"The Universal Handbook of Near ELE" marks the launch of a thrilling new series that intertwines science fiction with real-world facts, exclusively from Romaniuk Publishing. This collection examines how everyday natural and anthropogenic extreme events can rapidly escalate into near Extinction Level Events (ELEs), propelled by the butterfly effect inherent in chaos theory. The series kicks off with the volume titled "The Day the Tar Gave Away."

Extinction-level events (ELEs) are monumental disasters that can cause a significant decline or even the complete extinction of species on Earth, often impacting a large segment of the planet's biodiversity. These events can be triggered by various natural occurrences, including volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, climate change, or shifts in sea levels. A well-known example is the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, which happened roughly 66 million years ago, believed to have been caused by a gigantic asteroid impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs and numerous other species. Such catastrophic events can drastically reshape ecosystems, disrupt food chains, and set the stage for profound evolutionary shifts.