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Catharsis
The rage room. Want to kill your spouse and get away with it? What about your employer? Your priest? At Chicago’s Catharsis, you can do just that—in a controlled simulation, using the latest technology in cloning—and no one gets hurt. No one dies. In the mid 21st century, the rage room has become the most sought out method of destruction therapy for the wealthy elite. Owen Valack is the CEO who runs Catharsis, a corporation built on the backs of his father and grandfather. Now, decades after its inception, a new technology is being pioneered at Catharsis, substituting living breathing replicants as victims instead of outdated and unrealistic holograms. And Owen, in the midst of a bitter divorce, has decided to use his wife’s replicant as the prototype. But the replicants, unlike the crude holograms that came before, fight back with surprising strength and agility. A shocking discovery is made when the simulated murder of a second replicant seems to coincide with the grisly death of its human counterpart swimming 2,000 miles away at Malibu Beach. Pete Malinowski, a beat cop, gets a call to respond to a reported drowning. Inexplicably, what he finds is a man clearly dead, but not from drowning. Suspecting a homicide, he begins an investigation that leads him from Malibu Beach to Council Grove, Kansas, and finally back to Chicago to ferret out the truth of what’s really happening behind closed doors at the premier Chicago rage room.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2023
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 16, 2024
Rhys Lovell has written a masterful novel about thought-provoking possibilities. As the threads of the story unwind, each scene unfolds another layer of understanding about how the pieces fall together. It's too good to put down but almost too frightening to read on. Amazing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
February 22, 2025
3.5 + .5 for the sick audiobook
December 9, 2023
Cartharsis is a frighteningly believable look into the future, where rage rooms and technology have fused into a morally-questionable pastime for anyone who can afford the price tag.
Forget ‘roller coaster ride’ — this novel is a drop tower, an elevator car whose cable snaps on the top floor, virtually plummeting you through a tense 48 hours in the Chicago corporate headquarters. Inexplicable murders miles apart seem to lead back to Catharsis and its CEO, and it’s up to a Malibu beat cop to put the pieces together and discover the truth before more people die.
Lovell’s debut novel is a gripping sci-fi thriller that will leave you eagerly looking forward to his next.
Forget ‘roller coaster ride’ — this novel is a drop tower, an elevator car whose cable snaps on the top floor, virtually plummeting you through a tense 48 hours in the Chicago corporate headquarters. Inexplicable murders miles apart seem to lead back to Catharsis and its CEO, and it’s up to a Malibu beat cop to put the pieces together and discover the truth before more people die.
Lovell’s debut novel is a gripping sci-fi thriller that will leave you eagerly looking forward to his next.
January 4, 2025
This is not a book I would have normally pick up due to its rather violent opening description; however, it was written by a high school classmate and I was curious. It is exciting to see that Lovell can write and once I got into the story line and understood it better I found it to be a page turner. I struggled with the bloody violence, but was fascinated by the concept of people thinking that acting out their rage and vengeance could somehow be healing to their hearts. Sadly, this story line hits too close to current times as we often see rage and fear being elevated instead of the concept of loving God and others, even our enemies. I look forward to seeing what other concepts Lovell will explore in future books.
January 28, 2024
Catharsis is a fantastic first novel from a clearly experienced storyteller. Starts a bit slow for the first 10% or so, then takes off and doesn't let up until the epilogue. Excellent world building, compelling characters, and stunning twists. A real page turner that was hard to put down. Quick content warning for those sensitive to infidelity; though if I had had that warning, I might not have read the book, so I must also add that Rhys handles it incredibly well and it's not a major part of the story. I read this book on kindle unlimited, but I enjoyed it enough that I'm considering buying a hard copy anyway. Highly recommend.
February 25, 2024
Terrific!
A thrilling tale that kept me engaged while reading and in anticipation until I could get back to it. Hard to believe it is Mr. Lovell’s first novel.
This reader was treated to a writing style that was easily read. Enough details that I know the author did his research, but not so many that they got in the way of the story. I definitely recommend!
A thrilling tale that kept me engaged while reading and in anticipation until I could get back to it. Hard to believe it is Mr. Lovell’s first novel.
This reader was treated to a writing style that was easily read. Enough details that I know the author did his research, but not so many that they got in the way of the story. I definitely recommend!
