Katja's World Game

Katja's World GameA trilogy

- By J. Ekstam

Every breath of wind, every fallen leaf, every mutilated stump – they’re all part of the story. Her story and our story. The overstory and the understory.

The Game Begins

It is 2022. What can six students at a university in Bath, England, do to turn the tables and save the Earth from imminent destruction? Who will be saved? Is technology the solution or our downfall? The past and present are intertwined as the six students, from China, Iran, Northern Ireland, Norway, The Gambia, and the U.S.A try to make sense of their world and save what can be saved.

The story Katja tells is not only her own – it is also ours. It is a story of fear, despair and anger but also of hope and love.

Katja’s World Game is the first novel in a trilogy which explores the natural world, the supernatural, and the world of stories and games.

Genre

Adapted Climate Change
Fantasy

The Understory

Now in their second year at university, Katja and her friends know that time is running out – they have just a few more years to help save life on Earth.

Fear and despair mingle with hope and optimism as the six students fight for a better future. How can they make a difference? Will the climate game they’ve created show people it’s still not too late?

The group learn that every living – and non-living – being has its own energy and talents. If everyone plays their part, life on earth does have a future. The question is, will they?

The Understory is the second novel in a trilogy that explores the natural world, the supernatural, and the world of stories and games.

The Overstory

Now in their third year at university, Katja and her friends are even more aware that time is running out for the Earth.

The ark village being built on George and Elizabeth’s farm is a major challenge. How will Katja and her friends cope with their studies and the ark project? Will the dark forces become even more aggressive? Will PB, who is aging fast, still be around when the ark village is inaugurated?

Katja and her friends must constantly remember that every living – and non-living – being has its own energy and talents. The first ark village is only a beginning. The students know that they must build ark villages in their home countries and across the world.

The Overstory is the final novel in a trilogy that explores the natural world, the supernatural, and the world of stories and games.

What others say

One of the best novels I have ever read. My first reaction was that the book might be boring because it deals with such a serious and heavy topic: the climate crisis. It turned out I couldn’t have been more wrong. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is full of interest and is engaging from beginning to end. The scientific and intellectual aspects of climate change and the situations the characters find themselves in are exquisitely harmonized in this fascinating novel. After reading Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, I’ve become more aware of the climate crisis and understand for the first time what a huge challenge it is for people of my generation. Ekstam has that rare talent: to both enlighten and entertain readers in equal measure.

Soo-a Kim is a student of Political Science and Diplomacy at Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea, and the current leader of the OECD student advisory group. She has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, she offers her thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

Although Ekstam strongly evokes the English South-West and specific locations in Norway, this trilogy of novels will appeal to a wide, international readership, in no small part thanks to its multicultural range of main characters. The author’s prose is reader-friendly and showcases an effective use of characterisation and suspense. More importantly, perhaps, the books are action-packed. This will make them popular among young- and new-adult adult readers, who will also appreciate the effective mix of mystery and fantasy and feel an immediate connection with the main characters, all university undergraduates. At the same time, Ekstam’s deceptively simple style belies some serious lyricism and conjures up a touching sense of oneness that makes it a perfect vehicle with which to convey an important message for us all: there is a planetary emergency, and immediate action is required. Consequently, these novels will work well if used for discussion in secondary school and university contexts. Yet their appeal is stronger and wider than this. Because the trilogy is ultimately about the power of literature to bring people together, irrespective of age, nationality or gender, I can easily imagine a host of Katja fans the moment these books see the light of day. Overall, a remarkable achievement.

José Igor Prieto-Arranz, Associate Professor in English at the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain, is a friend and colleague who has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, he offers his thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

A fascinating book about our time and how to solve problems as they arise. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins addresses one of our greatest problems today: global warming. The novel is about our shared future. It reaches out to young people. When the characters, six students at a university in Bath, talk about the future, they are talking about us. But talk is not enough: action is required. They show us the way. They give us hope. Katja’s World Game is fascinating, gripping, and so very true.

Wu Huiqi is a friend and colleague at the Science and Technology College of Nanchang Hangkong University, China. In her review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins she offers her thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

In Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, Jane Ekstam highlights the very real threat of climate change to our world, as seen through the eyes of Katja and five of her friends, all university students who hail from different countries. Fiction and reality combine in this stimulating and thought-provoking fantasy of stories and games, cleverly designed to focus thought on the ever-present threat.

Janet Croft, BSc Hons. is an ecologist, wife and mother. She is also the sister of the author. In her review, Janet highlights the effectiveness of combining fact and fiction in understanding the nature and seriousness of the present climate crisis.

This is a well-researched book, very relevant to today's concerns and challenges over climate change and the choices that need to be faced and made, incorporating concepts from the past, present and future.As a fantasy story, it incorporates the supernatural and the world of games and stories in order to save the world from the threat of destruction, evoking deep emotions, both negative and positive. The book also explores family and friend relationships and the need to work together. I would suggest this would be mostly aimed at young / new adults, and particularly useful for discussion by university students. At the same time, it is an interesting and challenging read for all adults.

Barbara Townsend is a long-standing friend of the author and also a retired teacher (of all ages), and would like to share her thoughts on Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins by J. Ekstam is the first instalment of a much-needed trilogy; a unique meditation on climate change and human responsibility. Katja’s World Game is a full-of-suspense novel for millennials. The first book follows the lives of six college undergrads in Bath who enrol in a course on literature and environmental issues. As soon as they learn about the effects of climate change and the increasing urgency of climate action, they set off in a now-or-never quest for salvation. The author’s use of fantasy and well-documented research on climate change by among others Jonathan Porritt or Naomi Klein contribute to not only promoting a sustainable lifestyle but also encouraging climate change awareness before it’s too late.

Rubén Jarazo-Álvarez, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of the Balearic Islands, is a writer who specializes in British telefantasy. He has a passion for environmentalism and believes that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today.

Jane Ekstam’s Katja’s World Game takes a step beyond the traditional young adult novel, creating a new genre, adapted climate change. The narrative is suitable for readers aged 18-35 years, including university students, but can also be read by older readers. Although it includes the traditional young adult ingredients of coming of age and finding one’s identity, and negotiating the complications of family life and love relationships, it is also framed within today’s omnipresent threats of global warming. The novel elaborates on scientific facts on climate change and fantasy, realistically reflecting the future plight of today’s youth. Katja’s World Game is an engaging read with a serious message: action is needed, and now.

Karen Knutsen, Professor Emerita at Østfold University College, Norway, is a friend and colleague who has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, she offers her thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

In Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, fantasy, suspense, and questions about the climate crisis are beautifully interwoven in a work of fiction which has a solid base in fact. It is the first book in a trilogy that focuses on Katja’s fear and despair but also hope and love in time of crisis. The story is not just Katja’s story but also our own. This fascinating novel will appeal to all university students interested in questions about ecological sustainability and the future. Despite its focus on the climate crisis and its dangers, the novel is also very much about hope. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is an excellent point of departure for discussions about activism and the necessity of making peace with our future. That the story is told from the perspectives of six university students from different parts of the world only adds to the novel’s potential to awaken awareness of our plight – before it is too late.

Marcus Axelsson, Associate Professor of Scandinavian languages at Østfold University College, Norway, is a friend and colleague who has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, he offers his thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is a ‘must read’ for all who want to understand the current global climate crisis. Rich and inspiring, it explores the bounty of possibilities available for caring for our Mother Earth and beyond. Jane Ekstam blends science, research, and imagination with her lifelong mission to enlighten and inspire students. Her message and call to action are not only a fine legacy for her children and grandchildren but also for all children and young people around the world. Empowering, moving and a beautiful gift, Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is a work of imagination which is dangerously close to the truth.

Nicola Smith is a former Mayor of Lynnwood, Washington, USA who participated in the leadership for climate policy and change in her city and greater community. She has a passion for environmentalism and believes that climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is the fascinating story of six undergraduates at an English university. Led by Katja, and under the guidance of their professor, the students fight against climate change and learn about the possibilities as well as the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Why is Katja their leader? What can she do to save the world? Where is the “First Book of Life”? Who can be trusted? These questions, and many others, push the story on at a fast pace. There is fear, despair, and sadness but also hope and love. Katja and her friends see it as their responsibility to save the world. At the same time, their professor tells the reader that we must ‘continue to believe in Katja. She needs you now more than ever. The walls are closing around us, the clock is ticking, and we have much to do.’ Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins will be enjoyed by teenagers, students and older people alike. Whether you are passionate about the climate or not, you will be immersed in Katja’s story because it is your story too!

Liu Xinjie is a friend and colleague. She works as an English teacher at Tianjin Sports and Physical Education School, Tianjin, China. Liu Xinjie has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, she offers her thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

The fascinating aspect of this book for me is its setting in real live locations that I know, albeit with name changes. This adds immensely to its enjoyment and sense of reality – rather like a Peter May novel. The second aspect is the focus on characters from a number of countries that aids the building of the story, the different perspectives all coming together and leaving the reader wondering how it will develop in books two and three. The focus on the characters also helps the readability by drawing together different threads, intermingling a fictional story of different interests where you cannot wait to find what happens with a factual base that provides the main thought-provoking theme for the book. As with all good trilogies, this first book finishes leaving open ends to a number of story lines that can only be resolved in the next books. A tantalising technique to keep the reader involved to the end.

Trevor Croft is a professional chartered town planner who has worked in African national parks and seen the effects that different climates can have on human and animal life. He may be biased as the author is his sister-in-law but he has visited many of the locations in the book. He now works for the Scottish Government, where climate change is high on the agenda.

