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The Phenomenon
Do not go outside. Do not look at the sky. Do not make noise. When the World Ends is only the beginning. A Supernatural threat drives mankind to the point of extinction, the survivors must struggle to survive in a world with just three rules.
- GenresFictionScience Fiction
474 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2017
78 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 19, 2018
I tried listening to the podcast adaptation of this and kept thinking, "wow, there are WAY too many characters."
Well, this book goes even further with that. I actually won't pretend like this was harder to read than your average multi-POV with only 3 or 4 characters. I could keep track of about half the storylines. However, it was extremely irritating and I think this format came at the cost of character development. Sometimes the perspective shifted after 2 paragraphs.
Overall it's a neat idea with a lot of potential for spookiness. I feel bad about writing a one-star review about an indie but this sums up a problem I have with a lot of books. 1.5 stars.
Well, this book goes even further with that. I actually won't pretend like this was harder to read than your average multi-POV with only 3 or 4 characters. I could keep track of about half the storylines. However, it was extremely irritating and I think this format came at the cost of character development. Sometimes the perspective shifted after 2 paragraphs.
Overall it's a neat idea with a lot of potential for spookiness. I feel bad about writing a one-star review about an indie but this sums up a problem I have with a lot of books. 1.5 stars.
November 5, 2017
Just short of amazing, but really good!!
Thoughtful, and full of suspense. HD me wanting more. . . Until it didn't, but by that time I was thoroughly invested. A coulpe of trajectory seemed incomplete or rushed at the end. Had the feeling it could have been a series but them laxt min decided to ne a movie. And lots of typos!! Non the less, I couldn't taje my eyes off it till then end. . . Well worth the investment of time and energy!
Thoughtful, and full of suspense. HD me wanting more. . . Until it didn't, but by that time I was thoroughly invested. A coulpe of trajectory seemed incomplete or rushed at the end. Had the feeling it could have been a series but them laxt min decided to ne a movie. And lots of typos!! Non the less, I couldn't taje my eyes off it till then end. . . Well worth the investment of time and energy!
November 16, 2018
I listened to the podcast of this, and it was AWESOME. One of the best audio versions of a book I have listened to. It's an ensemble cast rather than a narrator, but the production is so good considering that it's an amateur project, it doesn't take away from the suspense, atmosphere, and the story is very well put across.
If I had read this book and got the same emotions and feelings as listening to the podcast, it would be easily in my top 10 of all time.
Part II, or the continuation, or whatever, is supposedly out now (post Hallowe'en 2018) so I will seek that out and get lost in this super tale of the end of the world!
If I had read this book and got the same emotions and feelings as listening to the podcast, it would be easily in my top 10 of all time.
Part II, or the continuation, or whatever, is supposedly out now (post Hallowe'en 2018) so I will seek that out and get lost in this super tale of the end of the world!
July 21, 2018
This novel started as a writing prompt on Reddit, but author R.K. Katic took it all the way. The fandom for the story grew with every excerpt posted, and waiting for each new chapter was an exercise in dealing with suspense. It was amazing to watch the story develop, and so satisfying to finally read the whole story in one go following rounds of edits and polishing. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic sci-fi, you don't want to miss this.
December 29, 2018
It's a great idea, decent story.
Other than the non-explain at the end, it's a great story.
All the pieces seem to be lined up, but not all plot points are finished and wrapped up. Might be a volunteer 2 later?
Other than the non-explain at the end, it's a great story.
All the pieces seem to be lined up, but not all plot points are finished and wrapped up. Might be a volunteer 2 later?
October 2, 2025
**Atrocious presentation**
The second star is me being generous. Because honestly, despite this being a 1-star read for me, the premise itself is still fantastic, not to mention the smattering of enjoyable scenes. The start of things was actually great too. When I first heard the audio version on Spotify, I was entranced. The premise is wildly appetizing, and the performances of the cast were commendable. But despite how much I enjoyed the audio version, I was hoping the ways it went wrong would be rectified by the book. After all, books are almost always better than their adaptations, right?
WRONG.
