Pilgrimage

By: Tom Abrahams

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

A FAMILY VACATION. AN EXPLOSIVE DISASTER. A DESPERATE STRUGGLE TO GET HOME.

Pilgrimage is a stand-alone post-apocalyptic story of survival. It was previously published as three separate novellas: Crossing, Refuge, and Advent. 

High School teacher James Rockwell is vacationing in Maine with his family, when an earth-changing explosion sends them on a race for their lives. Their first step is escaping an island in the midst of a tsunami, and it only gets more dangerous from there. 

Can they find their way home as civilization crumbles around them? And if they do, what horrors will they find?

It's a bullet-train of a thriller riding on the edge of the rails to the last page.

©2018 Piton Press LLC (P)2018 Piton Press LLC

A Collection Of Three Stories That Read Like One

4.5 out of 5 stars

Originally published as three novellas partially based (set in the same world) as Steven Konkoly’s Perseid Collapse series – Pilgrimage (which I can’t spell to save my life) takes a normal family and throws them into extraordinary situations. Will they survive or will they perish? Will this new world be too much for them?

Coined as the everyday family surviving type of a book – I wasn’t sure where Abrahams was going to go with it (but if you’re familiar with me, you know that I love his work). Pilgrimage starts in Maine (one of my all time favorite places and we meet a family who is out on vacation trying to relax a bit from their crazy lives (and getting over a death from the pandemic also based on a Konkoly story). We meet the Rockwell family and are introduced to the father a high school teacher.

James Rockwell (Rock) was one of those unforgettable types of characters. He’s not quite to the level of Marcus Battle but was memorable in different ways. The high school teacher was a nice touch – he was able to talk about science and some of the what was happening more than the average post-apocalyptic character can (and I enjoyed that thoroughly).

They are very quickly thrown into the muck when things on their remote island start to go off the rails. They are forced to survive by any means necessary and find out more about themselves and each other as things get harder and harder. I loved watching the family get by and the interaction between the kids, wife, and Rock. It was interesting to see them concerned for each other but also to play off each other’s strengths.

I can’t go much more into what this family endured, but the ending (and last third of the book or so) was a total roller coaster of emotions and action. I wasn’t sure just what was going to happen. I want to quote the ending but it would give too much away.

The changing from book to book wasn’t as harsh as I was expecting it to be and they really worked well together. Couple that together with Pierce’s narration and you have another wonderfully written and performed post-apocalyptic books. I requested a copy of this audiobook and it has not affected my review in any way.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

To survive, decide

Great survival book. James, the main character, had only minutes or hours in different situations to react to save himself and his family. He took immediate, decisive action to save his family from the tsunami, 3 would-be kidnappers, vicious meth squatters, and other situations.

Appreciated the characterization of Vincent, one of the bad guys. He was just a guy that had potential to make something of his life, but got in with a bad crowd and chose a loose woman who did not have his back. Not all bad guys are evil, murdering, raping scum, but just people, like Vincent, who make bad decisions and have bad association, which leads to their downfall.

Narrator AWESOME! Loved his bullet sound effects.

After the story ends, the author tells about his upcoming books about surviving different scenarios. Looking forward to them all except the zombie one, which I will skip.

I recommend this book and am planning to listen to it several more times.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A solid post apocalypse story

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I picked this book up because I've enjoyed many of Kevin Pierce's other books. As a narrator, he's very engaging and fun to listen to. The story is your typical post apocalypse survival plot. It wasn't anything new or unique but it is well executed. All in all, the characters were interesting and you cared about them. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Seal Team Rock!

I was able to purchase the combined novel Pilgrimage through Audible, which includes all three novellas of the trilogy; Crossing, Refuge, and Advent. Unfortunately Goodreads does not retain Pilgrimage, but does carry the three novellas. Pilgrimage is a story of survival and perseverance. James Rockwell’s vacation with his family on a little island off the coast of Maine is interrupted by a large explosion over the water. Putting two plus two together, as any red-blooded physics teacher would do, James assumed a tsunami was on the way. Bailing out of that situation we follow James and family as they are determined to get home to Maryland. In Refuge they stop at a friendly ranch to recuperate and wind up in a firefight. Advent finds the family making the last stretch across military controlled zones. The characters are well developed and likable. The story is quite believable and kept a good pace with periodic action. Kevin Pierce is amazing as usual. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Well done

Nice to see 2 authors writing in the same world and both writing compelling stories.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Another great audiobook

This is an one the edge of your seat adventure of a family which survives a tsunami, power outage, looters. The good guys are victorious. Tom and Kevin have produced another great audiobook.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A must read post apoc novel

Pilgrimage: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Story. Tom Abrahams is a master at this genre. As always action packed, fast paced, and well developed characters.
Throughly entertaining, This was a 3 novella series, packaged into 1 great value book.
Kevin Pierce narrates this wonderfully - his is a voice that makes easy listening.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my own request, and voluntarily leave this review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I couldn't STOP listening!

It was alive! This gripping story and my favorite narrator Kevin Pierce kept me involved all the way to the end and wanting more!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent

In Pilgrimage Tom Abrahams delivers another excellent post apocalyptic survival tale. Disaster strikes while James Rockwell and his family are on vacation, plunging them into a nightmare. After surviving the initial environmental effects of the disaster, the family finds that society is breaking down and they are forced to do things they'd never have imagined in order to survive and make it home. When it comes to disaster/survival novels, Tom Abrahams knows what he's doing, and he once again proves that with Pilgrimage, bring in an excellent cast with plenty of fast paced action.

Kevin Pierce, as always, delivers. Big Time. In my opinion Kevin is THE voice of survival fiction. His narration is excellent as always, and he really brings the characters and world to life.

I received a copy of this audio title in exchange for an unbiased review

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Did Tom Abrahams write this?

I have loved everything Tom Abrahams has written. Pilgrimage is included. I also love Steven Konkoly's series: THE PERSEID COLLAPSE. I received the Audible version of Pilgrimage, so I listened to Tom's introduction. In that introduction is the direct relationship with Mr. Konkoly. I also really like the narrator, Kevin Pierce. I highly recommend this excellent example of the genre, and I place it on my top shelf of Post-Apocalyptic survival stories. Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

3 of 3 people found this review helpful