Reviews, press, events and ratings below this book intro

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT A self-obsessed Calcutta detective who goes by his last name `Kar’, an enigmatic internet cafe hostess in Seoul, and a hotshot geneticist labouring away on a topsecret corporate project. These are just a few pieces in the puzzle that need to be put together to explain a world sucked into the whirlpool of the `butterfly effect’.

In the decaying capital city of a near-future Darkland, which covers large swathes of Asia, Captain Old – an off-duty policeman – receives news that might help to unravel the roots of a scourge that has ravaged the continent. As stories coalesce into stories – welding past, present and future together – will a macabre death in a small English town or the disappearance of Indian tourists in Korea, help to blow away the dusts of time?

From utopian communities of Asia to the prison camps of Pyongyang and from the gene labs of Europe to the violent streets of Darkland – riven by civil war, infested by genetically engineered fighters – this time-travelling novel crosses continents, weaving mystery, adventure and romance, gradually fixing its gaze on the sway of the unpredictable over our lives.

ISBN: 978-93-86906-52-6

Published by: Olive Turtle (Niyogi Books)

Academic Research and Mentions

Book chapter or section in academic text - For an extended critical analysis of the novel in the context of Indian science fiction writing read the book `Star Warriors of the Modern Raj' (University of Wales Press) by Sami Ahmad Khan. Excerpts from Star Warriors of the Modern Raj are available at Google Books.

The Butterfly Effect is a required text for this English course at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (ENGL 109: Introduction to Fiction (Advanced Composition).

Mention in Research Handbook on Communicating Climate Change, Edited by David C Holmes and Lucy M Richardson (Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. USA, 2020)

Mention in research paper by Axel Goodbody in Nuevos horizontes de la literatura comparada (Vol. 2): Ecocrítica, 2021. Editors: Bruno Echauri Galván and Julia Ori, ISBN: 978-84-09-27247-1 (Spanish Society of General and Comparative Literature)

Conference paper by Anindita Shome discussing the book:

"Dystopia, Climate Fiction, and Globalisation: Reading Rajat Chaudhuri’s The Butterfly Effect"

Reviews, excerpts, interviews, academic papers, reports

Listed in `Ten of the Best Novels about Environment from Around the World' by Book Riot, USA (North America's largest independent book site) (Screenshot at the bottom of this page)

Interview and conversation with Jvalant Sampat in Mithila Review

Review of the book in Outlook magazine

Review of the book in Scroll

Review of the book in Indian Literature Journal (Sahitya Akademi, National Academy of Letters)

Review of the book in Kitaab (Singapore).

Review of the book in Bengaluru Review

Review of the book in Purple Pencil Project

Podcast interview with Ayushi Mona on India Booked

Review of the book in Canadian website Consuming Cyberpunk

Mention in Hindustan Times

Mention in Scroll article by Tashan Mehta about sff

Mentioned by Amy Brady in Houston Chronicle (USA)

Mentioned by Amy Brady in Word Without Borders

News in Times of India

News in Mid-Day

News in Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)

Long article about the book in the UNI (United News of India) news agency and wire service

Here is a pre-release excerpt which appeared in Asian Review of Books (Hong Kong), August 2018.

Another pre-release excerpt appeared in Scroll.in, August, 2018.

Notice about Calcutta Book launch in Anandabazar Patrika (25th September)

The Butterfly Effect is spotlighted in the Global Ecofiction Series of Dragonfly and Ecofiction.com, Canada, alongwith an author interview by Mary Woodbury. The largest library on the web that explores novels about climate change and related environmental issues.

Article about genetically modified food and the novel The Butterfly Effect in The Telegraph.

The book receives a mention in Korean newspaper Wonju Today (14th January, 2019).

The book receives a mention in Korean newspaper Shina Ilbo (17h January, 2019) and Korea News Union.

Article discussing the book in independent student driven portal, Sociology Group.

Book and related events
(Some event photos are also available on the Videos and Images page)

Book Reading on the occasion of a presentation --Introduction to Climate Change Fiction at the National Library of India (Nov, 2019)

Keynote address on the Literatures of Climate Change, National Conference, St Andrews College, Mumbai, India (Sept, 2019)

Book reading (The Butterfly Effect) talk (biotech in fiction) and book signing at Museum of Science Fiction, Washington D.C. (USA) part of the Escape Velocity event supported by NASA and others. (May, 2019). Images below

Presentation about sustainability and culture in the context of fiction writing at George Washington University (Washington D.C. USA) part of the International Communication Association (ICA) pre conferences, supported by Indiana university and others. (May 2019). Images below.

Readings and discussions about the book at Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), Delhi, India. Video at Sahitya Akademi Youtube channel.

Calcutta Book Launch by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay followed by a panel discussion on Speculative Fiction and the Stories of our Times with Dr. Sanjukta Dasgupta (former Dean and Head of English Dept, Calcutta University), Chandril Bhattacharya (Columnist) and Dr. Priyadarshi Basu (Geneticist) Videos of the event.

Hyderabad Book Launch and readings at Caesurae International Conference organised with Maulana Azad National Urdu University and Osmania University (Centre for Advanced Research and Training—Translation & Multilingualism) Photo

Ratings,Honours and more

Listed as a YA Cli-Fi (climate change fiction) read by the global Earth Day Network.

Rated among Top 8 in Science Fiction (Editor's Picks) for December (2018) and also Best of the Month on Amazon India. Images below.

Listed 50 Must-Read Eco Disasters by Book Riot.

Listed in Around the World in 80 Books: A Guide to Ecological and Climate Themes in Fiction.

Rated Best (book) of the Month in October 2018 on Amazon India. (Very Best in Fiction) Images below.

Rated Best of the Month in November 2018 on Amazon India and included in Editor's Picks under Science Fiction and other Categories) Images below.

The Butterfly Effect is a Book on the Delhi Metro

Clippings and Screenshots