What an absolute MESS this story was, and I mean that literally. Disorganized time-jumps, underdeveloped characters, unresolved plot points, and choppy pacing due Katic's rather bizarre decision to present this story via an overwhelming amount of POVs being crammed entirely into each other's spaces. There's no true organization here; you've got chapter after chapter that frequently ends JUST when something important happens, only to make way for something new. It doesn't even have to wait until the next chapter. This stuff is going on even in the SAME chapter.
As if the glaring typos and inexplicable italicizations weren't bad enough, you now have an overwhelming number of characters you aren't really privy to grow familiar with because their POVs are far too often disrupted or cut short by even MORE characters. Everyone's cramming into the same spotlight with their own stories that aren't really told fully. It's almost as if Katic was too afraid to finish whatever scene he created until later, and by then you've forgotten who the character was & why you should care. And then when you've recalibrated yourself to what was going on, you're run out of it again.
It's a lot of stuff like: Chapter 1 - 1 day ago - Bob broke the window, gulping when he saw what was waiting on the other side of it. Chapter 2 - 10 days later - Emily went for a ride on her bicycle, but when she got to moving fast, she lost her bearings and fell over. Once recovered, she looked at her skinned knee, gasping at what she saw. Chapter 3 - Last week - Dan loved his dog and made sure he fed him quality food. That is, until the one day something went wrong. Chapter 4 - 1 day ago - Bob couldn't recognize the face staring back at him. Chapter 5 - 1 year later - Sandra could hardly wait to head home.
This entire story was SUCH clutter. Just chunks of it crashing into itself. Sure, there were a few areas where this wasn't going on, some great dialogue here and there, but not enough to make this an enjoyable read. Too often I had to resort to skimming just to make it through and even then, I didn't feel like I was missing much. After all, Katic already did just fine in throwing randomness at me without completion anyway. And to top it all off, even the ending itself was tragically weak, lazy, and nonsensical, almost as if it needed a sequel. I see no sequel, though. And even if I did, I'm definitely not reading it.
The second star is me being generous. Because honestly, despite this being a 1-star read for me, the premise itself is still fantastic, not to mention the smattering of enjoyable scenes. The start of things was actually great too. When I first heard the audio version on Spotify, I was entranced. The premise is wildly appetizing, and the performances of the cast were commendable. But despite how much I enjoyed the audio version, I was hoping the ways it went wrong would be rectified by the book. After all, books are almost always better than their adaptations, right?
WRONG.
What an absolute MESS this story was, and I mean that literally. Disorganized time-jumps, underdeveloped characters, unresolved plot points, and choppy pacing due Katic's rather bizarre decision to present this story via an overwhelming amount of POVs being crammed entirely into each other's spaces. There's no true organization here; you've got chapter after chapter that frequently ends JUST when something important happens, only to make way for something new. It doesn't even have to wait until the next chapter. This stuff is going on even in the SAME chapter.
As if the glaring typos and inexplicable italicizations weren't bad enough, you now have an overwhelming number of characters you aren't really privy to grow familiar with because their POVs are far too often disrupted or cut short by even MORE characters. Everyone's cramming into the same spotlight with their own stories that aren't really told fully. It's almost as if Katic was too afraid to finish whatever scene he created until later, and by then you've forgotten who the character was & why you should care. And then when you've recalibrated yourself to what was going on, you're run out of it again.
It's a lot of stuff like: Chapter 1 - 1 day ago - Bob broke the window, gulping when he saw what was waiting on the other side of it. Chapter 2 - 10 days later - Emily went for a ride on her bicycle, but when she got to moving fast, she lost her bearings and fell over. Once recovered, she looked at her skinned knee, gasping at what she saw. Chapter 3 - Last week - Dan loved his dog and made sure he fed him quality food. That is, until the one day something went wrong. Chapter 4 - 1 day ago - Bob couldn't recognize the face staring back at him. Chapter 5 - 1 year later - Sandra could hardly wait to head home.
