Drayden's Diary

by Chris Babu

Have you read The Initiation and want more? Considering reading The Initiation and you’re not sure? A quasi-prequel, Drayden’s Diary is a short ebook that contains the diary entries of the main character in The Initiation — sixteen-year-old math geek Drayden — in the month leading up to The Initiation. It provides a mostly-humorous glimpse of his life in New America and many of the other major players in the story. Before jumping into a new trilogy, it’s nice to know whether you like the protagonist or not. Can be downloaded for free at chrisbabu.com.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Chris Babu grew up in North Haven, CT, playing soccer and the violin in his free time. After devouring The Shining under the covers with a flashlight when he was eight, Chris was hooked on fiction. He's always had a thing for young adult books. But he's also a major science and math nerd—physics being his favorite—and he has a math degree from MIT.

For nineteen years, he worked as a bond trader on Wall Street, riding the subway to and from work every day. He traded mortgage-backed securities for Bank of America and then Deutsche Bank, where he eventually ran the MBS trading desk. Now Chris writes full-time, always with his trusted assistant Buddy, a 130-pound Great Dane, who can usually be found on his lap. They split their time between New York City and the east end of Long Island. Their omnipresence at home drives his wife Michelle and daughter Lily crazy. He can be found at chrisbabu.com. The Initiation is his first novel.

Reviews

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I heard about The Initiation, I wanted to read it. I subscribed to the author, Chris Babu's website, read about how The Initiation came about (http://chrisbabu.com/buddy-edits/), saw where the Initiation was set (post apocalyptic NY subway: http://chrisbabu.com/gallery/) and I was hooked! Then the author published this book, 'DrayDen's Diary', a prequel to The Initiation, available to download from his website(http://chrisbabu.com/drayden-diary-offer) and wow! I absolutely loved it! I read it in one sitting and it just left me desperate to get my hands on The Initiation.
And now, having read The Initiation and loved it - it is my top dystopian adventure of all time, while eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, The Expedition, I reread Drayden's Diary. It is a humorous, witty take on Drayden's daily life in the post apocalyptic world, and also sheds some light into the circumstances surrounding what happened to his mother. A wonderful introduction to the world of The Initiation, absolutely not to be missed!

[Beef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether or not you have already read The Initiation, Drayden's Diary will give you some amazing background and insight into the main character (Drayden). Some entries are humorous, and some are heartbreaking, but all offer the reader a deeper sense of empathy towards this wonderful teenage boy. I would say that this short diary is a Must Read.

[Mary Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Drayden's Diary! It's a wonderful prequel to The Initiation and provides a glimpse into Drayden's world just prior to the start of The Initiation. The Diary is a clever vehicle to introduce some of The Initiation's main characters and to sample their dynamic relationships prior to reading the novel. Through his diary entries, Drayden reveals himself to be a bright, insightful, empathetic individual who has a wonderful self effacing sense of humor. Drayden's Diary left me wanting more, to know more about him, his parents, his friends and the world they live in.

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this after The Initiation, but it definitely would have been better before. Still, I enjoyed getting to spend more time with Drayden, who I really liked as a character. Drayden's Diary is also very funny. It's short, I read it in like half an hour. Highly recommend if you're considering reading The Initiation!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved seeing what Drayden’s life was like before the start of the initiation. It really gave a good look into Drayden as a character!

[Anthony Yvonnica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the Initiation Series. It was provided by the author for free.

[Rutuja Ramteke · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌼Drayden's Diary🌼
Is everyday life for a nerdy teen any different in a future dystopian New York? A quasi-prequel to the YA sci-fi thriller The Initiation, Drayden's Diary is a short ebook containing the diary entries of the main character—sixteen-year-old math geek Drayden—in the month leading up to The Initiation. It provides a mostly-humorous but also heartfelt glimpse of his life in New America, and introduces some of the other major players in the story.
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🌼Omg, I love dystopian so much and I ended up in reading the prequel before the Initiation trilogy! This was such a short read which usually focussed on Drayden and habits in person. So short yet extremely powerful. I loved Drayden so much as a character and I think everyone should give this one a try before starting the series. You will definitely will fall in love Chris's writing. Definitely recommended.
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Rating: 4🌟

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too fast, not enough Tim 🥲

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prequel to dystopian trilogy

If given a chance, read this prequel prior to reading the first book in the trilogy THE INITIATION. It's available to download on the author's website for free.

I read THE INITIATION first but still enjoyed this prequel which gave me some more insight into the protagonist of the book, Drayden.

This was a short read but gave info on Drayden's home life before the happenings in the first book.

I'm now off to read an Advanced Reading Copy of the second book in the trilogy THE EXPEDITION coming out December 4, 2018. The third book is due out in the Fall 2019.