Aries Rising: A Novel [Hardcover]

Arthur Herzog (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1980

Philip Castle, newly separated from an adulterous wife and afflicted by middle-age doldrums, is a professor at the University of Chicago off to the Caribbean for a relaxing vacation. But life is far from restful. His first day on the island he watches a small plane crash, piloted by a man who looks disturbingly like him. He then meets Marie-Celeste-a fabulously beautiful and provocative young woman with whom he makes love-only to find that she is the mistress of the powerful and mysterious Count Raymond de Vaucresson, who with three colleagues has made a fortune in drug-running, arms-smuggling and gambling. He may even be a murderer.They seem ruled by astrology, and have the persuasive charm and élan of the super-rich, so even though he knows they are evil and dangerous, Castle, deeply in love, agrees to board their yacht, the Zodiac, on a trip around the Caribbean. The voyage gives the illusion of the swankiest of pleasure cruises, but the reality is one of danger, crime, and sexual depravity. When Philip discovers their real mission, he vows to stop them, but hasn't the slightest idea how to do it and the answer doesn't lie in the stars.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Herzog is an award-winning novelist, non-fiction writer and journalist, renowned for his best-selling novels The Swarm, Orca (both made into popular movies), Make Us Happy, Heat and IQ 83, hailed by the British press as one of the best science fiction works ever written.His non-fiction best sellers include Vesco, which Publishers Weekly hailed as "A brilliantly researched story?one of the year?s remarkable biographies" and The Woodchipper Murder. A New Yorker, avid reader, and world traveler, Herzog continues to write fiction and non-fiction books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: Richard Marek Pubs; First Edition edition (September 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399900888
• ISBN-13: 978-0399900884
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,651,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting Novel Set in the Caribbean, May 29, 2004

By 

Jody Mondo "jodymond2" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aries Rising (Paperback)

ARIES RISING by Arthur Herzog is a book to be savored. It starts out easy but things soon pick up big time.Phlip Castle, newly divorced and bored with life, vacations on the Carribean island of St. Jean. He only plans to stay awhile, but as he is unpacking, a small plane crashes nearby. He rushes out to see what happened and finds the pilot bears an uncanny resemblance to him. A chance encounter on the beach with a beautiful blonde psychic and friend of the dead pilot, changes his life forever.

The blonde, named Marie-Celeste, introduces him to four fascinating tycoons, rich beyond belief, all cardinal signs, who live in elegance and style. Unbeknownst to Castle, they are all criminals. In a fabulous James Bond-like adventure, Castle pits himself against these astrology-driven, clever killers, who want to take over the government of the Caribbean island of El Parador. Castle has only one advantage--his sign--that makes the criminals trust him.

The book is hard to put down as it moves from one disaster to another. For example in a scene between the criminal's yacht, the Zodiac, and the warship of the president of El Parador things begin to heat up: "Activity on the yacht had centered on the Cigarette, long, sleek, equipped with two powerful twin-screw engines, capable of sixty knots or better, somebody said. The Zodiac, meantime,was headed in a wide notherly arc that carried her toward the warship's starboard beam, maintaining the same distance. Again the three-inch cannon fired; this time spray reached the ship. The great white yacht began to zigzag across the sea. What must the skipper think when he saw that the yacht refused to run?"

The excitement is parlayed by Herzog's intimate knowledge of the Caribbean--its food, culture, and way of life. Why hasn't this book been made into a movie?