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Douglas E. Richards

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Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Amped. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: brilliant scientist, female protagonist, special forces operative, scientists, enhanced humans, genius characters, morally conflicted, paranoid leader, altruistic protagonist, government target, possible psychopath

Relationships labels used: romantic partnership, husband-wife, trust issues, betrayal, teamwork, scientist team, government pursuit, ally turned foe, friends and foes

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

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Split Second

Douglas E. Richards · 2015 · Split Second

A physicist's split-second time travel breakthrough draws deadly factions, forcing his fiancée into a fight for survival.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant scientist · female protagonist · private investigator · ex-military hero · black ops operative · stock characters · cliche characters · hyper-intelligent · plucky heroine · martial competence · resourceful protagonist · flat characters · likable characters · antagonistic forces

Relationships labels: fiancée · romantic partnership · kidnapping · mentor-protector · trust issues · rival factions · good guys vs bad guys · dependency · betrayal · working partnership

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1471

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Game Changer

Douglas E. Richards · 2016

A Secret Service agent on the run uncovers a near-future brain-tech conspiracy that could reshape memory, learning, and power.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: Secret Service agent · neuroscientist · scientist protagonist · competent operative · highly intelligent characters · strong female characters · moral characters · mad scientist · rogue agent · brilliant scientist · black-ops adjacent

Relationships labels: colleagues · romantic tension · attraction · state power conflict · trust breakdown · pursuer-target · marriage (contested) · family loss · allyship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1502

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Primordial Threat

M.A. Rothman · 2018 · Exodus

In 2066, a NASA leader races to stop a black hole from ending Earth, while cultists try to make doom inevitable.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant scientist · misunderstood genius · discredited scientist · NASA leader · military leader · president · religious zealots · death cult · doomsday cult · likable characters · strong female characters · intense characters · relatable characters · flawed characters · heroic scientists

Relationships labels: teamwork · scientific collaboration · government partnership · international cooperation · rival scientists · family longing · trust and disbelief · mentor mystery · authority conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1563

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Pillar to the Sky

William R. Forstchen · 2014

A near-future team tries to build a space elevator to solve Earth’s energy crisis while battling politics, funding, and physics.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant scientist · renegade scientist · female scientist · mentor figure · billionaire backer · scientists and engineers · astronauts · political antagonists · idealistic protagonists · motivated visionaries

Relationships labels: mentor-protege · husband-wife · romantic relationship · family · parent-child · scientist-backer · science-versus-politics · institutional opposition · team collaboration

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1592

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The Female Breeders

Melanie Bokstad Horev · 2025 · The Female Saga

In a female-run dystopia, a young scientist screens imprisoned men for breeding and uncovers a brutal conspiracy.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young scientist · brilliant scientist · female protagonist · strong female lead · male lead · traumatized male · sympathetic protagonist · questioning authority · disaffected insider · powerful councilwoman · relatable characters · underdeveloped side characters · multiple agendas · morally conflicted

Relationships labels: forbidden attraction · cross-faction bond · friends to allies · friendship · romantic tension · trust issues · power imbalance · sympathy across enemy lines · mentorship · love amid oppression · rivalry · female friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1625

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Afterparty

Daryl Gregory · 2014

A disgraced neuroscientist hunts a resurfaced god-drug across near-future Canada, chased by faith, fallout, and old secrets.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant scientist · neuroscientist · addict · flawed protagonist · psychologically damaged · atheist · self-loathing · paranoid · ex-government agent · ex-intelligence officer · female antihero · mentor hallucination · imaginary companion · drug-addled · morally ambivalent · redemption arc

Relationships labels: marriage · same-sex relationship · lesbian relationship · lover · friendship · colleagues · found family · mentor-protector bond · betrayal · team dynamic · spiritual dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1641

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The Fungus

Harry Adam Knight, Leroy Kettle · 1985

A lab-made fungal plague sweeps England, forcing a desperate team into quarantined London to find a possible antidote.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist · mycologist · soldier · doctor · estranged husband · female scientist · antiheroic characters · unlikeable characters · cannon fodder · brilliant scientist · psychotic soldier · plucky survivors · military team

Relationships labels: estranged spouses · marriage · team mission · scientist-husband dynamic · scientist-colleague cooperation · military-science alliance · sexism toward women · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1692

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The Oppenheimer Alternative

Robert J. Sawyer · 2020

A meticulously researched secret-history tale in which Oppenheimer and fellow scientists race to avert a hidden solar catastrophe.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: genius scientists · brilliant minds · real historical figures · character-driven · morally conflicted · flawed protagonist · distinct ensemble · rivalrous colleagues · well-drawn characters

Relationships labels: professional rivalry · scientific collaboration · romantic triangle · marriage · marital conflict · friendship · power struggle · team dynamics

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1694

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Emergence

Kim Harrison · 2024 · Eclipsed Evolution

As humans and aliens struggle to coexist after first contact, a scientist uncovers a dangerous magic secret.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · researcher protagonist · female lead · alien colleague · possible boyfriend · love triangle · politically savvy antagonist · manipulated heroine · strong-willed heroine · smart characters · morally gray characters

Relationships labels: friendship · slow-burn romance · love triangle · colleague bond · trust issues · power imbalance · duty vs friendship · human-alien partnership · romantic tension · protective relationship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1727

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Quantum Space

Douglas Phillips · 2023 · Quantum

When a Soyuz capsule vanishes on reentry, two scientists uncover a quantum mystery that could reshape human contact.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: scientist protagonist · government investigator · NASA analyst · physics genius · intellectual hero · female scientist · stock characters · flat characterization · stereotyped cast · capable women · bad guys

Relationships labels: professional partnership · male-female dynamic · romantic tension · hero and helper · mentor-like explanation · workplace collaboration · government-lab collaboration · rival institutions · romance subplot · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1730

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Mastermind

Andrew Mayne · 2021 · Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood

A black-ops blackout in Manhattan pulls two brilliant rivals into a globe-spanning hunt for a mastermind.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: FBI agent · scientist · computational biologist · illusionist · former magician · brilliant mind · genius duo · strong female lead · antihero scientist · serial killer · cultist · master manipulator · sociopath · villainous genius · traumatized protagonist · resourceful lead · unusual hero · maverick agent · hyperfocused

Relationships labels: team-up · partners · mutual distrust · growing respect · chemistry · banter · power struggle · interagency conflict · rivalry · nemesis

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1748

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The Terminal Experiment

Robert J. Sawyer · 1995

A scientist who finds evidence of the soul makes digital copies of himself, and one copy escapes into murder.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: biomedical engineer · scientist protagonist · detective · best friend · AI specialist · marital conflict · flawed protagonist · morally ambiguous protagonist · sympathetic characters · flat characters · one-dimensional characters · male gaze · sexist characterization

Relationships labels: marriage crisis · infidelity · friendship · scientific partnership · romantic tension · betrayal · family drama · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1780

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