Coil Quake Rift Paperback – December 7, 2021

On the Columbia River there is a shallow harbor where I like to go on summer days. In Eastern Washington it often gets to over a 100 degrees; when the sun is at its most relentless it is a welcome relief to wade into the water. Carp graze on weeds in the mud, ignoring me until I get too close, when they all leave at once, in a cloud of fish. The river, we are told, has been around for some 17 million years. That’s quite young relative to the many sturgeon who have found their way into these waters; as a species, sturgeon have 170 million years of history behind them. The original peoples of the Pacific Northwest started fishing there for salmon 15,000 years before now. My son often wades with me in the water, so we have two generations of history with that part of the river. I like to think that my grandchildren will find their way to this very same spot, will experience the transcendence of cool waters under cloudless skies.“He saw his face reflected in the quietly moving water, and there was something in this reflection that reminded him of something he had forgotten and when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled that of another person,” Herman Hesse wrote, in Siddhartha (p. 131-132), concluding with the question. “Was it not a comedy, a strange and stupid thing, this repetition, this course of events in a fateful circle?"This is the “Coil Quake Rift” that Nathan Elias imagines in his new novel. His vision allows the reader to experience this transcendent unity of all things, the snake devouring its own tail.It begins with an adventure, in Southern California, as there is an earthquake, rolling blackouts, and the city of Los Angeles is put on lockdown. Knox and Margot carry us into the story, a couple who share a love that is “deeper than oceans”, “faster than rivers”, and “stronger than waterfalls.” This romantic liturgy unites them even as they are forced to leave everything behind in their Hollywood apartment.In Venice Beach Jason sees “a girl with wide, gray eyes,” a child with a familiar face standing all alone in the street—beneath the statue of Thoth—in the aftermath of the earthquake. He attempts to help her find her parents, but she refuses to talk. Then the girl tries to run into a cleft, a chasm that has opened, a gaping hole in the sand there just off the boardwalk.How do these stories relate? What is the connection between the crater and the tremors? What becomes of those who leap into the abyss?Elias confidently reveals the mysteries, deepening them, allowing us to experience the darkness. He gifts to us the pleasure and pain that emerge when the barriers that surround "I" crumble. Joshua blows his trumpet and the walls of Jericho fall.What is a life? “A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg,” replies Samuel Butler. I am the universe’s way of creating another universe. So it flows, through Jason, Tiffany, Knox, and Margot.This is the remarkable story that Nathan Elias tells in “Coil Quake Rift.” Here awaits the ferry for those who can see the river as something other than an obstacle, for those who understand that for it we all exist.

Worlds within worlds exist within us, is a vibrant truth in the everyday experiences of our lives, and that truth pulsates with an uncontested dominance in Coil Quake Rift, a new and powerfully written debut novel by Nathan Elias.In this life, there are people—both real and imagined—who will literally rock your world to get what they want. Elias’s elegantly crafted protagonist is such a character. She is an innovative scientist who brings her arsenal of considerable weaponry featuring genius and brilliance to the fight to regain what is hers.The earth quakes in Los Angeles, a non-event for seasoned folks who live in L.A., but this time, the residual effects of the quake feel a bit different. After a few days, there is an ominous feeling in the air portending something that disturbs the normality of the characters lives, and so it begins…Elias’s central story, while built upon a foundation of science, is tempered by that most desired of all things in the human existence—love. All is lost without love is the thought linchpin that binds the relationships in this book and demands that the characters risk everything to retrieve, resurrect, and revivify the various forms of love that Elias identifies as agape, eros, and storge. Here, love is a dynamic entity that flows. It undulates in waves. It ripples and bends and then blooms with hope before it fractures and wanes, but from the first page to the last, it remains a steady force propelling the actions of the characters in this novel.Coil Quake Rift is an intriguing read, evincing a story that is both neoteric and cinematic in its telling, full of bejeweled gifts for the mind, and a rare protagonist who will live on in the reading experience for a long time to come. As Valentine’s Day approaches, a second reading of this novel will be the gift that I give to myself.

This story grabbed me from the start and effortlessly propelled me on. I read it in one sitting and was pretty much immediately angry with myself once done for not taking my time, because this story deserves the time and patience to absorb the brilliance properly. It’s a rare book that finds you equally invested in each character and hoping for their happiness but CQR accomplishes just that, all while weaving an intricate plot that reaches Morgenstern levels of cleverness. Five stars, take all my money. Read this book.

Coil Quake Rift captivated me from prologue through the epilogue! The novel will make you evaluate our perception of reality, love in all forms, space and time. I felt an instant connection to all of the main characters. Perhaps I could see a bit of myself in each version of them. It's a brilliant piece of storytelling and picture painting.

The author’s collection of short stories is one of my favorite small press debuts of recent years. I read this novel when it came out, and I recently went back through it. It’s a moving book and one that feels full of truth, which is one of those things I read for. Here is a story that is somewhat speculative, dealing in the complexities of disaster and time. The characters keep the narrative grounded perfectly. It’s just nicely done in some many ways. I had it on my desk, and someone asked me what it was about. I said “love.” I could’ve said much, much more, but really I think I nailed it. Great novel about disaster, time, and (mostly) love that I hope readers will find…

What a read! With different parallel lives all happening at once, it was definitely a twist filled book. It is very well written and draws you in. I felt like I was in the scene with the characters. I love it when a book can do that! I definitely recommend this one!

The overall story is amazing and incredibly creative. The writing is enthralling. The way Nathan describes the scenes and how the characters are dealing with what's being thrown at them really makes it feel like you're in an immersive experience.