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Catalyst #1
Downward Cycle
Who will survive the darkness? Life in a remote oceanfront town begins to spiral downward after a massive solar flare causes a global blackout. As planes fall from the sky, cars suddenly die, and most electrical devices stop working with catastrophic consequences. But the loss of electrical power is just the first of the problems facing the survivors. In the chaos, that follows. An ordinary man helplessly watches the world around him begin to breakdown. While the thin veneer of normalcy stubbornly shrouds the coming collapse. Scott Montgomery discovers the truth; not just about the extent of damage to the world's infrastructure but also the drastic plans one shadowy group has for regaining control.
A shockingly realistic look at how society copes when the world is thrust back to a time before electricity. It is brutal, deadly and largely fact-based storytelling. Scott and his new friends battle to save their town and themselves. They cannot avoid the steadily growing number of people who have realized that they can get away with whatever they want in a world where there are no longer any legal consequences for their actions. Adding to the problems is an elite para-military organization pursuing a draconian plan to ensure their vision for the new world with deadly consequences.
A shockingly realistic look at how society copes when the world is thrust back to a time before electricity. It is brutal, deadly and largely fact-based storytelling. Scott and his new friends battle to save their town and themselves. They cannot avoid the steadily growing number of people who have realized that they can get away with whatever they want in a world where there are no longer any legal consequences for their actions. Adding to the problems is an elite para-military organization pursuing a draconian plan to ensure their vision for the new world with deadly consequences.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2016
1388 people are currently reading
2708 people want to read
About the author
J.K. Franks
22 books207 followersAdmitted tech geek, entrepreneur, cyclist and inveterate storyteller, JK Franks’ world was formed by a childhood spent in the rural South growing up during the Space Age. This is when he developed a love for writing. He also became an avid student of history and science, and a regular reader of reference books and biographies. Once he discovered science fiction he never looked back.
His protagonists are human: not superheroes, just normal people with the same problems as everyone else, but who rise to challenges when they come along. The Catalyst series combines his passion for hard science fiction with his outlook on self-reliance.
Franks and his wife now live in West Point, Georgia. He is currently working on this next book. No matter where he is or what's going on, he tries his best to set aside time every day to answer emails and messages from readers. You can visit him on the web at www.jkfranks.com. Please subscribe to his newsletter for updates, promotions, and giveaways. You can also find the author on Facebook or email him directly at media@jkfranks.com.
His protagonists are human: not superheroes, just normal people with the same problems as everyone else, but who rise to challenges when they come along. The Catalyst series combines his passion for hard science fiction with his outlook on self-reliance.
Franks and his wife now live in West Point, Georgia. He is currently working on this next book. No matter where he is or what's going on, he tries his best to set aside time every day to answer emails and messages from readers. You can visit him on the web at www.jkfranks.com. Please subscribe to his newsletter for updates, promotions, and giveaways. You can also find the author on Facebook or email him directly at media@jkfranks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
January 11, 2019
Boring, senseless
A boring book. Started off okay but was dragging soon afterwards.
Scott is a character that at the beginning seems likeable and gets less likeable every time he speaks more than 10 word, everything g he says is like a lecture or a speech, that is dragged out and pointless
Statistics quoted are ridiculous “ 300 million would be dead in the US alone as a result of having no electricity”. ?!?!
Within a week “ tens of millions of people were already getting sick and dying from lack of clean water” in the USA
The live where they complain about the heat.. Tallahassee is 200 miles away (that’s Florida) but they worry about freezing in the winter. And they have no fresh produce by late October??? What the heck.. plant seeds, grow food!
I live in Northern Canada and have easily weathered 10 days cut off with no electricity when it was -25.
Then religious zealots show u, and government conspiracies and a biological weapon that will make zombies. Duh.
Stupid senseless garbage that is boring and goes on and on and on.
A boring book. Started off okay but was dragging soon afterwards.
Scott is a character that at the beginning seems likeable and gets less likeable every time he speaks more than 10 word, everything g he says is like a lecture or a speech, that is dragged out and pointless
Statistics quoted are ridiculous “ 300 million would be dead in the US alone as a result of having no electricity”. ?!?!
Within a week “ tens of millions of people were already getting sick and dying from lack of clean water” in the USA
The live where they complain about the heat.. Tallahassee is 200 miles away (that’s Florida) but they worry about freezing in the winter. And they have no fresh produce by late October??? What the heck.. plant seeds, grow food!
I live in Northern Canada and have easily weathered 10 days cut off with no electricity when it was -25.
Then religious zealots show u, and government conspiracies and a biological weapon that will make zombies. Duh.
Stupid senseless garbage that is boring and goes on and on and on.
March 31, 2020
Maybe the wrong time to read a post-apocalyptic novel.
Solar activity fries world-wide power, so after intermittent shortages, people are left to fend for themselves without power or Government support.
A small town does its best to cope, eventually headed up by the book’s cycling hero and his cronies who have some survivalist and military skills.
Starts off too slow as we see the crisis but are also lectured to as to how to prepare and survive. Too much detail and not overly interesting. Things get more interesting as society breaks down and everyone has to pull together and defend what is theirs against the inevitable bad guys both domestic and Governmental. Credit for not following the usual roaming gangs route but not enough in this to make me want to read more in the series.
Solar activity fries world-wide power, so after intermittent shortages, people are left to fend for themselves without power or Government support.
A small town does its best to cope, eventually headed up by the book’s cycling hero and his cronies who have some survivalist and military skills.
