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Quantum Empirica #1
Threader Origins
This first book of a new sci-fi series introduces an alternate earth where powerful Threads have the power to alter reality as we know it.
Pulled from his world by an experiment gone wrong, Darwin Lloyd is one of the few that can see the Threads--quantum strings that can be manipulated to change or control reality. On an alternate Earth ravaged by war, Darwin is torn between the Qabal and SafeHaven, his only goal to find a way back home and stop the same fate from happening in his time line.
Threads--thought of as a gift from the machine he helped his father create--and Threaders are both loved and hated, treated as gods by some and as criminals by others. Out of his element, Darwin must learn how to control the Threads and possibly join the hated Qabal to find the path back to his dad.
But Thread use comes at a price. Follow the possibilities and probabilities too far and the human mind shatters, leaving the Threader a mindless, drooling husk. Yet the Thread's pull is almost irresistible, and a constant battle for those that can see them.
In this strange new world, Darwin discovers what he could never find on his own: friends, family, love, a mother he lost years before, and a younger sister he never had.
Pulled from his world by an experiment gone wrong, Darwin Lloyd is one of the few that can see the Threads--quantum strings that can be manipulated to change or control reality. On an alternate Earth ravaged by war, Darwin is torn between the Qabal and SafeHaven, his only goal to find a way back home and stop the same fate from happening in his time line.
Threads--thought of as a gift from the machine he helped his father create--and Threaders are both loved and hated, treated as gods by some and as criminals by others. Out of his element, Darwin must learn how to control the Threads and possibly join the hated Qabal to find the path back to his dad.
But Thread use comes at a price. Follow the possibilities and probabilities too far and the human mind shatters, leaving the Threader a mindless, drooling husk. Yet the Thread's pull is almost irresistible, and a constant battle for those that can see them.
In this strange new world, Darwin discovers what he could never find on his own: friends, family, love, a mother he lost years before, and a younger sister he never had.
- GenresScience Fiction
384 pages, Hardcover
Published January 12, 2021
10 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 6, 2021
Wow. This is such a terrific combination of found family, determined credible characters, and exciting plot--but that's not the best part. The depictions of power, of envisioning possible futures and crafting them, of the impact of choices is brilliantly done. High recommended!
January 28, 2021
The nitty-gritty: Threader Origins had a lot of potential, but a sluggish middle section made this an uneven read for me.
Threader Origins has a great hook: a machine called the Quantum Power Source, designed as a solution to the world’s energy needs, misfires and pushes a young undergrad into a dystopian parallel world where everyone seems to be after him due to his abilities to see and manipulate “threads.” The story gets off to a great start, and I was immediately pulled into Darwin’s story, but unfortunately the middle section of the book had a lot of pacing problems. What started strong quickly became tedious, at least until the last few chapters when things picked up again. This inconsistency resulted in a lower rating than I had hoped, although the author certainly has lots of good ideas.
Darwin Lloyd is a physics student at Princeton and has been working with his father on a big project over summer break at Quantum Labs: the QPS machine, or Quantum Power Source. But during the final test of the machine, something goes terribly wrong, and Darwin finds himself thrown into another world. He wakes up in a dystopian nightmare, a prisoner of a group of people called the Qabal who are led by a woman named Rebecca. Even worse, he’s still inside Quantum Labs, but in this world his father is dead. Despite his fear and confusion, Darwin discovers something amazing: he can suddenly see “threads,” weird quantum strings that surround every living thing. Although threads are invisible to most people, some have the ability to see and manipulate them. Rebecca is fascinated to find out that Darwin can not only See (yes, that's "See" with a capital S) the threads, but that he's actually from another world, and she’s determined to learn his secret.
But Darwin refuses to remain a prisoner, and so he escapes as soon as he can. On the outside, life is harsh and dangerous. Wild dogs roam the streets, food and water are scarce, and no one can be trusted. But with the help of some kind strangers, Darwin begins to make friends and form a plan. He desperately wants to go home, but in order to do so, he’s going to have to master his ability with threads first.
I do love parallel universe/multiverse stories, which is one reason I wanted to read this book. And for the most part, Gerald does some interesting things with the idea. I’m not an expert in quantum physics by any stretch of the imagination, so admittedly a lot of the technical descriptions of threads went over my head, but the author does a pretty good job of explaining how they work without alienating his readers. There were some very exciting scenes in this book involving the threads, which can also be used as a weapon (the closest example I can think of is a Star Wars lightsaber battle). If you can See threads, you can learn how to control them, and Darwin learns very quickly how to do all sorts of things, including defending himself against the bad guys, who are trying to capture or kill him (or both, I was a little confused about that part of the story).
