Germ Theory

The Worlds of Ryn Wilkie #2

By: Laurence Dahners

Narrated by: Jocelyn Duford

World-walking young surgeon Ryn Wilkie is trying to finish her residency here on Earth while also bringing modern medicine and antibiotics to a parallel but somewhat primitive Earth.

She wants to improve the plight of women on that world - where they‘re treated as if they're property.

It’s a world at about the technological level of our late 1800s. But she can find gold there in the same locations that history tells her they found it on Earth. It’s also a place where a roll of aluminum foil is worth a small fortune!Meanwhile, back on Earth, the men who tried to rape her and her friend Keilly are still trying—but now they want to murder the two young women afterward.

Oh, and she accidentally discovers another parallel Earth. One that doesn't seem to have any humans...

Travel with Ryn to worlds full of terror and promise.

©2024 Laurence E Dahners (P)2024 Laurence E Dahners

Love this series

I have probably listened to at least 100 hours of Laurence Dahner's books. They have all been fantastic and this book and series is no different. I enjoy his world building and characters. The books I am familiar with so far all focus on special senses/powers. I love that Dahner's sense of justice aligns with mine and that the bad guys get what's coming to them. Also, it is a joy to be there when his characters explore and get to know the full extent of their senses/powers. He was originally an orthopedic surgeon at a teaching hospital and I am fascinated by the medical aspects of his books. Most other authors have to resort to rushed, high level descriptions of illnesses and medical procedures but Dahners treats the reader to detailed and accurate descriptions of the workings of the human body. Overall, I just really like to read books by an intelligent person with a strong imagination and an eye towards the importance of good editing and narration.

Good pacing, but predictable.

Too short. There was room for expanding some of the events, specially relating to the new world access.

I Really Liked the Story, But the Heavy-Handed anti man, feminism Was Hard to Ignore

I genuinely enjoyed the core idea behind this book. I’m a big fan of time travel and multiverse stories, and this one had a fascinating premise. The author did an impressive job explaining the scientific concepts in a way that felt believable, and I found myself getting pulled into the “what if” scenarios and alternate realities. The storyline itself was strong, and the different perspectives added real depth. This could have easily been a five-star book for me.

Unfortunately, what held it back was how heavy-handed the social messaging felt. I don’t enjoy when political or social agendas are pushed aggressively inside fictional stories, regardless of which side they come from. I read sci-fi to escape and explore ideas, not to feel preached to.

I’m absolutely supportive of women having equal rights. I have three daughters and want nothing but the best future for them. That’s part of why this bothered me so much. Many of the male characters in this book felt one-dimensional and were consistently portrayed in a very negative light, which became distracting and frustrating. Instead of feeling like strong character development, it felt like an intentional effort to belittle or diminish men, and that hurt my ability to fully enjoy the story.

I think the author has real talent and a great imagination. If the messaging were more balanced and subtle, this would have been an outstanding read. I hope future books lean more into the excellent storytelling and tone down the heavy-handed social commentary, because strong, original sci-fi like this is getting harder to find.