Catalyst for Collapse

by Harry Stoddart

She thought GAIA was gone. She was wrong.

Dr. Sabine Reinhardt swore she was finished. After walking away from GAIA—the advanced climate AI she once built to save the planet—she retreated from the world stage. But when her sister Karoline is nearly killed investigating a river glowing with an unnatural light in Colombia’s Putumayo region, Sabine is pulled back into a mystery that could tip the planet past the point of no return.

Beneath the jungle canopy, something is carbon, power, secrets. Indigenous scientist Dr. Martín Chasoy detects a secondary signal pulsing through fungal networks—something alive, something calculating. Journalists, activists, and locals collide with mercenaries guarding an oil company’s darkest operation. And through it all, whispers GAIA is not gone.

As eco-sabotage spreads and corporations tighten their grip, Sabine must choose between trusting the AI that once betrayed her—or confronting it before it decides humanity is no longer necessary.

Catalyst for Collapse is the explosive sequel to Catalyst for Chaos: a high-stakes climate thriller of AI conspiracy, ecological sabotage, and the fight for humanity’s future. Perfect for fans of Michael Crichton, Daniel Suarez, and Kim Stanley Robinson.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

Harry Stoddart is a former management consultant, farmer, sustainability strategist, and author. He grew up on a farm in rural Canada, where his mother sparked his love of nature by helping him catch tadpoles and butterflies—and his love of reading by making sure he was always surrounded by books. That early blend of curiosity and connection to the land laid the foundation for a career at the intersection of science, systems, and storytelling.
Harry has worked for a Fortune 10 tech company, a Big Four accounting firm, advised governments on agricultural policy, and managed thousands of acres as an organic and regenerative farmer. His first nonfiction book, Real Dirt: An Ex-Industrial Farmer’s Guide to Sustainable Eating, offered an unflinching look at modern agriculture and its alternatives.
His debut novel, Catalyst for Chaos, fuses cutting-edge climate science, AI ethics, and geopolitical intrigue into a gripping speculative thriller.
Harry now divides his time between consulting, writing, and his lakefront property, which serves as both sanctuary and creative retreat, nestled among oak trees, deer, curious chipmunks, and a cacophony of songbirds.