Quicker (An Ell Donsaii Story) (Volume 1)

I have read all 13 books in the Ell Donsaii series. On a whim I started to read book 1 again. I couldn't put it down and then I read the second one and now about to start the third! The series is great.

Being a science/technology/superhero nerd, this series grabbed my eye.

I was initially put off by how "perfect" the protagonist (Ell) happened to be (very attractive, actually a nice person and special abilities).

However, I was able to put that aside and enjoy the fast pace and engaging storyline.

Young Ell Donsaii is always under stress, trying to stop herself from slipping into "the zone". A place where time and everything but her, slows down.

Born with exceptionally fast reflexes, young Ell must deal with unwanted advances, the pressures of a military education, practicing for the Olympic games and Terrorists.

This was a great read and I have already read then next four in the series.

Good book! Because the writer has a medical background that inhances the creditability of the main character he is quite able to weave a believable story. His fiction is one of those (AHA! )moments that cause you to say to yourself what a neat twist on things.

The author created a character unlike most authors would even be able to produce. The physical and mental abilities he imagined are interesting, but the emotional and spiritual aspects of Ell are worthy of reading just by themselves. The icing on the cake were some really great sci-fi aspects of the story, and well thought out implications of "what if." I read through the whole series quickly, and want more!!

I really enjoyed this book. I have bought all of the series. They remind me of the tom swift jr. Books I read as ayoung man. Just with a strong female lead. The only thing that I can say about the book or any of the others in the series is that I finsh them too fast!
Thanks for looking!
M.W.

I've read all of this series (Tau Ceti as of this review). This one and Leutenant are the best of the lot for me. Ell is a likeble teenager with amazing abilities. And the theme of "solving problems to make the world a better place" is one that appeals to me.

A sci if novel not so far in the future to be unbelievable. In these days when we face the threat of terrorism, it is interesting to see the "good guys" win the day. And why one of the "good guys" is also a young girl and an Olympic athlete, the enjoyment is even greater.

Very entertaining,supports a personal theory of certain jumps in evolution. Good storyline and personal conflict to succeed but not look abnormal. Very glad to see more stories in series.
Intend on buying all. William H.

I enjoyed this story more so because the storyline surprised me. The only thing that make it better would be to make it longer. Happy to see the author did and I will buy the next novel right after I post the review.

I bought the first book because it was priced right and the average review looked good.
Light read that just pulled me into the character. Loved it, bought the rest of the series - read them in a 3 day weekend. Now I have to wait until a new one comes out.
You got a fan of the Ell Donsaii series Mr. Dahbers.

I'm kind of embarrassed I liked it; partly because it was kind of us. It was kind of Captain Americy, but I liked Captain America. I read it all and I will read the next t one. It was fun and entertaining.

I'm kind of embarrassed I liked it; partly because it was kind of us. It was kind of Captain Americy, but I liked Captain America. I read it all and I will read the next t one. It was fun and entertaining.

I enjoyed the theme of the book and that it was a book. It had a plot that reached a conclusion. This is a pleasant change from many series where each book doesn't reach any satisfactory end and is just part of a bigger meandering story. Will follow the story onwards as the lead character will improve as she gets older.

Great book, plausible plot devices. The military portion is not entirely realistic, but it isn't anything glaring. The author is definitely knowledgeable about biology which makes the hard science in it much more enjoyable.

In the top five which includes David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Anne McCaffery's Dragonrider series and J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books. Please see my review of Defiance (#9) for more details.

I really enjoyed the Ell Donsaii books by Mr. Dahners, I liked the first book Quicker so much that I purchased the second and third books and read them in one sitting. The story is well written and I found the science related portions very interesting. I will be keeping an eye open for any future installments in the series, I hope they come soon! I gave the book Quicker 5 stars and would give the whole series 5 stars as well, I just could not put these books down. I recommend this series to others, read the Ell Donsaii books!

Imagine being smarter, faster, quicker, etc., than everyone else. Well, that's Ell, a young lady on a mission to be better than everyone else. She gets her smarts and athletic abilities from her amazing parents, and wants to use them to do great things. The basic story is OK, but it gets tiring as Ell can pretty much do anything, from graduating the Air Force Academy two years early to getting a Medal of Honor for crushing a terror plot. Basically, one deux ex machina moment after another. I think the book would be more believable if Ell started out as a robot or android.

Not sure why this series is already up to 12 books. I won't be reading the rest.

I really enjoyed this story. The main character is hard not to like and the story flowed smoothly. I found myself unable to put the book down and it was all over in a day. Fortunately there are more books in the series so I will be picking them up soon.

I didn't think I would like this book, but I was very wrong. I'm definitely going to pick up the next in the series and see how things progress. My main complaint with Quicker was that it is so short!

definitely a whole lot better than I thought it would be. Happy I got it and just bought the rest available. I was a little concerned since it does not seem like a sci-fi at first glance and is far from hard core sci-fi.. but is still a real good story.

I constantly recommend this book and especially this series to my friends and family. I really like the concepts and ideas of Mr. Dahners. Also, this book and this series, to me, are very thought provoking. Please keep writing more!

When I read I don't see words on a page. I watch a movie in my mind. Sometimes the movie is fuzzy and indistinct. Sometimes it's sharp and hidef. Laurence Dahners writes a good yarn that's sharp and clear with enough real science in it to add color and surround sound to my personal movie. Looking forward to more.

I constantly recommend this book and especially this series to my friends and family. I really like the concepts and ideas of Mr. Dahners. Also, this book and this series, to me, are very thought provoking. Please keep writing more!

When I read I don't see words on a page. I watch a movie in my mind. Sometimes the movie is fuzzy and indistinct. Sometimes it's sharp and hidef. Laurence Dahners writes a good yarn that's sharp and clear with enough real science in it to add color and surround sound to my personal movie. Looking forward to more.

Ell Donsaii is basically a superwoman... reflex so fast she's practically a blur, capable of superhuman feats, but zero endurance. Somehow she's so humble and vowed to NEVER show off her full capabilities, i.e. have a secret identity all in the name of "fitting in" despite having superior physical capabilities AND intelligence (fast nerves also means more neurons). Somehow this girl is just so humble and so afraid of her capabilities she's no longer believable, despite getting into military academy at 16 and so on. Guess what happens when a bunch of terrorists decided to crash her Olympics? Bad guys got creamed, of course.

Basically, she's sort of like the Hulk... don't stress her or she'll slip into her "zone", where her full capabilities are unleashed. When she's but 10 she blinded a man attempting to rape her mother. When she's 16 she went out with a boy who tried a bit too hard to kiss her, she hit him with her purse so hard he broke a cheekbone (and he got a kick in the groin that might have sent him into orbit) that she had to call him an ambulance.

The rest of the book were various school shenanigans where she tries to hide her capabilities (she tried gymnastics when she was 4!) and hold her own against jealous classmates, a cadet who's trying to reveal her to the world (and falling for her at the same time) with a sidetrack of some third-rate terrorists in training doing deep sleeper agent stuff in the US, to be called into action to attack the Olympics, just in time when Ell got picked as a part of gymnastics team.

It takes no imagination to extrapolate that somehow she gets involved and ended up saving everybody. And this is just the first book. I honest can't deal with someone who is just THAT self-deprecating AND still be so cheerful and popular. It just doesn't fit.

A few times I got confused whose viewpoint we were following. Overall the book moved well and did not get bogged down in endless introspection. Secondary characters are a bit thin. The military parts are...odd. Dramatic license works better when everything is fictional. Medal of Honor is NOT awarded for actions outside a declared combat zone, to my knowledge. I was also curious that medals for gymnastics were given so early.

If not for the rape incidents early in the book this would be very good YA SF.

The main character was interesting and multi-talented. The author patiently developed the principals in the drama. I think that the situation involving the stealing of the police uniform could have been resolved in a better way.

Ell Donsaii is a very likable character. The development of both her and the young wrestler are a nice combination of conflict and resolution. The reason that I did not give this four starts was the competence for Ell was a little on the 'supergirl' side of things and I did not 'click' with the reason for quitting the Olympics rather than going for thee overall and the team medals. To me this was out of character. She has previously shown herself to be a superb team player and then stops.

I finished the first book of the series, but I was not interested enough in the character to try any of the later books in the series. The feeling I got was of a comic-book heroine in written form--that's not bad, but I did not find this particularly enjoyable. This may well work for some of the younger sci-fi readers, but not for an experienced reader and adult. For the experienced reader of sci-fi, try the 'David Weber-Honor Harrington series'.

