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The Dragon's Claw
At America's premier research lab in New Mexico, birthplace of the atomic bomb, the race is on to save humanity.
Dr. Alek Spray and his team are on the verge of a breakthrough that could produce clean, unlimited energy. In the wrong hands, the same technology could become a deadly weapon and spark a new arms race. As Alek struggles to create a transformative energy source using a nuclear reaction often mistaken for cold fusion, he faces pressure from the U.S. government to apply his findings to building a weapon of mass destruction. Politicians demand that Alek develop this weapon before the country's enemies can. After a mysterious laboratory accident and the disappearance of two of the team's members, Alek joins forces with FBI Agent Gabi Stebbens. They embark on a quest to uncover who else is trying to harness this new technology - an investigation that takes them to Mexico and China, where they discover a plot of intrigue, money, and power. A rogue Chinese general is using Mexican drug-cartel money to develop a lethal beam-weapon called the Dragon's CLAW. If Alek and Gabi cannot stop this rogue alliance it will create a new arms race and may cause the doomsday clock to strike zero, and Alek's dream of changing the world by creating limitless, affordable energy will come to an end.
Dr. Alek Spray and his team are on the verge of a breakthrough that could produce clean, unlimited energy. In the wrong hands, the same technology could become a deadly weapon and spark a new arms race. As Alek struggles to create a transformative energy source using a nuclear reaction often mistaken for cold fusion, he faces pressure from the U.S. government to apply his findings to building a weapon of mass destruction. Politicians demand that Alek develop this weapon before the country's enemies can. After a mysterious laboratory accident and the disappearance of two of the team's members, Alek joins forces with FBI Agent Gabi Stebbens. They embark on a quest to uncover who else is trying to harness this new technology - an investigation that takes them to Mexico and China, where they discover a plot of intrigue, money, and power. A rogue Chinese general is using Mexican drug-cartel money to develop a lethal beam-weapon called the Dragon's CLAW. If Alek and Gabi cannot stop this rogue alliance it will create a new arms race and may cause the doomsday clock to strike zero, and Alek's dream of changing the world by creating limitless, affordable energy will come to an end.
- GenresFiction
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2023
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 3, 2024
The strength of the novel was its main characters, who were complex enough to shape how the plot unfolded around them. One man's delusions of unappreciated genius allowed other characters to outflank him, for example, or an overconfident drug lord crippled his own power when he failed to anticipate the foreseeable risks, shifting the novel's conclusion and changing which plotlines would be left unresolved. The result of so strongly interweaving the character of the characters into the story was a weak plot that couldn't stand on its own. While this wasn't a problem when sufficiently forceful personalities (and there are plenty!) were around, the plot faded into a bland static when it was left to the side characters. The novel realized this problem 70% of the way through and tried to fix it by discarding these nonentities, but by then fragile plot had been exposed, to the detriment of engagement and suspension of disbelief. Thankfully, the novel was smart enough to bulldoze past sections of weak, exposed plot and focus on its backbone: the characters.
Interestingly, the novel included a half dozen antagonists, each almost as fleshed-out as the protagonists. But instead of overwhelming the reader with tepid variations on an archetypal villain, each was given a unique motivation and mode of operation, ranging from lust for power by manipulating bureaucracies to fulfilling selfish ambitions with staunch self-reliance. They were often among the strongest characters in the book and were invariably interesting when they took center stage.
That said, the novel tended to get lost when its good characters were out of the picture. The overarching plot-an international arms race for a lethal nuclear weapon-boiled down to little more than physicists repeating that they'd almost got the nuclear reaction working and they needed two more weeks TOPS just give us a little more time...which got stale after about the third near-breakthrough that turned out to be nothing. Resultingly, the novel was at its best when it had left the lab and was reveling in underground firefights or caught up in the conflicting web of character action-interaction.
A final note on the writing quality: while clumsy in places (hardly unexpected in an author's first work of fiction) and easily baited into unnecessary subplots and character motivations, the majority of the book was easy to read and genuinely engaging. There was a tinge of overly-formal, almost academic, language in the narration, but it remained coherent even when starched.
Overall, a four star book with a strong base and lots of room to grow. When does the sequel come out?
Interestingly, the novel included a half dozen antagonists, each almost as fleshed-out as the protagonists. But instead of overwhelming the reader with tepid variations on an archetypal villain, each was given a unique motivation and mode of operation, ranging from lust for power by manipulating bureaucracies to fulfilling selfish ambitions with staunch self-reliance. They were often among the strongest characters in the book and were invariably interesting when they took center stage.
That said, the novel tended to get lost when its good characters were out of the picture. The overarching plot-an international arms race for a lethal nuclear weapon-boiled down to little more than physicists repeating that they'd almost got the nuclear reaction working and they needed two more weeks TOPS just give us a little more time...which got stale after about the third near-breakthrough that turned out to be nothing. Resultingly, the novel was at its best when it had left the lab and was reveling in underground firefights or caught up in the conflicting web of character action-interaction.
A final note on the writing quality: while clumsy in places (hardly unexpected in an author's first work of fiction) and easily baited into unnecessary subplots and character motivations, the majority of the book was easy to read and genuinely engaging. There was a tinge of overly-formal, almost academic, language in the narration, but it remained coherent even when starched.
Overall, a four star book with a strong base and lots of room to grow. When does the sequel come out?
January 11, 2025
I stumbled upon The Dragon’s Claw at the library, drawn in by its eye-catching cover—a stylized Chinese dragon—and its intriguing description. As someone from New Mexico, the setting of Los Alamos immediately piqued my interest, and I decided to give it a read.
The story follows Dr. Alek Spray, a scientist on the verge of a clean energy breakthrough that could transform the world—or destroy it in the wrong hands. The main thrust of the plot is Spray's ethical dilemma coupled with "international intrigue" involving a rogue Chinese general and Mexican drug cartels.
While the book had its moments of excitement, I found the setting to be more incidental than immersive. Los Alamos played an important role in the plot, but the story didn’t capture the unique essence of New Mexico as much as I had hoped.
The premise and ethical questions surrounding innovation kept me interested, but the narrative didn’t fully grip me. It was an enjoyable read, but not compelling enough to make me want to dive into the rest of the series.
The story follows Dr. Alek Spray, a scientist on the verge of a clean energy breakthrough that could transform the world—or destroy it in the wrong hands. The main thrust of the plot is Spray's ethical dilemma coupled with "international intrigue" involving a rogue Chinese general and Mexican drug cartels.
While the book had its moments of excitement, I found the setting to be more incidental than immersive. Los Alamos played an important role in the plot, but the story didn’t capture the unique essence of New Mexico as much as I had hoped.
The premise and ethical questions surrounding innovation kept me interested, but the narrative didn’t fully grip me. It was an enjoyable read, but not compelling enough to make me want to dive into the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews