The Butterfly Effect

by James Swallow

Battling the psychological impact of repressed childhood memories, a young man uses his talent for traveling back in time to inhabit his childhood body and to try to mend the broken lives of those around him, only to discover that each of his trips into the past yields chaotic and devastating results in the present. Original. (A New Line Cinema film, releasing February 2004, starring Ashton Kutcher) (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Psychology, Media Tie In, Time Travel, Fantasy, Horror

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 30, 2003

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn)]

Updates:

I finally bought it! After like 3 long freaking years. Found a used copy with acceptable condition at Ebay. Snatched it at USD11.91 (RM50.02). Freaking expensive for a used book! There goes my book budget for the month. But I couldn't help it. This book is out of print and very hard to find. Most copies found are used and even more expensive than this copy. Sighhh... at least I could sleep better knowing it is almost in my hands now. I hope they ship it out soon. Come to momma baby!



* August 4th, 2016 @ 10.51pm, Thursday

*******************************************



Previous Entry:-

* July 18th, 2013

I think I am DYING HERE.



Where the hell can I find a copy of this book? It's not even on my trusty online paperback bookstore, Bookdepository. Sob!

Where are you? I need to read you like this instant. Nao, nao, NAO! *banging head on desk - hard*

[محمد الهاشمي · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly convincing... and it made everything you haven't understood in the movie clear.

Sometimes it was far more dramatic and touching than the movie which had its ups and downs.

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational and exciting!

[Chrys · Rating 3 out of 5]

" "There are no small things!" his father's lips trembled. "It's like ripples on a pond, echoes in a cave, ocean waves, falling dominoes, the butterfly effect..." "

So don't get me wrong, this book is good, but there was just something about the writing style that really dropped it down a star?

I'd give it a solid 6/10. The storyline was completely accurate to the film, didn't stray for one page, and only elaborated very slightly on the basic themes within each chapter. I just personally felt like there could have been more detail within each of Evans' age regressions/time jumps. I was craving more details, more of how the characters were feeling, more of how EVAN was feeling.

I'm aware that this book is a novelisation of the film, so it was drawing directly from the script and cinematic storyline, however, I have the right to my opinion that this could have been better.
Nothing against the author, but ... I wanted more. (also the inconsistent switching between first-person and third-person narratives threw me off every single time).

I'd still give this a read, though! If you like twisted psychological stories, then give it a go :) 🐛

[Michael Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Swallow's novelization of Bress and Gruber's film "The Butterfly Effect" is an engaging and smooth read. It follows the film to extreme accuracy and doesn't deviate from it - apart from the closing scene to which I enjoyed it's clearer and definitive answer as to what happens after Evan crosses paths with Kayleigh once more.

Reading this book enticed great enjoyment and at moments I rathered the book than the film, as I was able to halt reading and absorb the scene and process my emotional reactions to such scenes before resuming the novel.

I adore the plot of The Butterfly Effect, it's characters are very likeable and relatable. It is thought provoking and reflective. Evans selfishness into investigating his past, sent him on a tumultuous journey of pain and suffering for everyone involved, and all the characters were worse off than the original reality except the universe wherein Evan was disabled and the final version of reality. It was a touch of irony to showcase how to change what has already been is an act of defiance towards the Universe, and comes at a price. Evan had to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to fix the lives of those around him, he GAVE what meant most to him and he was rewarded - with those lives undamaged. Finally closing his gift / curse by burning all the past, he accepted his present and released Kayleigh from his heart. In doing so, the universe granted him her back. Once we lose everything, freely, we are given everything. Once we let go and move on, we are given the next opportunity.

This novel was bittersweet and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, I think it's only 3 stars as I knew what would happen. A great book to read to get back into the idea of reading!

"A million reasons why and why not flashed through my mind in that second, and in all honesty I had no answer to any of them. I thought of where I had been, of the broken threads of Time that I'd travelled, and all of it came together into one moment of choice. That moment, in that place, at that time. So I took a deep breath, turned on my heel, and I went after her."

[Shennety · Rating 3 out of 5]

Если бы у меня была возможность изменить прошлое, зная, что подобное вмешательство может как-то повлиять на исход будущего? Готова была бы я рискнуть чем-то дорогим для меня и близким, чтобы внести изменения в ход событий? Прочтя эту книгу, я теперь затрудняюсь дать однозначный ответ, но в очередной раз прихожу к выводу, что у всего есть своя причина, пускай и не совсем понятная нам на первый взгляд. Более того, не стоит терзать себя размышления о том, что если бы я чего-то не сделала, или сделала несколько иначе, то все сложилось бы куда лучше. Стоит быть честным в первую очередь с самим собой, позабыв о мире фантазий и сладких иллюзий, - все могло быть на самом деле еще хуже, и книга Сваллоу тому яркий пример. Стоит ценить просто каждый свой прожитый день и заблаговременно думать о своих поступках и о тех последствиях, которые они могут повлечь за собой. Не стоит жить сожалениями об упущенных возможностях в прошлом, никто из нас не в силах похвастаться в своей безупречности. Вопрос заключается в том, что вы делаете сейчас, даже в эту самую минуту, такого, о чем не станете жалеть опосля и сможете с уверенностью сказать, что поступили правильно.
Книга подтверждает мое мнение о том, что всегда надо радоваться тому, как ты живешь. Даже если что-то получается не совсем так, как нам этого хотелось бы, стоит помнить, что всегда есть два варианта: либо это попросту не твое и, соответственно, не стоит о нем сожалеть либо же, если это действительно твое, то будь уверен - к тебе оно обязательно придет, когда ты будешь к этому готов!

