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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love, Forgiveness, Compassion - Dolphins and Mayans and Hope, July 18, 2008
Eric Rankin's close communication with dolphins resulting from his swimming with these ancient and intelligent beings around the oceans of the world helps to explain one reason why this brief book is so addicting to read. But since THE AQUARIANS is his first novel the reader will not only be absorbed in the very fine story line of the book, but will also be impressed with the amount of research Rankin so obviously accomplished in the fields of Astrology, Mayan intelligence, and computer technology as applied to animal studies. First and foremost, this is a novel that will capture the attention of anyone who is fortunate enough to pick up a copy - an adventure filled with intrigue, investigation, criminal underpinnings, and a fine love story: it is also a warmly informative approach to the mysteries of the Mayan Calendar, Dolphin communications, and philosophical line of thought about the state of the world and the future of the human species. Wisely weaving several stories, each with a set of characters we get to know, to a braid of story in which all of the events and characters of the novel become intricately connected, Rankin begins his story with a prelude in 1946 and an important incident occurring just after the atomic bomb devastation of Japan that sets the tone of the novel. The reader encounters crusty old scientists who are determined to understand the ultrasonic holograms dolphins transmit, archeologists who gaze in wonder at the findings of a hidden Mayan temple on whose ceiling is painted the famous Mayan Calendar referenced in the 800 year old Dresden Codex, and to keep the story contemporary, young people are added to not only provide the requisite love interest but also provide the tie with the past that gives the book such an uplifting ending. Rankin blends these elements so well that he is able to make statements about humanity and the fragility of life without sounding saccharine. 'It's knowing that life constantly offers you the opportunity to commit an act of love, and that no matter what, love is always the right act to commit. Love is always the right answer'. And in sharing his knowledge of dolphin behavior he offers his scientist the chance to make poignant statements: 'We're warm-blooded, air-breathing animals similar to them [dolphins] in many ways, but different in that we live on land, walk, build things, and are preoccupied with conflict and violence'. Faced with the shared evidence from many of the characters that the numbers 11:11, the date the Mayan Calendar ends time as we know it (December 21, 2012), and recurring dreams/visions provide, Rankin's characters provide a window of hope into the future - a true 'dawning of The Age of Aquarius' - if the study of dolphins is heeded. It all makes for a fascinating book, and after reading it, the reader will recognize that clues to the entire story are presented on the very well designed cover of this successful novel! Grady Harp, July 08
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Looking forward to 2012, March 5, 2008
The Aquarians is one of those rare books that has the magic to really pull you into the story. I kept wanting to pick it back up even when I didn't have time to read--I couldn't stop thinking about it. I liked the characters and the entertaining storyline, but I think the real pull for me was the message. The Mayan calendar end-date coinciding with the age of aquarius, the 11:11 phenomenon being a wake-up call (I am one of those who has been seeing 11:11 for years), and the new perspective it offered me about dolphins left me with such optimism. I realize it is just a work of fiction, but the facts woven through the story were so inspiring. I am looking forward to the new direction humanity can take in the year 2012.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving and Profound Story of Transformation, Prophecy and Joy, February 8, 2010
As the author of a best-selling non-fiction book about the "11:11" phenomenon, I was so excited and curious to read Eric Rankin's novel, which tied in the 11:11 enigma and the coming prophetic year of 2012 with a beautiful storyline about the amazing bonds between humans and dolphins, and humans and humans to boot. How could a novel quite pull off such a big order? But Rankin not only did pull it off, he did it with a lush, emotionally moving story that perfectly introduces so many concepts, all the while telling a great love story between a man and a woman, and humanity and the greater good. That the greater good is symbolized here in the form of dolphins is so fitting, as this book is like an introduction into the fascinating world of these underwater angels. The story centers on three people, all of whom in the end find their own personal transformation through their close encounters with these delightful and brilliant creatures. Dr. Troy Wallace is trying to prove an incredible theory of his involving echolocation and 3-D sonogram imaging; Rebecca Larson is a dolphin behaviorist at Sea World with a profound theory of her own involving dolphins and how humans can learn from and integrate dolphin behavior and hopefully mimic their long evolutionary presence; and Ryan Ericson, a hot stud So Cal celebrity who, despite his fame and success, feels an emptiness inside that serves as the catalyst to an incredible journey of change and growth and helps him find a love that goes beyond one night stands. The characters are fully realized and totally relatable, and their journeys, both separate and collective, ring true and provide plenty of lessons for the reader to embrace. This is not just a story of three people finding themselves, though, or even proving themselves, but also a story of how we as a species can hope to find our place in the world as the prophetic year of 2012, when the ancient Mayans predicted an end of time as we know it, fast approaches. What will 2012 bring? This book gives a powerful and positive outlook filled with hope as we enter the Age of Aquarius. What does 11:11 have to do with it all? Well, if I told you that, I'd be giving away one of the book's most delicious secrets. Suffice it to say, if you take my advice and buy and read this book, you will experience a most timely, empowering and entertaining read. And be prepared to fall in love with dolphins, for some of you, all over again. Marie D. Jones - author "11:11 - The Time Prompt Phenomenon: The Meaning Behind Mysterious Signs, Sequences and Synchronicities"
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