Starts off too slow as we see the crisis but are also lectured to as to how to prepare and survive. Too much detail and not overly interesting. Things get more interesting as society breaks down and everyone has to pull together and defend what is theirs against the inevitable bad guys both domestic and Governmental. Credit for not following the usual roaming gangs route but not enough in this to make me want to read more in the series.
November 23, 2023
This book is horrible.
It's got horrible character development (the main character was raised on a farm but is also a computer genius but is also a brilliant hacker but is also in perfect shape but also instinctively understands both astronomy, world politics, financial systems and human intuition, but oh his flaw is that he's "too kind").
It has unrealistic events that serve only to further the "plot" (walks on to a full college campus of 35,000 students and almost immediately finds the one person he's looking for; is instantly liked by the three paranoid preppers who will risk their lives for him because he's so smart; gets an actual delivery from Amazon during a national emergency; can still get online when no one else can; has a hacker friend who not only hacks in to the government and takes vital information, but then shares it with the main character)
It's poorly written (written in 3rd person but relies on phrases like "to be honest" when addressing the reader; has clunky dialogue where everyone sounds the same).
And it's filled with racist dog whistles and misogynistic cliches (black characters are from the projects, are "dumbasses" or speak in stereotypical patois; women are hot, but don't seem to contribute to anything; the men joke about how they're hitting on each other's loved ones).
And then there's the plot, of a doomsday event that is really cover for a centuries-old plot of some sort.
Had the author just stuck with the prepper-by-narrative-example handbook to this at first appeared to be, the amateurish effort might have been forgivable. But the slide into right-wing prepper dogma, government criticism and extreme paranoia makes this unreadable - if you're not already indoctrinated into that kind of thinking.
Research was lazy, too - a big set piece takes place at Florida State University, and the author couldn't even be bothered to learn about the campus (it's an open campus, but he has the characters having to climb a gate to sneak in; he mentions a mess hall and a gymnasium when it has restaurants and an entire rec center).
Don't believe the Facebook ads. This is not a good book.
It's got horrible character development (the main character was raised on a farm but is also a computer genius but is also a brilliant hacker but is also in perfect shape but also instinctively understands both astronomy, world politics, financial systems and human intuition, but oh his flaw is that he's "too kind").
It has unrealistic events that serve only to further the "plot" (walks on to a full college campus of 35,000 students and almost immediately finds the one person he's looking for; is instantly liked by the three paranoid preppers who will risk their lives for him because he's so smart; gets an actual delivery from Amazon during a national emergency; can still get online when no one else can; has a hacker friend who not only hacks in to the government and takes vital information, but then shares it with the main character)
It's poorly written (written in 3rd person but relies on phrases like "to be honest" when addressing the reader; has clunky dialogue where everyone sounds the same).
And it's filled with racist dog whistles and misogynistic cliches (black characters are from the projects, are "dumbasses" or speak in stereotypical patois; women are hot, but don't seem to contribute to anything; the men joke about how they're hitting on each other's loved ones).
And then there's the plot, of a doomsday event that is really cover for a centuries-old plot of some sort.
Had the author just stuck with the prepper-by-narrative-example handbook to this at first appeared to be, the amateurish effort might have been forgivable. But the slide into right-wing prepper dogma, government criticism and extreme paranoia makes this unreadable - if you're not already indoctrinated into that kind of thinking.
Research was lazy, too - a big set piece takes place at Florida State University, and the author couldn't even be bothered to learn about the campus (it's an open campus, but he has the characters having to climb a gate to sneak in; he mentions a mess hall and a gymnasium when it has restaurants and an entire rec center).
Don't believe the Facebook ads. This is not a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2019
Exciting and utterly absorbing, “Downward Cycle” opens with a massive solar flare the magnitude of which hasn’t been seen since 1859 which causes a global catastrophe with downed planes, electrical power outages and cars dying. As the world’s infrastructure dies, crimes and deaths rise computer geek, Scott Montgomery seeking refuge in a cottage in Harris Springs Mississippi after a messy divorce knows he must make the right choices if he’s to survive. But as a computer consultant for Homeland Security he quickly learns that the disaster may have far-reaching implications with a mysterious group within the government having prior knowledge of the event and willingly enacting a plan that could result in the death of thousands.
A loner who finds solace in riding his bike, Scott inadvertently makes friends with Preacher Jack, local fisherman Todd and the county equipment manager Bartos who join forces not only for survival but to save the town. As social unrest rises, rights and privileges of the people denied, and justice is swift and deadly Scott not only works with his friends to protect the people of Harris Springs but goes on a mission to save his niece at a University miles away, discovering an ongoing research program into a biological weapon that could destroy humanity.
Fast-paced and action-packed with volatile confrontations intensity and suspense quickly escalate with the release of criminals from prison; the use of kids as decoys to steal cars; and violent confrontations with a paramilitary unit on the University campus and with criminals in town. With twists including the erosion of Scott’s ethics as he fights back as well as a tragic death, this intriguing plot flows steadily to an explosive climax near the end and a discovery that begs for a sequel.
Among the compelling and complex characters in this starkly realistic plot is Scott Montgomery a cyclist and hardworking computer consultant who takes refugee in a family cottage after a disastrous marriage and divorce. A highly intelligent introvert who’s wary of people and stressed out, he becomes resilient, resourceful and brave. Todd, Jack and Bartos are his open, honest and trustworthy friends whose common sense and loyalty encourages and supports Scott helping him become a leader.
Yet it’s the ruthlessness of a thug like Tyrell and the power-hunger and ambitions of manipulative, devious Councilman Ronald Hansborough that add to the dark and brutal atmosphere as survival takes a deadly turn.
