Wednesday, 26 October 2011

One for 2012? (Probably Not For Me...) 'Tribulations' - Ken Shufeldt

Real life has once again got in the way of writing reviews, at least it has today so you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a post along those lines. There will be one though! In the meantime, advance copies for 2012 releases are starting to come through the door so I thought I'd showcase them here, just to give you all a little heads up on what's headed your way in the New Year. There will be titles that I'm really excited about but, if I'm going to do this properly (based on whatever comes through the letterbox), there will also be titles that leave me feeling absolutely nothing whatsover. Take 'Tribulations' for example (due for release in January)...

Now there's a bland cover if ever I've seen one, it could almost have been designed to blend in with the lower reaches of the sci-fi bookshelf and not be noticed at all... It's certainly not a cover that had me racing to open the book and get reading. If that wasn't bad enough, check out the blurb...

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.

So, a bland cover and a blurb that reminds me a little too much of 'Lost in Space'. I was never really that bothered by 'Lost in Space' so I won't be reading 'Tribulations' (especially after a search for Ken Shufeldt on Amazon showed what most people thought of his last book...)
'Tribulations' might well be your thing though so it gets a mention here. Do you think you'll be picking it up?
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5 comments:

  1. Catwomanthegeek27 October 2011 at 21:04

    Yikes! It does seem rather bland. Yet for some reason I would like to read it. do I wanna read it enough to go out and buy it? Probably not. But I think I would pick it up from a library book shelf. I look forward to the reviews!

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  2. William15 January 2012 at 23:16

    Having bought the book, I can say that the cover is probably the best part of it. To be fair, I only made it 10 pages in before throwing the book down in complete disgust. Even with that brief experience, the terms juvenile, and nonsensical come to mind.

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  3. Anonymous23 February 2012 at 22:56

    Poorly written, ridiculous plot, I thought maybe this was written by a juvenile. The first few pages found me wanting to throw the book away.

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  4. Anonymous16 April 2012 at 08:14

    Tribulations:
    Babies accidentily getting injected by thousands of years old mummy blood? The closest galaxy to Earth is only 4 lightyears away?!? But travelling at 1/3 the speed of light it will take centuries to get there?!?!?! And thats when I threw the book away. In my whole like there have been only 3 books I couldnt finish. now the total is 4. this books only redeeming quality is that it gives aspiring writers like me hope, if trash like this can get published, anything i write should get published.

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  5. Anonymous4 November 2012 at 21:49

    This is an incredibly BAD book...well, if the author had taken some of the implied sex out of the "mind meld" conversations, it could have been published as a children's book and be allowed in the church of your choice library.........I guess you could call this a religious fantasy...God leading the survivors of the Attack of the Meteors to the Promised Land...

    I made it to Chapter 3 and decided that I couldn't punish my sensibilities any longer.....I hate to be so dogmatic, but, the author should not have any delusions about the theme or his skill-set....and the publisher should have not allowed this book to be printed for mainstream science-fiction adult audiences.

    Good thing I bought it used, or I would really be ticked...as it is, I wasted 4 bucks....

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