But while all this sounds like the fixings for a thrilling sci-fi adventure, the story starts to fall apart once Darwin is transported to this alternate world. He spends a great deal of time trying to get away from various groups of people who want to use him for nefarious purposes (purposes which are never really explained to my satisfaction), running off into a dangerous world that he doesn’t understand, getting attacked/captured or fainting from hunger because he can’t find food or water, and then being miraculously rescued by a good Samaritan and nursed back to health. This scenario repeated itself over and over and soon became tiresome. Even worse, Darwin never really seemed to learn from these experiences and kept making the same mistakes over and over again.
Perhaps the biggest issue I had, though, is the character of Darwin himself. I just didn’t like him all that much, and he never really grew on me at all. Plus, he’s sort of clueless, and for a physics student I found that hard to accept. For example, when Darwin first finds himself in another world, it takes him forever to figure out what’s going on. Readers like me, even without a background in quantum physics, will instantly know that Darwin has traveled to a parallel universe. I also couldn’t figure out why everyone was after him. I mean, everyone thinks he’s special and is super important and wants to “keep” him for themselves. Apparently he’s very good at using the threads, and of course he has the distinction of being the only person who has ever come from another world, but some of the dialog surrounding his “specialness” really grated on me. As one character tells him, “You’re an incredible man, Darwin.” I would have to disagree.
Using threads also means some people can create “holes,” like small wormholes, I guess. Going through a hole can instantly transport someone from, let’s say for example, New Jersey to California in the blink of an eye. This was another element that slowed down the pacing and added quite a bit of confusion to the story. Darwin and his traveling companions go from New Jersey, to Oregon, to California and back again, all by using holes. I often forgot where the characters were at any given time, and I couldn’t figure out the reason for all this moving around. Darwin’s ultimate goal is to get back home, and to do that he needs to be in New Jersey where Quantum Labs is located. Other than take up a bunch of pages, I’m not sure how these jumps contributed much to the story.
Brandt throws in the obligatory romance, which I honestly could have done without. I just didn’t feel the emotions between the two characters and I honestly couldn’t have cared less whether they ended up together or not. Other emotional moments, like Darwin’s continued remorse about playing a part in his mother’s death five years earlier and his desire to see his father again just didn't have the impact I was hoping for. These moments had the potential to be memorable, but Brandt’s writing didn’t evoke any kind of emotion for me, unfortunately.
I know I’ve focused more on the negative in this review, but I have to say I was surprised when the last four or five chapters turned around and finally gave me the exciting, fast-paced story I was hoping for. It was a great way to end the book, and even though this is the first in a planned series, I thought the author tied things up nicely. It was too bad that the overall story was so inconsistent, although I have to admit I’m curious to see where Brandt takes his story next. I’ve read so many other excellent parallel universe stories that it’s hard to recommend this one, but some readers might find Brandt’s unique set-up worth checking out.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Threader Origins has a great hook: a machine called the Quantum Power Source, designed as a solution to the world’s energy needs, misfires and pushes a young undergrad into a dystopian parallel world where everyone seems to be after him due to his abilities to see and manipulate “threads.” The story gets off to a great start, and I was immediately pulled into Darwin’s story, but unfortunately the middle section of the book had a lot of pacing problems. What started strong quickly became tedious, at least until the last few chapters when things picked up again. This inconsistency resulted in a lower rating than I had hoped, although the author certainly has lots of good ideas.
Darwin Lloyd is a physics student at Princeton and has been working with his father on a big project over summer break at Quantum Labs: the QPS machine, or Quantum Power Source. But during the final test of the machine, something goes terribly wrong, and Darwin finds himself thrown into another world. He wakes up in a dystopian nightmare, a prisoner of a group of people called the Qabal who are led by a woman named Rebecca. Even worse, he’s still inside Quantum Labs, but in this world his father is dead. Despite his fear and confusion, Darwin discovers something amazing: he can suddenly see “threads,” weird quantum strings that surround every living thing. Although threads are invisible to most people, some have the ability to see and manipulate them. Rebecca is fascinated to find out that Darwin can not only See (yes, that's "See" with a capital S) the threads, but that he's actually from another world, and she’s determined to learn his secret.
But Darwin refuses to remain a prisoner, and so he escapes as soon as he can. On the outside, life is harsh and dangerous. Wild dogs roam the streets, food and water are scarce, and no one can be trusted. But with the help of some kind strangers, Darwin begins to make friends and form a plan. He desperately wants to go home, but in order to do so, he’s going to have to master his ability with threads first.