I really enjoyed “Downward Cycle” a post-apocalyptic story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end and I look forward to reading the next book in the “Catalyst” series.
A loner who finds solace in riding his bike, Scott inadvertently makes friends with Preacher Jack, local fisherman Todd and the county equipment manager Bartos who join forces not only for survival but to save the town. As social unrest rises, rights and privileges of the people denied, and justice is swift and deadly Scott not only works with his friends to protect the people of Harris Springs but goes on a mission to save his niece at a University miles away, discovering an ongoing research program into a biological weapon that could destroy humanity.
Fast-paced and action-packed with volatile confrontations intensity and suspense quickly escalate with the release of criminals from prison; the use of kids as decoys to steal cars; and violent confrontations with a paramilitary unit on the University campus and with criminals in town. With twists including the erosion of Scott’s ethics as he fights back as well as a tragic death, this intriguing plot flows steadily to an explosive climax near the end and a discovery that begs for a sequel.
Among the compelling and complex characters in this starkly realistic plot is Scott Montgomery a cyclist and hardworking computer consultant who takes refugee in a family cottage after a disastrous marriage and divorce. A highly intelligent introvert who’s wary of people and stressed out, he becomes resilient, resourceful and brave. Todd, Jack and Bartos are his open, honest and trustworthy friends whose common sense and loyalty encourages and supports Scott helping him become a leader.
Yet it’s the ruthlessness of a thug like Tyrell and the power-hunger and ambitions of manipulative, devious Councilman Ronald Hansborough that add to the dark and brutal atmosphere as survival takes a deadly turn.
I really enjoyed “Downward Cycle” a post-apocalyptic story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end and I look forward to reading the next book in the “Catalyst” series.
December 7, 2018
Too much
I had high hopes but...it has everything but the.kitchen sink. I liked the characters and if the story would have stayed with the CME idea I probably would have given it a 4.5 but I give it 2 stars. Take the CME, add a hurricane, thousands of post apocalyptic religious zealots, a 'zombie' pandemic and a century's old government conspiracy plus some sci fi genetic experiments and it was too much for me. I skipped pages of explaining how the pandemic virus works (we get a lot of details explained to us). I also thought that the African American characters seemed to speak rather uneducated, maybe it was an attempt to write with a 'southern accent ' but it didn't come across that way to me. And for God's sake they're magazines not "clips".
I had high hopes but...it has everything but the.kitchen sink. I liked the characters and if the story would have stayed with the CME idea I probably would have given it a 4.5 but I give it 2 stars. Take the CME, add a hurricane, thousands of post apocalyptic religious zealots, a 'zombie' pandemic and a century's old government conspiracy plus some sci fi genetic experiments and it was too much for me. I skipped pages of explaining how the pandemic virus works (we get a lot of details explained to us). I also thought that the African American characters seemed to speak rather uneducated, maybe it was an attempt to write with a 'southern accent ' but it didn't come across that way to me. And for God's sake they're magazines not "clips".
April 14, 2019
The first book in 2019 I could not force myself to finish. I love a good survival story, I've read quite a few and this one promised the story of "an ordinary man". And he is so ordinary that his networking setup was unique and he still hat access to the internet when everybody else didn't. And of course Scott's serious computer expert who's worked for government. Oh yeah, our hero's brother is a "prepper" and made sure that Scott had nifty things like water filters and stuff close at hand . When Scott goes shopping and meets 3 guys, one of them a priest and one "runs the county mechanical shop and is our resident doomsday prepper" I could not take it anymore, 12 chapters was more than enough time wasted.
May 1, 2018
This is the first book in the Catalyst series. Downward is a very honest look into life after the lights go out and familiar comforts are no more. What makes this book unique is how the main characters discover that a group within the traditional government power structure has been planning for life after an apocalyptic event.
The story moves from initial shock about the Catalyst plan to a tentative acceptance of the raw and brutal logic it follows.
I'm looking forward to book of this series.
The story moves from initial shock about the Catalyst plan to a tentative acceptance of the raw and brutal logic it follows.
I'm looking forward to book of this series.
October 30, 2019
Wow! Great book. I immediately got into this book. Great writing and interesting story line. I’ve read a few books on EMP before and this is one on my favorites now. I recommend this book if your into realistic dystopian stories.
August 27, 2021
Nature_government
The story was written very well. Scott is just a normal geeky guy that escapes after a divorce from his wife that fights to survive the end of normalcy.
The story was written very well. Scott is just a normal geeky guy that escapes after a divorce from his wife that fights to survive the end of normalcy.
September 17, 2017
I received this book from the author in return for an honest review. My thanks to him for sharing his book in an accessible format, thereby enabling me to read it with Voice Dream Reader on my iPad.
What you need to know about this book is that it is as gripping and realistic as I can comprehend such a book being. I was pulled in from the first paragraph, and so compelling is it that I grumbled about having to endure the adversities of life like a hot shower or the consumption of a plate of food. And that brings me to my thoughts on the plot:
Scott is an introvert of the first order. He's a computer consultant who can work from home. Home is a small cottage on the gulf coast in Mississippi. His only marriage ended brutally, and since then, he's had no real relationships with anyone to speak of. He has a brother and sister-in-law whom he clearly loves but is far from expressive about it. He's a nice guy--a guy who would much rather avoid confrontation than deal with it head-on. But you like him from that first rotation of his bike wheel you witness. He's a nice guy; so well written is this book that you instantly become Scott's friend, and because Scott changes while remaining consistent to his core values, you continue to enjoy the friendship. Things change on that first day during that first bike ride. That's when Scott notices a difference in the sky; he sees planes behaving erratically. Electricity is out, and his initial assumption is that whatever the anomaly is, it will end soon. But it doesn't.
