Post by: Helena Trooperman
Dated: 5th February 2025

Isbn-10: 1477629637
Isbn-13: 978-1477629635 paperback

Title: Quicker, book 1
Author: Laurence E Dahners
Narrated by: Shiromi Nassreen

 

***** Overall: Binge Worthy Alert!

It’s simply brilliant.

This might be a review for Quicker, but it’s also a RAVE about the entire series. You finish one and you want the next. I think I once checked through the other reviews on Amazon. The one that stuck out to me was a reader that claimed the stories were like eating candy floss and not being able to stop. So true.

The Blurb

Quicker’s a near-future scifi/thriller. Its young heroine Ell Donsaii has a nerve mutation that makes her reactions much quicker than a normal human. She’s an intrepid athletic phenom like David Weber’s Honor Harrington. Like Lisbeth Salander [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.] Ell’s a mathematical prodigy. Instead of counting sheep, she works on her own theory of quantum mechanics to get to sleep at night. Shy and concerned about her social skills, yet well loved by those around her, she finds herself at the center of a terrorist plot at the Olympics where she’s on the US gymnastic team. The terrorists never considered the difficulty of holding a hostage with her unbelievable quickness and athleticism!

A tradition of young, strong, brilliant, female heroines like Honor, Lisbeth, and Katniss is continued.

Book Review Time

Optimistic and Fun!

Ell Donsaii has won the genetic lottery with quick thinking and ‘super’ speed she keeps on the down low. But she can’t cook and has zero stamina. She’s way ahead of herself academically which often puts her at odds with those older than her. Ell hates to hurt anyone’s feelings or cause any physical pain, even if she has to defend herself.

A real page-turner with plenty of action and amusing.

In this inaugural story she wants to go to university, but her situation makes that unlikely. She decides to apply to the military as they’ll pay for the school fees in return for years of service. She’s below the enrolment age and her lack of stamina make her a poor candidate for military school, but her off-the-chart academic scores could make her eligible for cadet school.

Is Ell a bit, too good to be true? Maybe, but I couldn’t wait to read the next. A true escape from day-to-day.

Find out how she makes it into military school, stays with the help of her squad — who take her to their heart, and how the shenanigans really get going at the Olympics. If you like coming of age stories, with amusing conversations as they try to get Ell to go on attack, this is for you. She is a bit goody two-shoes, but I love her kickass ways, never give up attitude, sense of fairness, and humbleness. It’s a wonderful read.

Worth taking advantage of bundles on offer days.

The the rest of the series… is amazing too. Every single story is unique. Ell is her goody two-shoes self, but the character grows as well. The pseudo science Laurence Dahners creates in Quicker, evolves through her technological inventions. Find out in this series who gets the chance to be her boyfriend, whether or not she marries, and how she deals with the unwanted fame that puts her and her loved ones into never ending danger.

Website: Laurence E Dahners’ hub is really interesting and genuine. Check it out. He talks about his music, books, and the charity surgeries he takes part in. The link on books takes you to his stories. It’s useful because he has so many books out that finding the next in series is tricky in the online stores and a time-suck.  https://laury.dahners.com/  

Paperback only available on Amazon

Audiobook Performance

The performance is 6 hours 25 minutes.   Get the story on Audible. ***** performance

Shiromi Nassreen is an amazing narrator. Her young sounding voice really put me off at first. Then I realised that the character she’s portraying is young. As Ell matures throughout the series, hiding herself in one disguise after another, there is no other narrator that could deliver Ell Donsaii.

Ell Donsaii Series List

1. Quicker

2. Smarter

3. Lieutenant

4. Rocket!

5. Comet!

6. Tau Ceti

7. Habitats

8. Allotropes

9. Defiant

10.Wanted

11.Rescue

12.Impact

13.DNA

14.Bioterror

15.Terraform

16.Transporter

17.Twins

18.Invasion

Plus, book 19 is currently being drafted! If you’ve read Quicker or other ones like it that are science fiction, super inspirational, fast paced, amusing, unputdownable, please leave the title in the comments and a line or two about the book. New suggestions are always welcome.

Until next time, keep calm and read on.

NEXT MONTH… Ben’s Pick (LHS) If you like Star Wars with a big twist of unique climate reality, don’t miss this next sci-fi fiction review.