This entire story was SUCH clutter. Just chunks of it crashing into itself. Sure, there were a few areas where this wasn't going on, some great dialogue here and there, but not enough to make this an enjoyable read. Too often I had to resort to skimming just to make it through and even then, I didn't feel like I was missing much. After all, Katic already did just fine in throwing randomness at me without completion anyway. And to top it all off, even the ending itself was tragically weak, lazy, and nonsensical, almost as if it needed a sequel. I see no sequel, though. And even if I did, I'm definitely not reading it.
July 14, 2020
Fun scifi story with so much more!
I got interested through reddit, but as soon as I started, five years after reddit posting, I was hooked.
I will say the published story has polished up a rough diamond. The tale is intriguing and captivating. There are several storylines, but ALL have some impact eventually. The ending is what I love about literature, open to interpretation. If you want to be spoonfed the meaning, join a literature course or watch most TV, if you have some imagination and enjoy the idea, share your thoughts in reddit... there's a page devoted to this book
I got interested through reddit, but as soon as I started, five years after reddit posting, I was hooked.
I will say the published story has polished up a rough diamond. The tale is intriguing and captivating. There are several storylines, but ALL have some impact eventually. The ending is what I love about literature, open to interpretation. If you want to be spoonfed the meaning, join a literature course or watch most TV, if you have some imagination and enjoy the idea, share your thoughts in reddit... there's a page devoted to this book
February 2, 2026
Started reading this story back when it was being posted on Reddit and was excited to finally have the chance to read it in a cohesive book form rather than separated chapters online.
This book could have really benefited from another round or two of editing. There are many issues with inconsistent spacing, which can be distracting at times. There are a LOT of characters and it can sometimes be a bit difficult to follow who is speaking as some dialogue is written without a designated speaker after a few lines, if that makes sense. I had to do a fair bit of backtracking to remember who some characters were as the POV would change frequently and bounce back and forth between them.
I'll definitely give this book another shot in the future as the premise is really cool, but the errors and inconsistencies made it a bit frustrating to follow at times.
This book could have really benefited from another round or two of editing. There are many issues with inconsistent spacing, which can be distracting at times. There are a LOT of characters and it can sometimes be a bit difficult to follow who is speaking as some dialogue is written without a designated speaker after a few lines, if that makes sense. I had to do a fair bit of backtracking to remember who some characters were as the POV would change frequently and bounce back and forth between them.
I'll definitely give this book another shot in the future as the premise is really cool, but the errors and inconsistencies made it a bit frustrating to follow at times.
March 31, 2018
The starting premise is fascinating and the immediate reactions to it feel extremly true to life and well done. There is more then enough wtf intrigue to get you hooked. It does fall apart at the end with a cliff hanger that that left me more annoyed then anything else. The ending felt like the definition rushed with anything left over threads kicked down the road to the next book which doesn't make any sense considering the origins of the project as a reddit project. The weak ending aside the rest of the book was great and I'm still looking forward to see where this goes.
January 23, 2020
this book was entertaining enough but
i understand how it came about but that should not de facto mean horrible typos
random words where they do not belong
misused words
badly constructed dialogue
caracteres that have a voice at first and is later replaced by a different one
characters that totally drop out of the story
on and on
i am always grateful to get post apocalyptic themed books but would much rather have a cohesive story
some well composed sentences and good spelling and grammar
i understand how it came about but that should not de facto mean horrible typos
random words where they do not belong
misused words
badly constructed dialogue
caracteres that have a voice at first and is later replaced by a different one
characters that totally drop out of the story
on and on
i am always grateful to get post apocalyptic themed books but would much rather have a cohesive story
some well composed sentences and good spelling and grammar
January 11, 2022
It's mid.
As a purveyor of Weird Internet Shit (WIS) I've seen this story before and I've seen it done better. This doesn't have the character of SCP's There is no Memetics Division or the legitimate batshit craziness of Mother Horse Eyes. Instead perfectly serviceable characters, perfectly serviceable plot, perfectly serviceable worldbuilding and a healthy state recommended dollop of perfectly serviceable weirdness. Nothing standing out.