Scott soon realizes that the nation has been struck by a massive solar storm that has crippled the power grid and rendered most vehicles and most GPS devices useless. There are exceptions--older vehicles less dependent on poorly shielded electronics and somehow covered vehicles sometimes escape the worst of the electrical damage.
This, then, is the story of a small Mississippi town and its gradual descent into horror and chaos and the efforts of a few good people like Scott, his friends Todd and Bartos.
The author describes in chilling detail not only the impact of long-term power disruptions but a governmental plan designed to deliberately allow the nation's major cities to fall into blood-flowing chaos and deliberately reduce the population. Known as Catalyst, the plan and its architects would use the power grid failure to alter the constitution and reduce the population.
Readers will compare this to Forsgen's books, and while that's a natural comparison to make, you need to be careful about adopting a "read one, read'em all" approach. That's just not so with this series and with this first book in the series.
Franks is a truly talented writer; indeed, if talent could be transmogrified into electricity, Franks could light the world effortlessly. What drew me to the book was the realistic dialogue. He truly communicates the way men, and particularly brothers, would communicate. There's nothing forced or unnatural about any of the dialogue here; and because of that, the relationships described are more meaningful and memorable than they otherwise would be.
At one point, Scott is forced to reach out to his new friends and seek their help in rescuing his niece from a university apparently in control of shadowy paramilitary types. The entire book is gripping, and I was impressed with what felt like good research behind the fiction.
Those who are convinced that government will ultimately step up as a first responder and solve problems during a nationwide emergency will find this book almost untenable. I think it's a rather accurate depiction of how things will happen when our already threadbare social restraints completely unravel. There's an optimism in this book that I enthusiastically endorse. I think the United States will ultimately pass whatever tests are flung at it, but it will be vastly changed in the process.
This is a timely well-written book that won't get much attention from a lot of readers, and that's unfortunate. I came away from the book a bit shaken, all too certain that someone who relies on a guide dog to get from point A to point B and who read this book using speech synthesis will surely be among the early dead in a scenario like the one the author describes. Without veterinarians to provide rabies vaccines, we will again face the fears of those on the American frontier who routinely killed rabid animals and who were themselves subjected to the incurable hell that is rabies. So, so many hidden things would result from this scenario that we haven't even thought of--or most of us haven't.
The author was kind enough to provide me with an audio copy of the next book in the series, which I'll review here soon.
What you need to know about this book is that it is as gripping and realistic as I can comprehend such a book being. I was pulled in from the first paragraph, and so compelling is it that I grumbled about having to endure the adversities of life like a hot shower or the consumption of a plate of food. And that brings me to my thoughts on the plot:
Scott is an introvert of the first order. He's a computer consultant who can work from home. Home is a small cottage on the gulf coast in Mississippi. His only marriage ended brutally, and since then, he's had no real relationships with anyone to speak of. He has a brother and sister-in-law whom he clearly loves but is far from expressive about it. He's a nice guy--a guy who would much rather avoid confrontation than deal with it head-on. But you like him from that first rotation of his bike wheel you witness. He's a nice guy; so well written is this book that you instantly become Scott's friend, and because Scott changes while remaining consistent to his core values, you continue to enjoy the friendship. Things change on that first day during that first bike ride. That's when Scott notices a difference in the sky; he sees planes behaving erratically. Electricity is out, and his initial assumption is that whatever the anomaly is, it will end soon. But it doesn't.
Scott soon realizes that the nation has been struck by a massive solar storm that has crippled the power grid and rendered most vehicles and most GPS devices useless. There are exceptions--older vehicles less dependent on poorly shielded electronics and somehow covered vehicles sometimes escape the worst of the electrical damage.
This, then, is the story of a small Mississippi town and its gradual descent into horror and chaos and the efforts of a few good people like Scott, his friends Todd and Bartos.
The author describes in chilling detail not only the impact of long-term power disruptions but a governmental plan designed to deliberately allow the nation's major cities to fall into blood-flowing chaos and deliberately reduce the population. Known as Catalyst, the plan and its architects would use the power grid failure to alter the constitution and reduce the population.
Readers will compare this to Forsgen's books, and while that's a natural comparison to make, you need to be careful about adopting a "read one, read'em all" approach. That's just not so with this series and with this first book in the series.
Franks is a truly talented writer; indeed, if talent could be transmogrified into electricity, Franks could light the world effortlessly. What drew me to the book was the realistic dialogue. He truly communicates the way men, and particularly brothers, would communicate. There's nothing forced or unnatural about any of the dialogue here; and because of that, the relationships described are more meaningful and memorable than they otherwise would be.
At one point, Scott is forced to reach out to his new friends and seek their help in rescuing his niece from a university apparently in control of shadowy paramilitary types. The entire book is gripping, and I was impressed with what felt like good research behind the fiction.
Those who are convinced that government will ultimately step up as a first responder and solve problems during a nationwide emergency will find this book almost untenable. I think it's a rather accurate depiction of how things will happen when our already threadbare social restraints completely unravel. There's an optimism in this book that I enthusiastically endorse. I think the United States will ultimately pass whatever tests are flung at it, but it will be vastly changed in the process.
This is a timely well-written book that won't get much attention from a lot of readers, and that's unfortunate. I came away from the book a bit shaken, all too certain that someone who relies on a guide dog to get from point A to point B and who read this book using speech synthesis will surely be among the early dead in a scenario like the one the author describes. Without veterinarians to provide rabies vaccines, we will again face the fears of those on the American frontier who routinely killed rabid animals and who were themselves subjected to the incurable hell that is rabies. So, so many hidden things would result from this scenario that we haven't even thought of--or most of us haven't.
