Catalyst

Tribari Freedom Chronicles #1

by Rachel Ford, Megan Green (narrator)

For a week, Brek Trigan has left behind the frigid nights and icy days of life on the mining colony he calls home. He's on holiday to his ancestral planet, and he finds a sparkling, welcoming world of riches and warmth.

But the longer he remains, the more he begins to see cracks in the glistening façade. When civil unrest erupts, Brek's plans for a peaceful getaway are dashed. Suddenly he's drawn into a conflict that will change the fate of his people, whether he wants to be or not.

Genres: Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published January 15, 2019

About the author

Rachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easily readable, but fairly predictable short story illustrating the evils of capitalism and corporatism. When I finished it, I was curious if it would tie into the rest of the series or if it would be a stand-alone. As it turns out, having finished the series now, it does tie it, FYI.

[krysley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should note that the main reason I picked this up is because I listened to Ford’s T-Rexes & Tax Law and absolutely loved it. Though I still got Ford’s writing style, this book definitely has a different, darker feel to it.

This was a really short audiobook and left me desiring more from it. Luckily, this is a series, so I hope Rachel Ford expands more upon … well, everything. On one hand, I can understand writing something short to whet the appetite for readers to continue the series. On the other hand, this may have been too brief. Aside from this being incredibly short, I think there may be great potential here. Ford merely hinted at what’s to come and I think (or hope) that we’ll see a big change coming to Brek’s story arc in the series.

I don’t know if Megan Green was the best narrator for this series. I think her posh British accent does work well for citizens in Brek’s ancestral home, but I really didn’t like her voice for Brek himself. It’s slow and makes him seem sort of stupid, when he’s merely a bit naive when it comes to what is really going on in Red Central. If Brek remains the central figure in this series, I wish that they the author or publisher had selected a male narrator or someone who is really good at male voices.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[C.D. Tavenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the down-to-earth story presented in Catalyst. The introductory story to Rachel Ford's Tribari Freedom Chronicles, listeners and readers are thrown into an alien world following one man as he simply wants to have a vacation. A protest quickly throws his life onto a different path, however.

I also appreciated the subtle themes running throughout, all within the lens of a narrator with a particular worldview. The story does a great job of challenging the character's worldview, and through that window, critiquing a few narratives present in our own world. I always love an "anti-corporate greed" book!

Sadly, I did not enjoy the narration of the audiobook. The narrator's pacing and annunciation were difficult to listen to, and she constantly ended sentences with an upbeat which was tiresome to continually hear. I'm not usually critical of narrators, but I feel strongly about this narrator in the sense that it made it hard to listen to this story. This 1hr 15min story intrigued me, and there's a chance I'll READ the rest of the series, but I won't be listening to it on Audible.

Catalyst received four stars for its story, but I give its narration two stars.

[Wayne Scace · Rating 5 out of 5]

**** SPOILER ALERT ****
I listened to Megan Green's narration of Ford's "Catalyst: Tribari Freedom Chronicles, Book 1" in Audible.
"Catalyst: Tribari Freedom Chronicles, Book 1" is the inaugural book set in Ford's "Tribari universe".
As is to be expected the author does a phenomenal job of world building and character development.
The book drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat.
I highly recommend this book in any format that you can get it in.
I listened to this book on audible and was impressed by both the production values and the narrator.
Green does a superb job of bringing this story to life. I'm a long time NLS Talking Books patron, other NLS Talking Books patrons will recognize the following for the high praise that it is. Green's narration is on a par with long time NLS narrator Bob Askey. I look forward to hearing more of Green's work in the future.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a free review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.

[Suzanne Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella that introduces the new series by Rachel Ford, Tribari Freedom Chronicles. It is a wonderful peek into another world and what you might expect from this series. The events are well described and the narrative is full of great descriptions and helpful in understanding the characters inner dialogue. The characters were interesting and compelling. The main character draws you into the short story. If you feel this series might be interesting then read this introduction. You just may enjoy it as much as I did. It is easy to read and can be read in one sitting, but more importantly it is well written. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Roger]

Catalyst (Tribari Freedom Chronicles #1), my twenty-fourth (short, 47 pages/1-hour 16-minute) read from author Rachel Ford. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. This one delves into the realm of Science Fiction & Fantasy and is the first book in the series. "I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." I look forward to Uprising (Tribari Freedom Chronicles #2), the next book in the series. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catalyst by Rachel Ford is a short story of an mining engineer Brek Trigan.
I fo und it hard to get into the story, but I feel that this was due to the Narrator Megan Green. Her voice did not suit the story.
I struggle to listen to it. Just started to be drawn in by the story when it ended.
I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

[Mystee Pulcine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this audiobook and am freely reviewing.

In just this short story, a whole world is implied even though it is not detailed. The characters became real people to me almost immediately. Even where I disagreed with perspectives or decisions, I still saw the person making those decisions. This made the story quite moving to me, and I look forward to continuing the series.

[Barbara Brostek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful beginning!
Great backstory to begin the Tribari Freedom Chronicles. Ms Ford builds a unique world and her in-depth characterization of Brek Trigan sets the scene for the next book in the series. Intense drama and cliffhanger ending. Enjoy!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written short story, a good intro to this series, I hope! Looking forward to more!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It doesn't really lead me into the next story. It is a short story, it has some pre text, but that's about it. Nothing attention grabbing for me.

[odedo1 Audio book worm. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short to start reviewing the series yet !
Narration was not to bad.

Oded Ostfeld.

[Suki Rickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novella

This novella had promise in its telling, but lacks a lot even for a short story. Not impressed with the overall.