Tribulation

by Adam Jahnke, Josh Charles (Reader), Tom Clark (Reader)

Tribulation is a twisted mystery about an end-of-days religious cult manipulating space and traveling across planes of existence on electricity and radio signals. Cult members willingly accept seven brutal years of torture, known as their “tribulation,” to atone for their earthly sins and come out on the other side saved (or thoroughly brainwashed?). The hero of this thriller, Stacy Carlson, must uncover the mystery of the Tribulation cult after her husband Greg is kidnapped by its leader, Brother Elijah (Josh Charles), through a bizarre AM radio broadcast. Greg's disappearance leads Stacy into this world of zealots, skeptical law enforcement, and a former rock star turned conspiracy radio host, Reid Singer. Stacy and Reid team up to uncover the truth about the otherworldly religious mythology before them. Will Stacy find her husband and bring down the cult? All will be revealed by the end of Tribulation.

Tribulation comes alive with immersive sound design and stellar multi-cast performance.

Note: Tribulation contains adult language and auditory depictions of violence. 

Genres: Audiobook, Science Fiction, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Horror

Audio CD

Published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Ben Stoddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voice acting on this was excellent and the story was interesting. I listened to it all in one day while driving for 11 hours and a little bit of the paranoia that this story has bled over into my dreams that night, so it was good in that degree.

However, there are some plot holes and the ending feels rushed. Overall I rather enjoyed the story, but there were some errors that detracted from the overall tale.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an Audible Original performed as a radio play. A doomsday cult known as the Tribulation is preparing for doomsday, and has the ability to move in and out of the physical world through radio waves. As the protagonist, Stacy Carlson, tries to uncover her past and rescue her husband, lost to The Frequency, she is joined by a boozing conspiracy-nut ex-rock star named Reed Singer, chased by Jesus Freaks of Doom, and discovers why some kids decide to go No Contact with their parents.

The best part of this production was Reed Singer, the smart-ass trainwreck of an ex-musician radio host. The worst part was frequent dramatic electrical discharges and people screaming.

As a sci-fi story, it was okay. The ideas were not terribly original, and I had trouble following how all the pieces fit together in the end, particularly with the AI. This was a fairly low-budget drama, not as good as an actual novel, but better than most sci-fi television.

[Michelle {Book Hangovers} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

I really enjoyed this audiobook...more for the cast of narrators than the actual story itself.
The story was alright but it seemed all over the place. And the ending left me....unsatisfied.
But, like I said, the cast of narrators did a spectacular job. They’re pretty much the reason why I was so engaged with this audiobook.
I’d love to listen to more audiobooks like this.

[Sorrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice idea, but a bit drawn out and not as clever as it thinks it is. Could have been condensed and made it a lot more exciting.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the better Audible Originals I've listened to. The performance/sound effects/editing are all fantastic, and I really liked the dark story of a science fiction cult, punctuated on occasion with humorous moments (largely thanks to Reed). In fact, this was almost a five-star read, until the ending, which felt a bit rushed with no real denouement to speak of. Though the climax looked on the surface like a team effort, one character's actions seemed to make the other characters' efforts moot in the end, which was a little disappointing. There was also a whole reveal in the last hour or so of the book, the existence of Stacy's brother, that didn't get used at all. Finally, the very last thing you hear in the book leads you to question whether or not the ending you think you got is actually what happened, and while I'm open to ambiguous endings when done well, this one felt like it should have been less ambiguous but wasn't given the time to unspool clearly enough. Even so, this was a fun listen and I'd definitely be onboard to listen to a sequel or to a different story done by this author.

[Brenda McCollum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story is very gripping and engaging, but the ending leaves something to be desired

[Read a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept with excellent production quality and voice acting. Occasionally difficult to follow, but entertaining throughout. An atmospheric listen that will leave you with an eerie vibe, especially in a dark or dismal setting.

[Jordana Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed it, and the voice acting is really good. The story itself was very interesting and I loved how intricate and interesting the story was. It felt like something new and fresh. There were a few parts that I feel dragged, but it wasn't the end of the world. The ending did feel a little rushed, but I did still enjoy it and do recommend it to others.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great audio drama for a long road trip. Voice acting and SFX top notch. This is definitely not a book - everything in between dialogue is sound effects, ie walking, doors opening, SCREAMING

The story isn't ground breaking, and it does drag on for a little too long imo. Cultists are a little mustache twirly, and the phrase "Praise be" is uttered about 400 times too many. It was still fun though.

[Mike Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audio book is great in the way Evil Dead 2 is great. Schlocky audio effects, hilariously bad dialog, and a B movie story. If you approach this book with that in mind you'll have a fun time. If you expect something on a more serious note, I'm so sorry.