The author was kind enough to provide me with an audio copy of the next book in the series, which I'll review here soon.
April 16, 2018
I’ve never been a Dooms Day type person and have about as much in common with a “Prepper” as a love child from the seventies would. Well, boys and girls, this book officially scared the “peace and love” right out of me. I’m ready to start planning my bugout bag and stashing supplies in hidden locations.
I love a good post-apocalyptic story, but let’s be honest, most of them are centered on some pandemic killing off most of the Earth’s population but a lucky few. In the Catalyst story JK Franks lays out a plausible scenario for the downfall of our world from a CME, Coronal Mass Ejection. In other words, our Sun throws a heck of an EMP at us during one of its massive solar storms. This isn’t science fiction, it has happened in the past, just not to the extent played out in this story. Franks gives enough truth to make the fiction feel not so fictiony (yep, new word, put it in your dictionary ;-)).
Franks does a terrific job of showing the disintegration of humanity after the lights go out. It’s all too easy to picture the reactions portrayed in the story by people conditioned to having machines available at the flip of a switch, food lined up on shelves, and a government ready to rush in and take care of them when disaster strikes. Being a member of a New Guinea tribe doesn’t look so bad after reading this book.
Our protagonist, Scott, is a loner but smart enough to figure out no one is going to survive for long on their own. He’s a reluctant hero who does the hard things to try and save his small part of the world with a few friends he makes in the new, savage world that surrounds them. Scott, an IT specialist who works for the government, comes across a secret plan the US has in place to be implemented in just such a disaster as a CME. It’s not pretty, people.
Book one is filled with building the new world and the conditions facing the community of Harris Springs, Mississippi. There are glimpses of what is happening in the larger cities. We get a closer look at the chaos in those cities when Scott has to undertake a dangerous rescue some distance from his little small community. There are also hints of a bio threat being released into the world. I’m sure there will be much more on that in book two and I’m looking forward to getting the pants scared off me by the next book in the series.
Is the story perfect? In my opinion no. There is a little too much emphasis on the dry list of supplies and steps taken to insure long term survival. Necessary ingredients for a good story but not in such detail. I would have liked more emotional depth in the characters, but that’s just me and might not be the same for everyone.
I will definitely read the next couple books in the series.
I love a good post-apocalyptic story, but let’s be honest, most of them are centered on some pandemic killing off most of the Earth’s population but a lucky few. In the Catalyst story JK Franks lays out a plausible scenario for the downfall of our world from a CME, Coronal Mass Ejection. In other words, our Sun throws a heck of an EMP at us during one of its massive solar storms. This isn’t science fiction, it has happened in the past, just not to the extent played out in this story. Franks gives enough truth to make the fiction feel not so fictiony (yep, new word, put it in your dictionary ;-)).
Franks does a terrific job of showing the disintegration of humanity after the lights go out. It’s all too easy to picture the reactions portrayed in the story by people conditioned to having machines available at the flip of a switch, food lined up on shelves, and a government ready to rush in and take care of them when disaster strikes. Being a member of a New Guinea tribe doesn’t look so bad after reading this book.
Our protagonist, Scott, is a loner but smart enough to figure out no one is going to survive for long on their own. He’s a reluctant hero who does the hard things to try and save his small part of the world with a few friends he makes in the new, savage world that surrounds them. Scott, an IT specialist who works for the government, comes across a secret plan the US has in place to be implemented in just such a disaster as a CME. It’s not pretty, people.
Book one is filled with building the new world and the conditions facing the community of Harris Springs, Mississippi. There are glimpses of what is happening in the larger cities. We get a closer look at the chaos in those cities when Scott has to undertake a dangerous rescue some distance from his little small community. There are also hints of a bio threat being released into the world. I’m sure there will be much more on that in book two and I’m looking forward to getting the pants scared off me by the next book in the series.
Is the story perfect? In my opinion no. There is a little too much emphasis on the dry list of supplies and steps taken to insure long term survival. Necessary ingredients for a good story but not in such detail. I would have liked more emotional depth in the characters, but that’s just me and might not be the same for everyone.
I will definitely read the next couple books in the series.
June 12, 2019
This audiobook was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review in exchange.
I wanted to like this book. I love a realistic end of the world scenario. Downward Cycle presents a story of a solar flare that causes electricity to not work... sometimes. Scott, a tech-geek cyclist, stockpiles as much as he can before shit hits the fan. Then shit hits the fan. There was clearly a lot of research done before this book was written and I appreciate the author trying to maintain as much realism as possible. And one thing I really liked about this book was that for the first quarter of it, the main character was really unsure of the impact of the solar flare. Society still operated somewhat normally and tried to continue on as long as possible before it collapsed. I feel like that was the most realistic thing about this book. There were some times I really had to suspend my disbelief to make it through. I can admit that I don't know a lot about solar flares, so maybe some of the things that happen are more realistic than I give them credit for. And under other circumstances, I wouldn't be as critical because this is a fiction book. But it's advertised and reviewed for its hyper-realism so I expected more from it.
Overall, it was an interesting take on the end of the world. There is enough story there that I was entertained, and I can see how future books could get interesting with government conspiracies, mysterious research being done on a mutated, engineered tuberculous virus, and trying to keep a small town alive. However, I will not be continuing on that journey. This book was interesting enough for me to finish.. but just barely.
