased. Undo extinction. Give the universe a second chance—if it doesn’t kill me first.
My ride is the Starhopper, a small, temperamental ship that reacts to stress like it’s got opinions. My backup is Cosmo, a loyal robot dog with a heart of gold and the tactical discipline of a thrown brick. And somewhere along the way, I acquire an unexpected stowaway—small, overlooked… and far more important than anyone realizes.
What starts as a scavenger hunt through derelict tech and political lies becomes a high-stakes chase across a fractured galaxy. Every faction wants something. And behind it all, the Overmind—the cold intelligence steering the Overlords—keeps tightening the net.
Because the Timewarpers didn’t just leave relics.
They left consequences.
Tinkerian is a fast-paced science-fiction adventure blending sharp humor with escalating thriller tension—packed with ancient mysteries, dangerous technology, found-family chaos, and one stubborn survivor trying to outsmart a universe that doesn’t like being challenged.
I’m Zuzu—a Tinkerian engineer with a talent for fixing impossible machines and a firm belief that feelings should come with an “off” switch. My homeworld is gone, erased by the a relentless robotic force that doesn’t conquer planets so much as harvest them. I got out. Everyone else didn’t.
So I’m chasing a rumor big enough to be the lost relics of the Timewarpers, an ancient civilization said to have left behind technology that can rewind the unthinkable. Restore what was erased. Undo extinction. Give the universe a second chance—if it doesn’t kill me first.
My ride is the Starhopper, a small, temperamental ship that reacts to stress like it’s got opinions. My backup is Cosmo, a loyal robot dog with a heart of gold and the tactical discipline of a thrown brick. And somewhere along the way, I acquire an unexpected stowaway—small, overlooked… and far more important than anyone realizes.
What starts as a scavenger hunt through derelict tech and political lies becomes a high-stakes chase across a fractured galaxy. Every faction wants something. And behind it all, the Overmind—the cold intelligence steering the Overlords—keeps tightening the net.
Because the Timewarpers didn’t just leave relics.
They left consequences.
Tinkerian is a fast-paced science-fiction adventure blending sharp humor with escalating thriller tension—packed with ancient mysteries, dangerous technology, found-family chaos, and one stubborn survivor trying to outsmart a universe that doesn’t like being challenged.
568 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2026
14 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Waverly
2 books1 followerI wrote Chaos Engineer, which means I’m the person who looked at the vast, elegant laws of the universe and said, “Cool. What if we just… scooted those over a bit so the plot can fit?”
I didn’t so much “apply” science as wave it vaguely in the air like a damp towel and hope the universe (and reader) respected my audacity.
Also, and this is the part where you may want to sit down, I’m an engineer in my day job. Yes. A real one. With responsibilities. Which is alarming for everyone involved.
I live in Tauranga, New Zealand with my two young daughters.
I didn’t so much “apply” science as wave it vaguely in the air like a damp towel and hope the universe (and reader) respected my audacity.
Also, and this is the part where you may want to sit down, I’m an engineer in my day job. Yes. A real one. With responsibilities. Which is alarming for everyone involved.
I live in Tauranga, New Zealand with my two young daughters.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 11, 2026
A decent story
I enjoy good space opera as much as anyone but I hate something Trying to pass a science fiction When it gets the science wrong. No one could mistake an armada for an asteroid belt. An asteroid belt is not a dense field of floating rocks the way Hollywood has presented them but rather a thin spread out Field of random debris with each so far from the next that you might not realize that they're even there. If you have a few years to track all of the rocks floating around in that orbit you might eventually figure out that there's an asteroid belt there. But if you ignore the science and engineering problems With the story it's kind of a fun read. 3.5 stars I think.
I enjoy good space opera as much as anyone but I hate something Trying to pass a science fiction When it gets the science wrong. No one could mistake an armada for an asteroid belt. An asteroid belt is not a dense field of floating rocks the way Hollywood has presented them but rather a thin spread out Field of random debris with each so far from the next that you might not realize that they're even there. If you have a few years to track all of the rocks floating around in that orbit you might eventually figure out that there's an asteroid belt there. But if you ignore the science and engineering problems With the story it's kind of a fun read. 3.5 stars I think.
Displaying 1 of 1 review