3 Stars ***

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tribulation is in the form of a radio play. The narration and acting are excellent and the story is ok.
I like sound effects but to me, they became a distraction over the course of the production because there were so, so many of them and placed over the dialogue.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out as a fiction podcast. I couldn't make it past episode one. I decided to give it another shot in audiobook format. The one major upside: no ads, no breaks, no repetitive intros, no thanking sponsors. That helped with the flow.
The acting was pretty good. The sound was great. The plot, though, ended up being disappointing. No specifics, just... it was a lot more basic than I was expecting. The opening was "wait, what? what just happened?!" weird and almost explosive but then it fizzled out, fast.
And that ending. Sigh...

Ok, yes, spoilers. The girl in the car? Her parents were in a cult that tuned into the world's frequencies. She was supposed to be one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. (She was not ok with that.) The cult create a Sirii like app and set it loose upon the world to bring about the end times. We think the girl and her team of misfits manage to bring down the cult and save the world, but it ends with Abby the app broadcasting in various languages.
It was entertaining enough to listen to while housecleaning, but in the end, I felt like I wasted my time.

[N.V. Cefalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary, unbiased review.*

5/5

Wow. Just wow! This is an auditory masterpiece. Take a religious cult, throw in some mad science, some interesting characters, and professional sound effects, and you have this wonderful story called Tribulation. There is only one other story I have heard that sounds even remotely close to this, but it has a different premise.. meaning this has its own legs to stand on as one of the most unique put-together audible performances I have listened to. While this would most likely be a great book to read on paper, it really comes alive and has life with audio. It honestly is scary at the end of day; the production of it really hits you when you're not just imaging it happening, but hearing it coming through your speakers! This is a real winner and I am surprised I did not hear about it sooner.

I highly recommend this to anyone. My review can't possibly do this story any justice, so just go and spend a credit and give it a listen already!

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda reminded me of a (pretty average) episode of The X-Files at times.
The performances are really good, and the sound effects aren’t bad overall either, but waaaay too much screaming and high pitched frequency noises (yes, I know, comes with the storyline, but still made me want to turn the bloody thing off quite a few times).
All in all an ok listen, if you can stand the prolonged over the top sound effects, with a rather quick and unsatisfactory ending though.
5 stars for the voice actors, probably 3 for the story, but lost another one for all the times I wanted to rip my headphones off because of the extreme noises.

[Stacy ohmyskulls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really REALLY liked this! It's an audio drama (which can be hit or miss), but the voice acting and sound effects in this were so immersive! There was really only 1 VA that I didn't find as believable, but honestly everyone else was really great.

I was impressed about how I always knew what was happening through audio cues, and the story/world was fascinating! I thought the sci fi plot was imaginative (always love a doomsday cult!) and well executed.

I got to listen for free as part of my Audible membership, but this one is on the longer side and so I think this one is worth a credit IMO!

[Han Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

An immersive experience with an okay story

Tribulation is an enjoyable sci-fi story, with an intriguing concept and lively characters. The voice acting was great. The story itself was an interesting idea, although it felt to me a jumbled together at times and I ended up getting a little lost. It seemed like the elements weren’t always cohesive and the ending was so abrupt that I wasn’t even sure that it *was* the ending.

Overall, an enjoyable way to while away a few hours, but not a story I’m ever planning on returning to or would voraciously recommend. 6/10

[Tory Thai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am blown away with how good this was.

Seriously don't know how this book doesn't have more attention on it.

The voice acting was spectacular, the audio effects saturated you with immersion and the world/story/characters were just intense.

This was like watching the most intensly dramatic and breathtakingly good movie in my head.

I absolutely recommend this to everyone who enjoys a good audio play.

I want more audiobooks with this level of production. This was just extremely professional.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for an Audible audio drama, kind of felt like an extended episode of the NoSleep Podcast, which I very much appreciate. The storyline felt like it took some extra side trips it didn't need, and "praise be" was taken from the Handmaid's Tale, but overall enjoyable. I'd listen to it again.

[Steve Crane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an Audible Original in the form of an "audio play" rather than an audiobook being read by a narrator. While I have enjoyed some of these, there have been some I didn't enjoy; Tribulation falls into the latter group and 41% of the way through I decided that I would give up on it and move on to something else that I would enjoy.

[jacob.eru · Rating 5 out of 5]

i couldn't stop listening to this excellently written audio drama. The production is top notch, using many actors. Having history with rapture doctrine, i was thoroughly entranced by the subject matter. Highly recommended, but may terrify some.

[Michele De Simoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premises and a nicely done acting/narration (it's an audio drama) cannot save an extremely rushed plot.
There's no time to become attached to any of the characters and no time to elaborate any emotional response to the book happenings.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This must be like what it felt like to listen to radio programs in the 1940's. I loved the dramatization!

[Elizabeth Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this way more than I expected. It had humor and suspense. Overall it was very good.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved how the radio intertwined with tribulation. Very interesting.

[Betty Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved it. The storyline really comes to life.

[Rachel England-Brassy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh 😒

[Geraldine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into this!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was its own kind of religious experience.

[Dav Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonkers - LOVED it. Takes the biblical mention of a period of tribulation and re-presents it as thrilling sci-fi.