I wanted to like this book. I love a realistic end of the world scenario. Downward Cycle presents a story of a solar flare that causes electricity to not work... sometimes. Scott, a tech-geek cyclist, stockpiles as much as he can before shit hits the fan. Then shit hits the fan. There was clearly a lot of research done before this book was written and I appreciate the author trying to maintain as much realism as possible. And one thing I really liked about this book was that for the first quarter of it, the main character was really unsure of the impact of the solar flare. Society still operated somewhat normally and tried to continue on as long as possible before it collapsed. I feel like that was the most realistic thing about this book. There were some times I really had to suspend my disbelief to make it through. I can admit that I don't know a lot about solar flares, so maybe some of the things that happen are more realistic than I give them credit for. And under other circumstances, I wouldn't be as critical because this is a fiction book. But it's advertised and reviewed for its hyper-realism so I expected more from it.
Overall, it was an interesting take on the end of the world. There is enough story there that I was entertained, and I can see how future books could get interesting with government conspiracies, mysterious research being done on a mutated, engineered tuberculous virus, and trying to keep a small town alive. However, I will not be continuing on that journey. This book was interesting enough for me to finish.. but just barely.
December 1, 2017
This is a well written novel of the downfall of mankind. What I liked about it was that it wasn't caused by nuclear war or a virus and there weren't any zombies. It is based on a real and very possible event. Something science has known and warned about for some time. Scott Montgomery is licking his wounds and hiding from the world after his divorce. He has taken up residence in the family holiday home on the Gulf. Because he is a computer geek he can make a comfortable living from home. He is a man who doesn't want or need anybody else, until the electricity fails. At first, like everyone else, he doesn't worry about it, but as time passes he digs a little deeper. As a computer consultant with Homeland Security he is able to access more information than others. What he finds out shocks him. The event that knocked out the power worldwide was anticipated and his government have no plans to help their citizens. Scott busily makes plans for long term survival and he is joined by several others from the small town in which he lives. Like everyone else, his world has been turned upside down, but he is determined to meet the challenge, even if it means great and unwelcome changes.
May 6, 2024
Meh, it was entertaining. The "nerdy" main character just happens to have all the answers and survival know-how simply by just knowing some actual tough guys he just met in the town he's lived in for years. The dog was my favorite character.
I would have given it 3 stars if it didn't read like a Alpha Male fantasty (maybe erotica is a better word) toward the end. I was fine with the macho rhetoric throughout because I kind of expect it from post-apocalyptic thrillers written by men. I know what I'm getting into when I read these (kind of like how you KNOW a super-sized Quarter Pounder meal is not the best choice but you love it anyways). I can look past it for the most part, but something about this one just pushed it over the edge for me. Franks probably knows his target audience very well (conservative white dude). If you're that guy, you're gonna love this one!
I kinda want to see where this series goes, because some of the plot points post the possibility for crazy turns, and I feel like it'd be a fun trainwreck to watch. But at the same time, there are many other post-apocalyptic series to try so I probably won't get back around to this one any time soon.
I would have given it 3 stars if it didn't read like a Alpha Male fantasty (maybe erotica is a better word) toward the end. I was fine with the macho rhetoric throughout because I kind of expect it from post-apocalyptic thrillers written by men. I know what I'm getting into when I read these (kind of like how you KNOW a super-sized Quarter Pounder meal is not the best choice but you love it anyways). I can look past it for the most part, but something about this one just pushed it over the edge for me. Franks probably knows his target audience very well (conservative white dude). If you're that guy, you're gonna love this one!
I kinda want to see where this series goes, because some of the plot points post the possibility for crazy turns, and I feel like it'd be a fun trainwreck to watch. But at the same time, there are many other post-apocalyptic series to try so I probably won't get back around to this one any time soon.
December 18, 2023
This book started slow with lots of details about the power going on and off, plugging in and turning on electrical equipment to charge in case power came on for a temporary period, looking for gas - that sort of thing. It was if everything he was thinking was out on paper. After reading One Second After by William Forstchen, I wanted some more details of the breaking down of society. I did stick with it and that came in the last half of the book. I enjoyed that part as it became more ominous and descriptive. The destruction of a small town by the gangs that turn from bad to worse. I wanted to meet more people from the small town. Character development was pretty good, but one character I really liked was Devonte which he only had a small portion of in the middle and end of the book. All in all I was a solid four as the last half was its saving grace
September 26, 2017
I read a lot of books like this. Sometimes the stories & characters are almost interchangeable. NOT so in this case. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are beautifully written. The story & plot is very well thought out. I was entertained & also learned some things.
I loved how Scott learned & grew so much. How he was the reluctant hero. I loved how he struggled with what is right & what should be.
If you are looking for a book to introduce you to the SHTF genre this would be a great one to start with.
This is a story & world I can’t wait to revisit.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.
I loved how Scott learned & grew so much. How he was the reluctant hero. I loved how he struggled with what is right & what should be.
If you are looking for a book to introduce you to the SHTF genre this would be a great one to start with.
This is a story & world I can’t wait to revisit.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.
June 14, 2024
Not all that good. Closer to a 2 1/2 star rating. The premise was decent, the characters pretty good, but the writing wasn't quite there. This book had a good rating, so I was pretty psyched about reading it. It has potential, but from reading other people's reviews, it doesn't sound like it gets any better. Pretty sure I won't be picking up the subsequent books in the series...
March 26, 2022
This is the first book from JK Franks that i have read and it’s brilliant. Initially, it is slow but you need to stay with it because it takes on an energy that goes full speed ahead and doesn’t slow down until the last page. I loved the story and the characters especially the dog Solo.
