Cataton

by B.C. Chase

From internationally best-selling author B.C.CHASE.

Everyone left alive is in a coma except one man. Devon Carter knows the aliens will return, and when they do it will be up to him to save not only his daughters, but all the Earth.

In this apocalyptic, terrifying white-knuckled thrill ride, Publishers Weekly prize-winner B.C.CHASE unleashes the greatest enemy we have ever Our own humanity.

War of the Worlds meets Cast Away.

By the winner of the Sci-fi Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize.

B.C.CHASE is the internationally best-selling author of the Paradeisia Trilogy, which critics have hailed as one of the greatest franchises of our time.

His electrifying talent for combining the latest in scientific breakthroughs with edge-of-your-seat thrills has earned him a reputation as a master of suspense. Amazon has named him among its top 10 Sci-fi authors.

Audible Audio

Published January 24, 2022

About the author

Visit bcchase.com for free book offers.

B.C.CHASE is the internationally bestselling author of the Paradeisia Trilogy, which critics have hailed as one of the greatest franchises of our time.* His electrifying talent for combining the latest in scientific breakthroughs with edge-of-your-seat thrills has earned him a reputation as a master of suspense. Amazon has named him among its top 10 Sci-fi authors.

"COMPULSIVELY READABLE...PACKED WITH MYSTERIES AND SURPRISES...ENOUGH DETAIL TO THRILL FANS OF THE MARTIAN."
-HUGO AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR TIM PRATT

“IRREVERENT HUMOR…VIVID…MEMORABLE…AS ORIGINAL AS IT CAN GET.”
–PUBLISHERS WEEKLY CRITIC

“CHASE’S CLEAN, FLOWING PROSE AND BRIGHT SENSE OF HUMOR LIVEN UP A TALE.”
–BOOKLIFE PRIZE QUARTER FINALIST

“FAST AND FUN.”
–THE OKLAHOMAN

“INCREDIBLY WELL-WRITTEN.”
–EBOOKS ADDICT

“CHASE KEEPS US GUESSING UNTIL THE END.”
–ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG

“B.C.CHASE IS RAPIDLY BECOMING AN AUTHOR OF AUTHORITY.”
GRADY HARP, VINE VOICE

“CHASE HAS THE RAW TALENT FOR WRITING, AND THE WAY HE’S ABLE TO PUT YOU RIGHT INSIDE THE MAIN CHARACTER’S HEAD IS FANTASTIC.”
–SCIFIANDSCARY.COM

“CHASE HAS MASTERED THE ART OF WRITING SUSPENSE.”
L.A. HOWELL

“ONE HELL OF A RIDE.”
-THRILLERKAT REVIEWS

“IN TRUE CRICHTON STYLE, CHASE TAKES ELEMENTS OF KNOWN SCIENCE, EXPLORES THEIR EXTREME POTENTIAL, AND BUILDS A MYSTERY AROUND SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES.”
-AMAZON.COM

Fiction:
Leviathan
Santa Claus: The King of the Elves Abridged Children’s Edition
Santa Claus: The King of the Elves
Glass: A Motion Picture Script
Paradeisia: Origin of Paradise
Paradeisia: Violation of Paradise
Paradeisia: Fall of Paradise
Pluto’s Ghost
Cataton

