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 … he’s drawn into a conflict that will change the fate of his people, whether he wants to be or not.
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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).
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 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.
**** 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.
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.