I do love parallel universe/multiverse stories, which is one reason I wanted to read this book. And for the most part, Gerald does some interesting things with the idea. I’m not an expert in quantum physics by any stretch of the imagination, so admittedly a lot of the technical descriptions of threads went over my head, but the author does a pretty good job of explaining how they work without alienating his readers. There were some very exciting scenes in this book involving the threads, which can also be used as a weapon (the closest example I can think of is a Star Wars lightsaber battle). If you can See threads, you can learn how to control them, and Darwin learns very quickly how to do all sorts of things, including defending himself against the bad guys, who are trying to capture or kill him (or both, I was a little confused about that part of the story).
But while all this sounds like the fixings for a thrilling sci-fi adventure, the story starts to fall apart once Darwin is transported to this alternate world. He spends a great deal of time trying to get away from various groups of people who want to use him for nefarious purposes (purposes which are never really explained to my satisfaction), running off into a dangerous world that he doesn’t understand, getting attacked/captured or fainting from hunger because he can’t find food or water, and then being miraculously rescued by a good Samaritan and nursed back to health. This scenario repeated itself over and over and soon became tiresome. Even worse, Darwin never really seemed to learn from these experiences and kept making the same mistakes over and over again.
Perhaps the biggest issue I had, though, is the character of Darwin himself. I just didn’t like him all that much, and he never really grew on me at all. Plus, he’s sort of clueless, and for a physics student I found that hard to accept. For example, when Darwin first finds himself in another world, it takes him forever to figure out what’s going on. Readers like me, even without a background in quantum physics, will instantly know that Darwin has traveled to a parallel universe. I also couldn’t figure out why everyone was after him. I mean, everyone thinks he’s special and is super important and wants to “keep” him for themselves. Apparently he’s very good at using the threads, and of course he has the distinction of being the only person who has ever come from another world, but some of the dialog surrounding his “specialness” really grated on me. As one character tells him, “You’re an incredible man, Darwin.” I would have to disagree.
Using threads also means some people can create “holes,” like small wormholes, I guess. Going through a hole can instantly transport someone from, let’s say for example, New Jersey to California in the blink of an eye. This was another element that slowed down the pacing and added quite a bit of confusion to the story. Darwin and his traveling companions go from New Jersey, to Oregon, to California and back again, all by using holes. I often forgot where the characters were at any given time, and I couldn’t figure out the reason for all this moving around. Darwin’s ultimate goal is to get back home, and to do that he needs to be in New Jersey where Quantum Labs is located. Other than take up a bunch of pages, I’m not sure how these jumps contributed much to the story.
Brandt throws in the obligatory romance, which I honestly could have done without. I just didn’t feel the emotions between the two characters and I honestly couldn’t have cared less whether they ended up together or not. Other emotional moments, like Darwin’s continued remorse about playing a part in his mother’s death five years earlier and his desire to see his father again just didn't have the impact I was hoping for. These moments had the potential to be memorable, but Brandt’s writing didn’t evoke any kind of emotion for me, unfortunately.
I know I’ve focused more on the negative in this review, but I have to say I was surprised when the last four or five chapters turned around and finally gave me the exciting, fast-paced story I was hoping for. It was a great way to end the book, and even though this is the first in a planned series, I thought the author tied things up nicely. It was too bad that the overall story was so inconsistent, although I have to admit I’m curious to see where Brandt takes his story next. I’ve read so many other excellent parallel universe stories that it’s hard to recommend this one, but some readers might find Brandt’s unique set-up worth checking out.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
January 23, 2021
If you like dystopian worlds and science fiction, I highly recommend this book! Gerald Brandt, the author of Threader Origins, has created a unique storyline that will draw you in from the start. The plotline held my attention, and there was just enough character development to satisfy this character-loving audiobook junkie.
In this book, Darwin is pulled into another reality by the threads. Wait? What are threads? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Listen to the audiobook, and you will get pulled in too. I was pulled in immediately. The concept of threads in science fiction is new to me and immediately grabbed my attention.
I would classify this book as Dystopian Science Fiction. An alternate reality provides the dystopian elements. I am interested to see if future books in this series follow the same pattern. The ending leaves open so many possibilities!
No spoilers here! It is too much fun to discover the truths (and lies) from Darwin’s perspective. Alone in a new world, Darwin has to figure out who to trust.
Societal and government structure is gone. The wars between normal people and the threaders destroyed everything. Those that are left band together in groups to make survival easier and safer. The group dynamics reminded me of ‘The Walking Dead’ TV series. Some groups get along with each other, some groups are at war with each other, and the people are always in the middle.
Jonathan Todd Ross narrates this book to perfection. He has a great voice for audiobooks. This is one of those books where the narrator disappears as you walk among the characters in their world.
Literally, the only criticism I have of this book is one dialog sequence between two male characters. It does not have speaker tags leading the reader to wonder who says which line.
The striking visual elements that are the threads would make this book an amazing choice for a TV series. I would love to see it come to life on screen.
The ending! Oh, I love a good ending. The perfect ending to the first installment of a series leaves you satisfied with the current story’s resolution but dying to find out what happens next. That is me right now. I can’t wait until the next book comes out. Where will the series take me next? Can I pre-order now?
Source: I was provided temporary advanced access to the audiobook at my request in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, Darwin is pulled into another reality by the threads. Wait? What are threads? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Listen to the audiobook, and you will get pulled in too. I was pulled in immediately. The concept of threads in science fiction is new to me and immediately grabbed my attention.
I would classify this book as Dystopian Science Fiction. An alternate reality provides the dystopian elements. I am interested to see if future books in this series follow the same pattern. The ending leaves open so many possibilities!
No spoilers here! It is too much fun to discover the truths (and lies) from Darwin’s perspective. Alone in a new world, Darwin has to figure out who to trust.
Societal and government structure is gone. The wars between normal people and the threaders destroyed everything. Those that are left band together in groups to make survival easier and safer. The group dynamics reminded me of ‘The Walking Dead’ TV series. Some groups get along with each other, some groups are at war with each other, and the people are always in the middle.
Jonathan Todd Ross narrates this book to perfection. He has a great voice for audiobooks. This is one of those books where the narrator disappears as you walk among the characters in their world.
Literally, the only criticism I have of this book is one dialog sequence between two male characters. It does not have speaker tags leading the reader to wonder who says which line.
The striking visual elements that are the threads would make this book an amazing choice for a TV series. I would love to see it come to life on screen.
The ending! Oh, I love a good ending. The perfect ending to the first installment of a series leaves you satisfied with the current story’s resolution but dying to find out what happens next. That is me right now. I can’t wait until the next book comes out. Where will the series take me next? Can I pre-order now?
Source: I was provided temporary advanced access to the audiobook at my request in exchange for an honest review.
May 5, 2020
This was a really fun read! Playing on the topics of string theory and alternate universes, this is an exhilarating adventure following a young man who finds himself in a world ravaged by war and realizes he has a unique ability that could end the war for good.
The story follows the sometime likeable, sometimes frustrating Darwin Lloyd, a college student withdrawn from the world after his mother's death. He and his father have a bizarre relationship where they're constantly walking on eggshells with each other, but believe in the others work. Namely a project building the QPS, a machine that could change the course of human history. During a test of the project, something happens and Darwin finds himself transported to an alternate world, devastated by war and fighting over the QPS. These people also have phenomenal abilities that were awakened thanks to the QPS. Darwin soon learns that not only does he have these abilities as well, but he also is the most powerful of them all.
Travelling across the country, Darwin meets people on all sides of the war while trying to find a way home. However, he soon learns that to go home means that he needs to choose a side and fight. His decisions will impact everyone in this world and his own.
Pulling away the threads (get it?), this is a good dystopian adventure story that will be perfect for anyone who loves a little sci-fi in their rebellion story. Don't let the string theory themes scare you. Gerald Brandt does a great job explaining heavy scientific topics in approachable ways that allow you to enjoy the story as much as possible. The plot is fast-paced and the characters are fun.
I would recommend this to anyone who liked The Hunger Games series, The Divergent series, or The War of the Realms series.
**read courtesy of an ARC from DAW**
The story follows the sometime likeable, sometimes frustrating Darwin Lloyd, a college student withdrawn from the world after his mother's death. He and his father have a bizarre relationship where they're constantly walking on eggshells with each other, but believe in the others work. Namely a project building the QPS, a machine that could change the course of human history. During a test of the project, something happens and Darwin finds himself transported to an alternate world, devastated by war and fighting over the QPS. These people also have phenomenal abilities that were awakened thanks to the QPS. Darwin soon learns that not only does he have these abilities as well, but he also is the most powerful of them all.
Travelling across the country, Darwin meets people on all sides of the war while trying to find a way home. However, he soon learns that to go home means that he needs to choose a side and fight. His decisions will impact everyone in this world and his own.
Pulling away the threads (get it?), this is a good dystopian adventure story that will be perfect for anyone who loves a little sci-fi in their rebellion story. Don't let the string theory themes scare you. Gerald Brandt does a great job explaining heavy scientific topics in approachable ways that allow you to enjoy the story as much as possible. The plot is fast-paced and the characters are fun.