Katja’s Word Game: The Game Begins is the first novel in a trilogy designed primarily, though not exclusively, for readers between 18 and 35 years of age. The trilogy is an ideal complement to courses in cultural studies, cultural anthropology and contemporary philosophy. The topical issues of climate change and a sustainable life-style are presented in the form of an intriguing narrative that is full of suspense. At the same time, the trilogy is based on serious research and a profound analysis of the human condition in a rapidly-changing world. As such, Katja’s Word Game: The Game Begins is invaluable for students or other young readers interested in or concerned about the environment they have inherited and which they, in turn, will pass on to the next generation.

Assoc.Prof. Dr. Slavka Tomascikova, Head of Department Department of British and American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia, is a friend and colleague who has written a review of Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins. In this review, she offers her thoughts on the book's portrayal of climate change and its potential effects on our world.

One of the best novels I have ever read. My first reaction was that the book might be boring because it deals with such a serious and heavy topic: the climate crisis. It turned out I couldn’t have been more wrong. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is full of interest and is engaging from beginning to end. The scientific and intellectual aspects of climate change and the situations the characters find themselves in are exquisitely harmonized in this fascinating novel. After reading Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, I’ve become more aware of the climate crisis and understand for the first time what a huge challenge it is for people of my generation. Ekstam has that rare talent: to both enlighten and entertain readers in equal measure.

Although Ekstam strongly evokes the English South-West and specific locations in Norway, this trilogy of novels will appeal to a wide, international readership, in no small part thanks to its multicultural range of main characters. The author’s prose is reader-friendly and showcases an effective use of characterisation and suspense. More importantly, perhaps, the books are action-packed. This will make them popular among young- and new-adult adult readers, who will also appreciate the effective mix of mystery and fantasy and feel an immediate connection with the main characters, all university undergraduates. At the same time, Ekstam’s deceptively simple style belies some serious lyricism and conjures up a touching sense of oneness that makes it a perfect vehicle with which to convey an important message for us all: there is a planetary emergency, and immediate action is required. Consequently, these novels will work well if used for discussion in secondary school and university contexts. Yet their appeal is stronger and wider than this. Because the trilogy is ultimately about the power of literature to bring people together, irrespective of age, nationality or gender, I can easily imagine a host of Katja fans the moment these books see the light of day. Overall, a remarkable achievement.

A fascinating book about our time and how to solve problems as they arise. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins addresses one of our greatest problems today: global warming. The novel is about our shared future. It reaches out to young people. When the characters, six students at a university in Bath, talk about the future, they are talking about us. But talk is not enough: action is required. They show us the way. They give us hope. Katja’s World Game is fascinating, gripping, and so very true.

In Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, Jane Ekstam highlights the very real threat of climate change to our world, as seen through the eyes of Katja and five of her friends, all university students who hail from different countries. Fiction and reality combine in this stimulating and thought-provoking fantasy of stories and games, cleverly designed to focus thought on the ever-present threat.

This is a well-researched book, very relevant to today's concerns and challenges over climate change and the choices that need to be faced and made, incorporating concepts from the past, present and future.As a fantasy story, it incorporates the supernatural and the world of games and stories in order to save the world from the threat of destruction, evoking deep emotions, both negative and positive. The book also explores family and friend relationships and the need to work together. I would suggest this would be mostly aimed at young / new adults, and particularly useful for discussion by university students. At the same time, it is an interesting and challenging read for all adults.

Barbara Townsend is a long-standing friend of the author and also a retired teacher (of all ages), and would like to share her thoughts on Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins by J. Ekstam is the first instalment of a much-needed trilogy; a unique meditation on climate change and human responsibility. Katja’s World Game is a full-of-suspense novel for millennials. The first book follows the lives of six college undergrads in Bath who enrol in a course on literature and environmental issues. As soon as they learn about the effects of climate change and the increasing urgency of climate action, they set off in a now-or-never quest for salvation. The author’s use of fantasy and well-documented research on climate change by among others Jonathan Porritt or Naomi Klein contribute to not only promoting a sustainable lifestyle but also encouraging climate change awareness before it’s too late.

Jane Ekstam’s Katja’s World Game takes a step beyond the traditional young adult novel, creating a new genre, adapted climate change. The narrative is suitable for readers aged 18-35 years, including university students, but can also be read by older readers. Although it includes the traditional young adult ingredients of coming of age and finding one’s identity, and negotiating the complications of family life and love relationships, it is also framed within today’s omnipresent threats of global warming. The novel elaborates on scientific facts on climate change and fantasy, realistically reflecting the future plight of today’s youth. Katja’s World Game is an engaging read with a serious message: action is needed, and now.

In Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, fantasy, suspense, and questions about the climate crisis are beautifully interwoven in a work of fiction which has a solid base in fact. It is the first book in a trilogy that focuses on Katja’s fear and despair but also hope and love in time of crisis. The story is not just Katja’s story but also our own. This fascinating novel will appeal to all university students interested in questions about ecological sustainability and the future. Despite its focus on the climate crisis and its dangers, the novel is also very much about hope. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is an excellent point of departure for discussions about activism and the necessity of making peace with our future. That the story is told from the perspectives of six university students from different parts of the world only adds to the novel’s potential to awaken awareness of our plight – before it is too late.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is a ‘must read’ for all who want to understand the current global climate crisis. Rich and inspiring, it explores the bounty of possibilities available for caring for our Mother Earth and beyond. Jane Ekstam blends science, research, and imagination with her lifelong mission to enlighten and inspire students. Her message and call to action are not only a fine legacy for her children and grandchildren but also for all children and young people around the world. Empowering, moving and a beautiful gift, Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is a work of imagination which is dangerously close to the truth.

Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is the fascinating story of six undergraduates at an English university. Led by Katja, and under the guidance of their professor, the students fight against climate change and learn about the possibilities as well as the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Why is Katja their leader? What can she do to save the world? Where is the “First Book of Life”? Who can be trusted? These questions, and many others, push the story on at a fast pace. There is fear, despair, and sadness but also hope and love. Katja and her friends see it as their responsibility to save the world. At the same time, their professor tells the reader that we must ‘continue to believe in Katja. She needs you now more than ever. The walls are closing around us, the clock is ticking, and we have much to do.’ Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins will be enjoyed by teenagers, students and older people alike. Whether you are passionate about the climate or not, you will be immersed in Katja’s story because it is your story too!

The fascinating aspect of this book for me is its setting in real live locations that I know, albeit with name changes. This adds immensely to its enjoyment and sense of reality – rather like a Peter May novel. The second aspect is the focus on characters from a number of countries that aids the building of the story, the different perspectives all coming together and leaving the reader wondering how it will develop in books two and three. The focus on the characters also helps the readability by drawing together different threads, intermingling a fictional story of different interests where you cannot wait to find what happens with a factual base that provides the main thought-provoking theme for the book. As with all good trilogies, this first book finishes leaving open ends to a number of story lines that can only be resolved in the next books. A tantalising technique to keep the reader involved to the end.

Katja’s Word Game: The Game Begins is the first novel in a trilogy designed primarily, though not exclusively, for readers between 18 and 35 years of age. The trilogy is an ideal complement to courses in cultural studies, cultural anthropology and contemporary philosophy. The topical issues of climate change and a sustainable life-style are presented in the form of an intriguing narrative that is full of suspense. At the same time, the trilogy is based on serious research and a profound analysis of the human condition in a rapidly-changing world. As such, Katja’s Word Game: The Game Begins is invaluable for students or other young readers interested in or concerned about the environment they have inherited and which they, in turn, will pass on to the next generation.

One of the best novels I have ever read. My first reaction was that the book might be boring because it deals with such a serious and heavy topic: the climate crisis. It turned out I couldn’t have been more wrong. Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins is full of interest and is engaging from beginning to end. The scientific and intellectual aspects of climate change and the situations the characters find themselves in are exquisitely harmonized in this fascinating novel. After reading Katja’s World Game: The Game Begins, I’ve become more aware of the climate crisis and understand for the first time what a huge challenge it is for people of my generation. Ekstam has that rare talent: to both enlighten and entertain readers in equal measure.

About Katja: the main character

Katja is a nineteen-year-old student at a university in Bath, southern England. Half Norwegian, half English, she’s learned to love Bath. Life is good – or at least, it was! The good thing is that she has friends at uni, and a loving family even if they don’t understand her, and even though her Mum and Dad’s relationship is threatened.

When she meets her professor, almost everything changes: it seems she’s not ‘just’ Katja but some kind of guardian of the planet. How that will work is a mystery – one that she initially prefers to ignore. Ignoring, however, is not an option. She has to make choices, difficult choices. She can only hope that they are the right ones – for herself, for her loved ones, and for the environment.

A glacier is a large mass of ice that moves slowly down a slope.

A forest fire is a fire that burns in a forest.

A photograph of the Namibian landscape is featured in the video for Child of Lockdown by Blue Bird by Peter Burdon

Am I alone?

The katja's world game cover in a oval shape

What will I forget?

Is this really happening?

‘Why me?’ was the first question I asked myself when my professor told me about my destiny, to save at least part of the world from destruction.

What does a nineteen-year-old know about climate change and the future? You’ve got the wrong person: I’m just Katja.

What happens if I say “no” to my destiny? Will my boyfriend stay with me if I try to do what my professor says? Will my family support me or must I keep my destiny a secret from them? Who’s going to help me when the going gets tough?