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Prax and the Hazardous Countdown

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In 2019, emotionally-lost foster kid Philo Nockby is suddenly told his dead parents were time-traveling agents and is whisked away to the year 3451, a complex post-pandemic future, where some humans evolved to have triple helix DNA. Philo and his new friends, Raelyn, Alani, and Xendo, must investigate human history and the ancient martial art of kineoka at the same training academy that destroyed his family to save the world's future from the devastating secrets his parents fought to reveal.

PRAX and the Hazardous Countdown is the first novel in an upcoming six-part book series taking place in the fictional PRAX Future. This action-packed YA science-fantasy story explores themes of growing up LGBTQ+, coming of age, chosen family, friendships, futurism, overcoming adversity, young romance, discrimination, and the implications of history and politics in everyday modern life.

Lovers of Harry Potter, Avatar the Last Airbender, The 39 Clues, Sense8, The Hunger Games, Marvel Comics, and Star Wars will find themselves enraptured in this store's dangerous mystery, expansive worldbuilding, and fascinatingly unique and relatable characters!

Follow Prax on Social Media: @praxseries

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2021

1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read

About the author

Matthew Francis

2 books26 followers

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5 stars
13 (65%)
4 stars
4 (20%)
3 stars
1 (5%)
2 stars
2 (10%)
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0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
1 review
January 28, 2022
I listened to the audiobook and thought the reader, Yu-Li Alice Shen, did a fantastic job with all the voice. The book was engaging within the first 10 minutes. The worldbuilding was really good and immersive. You learned a lot about each of the main characters throughout the book. Overall, it was an awesome book that left you wanting more! Looking forward to the next book!
Profile Image for Nate Carvalho.
1 review
January 13, 2023
I had the absolute pleasure of reading and listening to the fantastic PRAX book. As an avid reader, sometimes it's hard to find a book that has the right balance between adventure, friendship and that day-to-day magic that really brings you into its world. And I'm happy to say PRAX has just that.
Following Philo, Raelyn, Alani and Xendo, you not only get a glimpse of life hundreds of years in the future but also what really means to find your place in a world that is not always the one you wish it was.
Filled with action, magical moments and introspection about what it means to be a teenager in an ever-changing world, PRAX is the perfect combination for all ages.
Can't wait to see what the next books bring.
Profile Image for Nora.
1 review
May 3, 2021
OMG THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD
Profile Image for Lucas Mattila.
163 reviews22 followers
September 7, 2022
4/5 - A great start! -- Minor Spoilers for the first few chapters

Lovers of Harry Potter and speculative fiction of all kinds will find a welcome book for reading in PRAX and the Hazardous Countdown. And, unlike the Harry Potter series, PRAX takes a positive stance in its representation of the LGBT+ community. It's a self-published, Indie novel which is NOT EASY and it does a great job. Not to say that it doesn't have faults, but that those faults are minor and surprisingly few for a first splash in the industry.

The premise is simple enough, time travel exists -- it's about ~1400 years in the future and technology has created a seeming Utopia in a lot of ways, but divisions still remain. The main division that rules this post-post-apocalyptic time is that of those mutated by the wars of the past and those who (seemingly) were not. The series is quick to introduce a central mystery that I'm guessing is one of the main focuses of the series: The deaths of several agents during a time travel machine back to the early 2000s. Philo, the product of two of those agents, is lifted from his foster home in 2019 and brought to the year 3451.

This first installment is a fish out of water story, some of which really resonates with a lot of the books we (aging myself as a mid 20s reviewer rn) read when we were young but with a lot more positive potential. The representation in this book transcends racial, gender and sexual categories without ever making them a central focus, which honestly is refreshing! Even so, it never reduces characters' diversity to just a description. Aspects of their identity clearly relate to their decision making (Oh Xendo <3 ) and it's the farthest thing from tokenism.

This book is four stars for two reasons: a) It's book one of its series b) It's expository in the beginning.

In both cases, these aren't necessarily faults per say. Book one of almost any series carries a weight of promising so much. I can't really call it a masterpiece or say that I love it without knowing what the other books will be. To my second point, similarly, the first book of a YA series has a lot of exposition -- they literally have to set up the world and introduce all the characters.

READ THIS :)
1 review
January 29, 2022
PRAX is a heartwarming, sci-fi, futuristic, action-packed adventure of four teens filled with intrigue, humor, and life lessons.
Although it’s fiction, PRAX left me with the hope that even in the future, friendship, family and good will thrive.
There were many noteworthy and inspirational quotes, one of my favorites was: “You four have more in common than you even realize,” Superintendent Pearl confided to the first-years. “Often, the world sends us friends to make sense of the journey we’ve been forced to travel alone.”
I loved reading this book, and I think other moms and their children/kids will love it too!
1 review
June 14, 2022
Firstly, the cover art is pretty thought provoking! I loved how the book didn’t waste too much time digging into the action and the juicy parts. The imagery is detailed and the storyline very clean. I’m not gonna give anything away, but the main characters have awesome chemistry(even if they’re just words on a page). This book was an awesome adventure :) 10/10 will be following to see what comes next!!
1 review
January 16, 2023
PRAX and the Hazardous Countdown is a wonderful book about friendship, loss, and hope for the future! It follows the journey of Philo, a young orphaned teen, traveling nearly 1500 years to the future to, ironically, learn more about his own past, while making friends with fellow teens: Raelyn, Alani, and Xendo! This group of teens navigate school life and learn a martial art called kineoka in SIYT, a school specifically for trioka, people with evolved DNA.

All in all, this book is an enjoyable read! The world-building is enthralling, and the descriptions of the cities in the sky, underwater, and in Antartica are a feast for the imagination! People looking for diverse and LGBTQ+ characters will be very happy to read this! Many of the characters are of different races, sexualities and gender identities all while not defining them by those traits. The book is action-packed as well, especially towards the end when you've bonded with these characters. The last few chapters of the novel is quite a rollercoaster, filled with intrigue and suspense! This series has great potential, and I'm looking forward to the next books from this author!

1 review
June 21, 2024
PRAX was such a great book! It is action-packed with adventure. I did not want to put the book down; I had to know what happened next! Though the book is action based, it also explores themes of true friendship and family, as well as tension between different people groups and political groups. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who enjoy action and sci-fi
Profile Image for Steve J.
224 reviews7 followers
June 23, 2025
A fun romp into the 35th century. Extensive world building and a full complement of characters, with some optimistic predictions for the future. Not all good of course, with a bunch of powerful, old-fashioned capitalist baddies to contend with.

I would like to read more books in this series.
2 reviews1 follower
September 16, 2023
A well written quick read, full of sci-fi adventure, time travel and friendship. Well thought out characters, excellent world building and a story line that leaves you wanting to read more :)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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