February 2, 2024
Loved this book! I’m not normally a sci fi reader but this was all that and so much more. I need to either love or hate the characters and had the opportunity to do both. Fast paced, this novel held my attention from the first sentence to the last.
January 13, 2024
Wow! What a fun book!
Everything about this book reads like it was written in the present, with the present being off in the future several decades from now. Instead of reading the book as though it were in some distant galaxy far far away, I was wrapped up in what felt like the very believable present. Not sure if that makes sense, but the point is, I didn't feel like I was on the outside reading of a fantastical and unknowable place. It was as though I could go out the door and take a left instead of the usual right and that path would naturally segue right into the lobby of Catharsis.
Rage rooms?! I'm surprised they don't exist right now ("fight club", notwithstanding). Mr. Lovell puts us into a future where they do exist (I'll let you read the book to learn more about them) and in so doing we find that this is one of those scenarios in which the financial motivation of the purveyors of this new technology have possibly outpaced the ethical questions and the thorough testing required of the capability in its actual use.
The book is a gripping read, first of all. I am less a sci-fi/fantasy reader these days than I am a reader of mysteries and crime novels. That being said, this book moved along much like a mystery would, without the whodunit. Technological issues are handled in an easily consumed fashion, so you don't have to bring your science brain along with you. It is fun to hear the tekkie stuff, though.
There are some great characters in the book, which should help propel you along, as you will likely find yourself wanting to know how things work out for them. I'll not address that, because it's better to find out on your own, right?
With AI currently being discussed ad nauseum in various texts, articles, and forums, it's refreshing to see it integrated in a fairly passive (so-it-goes) manner throughout this novel - a sort of "what it is" aspect to the story that nudges up against the pros and cons of the debate in a user-friendly application of AI into the everyday lives of our future selves. It's fun to see how it may actually work in everyday life in the late 21st century.
I think this may be my first review on Goodreads, and it shows! I'm a reader, not a writer, so good then. However, I'm not used to being one of the first to read a book, so I thought I should take the opportunity to state how much I enjoyed this book to hopefully persuade others to pick it up.
Great job!
Everything about this book reads like it was written in the present, with the present being off in the future several decades from now. Instead of reading the book as though it were in some distant galaxy far far away, I was wrapped up in what felt like the very believable present. Not sure if that makes sense, but the point is, I didn't feel like I was on the outside reading of a fantastical and unknowable place. It was as though I could go out the door and take a left instead of the usual right and that path would naturally segue right into the lobby of Catharsis.
Rage rooms?! I'm surprised they don't exist right now ("fight club", notwithstanding). Mr. Lovell puts us into a future where they do exist (I'll let you read the book to learn more about them) and in so doing we find that this is one of those scenarios in which the financial motivation of the purveyors of this new technology have possibly outpaced the ethical questions and the thorough testing required of the capability in its actual use.
The book is a gripping read, first of all. I am less a sci-fi/fantasy reader these days than I am a reader of mysteries and crime novels. That being said, this book moved along much like a mystery would, without the whodunit. Technological issues are handled in an easily consumed fashion, so you don't have to bring your science brain along with you. It is fun to hear the tekkie stuff, though.
There are some great characters in the book, which should help propel you along, as you will likely find yourself wanting to know how things work out for them. I'll not address that, because it's better to find out on your own, right?
With AI currently being discussed ad nauseum in various texts, articles, and forums, it's refreshing to see it integrated in a fairly passive (so-it-goes) manner throughout this novel - a sort of "what it is" aspect to the story that nudges up against the pros and cons of the debate in a user-friendly application of AI into the everyday lives of our future selves. It's fun to see how it may actually work in everyday life in the late 21st century.
I think this may be my first review on Goodreads, and it shows! I'm a reader, not a writer, so good then. However, I'm not used to being one of the first to read a book, so I thought I should take the opportunity to state how much I enjoyed this book to hopefully persuade others to pick it up.
Great job!
April 6, 2025
new take on the future
without giving too much away, Catharsis is an interesting potential future that could legitimately unfold. I've wanted to go to a Rage Room and break things, now...?!?
without giving too much away, Catharsis is an interesting potential future that could legitimately unfold. I've wanted to go to a Rage Room and break things, now...?!?
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews