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The Catastrophe Theory
Jared and Cassie have secrets.
Those secrets are tested when the world is plunged into darkness. The green flash that lit up the sky short-circuits all technology—cars, computers, pacemakers. Everything.
They wait for help to come, but their daughter’s fever continues to rise. As chaos takes over, they go in different directions to find help, neither one knowing where the other is really going. Or why.
They’ll discover just how much they mean to each other. More importantly, they’ll learn just how valuable their daughter is to the world.
Those secrets are tested when the world is plunged into darkness. The green flash that lit up the sky short-circuits all technology—cars, computers, pacemakers. Everything.
They wait for help to come, but their daughter’s fever continues to rise. As chaos takes over, they go in different directions to find help, neither one knowing where the other is really going. Or why.
They’ll discover just how much they mean to each other. More importantly, they’ll learn just how valuable their daughter is to the world.
- GenresScience Fiction
91 pages, ebook
First published September 8, 2014
23 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Tony Bertauski
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He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 9, 2015
Written by 19 separate authors, each writing their own chapters in this one story. It seems each author is testing the next daring them to make the story better. What twists and turns can be taken, believed and relished? What characters can you add that give the story new life withing each chapter? Can you take the reader to a new height withing the story without losing them? Each author does this and then some. This short story will keep you reading to the end and believe me it is well worth it. The ending of this story sets entire story off and makes you think about things in a new light. This is an apocalyptic tale that could too easily be true and yet could it really happen? you will wonder once you read this and you will also wonder how many other directions these authors could have taken this story had each written it separate from the others.
July 24, 2016
This book was simply to good to put down, I read it in two days, because I HAD to sleep as we were in the middle of moving, and had I not been moving would have stayed up all night and finished it i one sitting.... ANYWAY, If you read my reviews you know that I am not hear to read a dust jacket to you, give away the plot, analyze the characters or give you MY opinion about each and everything I liked, or did not like, about the book. I let the book jacket or Goodreads description stand on its own. i am here to tell you if this book, in my humble opinion, is worth your valuable time and hard earned money. This book is a SPEND YOUR MONEY book!!!!!
December 22, 2016
That was a great idea, but weirdly executed. An electromagnetic pulse destroys all the technology. Eve suspects that her work had something to do with it. She goes to investigate while Jared heads to their survivalist camp with Cassie. Then everything falls apart.
The story was part believable, part juvenile. Jared is an odd combination of wussy-pants and strong survivalist type. Cassie, I surmise, is really just a sick little girl, which is good, because her other self was ridiculous. Eve was the only character I could relate to.
The story was part believable, part juvenile. Jared is an odd combination of wussy-pants and strong survivalist type. Cassie, I surmise, is really just a sick little girl, which is good, because her other self was ridiculous. Eve was the only character I could relate to.
February 17, 2017
Free to get. Having read Humbug (The Unwinding of Ebenezer Scrooge): A Science Fiction Adventure was not really surprised at yet another book from this writer that I could not figure out the genreS and that had never quite come across anything else like it, but definitely worth a read and then some. Check out his other books, definitely. Date is wrong, forgot to review some of his books on goodreads.
May 4, 2017
the whole idea of so many writers contributing to one story, i believe, was well executed. it doesn't take away from the flow of the story, but on the opposite it feels like some different angles and dimensions are added along the way. what really stood out, and not in a good way- was the end of the story... that is not what i expected, to be honest. i'd say it's somewhat trite and used and somewhat cliche-ish, which was a bid of a disappointment... other than that, it's a fascinating endeavor.
January 27, 2015
The Catastrophe Theory is a short story written by a number of different authors after a content/scavenger hunt called the Hunt for Tomorrow completed.
I enjoyed this one... it was really fun to see the different styles and ideas each author had, and how certain authors just turned the story on its head. Too bad it wasn't longer...it ended so soon. Well worth a read.
I enjoyed this one... it was really fun to see the different styles and ideas each author had, and how certain authors just turned the story on its head. Too bad it wasn't longer...it ended so soon. Well worth a read.
January 7, 2018
Close
Several important points, at least important to me.
Remington does not manufacture a 1911 type pistol as one author claimed.
Additionally, there were several continuity issues that detracted from the story.
Several important points, at least important to me.
Remington does not manufacture a 1911 type pistol as one author claimed.
Additionally, there were several continuity issues that detracted from the story.
May 26, 2015
Interesting concept. A different author writes each chapter. Very well done, entertaining story.
January 9, 2016
Stopped reading after about 4 chapters! Since each writer wanted to put their own spin on it, the writing styles changed and got more convoluted.
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November 23, 2019This book has different authors writing a chapter each. I found the book clunky, especially the first few chapters. The premise is a family consisting of Eve the mother, Jared the father and their ill daughter Cassie. It has been a few weeks after some event and the power doesn’t work, and people have been killed. Then they decided to leave and all of a sudden Jared is a survivalist and eve is a rocket scientist. A few chapters flowed really well together with the authors insync with the same ideas. Then all of a sudden there is dark worshipers and then starts heading a bit supernatural and some of the transitions really weren’t smooth, making it feel like I picked up a completely different novel. I was disappointed with the ending of it being all a dream but considering the circumstances it would have been hard to end this story in one chapter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2019
Not brilliant
I guess the main problem with this story is the ‘gimmick’ in the way it was written.
If you get 19 people writing a chapter each of one story, it may not flow well. There may be errors with ages of characters fluctuating or what’s known to which characters or where people (or corpses) are located.
It’s not bad.... it’s just not good either.
I’m afraid I wouldn’t really recommend it.... sorry.
I guess the main problem with this story is the ‘gimmick’ in the way it was written.
If you get 19 people writing a chapter each of one story, it may not flow well. There may be errors with ages of characters fluctuating or what’s known to which characters or where people (or corpses) are located.
It’s not bad.... it’s just not good either.
I’m afraid I wouldn’t really recommend it.... sorry.
August 21, 2018
This book is an impressive collaboration between several authors. The transition between each writer is seamless; and though they each have their own quirks and style, it doesn't drastically change the way it reads. The story was incredibly fun and I wish there was more!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews