Quantum Radio

A mysterious message from another dimension sparks chaos in this dry sci-fi adventure from Riddle (Lost in Time). In prose peppered with extensive and occasionally unnecessary explanations of scientific concepts, mostly delivered through stilted dialogue, Riddle introduces quantum physicist Tyson Klein, who discovers entangled particles delivering data from an alternate universe within CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. When a bomb explodes in his apartment, Ty realizes that somebody else is after his extraordinary discovery, which he calls a quantum radio, and they’ll do anything to get it. To escape, Ty turns to an old colleague, Richter, with whom he has a thorny history. Riddle layers in enough backstory to keep readers invested as Ty and Richter are drawn into a U.S. military operation to decode the data from the quantum radio, but a lack of emotional depth makes it difficult to truly feel for any of the characters. Thoughtful explorations of alternate history, especially surrounding WWII, take center stage as Ty’s efforts to decode the quantum data lead him to a shocking revelation. Newcomers to sci-fi may appreciate the scientific concepts here, but this will be old hat to more experienced genre fans. (Mar.)