I would recommend this to anyone who liked The Hunger Games series, The Divergent series, or The War of the Realms series.
**read courtesy of an ARC from DAW**
December 19, 2020
Darwin thought the project he was helping his father with was an attempt to create a quantum physics-based power supply for the good of all. But when the device is turned on and cranked up to full power, the pain in his head makes him black out...only to wake up on an alternate post-apocalyptic Earth, where a religious cult has formed around their world's version of the machine. Though he has no idea how he jumped from world to world, or even what's happened to him, Rebecca, the leader of the Qabal, wants to use him to create a gateway to other worlds for her to dominate.
The world Darwin finds himself on was ruined when their version of his father turned on the machine and humanity was suddenly divided into those that could "See" and shape quantum threads, affecting probabilities and outcomes.
On the tun from the Qabal, and leaving a path of destruction behind him as they seek to capture or kill him, he has to confront his powers and learn to use them before he can take a stand.
It's always a bit frustrating for science fiction readers to watch the main character not understand immediately what's happened to him. Granted, being transported to a parallel Earth isn't something that happens every day, but you'd think he'd at least seen an episode of Sliders or something. Really, it's a pretty good read, but I wish it didn't take half the book for him to develop some agency and decide that wherever he winds up is where he has to plant his feet and face his demons.
The world Darwin finds himself on was ruined when their version of his father turned on the machine and humanity was suddenly divided into those that could "See" and shape quantum threads, affecting probabilities and outcomes.
On the tun from the Qabal, and leaving a path of destruction behind him as they seek to capture or kill him, he has to confront his powers and learn to use them before he can take a stand.
It's always a bit frustrating for science fiction readers to watch the main character not understand immediately what's happened to him. Granted, being transported to a parallel Earth isn't something that happens every day, but you'd think he'd at least seen an episode of Sliders or something. Really, it's a pretty good read, but I wish it didn't take half the book for him to develop some agency and decide that wherever he winds up is where he has to plant his feet and face his demons.
February 4, 2021
Brandt, Gerald. Threader: Origins. Quantum Empirica No. 1. DAW, 2021.
In a recent interview, Gerald Brandt tells us that, in Threader, he was trying to find the sweet spot between science fiction and fantasy, and a brief allusion in the novel suggests that he was aiming for something like Jack L. Chalker’s Midnight at the Well of Souls (1977) in which a starship captain discovers an ancient alien machine that controls the structure of the universe as a whole. For me, though, Threader seems almost pure fantasy. The fact that characters sometimes use the word quantum does not mean that there is much quantum physics in the story. A young man, Darwin, is thrown into an alternate world by a quantum computing accident. In this world, he and many others, can see and manipulate quantum threads that structure the multiverse. And that’s it for science. The rest of the story is Darwin’s trek across a dystopian American landscape in a quest to return to his own universe. Even so, the story might have worked for me if Darwin were not such bore. His angst never pulled me into his story. Three stars.
In a recent interview, Gerald Brandt tells us that, in Threader, he was trying to find the sweet spot between science fiction and fantasy, and a brief allusion in the novel suggests that he was aiming for something like Jack L. Chalker’s Midnight at the Well of Souls (1977) in which a starship captain discovers an ancient alien machine that controls the structure of the universe as a whole. For me, though, Threader seems almost pure fantasy. The fact that characters sometimes use the word quantum does not mean that there is much quantum physics in the story. A young man, Darwin, is thrown into an alternate world by a quantum computing accident. In this world, he and many others, can see and manipulate quantum threads that structure the multiverse. And that’s it for science. The rest of the story is Darwin’s trek across a dystopian American landscape in a quest to return to his own universe. Even so, the story might have worked for me if Darwin were not such bore. His angst never pulled me into his story. Three stars.
December 4, 2022
Threader Origins is a unique premise of quantum string theory, in the most literal sense. When Darwin Lloyde ends up catapulted into another universe, he isn't sure who is good and who is evil, or which side he's on. As he learns to manipulate "threads" of reality, truths reveal themselves and Darwin finally makes connections he lacked in his original world. Original and sometimes frightening, this was a fun sci-fi read of dystopian possibilities. There's a touch of romance and I could always use more. There is a sequel that I hope to read. Recommend for sci-fi/alternate universe fans.
March 3, 2021
Started slow but ended up okay. Certain people known as threaders can manipulate cosmic emanations or quantum threads. These allow travel in time and space in the multiverse.
June 2, 2021
story picked up and ran through the last half. good read with many trails leading to future.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews