Catalyst Downward Cycle

De: J K Franks

Narrado por: Steven Varnum

Duración: 12 h y 8 m

Resumen del Editor

In the first five minutes, more than a million people will die.... That’s just the beginning of the nightmare.

The super solar storm wasn’t supposed to hit Earth - the odds were against it. And yet it did, and everything changed. The storm causes a global blackout. Society begins to come apart as the planes begin falling from the sky and all traces of normal vanish. Scott Montgomery watches helplessly as pandemonium consumes the world around him. But the loss of electrical power is just the first of the problems facing the survivors in the chaos that follows.

Soon, they discover the loss of electricity was just the beginning of their problems. In a land without laws and few consequences for their actions, individuals must come to terms with their darkest fears and desires. What will Scott do when he learns the draconian plans one secret group has for regaining control and ensuring their own vision for the new world?

Catalyst is a shockingly realistic tale of how society copes when the world is thrust back to a time before technology. If you are a fan of Steve Konkoly, Tom Abrahams, or A. American, you will love this audiobook.

©2016 J K Franks (P)2016 J K Franks

Couldn't finish

This book has a good storyline. I realize the writer wants to keep the story real but he could do it without so much cussing. sorry I am a person who lives in the real world and I hear the cussing but I don't want to pay for it. Just my opinion.

Character driven post apocalyptic story

Catalyst Downward Cycle was a very good Post Apocalyptic story with a bit of a different take. The beginning of the end is brought about by Solar Flares or Coronal Mass Ejections(CME's) which throws the world into chaos by decimating the power grid and many electronics in general. The story takes place mostly in a small town in Mississippi and follows the character of Scott a 30 something recently divorced computer consultant for homeland security. He is a bicycle enthusiast which plays a fairly large role in the book. After the CME when the power goes out, things don't appear to be too bad and most people just think this is going to be a temporary thing, though Scott doesn't really think so and begins to make plans and prepare, he comes across some other towns folk of like mind, Todd, Bartos and Jack a preacher. They help each other out a bit and start to form a friendship. Scott learns some things from a friend with higher security clearance than him just how bad things really are and how they are likely to get much worse and he decides to inform his new friends.

Scott is a pretty cool character who seems fairly smart and practical and willing to do what needs to be done but one of my major complaints is how much respect other characters give him and almost defer to him when they barely know him and may not even seem the most capable or prepared out of the group but that is a minor quibble.

The story is pretty interesting and very character driven with the interactions of various characters, friend and foe. Their is a mission to travel to Florida to rescue/find Scotts niece who was away at college when the CME hit and has not been heard from, then there is the tasks of surviving and trying to keep the community together through all the pressures and hardships and of course there is a power struggle. There is also another storyline which is fully explored in this novel but probably will be in future installments more in depth of a secret government group which is now working to essentially cull some of the population so they can save the overall country and of course still be in control, and towards the end in the prologue gets very conspiracy theory-ish, which could be interesting if done correctly but how it will intersect with are small group of characters is yet to be seen.

The narration by Steve Varnum was very good and lent itself well to the story. His voice for female characters isn't the best but it really isn't much of an issue. He did pronounce 'Pwned' wrong, which for the character of a computer nerd isn't likely(he pronounced it Pawned instead of Powned). I am very interested in reading future installments to see where this story goes.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Magnificent

The book was very well done very well written very well perform. Great book five stars

It could very well happen

I’ve listened to a bunch of these doomsday, post apocalyptic books. This one is an extremely good listen. Keeps you wanting one more chapter. Needless to say I’m getting the next book in the series.

how to prep

Nice gal character dies, hoping it would have went differently. Overall a good listen. Need to listen again as I had many distractions.

Quiet

The narrator is entirely too quiet

My car’s volume need to be dang near maxed to hear him talking.

So far so good

Maybe not as realistic or educational as other books in this genre, but a fun "read" nonetheless. I found the main characters to be likeable and imperfect, with struggles and flaws that are easy to relate to. I had a little trouble getting into the first couple of chapters but once Scott met his new group of "prepper" friends, I was pretty much hooked from then on.

The narrator doesn't have a whole lot of variation in his character voices but I still enjoyed the listen. I've been spoiled by the likes of Andrea Parsneau, so I may be a little more picky than most, lol. My only beef was that the volume of the recording itself seemed a little low.

If you're trying to decide if this would be a good read for you, I also really enjoyed The Borrowed World, Locker Nine, and Mad Mick series' by Franklin Horton, The Survivalist series by A. American, and the Defiance series by William H. Weber. There are others as well, of course, but these are my top favorites in this genre. If you enjoy those authors and series also, you may very well enjoy this book, too.

Enjoyable SHTF novel!

I really liked this book. The author obviously put a lot of though behind the storyline and character development. The characters in the story are very relatable, scenarios are detailed to the point that the listener feels like they're in the story themselves. The only downside is I felt the end was a little anticlimactic... I'm fairly certain there will be a follow up, but I wasn't left on the edge of my seat. Besides that, I'd definitely recommend this to any listener that enjoys SHTF or TEOTWAKI type of books.

The narrator did a great job portraying the characters with his accents and change of gender and race. The only part I can really criticize is, at times, I felt they're were pauses in his narration that were unnecessary.

I'll definitely be getting the follow up when it's available.

*This audiobook was provided to me at no cost in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Fantastic CME Story Very Well Done!!!!

What did you like best about Catalyst Downward Cycle? What did you like least?

What I liked best about the audio book was the main character and his personal growth. He was a broken man at the start of the story. He had experienced a bitter divorce that shattered him. His only joy in life was his bicycle. But he grew as a person and his job as Cyber security with DHS managed to help the community once he overcame his aversion to interacting with people and started to build relationships through mutual need.What I liked least was never hearing more from Scott's Brother or Sister in law in Arkansas. He was a Prepper with a bug out location and shielded radio's. He knew Scott was getting his daughter so I think they should have been able to make contact to tie up that loose thread.

What did you like best about this story?

I What I liked best about the story was the main character and his personal growth. He was a broken man at the start of the story. He had experienced a bitter divorce that shattered him. His only joy in life was his bicycle. But he grew as a person and his job as Cyber security with DHS managed to help the community once he overcame his aversion to interacting with people and started to build relationships through mutual need.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene in the book is Scott try to escape from Tyrell's thugs who have stolen Barto's Bronco and are trying to kill Scott. Scott had been trying to evade them on his bike for a long time but has had enough and decide to stand his ground. It is awesome. He has changed so much from the start of the book.

Do you think Catalyst Downward Cycle needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes it does. The author has crafted a great world that needs to be expanded and grown. The story is clearly not over.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge via Audiobook Boom."

High school quakity

Dialogue and content was amateurish and the reader wasnt great. I would not recommend getting this title