September 5, 2023
I love a good apocalypse story. He gets in the weeds with some technical stuff but I still like reading different ways it could all go south for us all. How we would survive and would you even want to? Never read a book with less than 1000 reviews!
August 18, 2023
Awesome story, the audiobook was well done.
March 21, 2022
it was good enough to inspire me to pay £10 for the remainder of the series…
November 17, 2023
Good start to a series and prepper guide. Makes me want to use it to prepare for "when crap hits the fan." I highlighted many sections of this book.
March 27, 2025
Okay, banger. Haven’t gotten into a fiction series like this in a minute. Super enjoyable, starting book 2 tomorrow
August 5, 2025
Intriguing story that makes you think.
Really enjoyed the characters and story. Good for any reader who likes apocalyptic stories but with a realistic human take. You can tell the author did his research, and I look forward to continuing the story.
Would you be ready?
Really enjoyed the characters and story. Good for any reader who likes apocalyptic stories but with a realistic human take. You can tell the author did his research, and I look forward to continuing the story.
Would you be ready?
February 4, 2025
Very well crafted story of survival and conspiracy!
It’s not very often that I read a book that I think about from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. JK Franks did a great job creating characters that you can actually care about and become invested in. From Scott Montgomery to Bartos, Todd, Jack and many more. These characters are not only relateable but also realistic and not over the top.
The plot was very well put together and the pacing kept the story fresh and alive. I found myself unwilling to put the book down at times.
The only negative takeaways I have involve the story telling itself. A lot of times Franks will tell us everything in a situation while showing us very little. This and there are few instances when Franks uses cliches in spots that are too obvious.
All together, this is a book I absolutely loved reading and I’m very excited to continue reading the series and see how JK Franks evolves as a writer.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in post apocalyptic settings and also conspiracy theorists like myself as there as a huge backdrop of a conspiracy called “Catalyst” involving a group of a mysterious military presence around the country.
P.S.
HBO PLEASE CALL THIS MAN AND MAKE THIS THE NEXT BIG TV SERIES
It’s not very often that I read a book that I think about from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. JK Franks did a great job creating characters that you can actually care about and become invested in. From Scott Montgomery to Bartos, Todd, Jack and many more. These characters are not only relateable but also realistic and not over the top.
The plot was very well put together and the pacing kept the story fresh and alive. I found myself unwilling to put the book down at times.
The only negative takeaways I have involve the story telling itself. A lot of times Franks will tell us everything in a situation while showing us very little. This and there are few instances when Franks uses cliches in spots that are too obvious.
All together, this is a book I absolutely loved reading and I’m very excited to continue reading the series and see how JK Franks evolves as a writer.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in post apocalyptic settings and also conspiracy theorists like myself as there as a huge backdrop of a conspiracy called “Catalyst” involving a group of a mysterious military presence around the country.
P.S.
HBO PLEASE CALL THIS MAN AND MAKE THIS THE NEXT BIG TV SERIES
June 7, 2019
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Downward Cycle was a good start on what looks to be an exciting series. The plot revolves around a CME hitting earth, a solar flare with EMP effects, which causes the failure of electrical devices and the collapse of society. It somewhat reminds me of the television series Revolution. Quite a bit of the book comes across as a guide to prepping which sounds boring, but the author did this in a way which was entertaining. After all the prep work the story picks up about halfway through but this is still definitely the first book of a series with more buildup than plotline. I do however look forward to seeing where this series is going and will follow up with the next book.
The one criticism I have is that I had to suspend belief on some aspects of the book. Quite a bit of the story revolves around the protagonist being a computer nerd (which I am as well) and still periodically having access to communications and the internet through various means. I’m not sure of all the science but this didn’t really make sense to me if there was an actual CME. There was one part involving Amazon that I even said “really” to myself out loud. With that said though it is a work of fiction and it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I listened to the audio book. I found Steven Varnum to be an excellent narrator. He set the tone of the story and really changed up the voices for each character, so I always knew who was talking.
Downward Cycle was a good start on what looks to be an exciting series. The plot revolves around a CME hitting earth, a solar flare with EMP effects, which causes the failure of electrical devices and the collapse of society. It somewhat reminds me of the television series Revolution. Quite a bit of the book comes across as a guide to prepping which sounds boring, but the author did this in a way which was entertaining. After all the prep work the story picks up about halfway through but this is still definitely the first book of a series with more buildup than plotline. I do however look forward to seeing where this series is going and will follow up with the next book.
The one criticism I have is that I had to suspend belief on some aspects of the book. Quite a bit of the story revolves around the protagonist being a computer nerd (which I am as well) and still periodically having access to communications and the internet through various means. I’m not sure of all the science but this didn’t really make sense to me if there was an actual CME. There was one part involving Amazon that I even said “really” to myself out loud. With that said though it is a work of fiction and it kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next.
I listened to the audio book. I found Steven Varnum to be an excellent narrator. He set the tone of the story and really changed up the voices for each character, so I always knew who was talking.
August 29, 2019
I received the series Catalyst (except America Exodus) for free on Amazon. So I am writing this review for returning my respect and support to J.K Franks. The series is awesome and its story, characters are well-developed through the books. I love how the author explains scientific concepts about IT, history, biology, survival, military tech,...through dialogues; easy to absorb and keep up what's going on.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
1. Downward Circle: about the beginning with the CME event which disabled the global electric grid. The USA was collapsing. Scott Montgomery and some new friends prepared the survival and built the community.
The story is slow-paced and you will easily give up the book. But please don't if you want to hype with the series.
2. Kingdom Of Sorrow: Scott Montgomery and his community faced with a huge storm as well as other survival communities.
This is where the hype begins, the story is fast-paced, characters and dialogues are more well-developed.
3. Ghost Country: Scott Montgomery and his community faced with the ruthless president and her military as well as lethal disease making victims turn into something like zombies (or worse). But most important of all, he faced a truth that he had never expected.
Best of the series when there are many plot twists in the story, especially at the end of the book. You will not want to put the book down and want to finish the book to know the answer.
The series is a great choice for anyone want to try survival or post-apocalypse genre like me.
We fight, we live, we love - Scott Montgomery.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
1. Downward Circle: about the beginning with the CME event which disabled the global electric grid. The USA was collapsing. Scott Montgomery and some new friends prepared the survival and built the community.
The story is slow-paced and you will easily give up the book. But please don't if you want to hype with the series.
2. Kingdom Of Sorrow: Scott Montgomery and his community faced with a huge storm as well as other survival communities.
This is where the hype begins, the story is fast-paced, characters and dialogues are more well-developed.
3. Ghost Country: Scott Montgomery and his community faced with the ruthless president and her military as well as lethal disease making victims turn into something like zombies (or worse). But most important of all, he faced a truth that he had never expected.
Best of the series when there are many plot twists in the story, especially at the end of the book. You will not want to put the book down and want to finish the book to know the answer.
The series is a great choice for anyone want to try survival or post-apocalypse genre like me.
We fight, we live, we love - Scott Montgomery.
November 10, 2024
End-of-the-world novels are often depressing but I couldn't resist reading this one. JK Franks' opening installment of this catastrophe was well-researched brilliantly written. The writing style as well as the details provided just the right pacing to move the story forward. The chapters were a series of little cliff-hangers that kept me turning pages. And, not to worry, there are enough positives to counter-balance the end-of-the-world stuff. World-building note: The quiet little beach town of Harris Springs had an appropriate balance of strategic thinkers, movers and shakers, hard workers, and scum of the earth. Franks' vivid descriptions drew me to his characters, especially Scott Montgomery. I also enjoyed the partnership of the Cajun Bartos and his Kuvasz dog Solo. I enjoyed the realism that some characters used local dialects appropriate to their origins. I also liked how the author employed conversation as an effective means to convey vital information to the reader. What I found so realistic about this book was the likelihood that polite society would deteriorate so quickly in a post-apocalyptic world. I appreciated Book One but feel that it would benefit from another round of proofreading. Maybe I snagged an earlier copy? Looking forward to reading Kingdoms of Sorrow next.
September 4, 2018
I was approached by this author to check out the third book in this series. While he offered the first two as well, I like to support authors when I am able, and have become more dependent on Audio to get my book fix. So, I bought this for myself on a gamble that I'd like it. And do you know what? I DID!
This was great! While not completely action-packed (there were moments of slower-paced life, which I fully enjoy in a book), it was still thrilling and kept me hooked throughout. I don't know if it's due to how it was written, or if it's just the prepper wannabe in me, but the passages of stocking up and making lists of things did NOT bore me in the slightest; rather, it captivated my attention. Great storytelling, and great characters. I also would like it known that I offer myself up if Bartos needs someone to keep the home fires burning... Just sayin' lol!
Also, I feel like there may be zombies, or a Captain Trips type twist coming?? I ACCEPT.
The narrator did a great job, as well, really bringing the story to life. On occasion it felt he was a little unfamiliar with the passage he was reading, but overall it was excellent on all counts.
This was great! While not completely action-packed (there were moments of slower-paced life, which I fully enjoy in a book), it was still thrilling and kept me hooked throughout. I don't know if it's due to how it was written, or if it's just the prepper wannabe in me, but the passages of stocking up and making lists of things did NOT bore me in the slightest; rather, it captivated my attention. Great storytelling, and great characters. I also would like it known that I offer myself up if Bartos needs someone to keep the home fires burning... Just sayin' lol!
Also, I feel like there may be zombies, or a Captain Trips type twist coming?? I ACCEPT.
The narrator did a great job, as well, really bringing the story to life. On occasion it felt he was a little unfamiliar with the passage he was reading, but overall it was excellent on all counts.
August 14, 2024
Audible. Post apocalyptic saga. Interestingly an EMP from sunspots proves mankind’s nemesis and the early days of the disaster are well done and to be honest the earlier part of the book is better. Written pre Covid so some of the elements don’t ring true. Our hero is able to accumulate vast amounts of food etc in the early stages with no one objecting as he clears stores’ entire stock of freeze dried food, for example. No rush for toilet paper either.
As this is the US the main thing you need is guns, lots of guns and again typical of US books these are all lovingly described in great detail. The author and indeed characters seem to struggle with American individualism and every man for himself with the obvious need for cooperation, which even one character dismisses as “socialism”. As the country descends into savagery and violence you do wonder if more cooperative societies like Norway or Sweden would do better.
A slightly bonkers and unnecessary conspiracy is overlaid which may or may not develop in parts 2 and 3.
I’ll probably press on with the next one.
As this is the US the main thing you need is guns, lots of guns and again typical of US books these are all lovingly described in great detail. The author and indeed characters seem to struggle with American individualism and every man for himself with the obvious need for cooperation, which even one character dismisses as “socialism”. As the country descends into savagery and violence you do wonder if more cooperative societies like Norway or Sweden would do better.
A slightly bonkers and unnecessary conspiracy is overlaid which may or may not develop in parts 2 and 3.
I’ll probably press on with the next one.
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