[Ari]

"Love it"

I loved this movie, though at times argued that some of the time travel twists might be edging on philosophical impossibility. It talks of a young man who had the ability to travel back to the past to alter events of his life; through doing such he experienced one after another haphazard scenarios. No matter how hard he tried to change the past, there was always imperfection in the future that he couldn’t live with – he felt he had to go back and change it once again. “Just pick a tragedy and live with it,” I said, without realizing that might be how life sometimes is all about. The butterfly effect is actually a scientific term adapted from the chaos theory, describing how everything sensitively depends on each other. It appears that even the smallest variations of an initial condition can lead to major alterations of the system as a whole. If this is so: how dare we take our actions lightly, when every move has consequences. And if fate is as big an unknown as it is, we can only aim for a future base on faith, on knowing that we have done our best, on trying to do the right thing, on treasuring the moment, and ultimately, on learning not to be scared of the tragedy of our choice. [Ariel 15 Aug 2008]

[MrBlissful · Rating 5 out of 5]

After seeing a teaser trailer for the movie, I grabbed the book at a corner store and read it on a trip. I thought the book, which is based on the screenplay, was fantastic.

Turned out to be a positively horrible movie, though.

Go figure.

[Melanie Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read that I actually had to pause and set down for a moment, just so I could sob profusely.
Loved it!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never saw the movie but I really enjoyed the book. Interesting concept and well developed story and characters. I find myself still thinking about the time travel theories.

[Miranda Kay Milburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to read this book because it looks amazing

[Erica Palaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 5 stars so goodreads can recommend me books like this. I just find the butterfly effect so fascinating and this is a really great story, so I’d love to read a book like this one, where I don’t already know what’s going to happen. It is really just no different than the movie, so I got bored knowing everything that was going to happen.

[Krista Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me question —“what if moments in life”.
What if I chose a different college? Or career path
What if I moved somewhere else?
Not in a regretful way... just innocently.

[April Adrales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very intriguing.

[Andrew Overbye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exists in one of those nightmare universes like the Paul Walker Running Scared. The most evil thing possible can and will always occur.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER! I'v loved the movie since the first time I watched it so when I found out there was a book, I hurried to find a copy. Though it was hard to get it, I did and read it immediately; every morning, during school, in the store, at night, I was so intrigued the whole time and the story in it was told incredibly. I would give it so much more than five stars if I could but that will due. I think anybody who enjoys sci-fi (or doesn't) needs to read it at least once!

[Sheri faulk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued. I couldn't put the book down. It was great. Thanks mom for telling me to read it!

Cool Time travel. Just watched good movie with this "train of thought' touchback.

Struggling with the psychological effects of his repressed childhood memories, a young man devises a technique of traveling back in time to inhabit his childhood body. As he attempts to mend the broken lives of those closest to him, he finds that every trip into the past brings chaotic results into the present, leading him to travel back again and again and causing irreparable damage.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course this book was deep to me well I like that it gave you 2 different endings and the story line was well thought even down to the physical affects that it had on his body as he was transitioning through well between past and future so the book kept you guessing and wondering if he was gonna make it so I really enjoyed it

[Valliappan Reshma]

seen the movie a long time back. its a trip down memory lane for those who experience sudden memory switches and time space realities. Doubt I would read the book. Though I would suggest a little reading to understand The Butterfly Effect and read Synchronicity by Jung. It would either take you further into an imagination of your own butterfly effects or end up confusing you !

[Ashley]

#
NC
Own in paperback.

FS: "Summer is here now, and the garden outside my window is filled with a brilliant riot of colors, with the flowers blooming and turning their faces to the sun."

LS: "So I took a deep breath, turned on my heel, and I went after her."

[Charlotte Emmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

That the book is wayyyy better then the movie

[Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so sweet to me....He does everything for the love of this girl. We could all hope to have that in our life time.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much the same as the movie but I loved it anyway.

[Desi]

Honestly didn't like it. Very confusing and disturbing.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given it 5 stars if he kept the original ending.

[Sharon_b · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book movie was good too

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

About changing life by going back in time; fascinating and riveting, but many bad scenes. Not recommended!

[Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, a little slow at start.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it as much as I loved the movie! I would definitely read this again and again!!