What do you think?
Rate this book
Tribulations
The world has ended…. The war is only beginning. An asteroid storm has obliterated the Earth. Billy and Linda West have built enough space-going arks to save a small number of people who now roam the void in search of a new home. Desperate to find a safe haven, Billy makes a dangerous attempt to exceed the speed of light. When his plans go terribly wrong, the Wests' severely-damaged ship is separated from the fleet and left drifting near a mysterious planet. This world's conditions are hospitable—but its inhabitants are not. Suddenly the Wests and their fellow survivors are caught in the middle of an ancient war between two brutal nations. Faced with horrific dangers, they are forced to choose a side just to survive.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- GenresScience Fiction
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2012
4 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 16, 2014
I don't want to come off as some sort of literary snob or that scientific know-it-all, but I have to admit that I couldn't finish this book because of how painful it was to read the author's bland delivery of the story with flat, simple characters sprinkled with ridiculous, non-sense 'science'.
I don't think you need to be a physicist to write good science fiction, but you should certainly do more than drop unrelated real-world name references for made-up theories that do more to destroy the suspended disbelief of your readers than they do to further your silly plotline of outstanding coincidences and absurd logic.
Some examples:
-Every problem that is presented to the characters is overcome with ease, but without any actual story telling other than to say that the characters took time to think about it and came up with a solution, then took a little more time to execute said solution.
-Characters lack any meaningful emotional depth, there are no moral dilemmas, they simply think and act, but never develop.
-obvious, glaring physical/logical inconsistencies abound; most have no explanation, while others have contrite unbelievable solutions. The survivors have a fleet of space ships, all seemingly with a ridiculous reserve of seemingly luxury resources and technologies inconsistent with and escape mission; basically the ability to operate, maneuver, and even manufacture new technologies as though they weren't in a hasty exit from their home world through interstellar (intergalactic?) space.
To sum it up: When "magnetic projectors" are added to the fleet's flagship during the its construction 'just because'; and two new fusion reactors (which for some reason are WAY more powerful than what the flagship was originally built with and as described, far exceed anything possible with real fusion) are cobbled together from spare parts while the fleet is already underway; and those same reactors are used to power said projectors, thus allowing for faster than light travel for no other reason other than that a character thought about it for a short time and came up with a 'theory' to allow it; all while the fleet is aimlessly travelling trough space, possibly toward a whole other galaxy (which is strangely only 4 light-years away, when it should be 81,000 light-years away) when they only need to find a new planet, travelling at a speed of 1/3 c (but capable of double that)without experiencing any relativistic consequences of their speed for no explained reason... I'm sorry, but I have to put this book down; it's garbage.
Science fiction doesn't have to be factual or even clever to be halfway decent, but it does need suspend a reader's disbelief. This book's series of incredible coincidences doesn't accomplish this, it only highlights unimaginative writing by the author. The central plot concept is interesting and is the reason I picked this book up in the first place, but I can't imagine it being executed more poorly.
I don't think you need to be a physicist to write good science fiction, but you should certainly do more than drop unrelated real-world name references for made-up theories that do more to destroy the suspended disbelief of your readers than they do to further your silly plotline of outstanding coincidences and absurd logic.
Some examples:
-Every problem that is presented to the characters is overcome with ease, but without any actual story telling other than to say that the characters took time to think about it and came up with a solution, then took a little more time to execute said solution.
-Characters lack any meaningful emotional depth, there are no moral dilemmas, they simply think and act, but never develop.
-obvious, glaring physical/logical inconsistencies abound; most have no explanation, while others have contrite unbelievable solutions. The survivors have a fleet of space ships, all seemingly with a ridiculous reserve of seemingly luxury resources and technologies inconsistent with and escape mission; basically the ability to operate, maneuver, and even manufacture new technologies as though they weren't in a hasty exit from their home world through interstellar (intergalactic?) space.
To sum it up: When "magnetic projectors" are added to the fleet's flagship during the its construction 'just because'; and two new fusion reactors (which for some reason are WAY more powerful than what the flagship was originally built with and as described, far exceed anything possible with real fusion) are cobbled together from spare parts while the fleet is already underway; and those same reactors are used to power said projectors, thus allowing for faster than light travel for no other reason other than that a character thought about it for a short time and came up with a 'theory' to allow it; all while the fleet is aimlessly travelling trough space, possibly toward a whole other galaxy (which is strangely only 4 light-years away, when it should be 81,000 light-years away) when they only need to find a new planet, travelling at a speed of 1/3 c (but capable of double that)without experiencing any relativistic consequences of their speed for no explained reason... I'm sorry, but I have to put this book down; it's garbage.
Science fiction doesn't have to be factual or even clever to be halfway decent, but it does need suspend a reader's disbelief. This book's series of incredible coincidences doesn't accomplish this, it only highlights unimaginative writing by the author. The central plot concept is interesting and is the reason I picked this book up in the first place, but I can't imagine it being executed more poorly.
February 5, 2012
Original review posted here
You know, I’m willing to overlook names like Billy and Linda Lou if the story is good, and draws me in (and it’d have to be damn good to make me feel like I’m not reading about some hicks in outer space). Seriously though, that’s a personal thing.. I enjoy good character names, and these just seemed as if the author just didn’t give a damn about his characters – which becomes even more evident in his story.