Cute idea and an entertaining read, but I only finished it to see just how outrageous the author was going to get. Books like this are why most writers love and respect their editors. Somebody has to rein in when Mary Sue gets out of control.

What's unfortunate is that Ell never encounters adversity or has to solve a problem. She's never in any danger, she's always right, everybody loves her, she never suffers any consequences, and no one appears utterly flabbergasted by her super-human abilities--they just say, "Wow! Would you look at that!" and move on. She has no issues, no hangups, no problems controlling her superpowers, and her weakness never trips her up. She doesn't suffer, she doesn't grow, she just runs around being fabulous.

Another reviewer used this description and I'm going to echo it. This book reads like a comic book, only it can't fall back on the pictures to show the reader, it has tell the reader.

It was fun for a single story, but I can't get interested in seeing the rest. I can only take so much sugar before my pancreas seizes up.

The story started a littl differently and had the promise of a great action story. Then the character development went sideways. The little girl who saved her mother from rape and maybe worse became so Politically Correct.

What is strange is she is lovable enough and the story well written enough I bough the entire series based on this book. I like the writer and will read any thing else by him I can afford.

My own score for this book is a one, but I ordered it on a friend's recommendation, so I moderated the number of stars since she obviously thought it was a five. The idea is intriguing but the writing fails to be compelling. It took me a long time to read this very short book, however I will say it helped me fall asleep for a few weeks. I will not be buying more of this series without evidence that the writing level improves along the way.

This series is reminisent of David Weber's Honor Harrington stories, which are awesome. Ell rocks the entire planet and civilization with repeated breakthroughs in physics, combat, and athletics. The pace is fast, and once you start reading you will be unable to stop until you get to the last book in the series. I know this because it's what happened to me.

I just read all 5 books in 5 days. I have to put up with a lot of orthopods (keeping their clientele still while they do their human carpentry). This orthopod (Dahners) got my attention in a good way. I anxiously await the next book.

Another story in the popular genre of super-powered average folk. Ell is anything but average, of course. The author provides a simple and believable basis for her abilities, including the natural disadvantages as well. Stereotypical Islamic villains make their appearance, but are treated with some complexity. A good beginning.

I've read the series and am not going to write a review for every book,but Lawrence Darners the man.
If your interested in some light reading and a fast pasted story line with fun characters this is the starting place.
Thanks for the fun. Check out the other books this author has written while your at it he won't disappoint.

What a fun book to read. Our hero is so young and yet finds herself in the middle of a harrowing situation with terrorists. Combine that with participating in the Olympics and being the youngest cadet at the Air Force Academy and you have an action packed story. I think it is aimed at a younger audience; however, I enjoyed the heck out of it.

This was a great story. And despite what other reviewers said, it was edited fairly well. I found one or two places that needed editorial correction, but it was WAY better than many of the other Kindle books I've read. I plan to purchase the next book in the series.

I read this in one sitting. I had never read anything by this author before but the story sounded interesting so for only $.99 I thought why not give it a try. I am glad I did and I look forward to reading the next one.

This was a great story. And despite what other reviewers said, it was edited fairly well. I found one or two places that needed editorial correction, but it was WAY better than many of the other Kindle books I've read. I plan to purchase the next book in the series.

I read this in one sitting. I had never read anything by this author before but the story sounded interesting so for only $.99 I thought why not give it a try. I am glad I did and I look forward to reading the next one.

I was intrigued by the book summary which claimed this to be a science fiction book. It is definitely fiction but not a lot of science. The author has made this character too talented and only given her one small flaw. You could relate this to a Superman book without any super villains. There was a main action scene which flew by way too quickly. I thought the Olympics aspect was a big stretch - I would have preferred if the focus had stayed on her time in the Academy. Oh, well. I know that other readers will find this an easy read. I was expecting something else.

Story is pretty straightforward, nothing very difficult to understand conceptually. Characters looking for more developmentover time. Hopefully the story and writing grows as the main protagonist matures.

I've seen this series from time to time in my perpetual search for a good read, and finally decided to give it a try, since the first book was only $0.99.

I've read all the first 6 books in one sitting.

I have to reluctantly give it 5 stars because of the above. The Author managed to keep my interest and succeeded in his mission to make me read and buy the series, mainly because 3 of my favorite themes are in the book: Invention, Discovery, Economic growth

Reluctantly, because had I not been totally hooked by the close integration of these favorite themes, I would not have given this series the time of the day. I found myself bored with the too similar scenes and situations, repeated ad nauseam in every installment. I winced too many times at the repetitive plot, poor characterization, and cringed at the absoluteness of the archetypes. How absolute? Here's a short description of the main character: An unmatched genius with godly beauty, superhuman strength, superhuman speed, angelic disposition, saintly soul, immense wealth, great humility, effacing modesty, hypnotizing sex appeal...

All other things being equal, this was either above average or mediocre, depending if you compare it to the golden age classics, or the more sophisticated modern novels. This reads like a good old classic science fiction book, and would have fitted right in with books from the like of E.E Doc Smith and John W Campbell.

I can only raise my hat, and shake my head in wonder that despite all of these weaknesses, it still remained an interesting read. Somehow, it works. Despite my harsh and honestly felt criticism, I am now on my way to buy Bonesetter from the same author. mainly because of the themes the book seems to contain.

just like I was fascinated by the skylark of space series and the lensman series, despite all their structural unsoundness and blatant pseudo-science, and would go back for more if I could. This has really reinforced for me the importance of themes. People will read what they like to read, if you write it, and if a lot of the themes they like to read is in your book. As long as it is readable, technical weaknesses will not be too much of an impediment.

You can see most of the plot coming a mile away. I have Smarter as well, but it seems to be much the same. This is a Young Adult novel, though not sure it is sold as one. Suspension of disbelief is also an issue... but it is a fun ride and Ell is a kick-ass heroine. It could be a good series.

One of the most enjoyable Science Fiction series I have ever had the pleasure to read. Seriously, if you have yet to read them, start NOW! I intend to leave this review, such as it is, and the rating for all five of his books, as I feel the same about each and every one of them. Great reads, all and I can't wait for the next one. Seriously. I love 'em all.

The concept of fast twitch muscles needs to more fully explored. Author needs to spend time with true sprinters to learn the difference between working at peak and survival mode. The heart is a muscle and by his definition she should be dead or catatonic.

Sprinters have extraordinary endurance because they can peak and peak and peak again. A mile is not long distance.

Ell is a very interesting character. This is a great story for teenagers. It creates an interest in science and outer space and the great potential for achieving the impossible. Interesting for adult readers also.

She is smarter than anyone else. She is faster than anyone else..

.. and she isn't named Mary Sue.

Even if the character is better than anyone else and younger, there is something about this writing that seems interesting. As such I bought way too many of the sequels and read them. Still, if you can't stand Mary Sue -characters and want more of challenge and more realistic writing, this book definitely isn't for you.

The story line was really far fetched and not written well enough to be convincing. I like series that are a similar genre like Hunger Games and Divergent, but this book wasn't even close to being written as well. I kept reading hoping it would get better and it never did. Glad it only cost me 99 cents.

If you know anything about how the military you are going to spot scenes where it's clear the author has absolutely no idea about how the military works, and has at most very little knowledge of how firearms work. Fortunately due to that lack he managed to write a fairly interesting SF story about a superhuman (both mentally and physically) teen aged girl and her experiences as she goes to a psedo-military college and joins the US olympic team as a gymnist. As long as you manage to ignore the scenes which indicate she was supposedly attending the US Air force academy and most definitely do not read the epilogue the story is actually somewhat enjoyable.

Someone who knew more about olimpic sports might find more things to complain about, but as I don't know much about it I didn't think about any of the problem with the scenes until I started writing this review.

The story was plodding and two dimensional as were the characters, a young girl with super speed she had to hide (why?) and a boy who was a would be rapist who didn't take no for an answer.
Despite numerous slip ups showing her incredible speed she was not found out ( well as far as I read to). About half way through I realised that this book as a waste of my time, so I stopped. I won't be buying the sequels either.

