What do you think?
Rate this book
Tinkerian
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.
628 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 18, 2026
13 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Jordan Waverly
1 book1 followerI wrote Tinkerian (my debut novel), 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. After reading Tinkerian and noticing how cheerfully I paper over physics, I completely understand if you choose to avoid any facilities I’ve designed for your own personal safety. This is not paranoia. This is just… sensible risk management.
I live in Tauranga with my two young daughters who frequently interrupt my writing—usually at the exact moment I’m about to type something brilliant, which is why my drafts take so long.
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. After reading Tinkerian and noticing how cheerfully I paper over physics, I completely understand if you choose to avoid any facilities I’ve designed for your own personal safety. This is not paranoia. This is just… sensible risk management.
I live in Tauranga with my two young daughters who frequently interrupt my writing—usually at the exact moment I’m about to type something brilliant, which is why my drafts take so long.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Read
February 17, 2026I wrote Tinkerian, 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?”
So before we begin: to physicists, scientists, and anyone who has ever loved the scientific method even briefly. I am deeply sorry. I committed sins I didn’t so much “apply” science as wave it vaguely in the air like a damp towel and hope the universe 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. After reading this book and noticing how cheerfully I paper over physics, I completely understand if you choose to avoid any facilities I’ve designed for your own personal safety.
Right. The book.
Tinkerian is a sci-fi adventure where:
• Zuzu is the last of her kind, an engineer with a ship held together by optimism, scavenged parts, and denial. She is carrying enough grief to qualify as a small moon, but she refuses to unpack it because she’s busy being chased.
• Cosmo is her robotic companion; loyal, deadpan, and strategically decisive in a way that suggests he was trained by a falling refrigerator. He will save your life, then calmly inform you that your survival odds remain “statistically challenged.”
• There’s a mystery large enough to be dangerous and a galaxy full of factions who would prefer Zuzu stop poking at reality with a spanner.
The tone is light-hearted, it’s fast, and then, when you’re comfortable, it develops thriller tension and starts tightening bolts.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. Obviously. I wrote it. I have to live with that.
But also: if you like a protagonist who uses sarcasm the way other people use oxygen, you’ll probably have a very good time.
So before we begin: to physicists, scientists, and anyone who has ever loved the scientific method even briefly. I am deeply sorry. I committed sins I didn’t so much “apply” science as wave it vaguely in the air like a damp towel and hope the universe 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. After reading this book and noticing how cheerfully I paper over physics, I completely understand if you choose to avoid any facilities I’ve designed for your own personal safety.
Right. The book.
Tinkerian is a sci-fi adventure where:
• Zuzu is the last of her kind, an engineer with a ship held together by optimism, scavenged parts, and denial. She is carrying enough grief to qualify as a small moon, but she refuses to unpack it because she’s busy being chased.
• Cosmo is her robotic companion; loyal, deadpan, and strategically decisive in a way that suggests he was trained by a falling refrigerator. He will save your life, then calmly inform you that your survival odds remain “statistically challenged.”
• There’s a mystery large enough to be dangerous and a galaxy full of factions who would prefer Zuzu stop poking at reality with a spanner.
The tone is light-hearted, it’s fast, and then, when you’re comfortable, it develops thriller tension and starts tightening bolts.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. Obviously. I wrote it. I have to live with that.
But also: if you like a protagonist who uses sarcasm the way other people use oxygen, you’ll probably have a very good time.
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 - 2 of 2 reviews