If this story had been recited to me, orally, at bedtime, in increments, by my grandfather, I would have loved it. It moved at a quick pace, and was written in “everyday speak” sort of language. But that doesn’t translate to the page well. There needs to be detail, and description. An author should not write about how there is a language barrier between an alien race and the crew aboard a spaceship and then, a few lines later, solve that issue by saying Billy made some translation devices for everyone and they all could understand.
It’s not that easy!
There needs to be some depth to the story. There needs to be actual time passing, don’t tell me “…a few weeks later”, write about something that happened to make me understand that time is, indeed, passing. Did he face any difficulties? I mean, creating a translation device, that seems pretty interesting – tell me more about it.
Furthermore, don’t create situations that you have an easy answer to. I felt like every obstacle facing Linda and Billy was easily solved, way too easily solved, with so little actual writing space between the problem and the answer that I barely had time to wrap my mind around the issue before it had been solved.
Also – never a good idea to start a book with the morning after a wedding night. That felt uncomfortable and weird.
I really was psyched up about this book – I wanted to enjoy a good science fiction book, and when I saw that TOR had mailed this one to me I jumped around the house and talked to everyone about it. But man, I am so. damn. disappointed. by this story.
You know, I’m willing to overlook names like Billy and Linda Lou if the story is good, and draws me in (and it’d have to be damn good to make me feel like I’m not reading about some hicks in outer space). Seriously though, that’s a personal thing.. I enjoy good character names, and these just seemed as if the author just didn’t give a damn about his characters – which becomes even more evident in his story.
If this story had been recited to me, orally, at bedtime, in increments, by my grandfather, I would have loved it. It moved at a quick pace, and was written in “everyday speak” sort of language. But that doesn’t translate to the page well. There needs to be detail, and description. An author should not write about how there is a language barrier between an alien race and the crew aboard a spaceship and then, a few lines later, solve that issue by saying Billy made some translation devices for everyone and they all could understand.
It’s not that easy!
There needs to be some depth to the story. There needs to be actual time passing, don’t tell me “…a few weeks later”, write about something that happened to make me understand that time is, indeed, passing. Did he face any difficulties? I mean, creating a translation device, that seems pretty interesting – tell me more about it.
Furthermore, don’t create situations that you have an easy answer to. I felt like every obstacle facing Linda and Billy was easily solved, way too easily solved, with so little actual writing space between the problem and the answer that I barely had time to wrap my mind around the issue before it had been solved.
Also – never a good idea to start a book with the morning after a wedding night. That felt uncomfortable and weird.
I really was psyched up about this book – I wanted to enjoy a good science fiction book, and when I saw that TOR had mailed this one to me I jumped around the house and talked to everyone about it. But man, I am so. damn. disappointed. by this story.
January 15, 2014
Someone needs to fire an editor. This is a story gone to a place where the written word had devolved into a mass of verbal vomit. Yes... it was that good. I am willing to admit the story has potential, but the execution of the story was somewhat like watching the Last Airbender, ouch. My advice, stay away!
August 5, 2017
This book was kinda silly. I thought the idea was interesting, but the story was shallow, beginning with the hero's name. I'll keep the it it for my boys to read, they might like it; the book kinda fits with young teens Style books.
May 17, 2022
Loved this book wish I knew this one had a prequel first. Time to now find that so I can see what leads up to this one. Also hope more comes from this series.
August 5, 2015
I picked this up because it was one of the few sci-fi books in the library at the university I work at.
I abandoned it at page 22.
The dialog is stilted, fake, and all the characters talk in the same simple deliberate sentences. Very basic scientific details were horribly wrong. It was becoming clear that the book was failing on the science and failing to make the people into characters, and I saw no signs that the story wasn't also going to fail. So I gave up on it after checking quickly for a few reviews (none of which were good).
I abandoned it at page 22.
The dialog is stilted, fake, and all the characters talk in the same simple deliberate sentences. Very basic scientific details were horribly wrong. It was becoming clear that the book was failing on the science and failing to make the people into characters, and I saw no signs that the story wasn't also going to fail. So I gave up on it after checking quickly for a few reviews (none of which were good).
May 3, 2013
This story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but......
It felt like a string of stories, not always cohesive. Didn't always find the story line believable or logical.
If you want a story to pass the time while waiting in line, or sitting in the doctor's office...go for it.
If you want a good read, you could go for it.
But if you want a really good read, I'd find another story.
It felt like a string of stories, not always cohesive. Didn't always find the story line believable or logical.
If you want a story to pass the time while waiting in line, or sitting in the doctor's office...go for it.
If you want a good read, you could go for it.
But if you want a really good read, I'd find another story.
Want to Read
January 14, 2012Received a review copy
November 4, 2012
An interesting story line that included belief in God. It was a good read but not a great read. It jumped around and made some pretty big leaps in logic at times.
July 24, 2014
Flat characters, it glossed over too much, and there were a sinful amount of tired cliches in this book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews