"The game had a life of its own, a path to follow, and there was little he could do to control the outcome. It was just how things worked. He simply needed to remain flexible".
"...even though I fought it and hated the game with every cell in my body, I too felt its tug. The strange euphoria of living inside another's skin, of being part of a club whose membership all resided within me".
The Catalyst by Andrea Goyan is a gripping, dynamic sci fi, biotech horror thriller.
Blurb:
When human bodies are found with scales and tails, DNA specialist Kat Crocker is assigned to uncover the cause of the mutations and stop them before they spread. But the growing visibility makes her a target. As attacks escalate, the trail leads her to a newly released VR game powered by impossible genetics - and the one man: the mentor who taught her everything, the father she buried years ago.
DNA specialist Kat Crocker aka Double-D works with the police on a trial basis. She dreams of being a "crime scene, DNA identifying, one-woman superhero". In reality she has to deal with mundane tasks, evaluating trivial misdemeanours. That is until there appears a threat of a deadly mutation.
When human bodies are discovered covered in fur, or bearing scales, tails and other impossible genetic changes, Kat Crocker is called in to investigate. Her mission is to identify the possible cause and stop it before humanity could be changed forever.
But trying to solve the case paints a target on her back.
As violent attacks escalate, Kat uncovers a chilling link to a sold-out new VR game driven by forbidden genetic ingeneering. And behind it is the person who young Kat worshipped in the past, and who's been dead for years.
How does this game work? What or who is the Catalyst, and is it possible to stop or reverse the mutations?
The Catalyst has an enticing, disquieting premise: genetics, body horror, VR, and the past interfering with the present. It is in the similar vein to The Fly and Existenz - a biotech horror with a personal emotional backstory.
Just like Existenz, it involves an immersive virtual reality game which blurs the boundary between simulation and reality, where the game's disturbing side effects seep through into the real world, and change the gamer's personality and physical build. It is also highly addictive.
I found the concept of the new game intriguing and exciting. The story starts strong, and keeps the narrative fast-paced and immersive.
Ambitious, visual and unsettling, The Catalyst raises a lot of thought-provoking questions about the possible use and abuse of DNA. It would make a perfect read for book clubs, and discussions on the future of DNA-safeguarding.
Things that didn't sit well with me:
When one of the female characters is injected with the DNA of a former stripper, her behaviour starts to change. She has an urge to be provocative and perform a pole dance. This episode somehow grates. How is a DNA of a stripper different from a DNA of a housewife or a teacher? A stripper doesn't do what she does due to their DNA. These are mostly exploited people who work in this business to earn money, and not because of their genetics.
This post is part of the blog tour. Many thanks to Andrea Goyan and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
Purchase Link
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catalyst-Kat-Crocker-Book-ebook/dp/B0H67WYZ8N/
https://www.amazon.com/Catalyst-Kat-Crocker-Book-ebook/dp/B0H67WYZ8N/
About Andrea Goyan:
Andrea Goyan is an award-winning author and an avid animal person who grew up being called Goat-Girl and Raccoon-Mama. She is a grateful part of a flock of collaborative Magpie Poets whose first collection, An Illegal Feast, was released in 2025.
Andrea also co-hosts MetaStellar Magazine's Long-Lost Friends and Storytime. In her spare time, she walks her dogs and loves to paint, especially animal portraits. Many of her stories are available for free on her website.
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