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The Nomad: Book One
Zara is a star-shooter—a member of an elite class of space workers who travel throughout the galaxy delivering supplies to space stations and newly settled planets. A minor accident causes Zara’s ship to be delayed on an unexplored world. The crew is enchanted by the planet’s lush beauty, but when the star-shooters' idyllic interlude is suddenly interrupted by a distress call they discover their paradise has a dangerous secret. After a near-death experience, Zara wakes up in a hostile place and discovers her crew has left her behind. Held captive on a decadent pleasure station, Zara must live the life of a prostitute, forced to perform on a never-ending stream of space cowboys. The life is bearable only through a haze of drugs and alcohol, and through it all Zara desperately grasps at the last vestiges of hope that if she stays alive, and stays sane, she might one day escape.
The only refuge Zara has is her journal, a place where she can reveal her secrets: how her path became entangled in her eccentric family's quest for the solution to time travel, and how an unavoidable tragedy proved to her that spacetime is real, that the future is the past, and that life and the universe are bound in extraordinary ways.
In The Nomad time is fluid, not linear. Zara’s journey is told in alternating timelines, stories that swing around to reconnect events that are woven together to create the complex fabric of her life.
"A bold and adventurous vision of humanity's future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture. Readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose, as Tillar has a sharp and clever pen. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive. The Nomad has a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling." Self-Publishing Review
The only refuge Zara has is her journal, a place where she can reveal her secrets: how her path became entangled in her eccentric family's quest for the solution to time travel, and how an unavoidable tragedy proved to her that spacetime is real, that the future is the past, and that life and the universe are bound in extraordinary ways.
In The Nomad time is fluid, not linear. Zara’s journey is told in alternating timelines, stories that swing around to reconnect events that are woven together to create the complex fabric of her life.
"A bold and adventurous vision of humanity's future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture. Readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose, as Tillar has a sharp and clever pen. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive. The Nomad has a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling." Self-Publishing Review
489 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2021
7 people are currently reading
582 people want to read
About the author
Debra J. Tillar
4 books11 followersDebra was born in London and grew up in NYC. She studied art in high school, majored in anthropology in college, and became an archaeologist. Seeking adventure, Debra lived on a small island in Micronesia for four years where she began to write travel and human interest articles that were published in Pacific area magazines and newspapers. During that time she also worked with the local historical preservation society to promote the island's stone ruins and museum.
Debra has traveled all over the world and has visited over 50 countries and all seven continents. She wrote travel articles and published a travel zine while raising two daughters in southern New Hampshire.
Several years ago, when rereading HG Wells' classic The Time Machine, Debra noticed a character named only once in passing. This sparked the idea of writing a story about the Time Traveler's assistant. The short story became a novel; the novel became a two-book series. Debra is currently writing a third book which is part prequel, part sequel to The Nomad series.
When not writing, Debra creates art from natural objects and is a juried member of the NH Art Association. Her work is displayed and sold in local galleries.
She lives on the seacoast of New Hampshire and she still loves to travel.
A FAVOR: If you leave a review here on Goodreads please copy and paste it to Amazon. Goodreads is the place for discussion, but since Amazon is where people go to buy, reviews greatly affect book promotion on that site. THANKS!
About The Nomad: Book One:
"A bold and adventurous vision of humanity's future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture. Readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose, as Tillar has a sharp and clever pen. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive. The Nomad has a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling." Self-Publishing Review
Debra has traveled all over the world and has visited over 50 countries and all seven continents. She wrote travel articles and published a travel zine while raising two daughters in southern New Hampshire.
Several years ago, when rereading HG Wells' classic The Time Machine, Debra noticed a character named only once in passing. This sparked the idea of writing a story about the Time Traveler's assistant. The short story became a novel; the novel became a two-book series. Debra is currently writing a third book which is part prequel, part sequel to The Nomad series.
When not writing, Debra creates art from natural objects and is a juried member of the NH Art Association. Her work is displayed and sold in local galleries.
She lives on the seacoast of New Hampshire and she still loves to travel.
A FAVOR: If you leave a review here on Goodreads please copy and paste it to Amazon. Goodreads is the place for discussion, but since Amazon is where people go to buy, reviews greatly affect book promotion on that site. THANKS!
About The Nomad: Book One:
"A bold and adventurous vision of humanity's future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture. Readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose, as Tillar has a sharp and clever pen. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive. The Nomad has a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling." Self-Publishing Review
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2022
I am a fan of space-journey science fiction. Also a fan of strong female protagonists and wry humor. This novel checks all the boxes.
Most time-travel narratives explore the mystery surrounding a large event, while fewer of them explore the mystery of characters' pasts. In this novel, the hardships of slavery and an off-world setting provide a thought-provoking meditation on the human condition and relationships while conjuring a classic sci-fi atmosphere and incorporating interlocking timelines into a seamless tapestry of space, time, and intimate human interaction. Our focusing lens into this world is a space shooter with smarm, wit, and an attitude of defiance in the face of her oppressors. Much of her intricacies are unraveled through the journal, but we travel with her, experiencing the confusion, frustration, and fear of her situation.