As a purveyor of Weird Internet Shit (WIS) I've seen this story before and I've seen it done better. This doesn't have the character of SCP's There is no Memetics Division or the legitimate batshit craziness of Mother Horse Eyes. Instead perfectly serviceable characters, perfectly serviceable plot, perfectly serviceable worldbuilding and a healthy state recommended dollop of perfectly serviceable weirdness. Nothing standing out.
September 9, 2025
I mean it was alright. I first read the Reddit version of it and picked up the book once it was published.
The middle and end get confusing and the reason for the Phenomenon is unstated, which leads to the book feeling unfinished.
There’s a second book in the works, which will hopefully clear some of this up. Fun read otherwise.
The middle and end get confusing and the reason for the Phenomenon is unstated, which leads to the book feeling unfinished.
There’s a second book in the works, which will hopefully clear some of this up. Fun read otherwise.
June 24, 2019
One of the best apocalyptic/alien books around.
Simply amazing. You will not regret reading this book. The stories and creatures are just mind blowing. I love how everything slowly blends together.
Simply amazing. You will not regret reading this book. The stories and creatures are just mind blowing. I love how everything slowly blends together.
August 17, 2020
Good start. Muddled centre and finish.
Interesting premise and well written opening sections. Badly formatted and rambling middle and end. I don’t think the book has been proof read.
Interesting premise and well written opening sections. Badly formatted and rambling middle and end. I don’t think the book has been proof read.
August 22, 2018
One of the hard sci-fi books with a premise so weird, its unbelievable. Yet greatly written
September 22, 2018
Great book. Very fast paced and intriguing. I need more!
The few typos, etc. can easily be overlooked.
The few typos, etc. can easily be overlooked.
July 27, 2021
Started strong, mysterious and compelling but lost steam on the way and ended up flat. The mystery was better than the explanations.
June 5, 2024
great
Great book and characters! Kept me on edge of my seat the whole book!! Love jessie couldnt put book down many nights
Great book and characters! Kept me on edge of my seat the whole book!! Love jessie couldnt put book down many nights
October 24, 2024
Stars mostly for the podcast, not the book.
May 11, 2025
the audio of drama on Spotify brings this to life so much! once in a while I love a good mystery event.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2025
acheter en primeur de REDDIT, worth it
April 11, 2019
The phenomenon is phenomenal
Awesome hook, great story start to end, kept me reading non stop! Worth a read. The tone of the book is absolutely awesome as well
Awesome hook, great story start to end, kept me reading non stop! Worth a read. The tone of the book is absolutely awesome as well
July 7, 2020
A decent story about a phenomenon from space that kills off virtually all of humanity just by looking at it, and is told through the use of non-linear storytelling.
All in all it was a nice read but did it have some problems with introducing characters and events that came to no real resolution or explanation for their presence. I was ultimately left with questions that did not get answered, and for that, the story felt a little hollow in parts.
All in all it was a nice read but did it have some problems with introducing characters and events that came to no real resolution or explanation for their presence. I was ultimately left with questions that did not get answered, and for that, the story felt a little hollow in parts.
December 27, 2022
Very interesting read this one. A great premise I think, with what is going on, and is well described in the first half of the book, with the second half more exploring around what is actually going on. Quite a diverse range of characters, all quite rounded I think with various strengths and flaws, and quite a few surprises on how their arcs go. The only thing that let it down though was the ending, just felt a little flat to me.
March 24, 2021
This was a book that was written on a subReddit and i always followed the story and rapidly became a big fan of it.
Until RK Katic announced he was going to publish it on paperback.
I got it, and finally got to read it... amazing book and story! Can't recommend it enough!
Can't wait to see more from this author.
Until RK Katic announced he was going to publish it on paperback.
I got it, and finally got to read it... amazing book and story! Can't recommend it enough!
Can't wait to see more from this author.
December 31, 2019
A great story but an unsatisfying ending. I understand that in universe, no character is meant to figure everything out, but I'm not in that universe. Tell me what's going on and why either though implication or discovery that I, the reader, can piece together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews