Radioactive Evolution
Richard Hummel
Genre: LitRPG
Published: November 2018
Rating: 
How far would you go to change humanity’s fate?
Jared Cartwright has spent the last two years delving into the twisted, scarred wastelands of an earth ravaged by nuclear war. The rich and powerful have taken to the oceans and skies on floating utopias, escaping destruction and leaving the rest of humanity to fend off the mutated creatures that roam the earth.
To face his new reality, Jared must become an apex predator if he hopes to survive. He must unlock his true potential to confront those that left mankind to die. With deadly adversaries above and below, Jared must evolve beyond mere human limitations to defeat the powerful rulers of the cities and the rabid beasts lurking in the shadows.
Jared’s quest takes a new turn when he discovers dragons are real.
This was my first foray into reading LitRPG and I was a bit leery at the beginning. The description of the genre included “like Dungeons & Dragons.” Table top roleplay games are not my wheelhouse, though truly this extends to all board games much to the chagrin of my husband and friends. I do, however, play video games so when this title hit my list I decided to take a leap and hope it was more like video games than the alternative.
The story truly is a slow-burn, which is to be expected as there is a lot of foundation that needs to be set before all hell breaks loose. Hummel has produced a clever combination of post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a dash of “dragon-y fantasy.”
Jared read a bit more juvenile than I expected, especially at the beginning. He reminded me of a less cocky “Scam” from Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld et al, a character I loathe. Looking back, the whole child-like-wonder has its place and it will allow for character growth as the series continues. There was a section of the story where Jared switched from tears of rage to tears of happiness in a relatively short period that made me wonder if he was a bit manic but overall he is an average character.
I look forward to more banter between Jared and Scarlet, particularly as they get to know each other better. I thoroughly enjoyed the sibling-like teasing that occasionally cropped up. Some of the other dialogue felt a bit stilted, but I’m hoping that as Jared grows as a character that the confidence will be reflected in the author’s direction in future books.
I would have preferred less introspection as it slowed the story. Maybe fewer step by step explanation of memory recall and other attributes. One explanation would have been plenty for this reader.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was a solid start to a series and I can think of several friends and relatives, looking at you husband, that would thoroughly enjoy this subgenre and series. I recommend this book for fans of roleplay video games along the lines of the Fallout series and/or fans of games like Dungeons & Dragons.
**While I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited, I did receive a review request for this title. All opinions are my own.