I like that we get a female hero, a prodigy with superfast and strong capabilities who is also highly intelligent. Ell Donsai starts out by repelling a man who tries to attack her mother. She continues by finishing her school exams early and moving on to a military cadet college - pity to involve army in this book but it does explain how she is able to fire a gun later. Ell then repels her own attacker.
With speed and sprint capability, but not much stamina, Ell does well at gymnastics and is picked for the Olympics. We don't see anything of the Games except Ell's sections.

The second thread in the book focuses on an Arabic young man with a personal grudge against America, who plans to join others in bombing the Olympic Games held in America. Sadly once this is established the reader tends to skip over this part of the tale in order to get to Ell's next appearance. Brainwashed terrorists just aren't that interesting in their day to day life. I don't understand how the army thing works as I would expect the young lady to get a scholarship to somewhere that physics or computer science is taught, given her maths abilities. Would she not have to serve a certain amount of army years? Anyway some action is well thought out and the author gives a little biology explanation at the end.
I downloaded an ARC on Kindle. This is an unbiased review.

I was laying in bed hoping for something new to catch my attention and I stumbled across this gem with an average review of over 4 stars. It was only 99c so I figured why not? The writing is so poor that I couldn't bring myself to make it through the first chapter, in fact I struggled to get past the author using the word kidded ("Their friends kidded them that") on the first page. The premise almost sounds interesting, but I just can't bring myself to read it. It might be a worth while book if you can ignore the haphazard way words are slapped on the pages.

Very similar to the "Emily Kane adventures" that came out the same year-2011. Very Young Adult. Eli is a young woman who has a unique ability. She has super fast reflexes and a math genius. She uses this to become an Olympic champion. Cute story of a sweet young woman who uses her abilities to help others. The plot has huge holes in it. For example we are told she is socially inept, but everyone loves her. She is frightened of using her abilities, but makes great decisions in life or death situations. Just does not track. Nice up tempo tale for those times you do not want to think too much.

A delightful story of a girl who is incredibly gifted both in mind and body. In this short book she rocks the world, with a interesting ride in school with the Air Force, reaching new heights at the Olympics, facing down terrorists and publishing ground-breaking work in physics. Suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride!

I enjoyed how Dahners told the first part of the story through the eyes of someone who hated her, and gradually came to admire her.

This is the strongest book in the series and sets us up for a long series of books that build on each other. You'll find it hard to stop with here and shouldn't; like Doritos, Dahners made more so keep eating.

Spoiler.....

.....
main character is saving hostages from 7 murderous terrorists intent on a public execution and decides to "wing" 5 of them with a pistol instead of shooting them in their faces...dragged me completely out of the story at the most important point due to unforgivable unrealism....and berettas are lame.

I really love this author. He writes a fun sci-fi book. The language is definitely more spicy than I am used to. Don't get the wrong idea, I usually have no swearing in the books I read. Anyway, back to what is important,how much fun this book is. I am really looking forward to reading the series.

If you value your time and have poor self control you may want to be careful with this series as it reads like a nice downhill bicycle ride, effortlessly. I begun the series this past weekend and am in the fourth book - it's Wednesday now. I don't read particularly quickly so I'm lucky that these are not the longest books in the world. And I'm glad there are, right now, twelve of them as I am looking forward to reading all of them over the next couple of weeks.

An excellent story with interesting science, good character development, and action. Unfortunately, I just learned that there are 13 novels in this series - looks like I will be spending some money. I have one small nit to pick. The device that holds the ammunition for most semi-automatic weapons is called a magazine, not a clip. Very few weapons use a clip. This is a common mistake, but someone at attending a military academy would use correct terminology.

I believe you met your goal. I cared for your character quite a lot. I am eager to read the next. We all struggle, stretch and strive for that next level. We all yearn for a bit of eternity in our finite world.

Well done, sir!

I bet no one else did either.I bet she does make a great action doll an impossible mutant person already in need of a full time shrink.l really enjoyed the writing style and will follow her impossible life Phil had better get to work on those protective instincts.

Good read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I recommend it to folks who enjoy a little escapism with a lot of action. However, beware that only the first book is kindle unlimited. That is not my normal experience with kindle unlimited. I will wait to read the rest of the series when they either become kindle unlimited or my subscription expires. I would have given five stars but for the bait and switch tactics.