The author's solid writing style boasts plentiful sentence variety and much vivid imagery. The quick-paced action scenes are balanced by methodical descriptions that go a long way in establishing the setting and tone. The adventure is laced with layers of subtext to strengthen the reading experience. While it is not a straightforward narrative, it is easy to get absorbed in the author's world building. I can see this being the start of an engrossing series with epic, cinematic scope, unexpected twists, and complex character development. Pretty quickly, it shapes up to be a real page-turner, utilizing some pulp s-f tropes, but to great effect, like hybrids and fictitious companies, extraterrestrial ecology and the science of interplanetary traversal. The science fiction explanations were well done and the info dumping was not a noticeable problem. Overall, it is a well-edited and smoothly readable book. The mature content does not distract but intrigues and entices, alongside well-established conflicts and non-stop tension. One thing I appreciated is the way the author integrates the interior monolog, injecting the narration with the thoughts and emotions of her main character. Doing this while using the third person is an interesting choice but produces a lucid result. It succeeds in giving you the feel of a future society, with its own accompanying ships, planetary landscapes, and eccentric people. The large-scale set pieces are very detailed but never bogged down by digressions.
Strap in for a wild ride. Recommended for all space opera and futuristic adventure fans.
Most time-travel narratives explore the mystery surrounding a large event, while fewer of them explore the mystery of characters' pasts. In this novel, the hardships of slavery and an off-world setting provide a thought-provoking meditation on the human condition and relationships while conjuring a classic sci-fi atmosphere and incorporating interlocking timelines into a seamless tapestry of space, time, and intimate human interaction. Our focusing lens into this world is a space shooter with smarm, wit, and an attitude of defiance in the face of her oppressors. Much of her intricacies are unraveled through the journal, but we travel with her, experiencing the confusion, frustration, and fear of her situation.
The author's solid writing style boasts plentiful sentence variety and much vivid imagery. The quick-paced action scenes are balanced by methodical descriptions that go a long way in establishing the setting and tone. The adventure is laced with layers of subtext to strengthen the reading experience. While it is not a straightforward narrative, it is easy to get absorbed in the author's world building. I can see this being the start of an engrossing series with epic, cinematic scope, unexpected twists, and complex character development. Pretty quickly, it shapes up to be a real page-turner, utilizing some pulp s-f tropes, but to great effect, like hybrids and fictitious companies, extraterrestrial ecology and the science of interplanetary traversal. The science fiction explanations were well done and the info dumping was not a noticeable problem. Overall, it is a well-edited and smoothly readable book. The mature content does not distract but intrigues and entices, alongside well-established conflicts and non-stop tension. One thing I appreciated is the way the author integrates the interior monolog, injecting the narration with the thoughts and emotions of her main character. Doing this while using the third person is an interesting choice but produces a lucid result. It succeeds in giving you the feel of a future society, with its own accompanying ships, planetary landscapes, and eccentric people. The large-scale set pieces are very detailed but never bogged down by digressions.
Strap in for a wild ride. Recommended for all space opera and futuristic adventure fans.
January 12, 2022
Although I never read science fiction, this book caught my attention and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! I couldn’t wait to find out how this Star-shooter would get out of her inescapable situation. Zara’s grit and determination served her well and I look forward to reading the second book by this new and talented author.
February 15, 2022
Very intriguing story!
You don't have to be a sci-fi fan to love this book!The story pulled me in from the beginning. And THEN the story develops in depth and surprising plot lines unfold beautifully. Excellent read!
You don't have to be a sci-fi fan to love this book!The story pulled me in from the beginning. And THEN the story develops in depth and surprising plot lines unfold beautifully. Excellent read!
January 11, 2022
There is time travel, danger, and brothels abound in Debra Tillar’s mind-bending space epic The Nomad! After being separated from her crew, Zara must survive being forced into sex slavery on a space station with the help of her trusty journal. There, she dives into her family’s tangled web of time traveling secrets. Tillar revisits some very classic sci fi tropes in a very interesting and fresh way! We get to bounce around time and events in Zara’s life in a way that makes you think very differently about time and space. Mix the mystery of Zara’s family and her current struggle to escape slavery, and I found this to be a very captivating read. If you love sci fi epics that also make you think, spend a bit of time with The Nomad!
January 29, 2022
Outstanding
I have to say that this is not my normal style of book but I truly enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait to start the second one.
I have to say that this is not my normal style of book but I truly enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait to start the second one.
June 22, 2022
This is the only book that I love and hate at the same time. The story is absolutely fascinating. I love Ms. Tillar's writing, her wit, her imagination. Wonderful sci-fi tale. The parts I hate, and I did skip a chapter here and there, depict sex abuse in vivid detail, which could have been alluded to without the graphic details. But, other than those chapters, a terrific story. Can't wait to read Book Two, especially now that.... well, you'll see.
May 25, 2024
Started good
Started very good but got confusing when it jumped around. Found myself going back to read beginning of the chapter to keep the content straight.
Started very good but got confusing when it jumped around. Found myself going back to read beginning of the chapter to keep the content straight.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews