The Pulse

A cut above the typical action-packed but insubstantial thriller, The Pulse tackles weighty subjects and distressing matters with aplomb, maintaining accuracy and realism while never letting the pace of the story drop. Owen Garratt crafts an exciting and exceedingly tense story around the character of Big Jack Broderick, and Garratt relates Broderick’s exploits in sparse and urgent prose, which renders his story electrifying and gripping throughout.

—Erin Britton, San Francisco Book Review

The Pulse is disaster fiction at its best, and opens with the author's caution that if violence, cursing, and death are disturbing to readers, they should look elsewhere. Then, again—what disaster novel doesn't incorporate some or all of these elements?

The second cautionary note is that medical procedures performed "on the fly" by characters are not to be imitated. Owen Garratt's special brand of humor is evident from these introductory notes: "This is not a “How to” book. The author sweated himself to a husk to make it realistic, but that doesn’t mean you’d have the same results if you tried to pull this stuff off. You’re not Jack Broderick."

And, with these opening notes, the reader enters a world that opens with the first-person narrator's experience of a plane crash which is anything but normal, also presented with a humorous overtone of ironic inspection.

Jack has just survived the plane crash. But the opening salvo of adversity has just begun, because the power is out and so are the human traits of tolerance and civility.

As Jack navigates an extraordinary world made unfamiliar in the blink of an eye, readers follow him through a strange new world as infected by wry wit as it is new survival challenges.

Many miles from his family and facing a world afire, Jack faces changes in his own heart and relationships as he navigates unfamiliar territory and struggles to survive many new situations: "She wasn’t flirtatious or coquettish. Maybe a little coquettish, as in shy, but not erotic or cheap. No teasing or tantalizing. It came from a place of nurturing, of taking care of someone. It was thoughtful. It was appreciative. It was kind. And it had a vibe like a Japanese tea ceremony."

Garratt's ability to wind ironic humor into his end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario sets The Pulse apart from other disaster novels. Its special brand of apocalypse comes with intriguing side notes as Jack contemplates walking across the ravaged nation to return home to his family, facing assailants and possible new connections in the process.

The result is far more realistic than most genre reads because its attention to adversity pairs nicely with moments of comic and personal relief in which Jack employs his various strengths to not just survive, but move forward.

It matters not that his family is estranged and separated. His motivation to find them against all odds becomes one of the driving forces of a strange new life that is just getting started here, in Book One of the series.

Libraries seeing patron interest in apocalyptic books will find The Pulse of particular interest, with its juxtaposition of survival and reflections on the cost of that effort:

"The only thing worse than questions with no answers is the times when there are answers. The cost of the answer is, most often, unbearable. And because it is unbearable, it is unheeded."

—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

The Pulse, the first book in the series, is engaging. Jack Broderick isn’t a sympathetic character in the beginning, but Garratt provides glimpses of his character and personality throughout the story that hint at his coming redemption. Readers will undoubtedly surprise themselves by rooting for him. Fans of apocalyptic thrillers will enjoy his story, as well as those who like to cheer for the underdog.

—Glenda Vosburgh, The US Review of Books
RECOMMENDED by the US Review

In The Pulse, Owen Garratt has crafted a rich, compelling, and triumphant book that masterfully catalogs the perils and nobility of our times.

—Robert Buccellato, Manhattan Book Review

Owen Garratt’s tale of the fall of civilization in the days after a global catastrophe is both shockingly brutal and refreshingly realistic. The Pulse is an action-packed page-turner and Garratt’s writing is stripped down and vivid all at once. Upon completing the novel, you will likely find yourself searching the internet for news of when the next installment of the series will be available.

—Daniel Ryan Johnson, BestSellersWorld

The Pulse is an action-packed page-turner with lots of heart-racing close calls and extraordinary acts of bravery and fortitude amidst complete pandemonium

Owen Garratt's debut novel is thrilling with plenty of insightful, intricate observations that will stimulate your mind and get you thinking. Fans of Stephen King's The Stand will love this book!" 

—Foluso Falaye, Seattle Book Review

Owen Garratt writes both beautifully and viscerally, and Jack Broderick is the perfect re-envisioning of the Man’s Man. The Pulse is electrifying, noble, and heartbreaking.

—Joel Hames, author of the Sam Williams thrillers.

Runding Pelham is proud to announce that The Pulse will be available online via Amazon, Audible, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and retail distribution through Ingram/Publisher’s Group West.

Runding Pelham has also retained one of the top digital media buyers in the country to manage advertising on the Google Display Network, Adwords, YouTube, Facebook/Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and more.