Ell Donsaii is a remarkable young lady, all the more a young lady because of her softheartedness towards those that would do her harm. It's not an unlikely mutation entirely within the realm of probability. I'll be watching her in the future! Once again I've read this book and it was even better the second time! I realized that I read it so fast the first time that I didn't really comprehend it and that made it all the more enjoyable on the second run through. Laurence Dahners, you are an amazing writer!

I have to say, I'm sad. Because I've read book 1 - 11, in the last 7 days, and every one of the books has been incredible.
The twists and turns are fast paced. Its like combining Rogue Warrior, Harry Potter, and Mygyver together.
Even the books that others have gave 4 stars too, were some of the best.
I WANT MORE. Thanks so much Mr Dahners. You really remind me of the greatness of EE Doc Smith, with a touch of Heinlein.

Good read, I liked the theory of the super fast and smart yet modest person that Ell is. I would like to have me of those Berettas that fire that fast for my own as that is a bit of creative license but still makes for a good story.

a good choice for someone wanting science in their fiction.

an easy read. interesting plot. very likeable characters. engaging story that kept me reading well ino the night.

i own all 12 in this series but this one was my favorite.

definately recommend this book and this series .

The book was fun, if not great. Very appealing main character, and if the plot was predictable, at least it was enjoyable. I would have like a little more detail in some sections, but enjoyed the actions scenes immensley. The book does seem like it should be listed as Young adult, but I am glad that I gave it a try and plan on reading the next installment "Smarter"

I had been reading so much fantasy that I wasn't prepared for this fully pure science fiction series. I love the action and the science behind everything. The pace is face and you will be engaged from the very beginning. The books are quick, and to the point and a good change of pace from magic back to pure science to solve problems and to watch develop.

A great book. The beginning of a new series that will not just deliver a good scifi story but gives you a chance to feel that you know the persons in it.It will also allow you to question "what if" in science.

I had been reading so much fantasy that I wasn't prepared for this fully pure science fiction series. I love the action and the science behind everything. The pace is face and you will be engaged from the very beginning. The books are quick, and to the point and a good change of pace from magic back to pure science to solve problems and to watch develop.

A great book. The beginning of a new series that will not just deliver a good scifi story but gives you a chance to feel that you know the persons in it.It will also allow you to question "what if" in science.

Lots of predictability, but fun nonetheless. I enjoy reading things from a girls perspective, but this one didn't really feel oriented that way, which is a shame, because there is a lot of potential with the character, but she needs to be more real, with faults, urges, fetishes, whatever, just not so perfect.

MIght have been better if the person who wrote the blurb hadn't mentioned all those other books (Hunger Games, etc.) Loved the concept, but very disappointed by the execution and by comparing it to other famous books only heightened my discontent.

This novel is an exceptionally enjoyable read. It is well written, scientifically intriguing, and exciting. The plot is complex, but fast moving. It is hard to put down. The author has done an excellent job. We anxiously await the next installment.

I found the premise of this whole series fun and would probably have enjoyed it much more if it was written for adults. As it is it really is more of a children's book. It's a weird mix of exciting events and scenes where you just want to slap the hell out of Ell Donsaii for being such a naive idiot. I think the whole superwoman and "aw shucks, winning that nobel prize was just a lucky break" stuff is taken way way too far. The superwoman stuff would have been a lot more enjoyable if it was toned down and if Ell was more of a hard case. 2/5 as it is.

Purchased the first book on a saturday fortunately as after I finished the first I immediately got the next ten. A great series and a real page turner its now monday and having finished the 11 in the series I can't wait for the next one. Well done.

I found this book to be really entertaining! The fact that is is one of the WORST books I have ever read kept me totally mezmerized. I had to keep reading in order to see what new depths the author could plunge to.
The characters were poorly drawn, the action ridiculous and the text badly written.
Even worse, the POV almost universally creepy. Although the jacket says that it is a book featuring a strong heroine to inspire young women, three of the main POVs used were that of a rapist, an abusive stepfather and an 18 year old boy who sexually assaults the main character. (who turns out to be a great guy. WTF?)
You seldom get into the head of the female main character....I found it very disturbing in a way that I don't think the author intended.
I definitely don't want my teenagers reading this book.
In fact, nobody should read this awful stuff....
I seldom take time to write bad reviews, but I strongly felt that people should be warned. Don't be fooled by the five star reviews of this book. It is trash.