*Epub.us

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I’m the first person to review this book on GR, I kind of wish I had liked it more. To be fair, you won’t go Cataton(ic) reading this, it’s pretty dynamic, it reads quickly and it isn’t by any means a terrible book, it’s more along the lines of a decent book that tries to cram too many convoluted ideas into it and the cover it all up in endless descriptive action. So basically this is a first contact story, it starts off pretty well, with a lone survivor of an event. Or The Event. Aliens arrive, murder a bunch of people and leave the rest in a coma. Devon, our protagonist, a family man first and foremost, sets off to save his daughters and the woman he loves. This is his story, it’s told in an epistolary form, essentially one long confession style account addressed to You, like he’s some kind of a Joe Goldberg wannabe. And he isn’t, nowhere near as disturbed or as compelling. Devon is more along the lines of an average guy who thinks he’s funnier than he is, also pretty immature for 33, but that’s all relative. The thing is, though, as the novel progresses, it becomes positively mired in a pretty mechanical description of aliens, alien activities, Devon’s activities among aliens, etc. So the texture of the narrative becomes unwelcomely dense. Then it slips into time traveling in some logistically questionable ways until the straight out bizarre attempt at a happy ending that is all kinds of morally and intellectually questionable. And the thing is…by then you don’t really care. Whatever potential this had to become an exciting alien invasion survival story gets buried under it’s (over)writing, too much quantity, not enough quality. And it’s difficult to overwrite a book that comes in under 200 pages, but there it is. The quality itself is actually ok in a way of the sort of books that get advertised on a resting kindle face, the bestselling cheaply and quickly produced second and third tier genre pop fiction. Nothing major publishers would go with, but self published or small presses sort of thing, the kind of books I’ve come to associate with random kindle freebies I occasionally try, but somewhat more professionally executed. There’s still something amateurish about the writing, but overall it’s very readable and if that’s all you’re expecting, you’ll enjoy it more. But ideologically this is something of a muddled mess as much as I appreciated a Planet of the Apes nod. Read quickly enough, but didn’t impress, despite the potential and an exuberantly ambitious description. User mileage may wary. Maybe. Thanks Netgalley.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book with lots of hand-to-hand aliens fighting action and several tender heart-wrenching moments, all written in the first person. First-person writing is difficult to get right; it doesn’t take long to lose a reader when it’s wrong. However, B.c. Chase succeeded, with Cataton, in creating a story that captured my reading attention and made me reflect on what it means to be a father.

The main character of this book, Devon, manages to avoid being captured and enslaved when a group of aliens appears out of nowhere to remove the earth’s inhabitants and their infrastructure. They aim to take possession of the world for themselves. As earth’s sole defender whose primary interest is freeing his family, Devon bumbles his way through the aliens’ machinations, ultimately understanding their meaning and takes action. With the ultimate loss of his family, his anger and determination build up. Traveling back to the past in pursuit of one of the aliens who has become his nemesis, he sees his earlier self and becomes more determined than ever to end the alien takeover at whatever his costs.

This book is not part of a series and its literary success proves that a book doesn’t have to be. As soon as I finished the book, I added B.c. Chase to my list of favored Sci-Fi writers. His writing style is humorous and entertaining and I got a complete read with no angering cliffhangers at the end.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I found the beginning a tad slow, but once it got started, hold on! It begins with Devon, an RV repairman with severe guilt issues, at the lake when aliens appear. He finds every one in town is either catatonic or dead from a wound to the forehead. When he gets back to town, his family is catatonic and unable to be awakened. What follows is Devon's attempt to revive them, save the world, and redeem himself.
And the aliens.....well you'll have to read it to find out!

[Jarryd Kalideen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I'll admit I'm still confused to an extent, I'll likely need another read of this book for all the buttons to click. But nevertheless this is well written, a little slow at times but it is filled with action, philosophy, drama and tragedy.

[John Espie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty good read! Put yourself into a Dali-esque frame of mind and hold on tight.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This first contact story is very fast paced and full of many twists and turns to keep the reader interested. It clocks in at just shy of 200 pages, and you can get lost in it for an afternoon. You follow an average 30 something named Devon who wakes up at his camp site and realizes he is the only person left on earth who hasn't been either murdered or put into a coma during an alien invasion. He then makes it his mission to save his daughters and love interest and when he is proven unable, he travels back in time to attempt to stop the alien invasion of earth.

I truly wish I loved this book, but I just didn't. I have realized that I don't enjoy epistolary style stories (or movies, or tv shows...). First person writing is extremely difficult to get right, and this one missed the mark for me by a mile.

The concept of this novel drew me in however, the execution was subpar as I found Devon's perspective exquisitely painful to read from.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Amusing Read

I liked it but to me the descriptions lacked depth and at times it was hard to follow the storyline. In one part of the story the main character, Devon, picks up an axe, only to later drop a shovel. I read that part over and over and I still trying to figure that out unless that's a mistake.
I found the storyline a bit far-fetched too. Considering the supposed advanced tech of the aliens, there is no way Devon should have been able to accomplish what he did.
All in all though it was amusing and I don't regret reading it.

[Polly Krize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A short read, aliens invading and taking over the Earth, an interesting take in that the story is told in first person by the only survivor, and what he goes through...

[Anthony Philosophos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a well written book. Basically one man survives an alien invasion, that takes over world. He manages to find a way to go back and forth in time. In the end he saves humanity. h