Customer Reviews

The Immortal

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This has always been a personal favorite of mine when I look at Christopher Pikes work. Maybe it's the setting, Greece (awesome place, I stayed on one of the islands near Mykonos) or maybe it is how clearly and conchisely the story is told before it reaches it's conclusion. It all ties together at the end.
The story is told from the point of view of Josie "Goodwin" (does that tip you off that she's the heroine?), a blond babe from LA with an attitude and a knack for helping her dad with his stories. (Her dad is a screenwriter). She is on a trip to Greece with her father, her friend Helen Demeter, and her dad's much younger girlfriend from Beverly Hills named "Silk". Josie hates her.
The basic tone of this book is fun, although it does get serious later on. There is nothing in it that made me cringe and have nightmares when I read it at age 12, a long time ago. It's a pretty sweet story, and it portrays a thought provoking,modern Olympus. I used to love to read Greek mythology and he does a wonderful job capturing the flavor and folklore of the stories.
It feels like something that he put a lot of thought into, and being a good storyteller, he really shines in this story. I think he must have gone to Greece and liked it. You and me both, Mr. Pike.

Josie woke up on the plane the same way one wakes up when they pull into their driveway; the feeling that you're home. Only she was on a plane to Greece, a place she had never been to before. Along with her father, his girlfriend, and her best friend Helen, Josie discovers a whole new world. But upon the tiny island of Delos, Apollo's birthplace, is where the fun starts. Dreams of two goddesses who were best friends forever, until love tore them apart, then murder and revenge, a trial . . . Soon, the shattering truth comes to Josie, but is it too late? Can Josie really confront the evil waiting for her?

Christopher Pike really created a masterpiece with this one. I am always willing to read anything about Ancient Greece and mythology, and this is just sooo good. A definite must read for Pike fans

I have to admit at first I didn't think it was going to be that good but I trust Pike with his writing since I have read quite a few of his books. So when I piked up the immortal it looked kind of strange but turned out to be great! It was a story around the greek gods mostly and you have to read it for yourself

I read this book years ago and it left an impression, so much so I remember it almost 10 years later. It was the first book I ever read by Christopher Pike and he became my favorite author at that time! I would recommend "The Immortal" to any young person who likes mythology (especially Greek). If you really like Christopher Pike books, I would recommend Anne Rice when you get older.

This was a very good book! Christopher Pike does an excellent job of writing horror stories. Although the story is definetly fictional, it was also very well written. I won't tell you exactly what its about because i don't want to ruin the ending, but basically its about two teenage girls visiting Delos, Greece who discover something about Delos neither of them knew. The first time i read it, it really freaked me out, like all of Christopher Pikes books do, but i am curently reading it for the second time, and enjoying it immensly. I also highly reccomend Witch, also by Christopher. Its about a young witch who sees the future on accident, and tries to change what she sees. They are both very good books, and an excellent choice if you enjoy horrotr stories.I wouldn't reccomend either books though for children under 13 (i'm older, because Immortal has alot of language, and parts of Witch are definetly very gory and somewhat disturbing. But for you horror story lovers who can read gory, scary stories before bed without nightmares, these are definetly good books for you!

I read this book years ago, and I still remember it. I just got my own copy, and glad i did!. It is a great page turner, you won't be able to put it down! Pike is always famous for making his characters do the unexpected..you never who the real culprits are, so to speak. I also liked the greek mythology tie in, it was really creative. I always like how Pike's endings are written, but this book is one of the ones that really take the cake.

First, the chronology of that blurb is off. Josie stumbles upon the statue after a few of those events already occur and she starts dreaming about the goddess. Second, personally, I think that blurb is a little misleading but once you start reading the story, it makes more sense in context. But from just reading the blurb, the story's not exactly how it sounds.

My biggest (and pretty much only) issue with this book was the voice. It makes me wonder about the difference in perception of the YA voice from 20 years ago against what it is now. There were just some parts that I felt were so contrived I couldn't help but laugh. Like when Josie was snorkeling and she saw some fish. She then thought to herself that they made her horny. I was so jarred by that I actually laughed out loud. Aside from the complete blindside of that statement, am I missing something? Are swimming fish supposed to be an aphrodisiac? Not to mention Josie isn't a very likeable character. Not that I wanted to stop reading about her, but her actions were on this side of bitchy and uncaring. She's a very self-centered chick but it all works itself out. There's a redemption of sorts to her actions.

While I feel the plot meandered a little too long at the beginning, fleshing out Josie's life up until things start happening, I felt like I was propelled through the story. I felt a little like I was on sea legs reading it. Things were a little choppy, a little discombobulated and some of them didn't make a lot of sense, but once things started to round themselves out, all the little seemingly uneven nuances pulled themselves together in a nice straight path.

I'm amazed by the ending. Pike has this uncanny ability to weave all of these little bits and bobs together to create a climax that'll blow you away. I'm so glad I picked up The Immortal first. It has a great balance of history and present, not eye-rollingly blended at all but convincing enough that maybe, just maybe, if you went to Delos, it might just happen to you. It weaves two seemingly unrelated plotlines together excellently, only coming together completely within the last few pages, leaving you salivating for more because while it ends nice and completely, it doesn't really end. Catch my drift?

The best part? Pike isn't afraid to royally screw with his characters. They will be put from one end of the ringer to the other and back again before the book is over and you will love every second of it. He's fearless and it makes the story all the better. If you have to start somewhere with Pike's work, make it The Immortal. You won't be disappointed. While it's not crazy spooky ooky horror, it's got a creep factor to it that may just leave you questioning your friends.

This has always been a favorite Pike book of mine. Using his familiar writing style of two seperate yet parallel narratives (one being of Josie on vacation, the other of a muse in ancient Greece) which converge at the end, I actually enjoy this book more with age. Especially the characterization of Josie. It's rare when you can read a novel where the main protagonist is...well, lets face it, kind of a b****. But you still root for her in the end. A deceptively clever take on a classic morality fable.

this story starts off normal with a teenage girl on a vacation to Greece. She has what seems to her like an hallucination, and the story unfolds. At first it seems to be just one story, but it's actually two stories in one, closely connected with one another and giving a surprising and fresh take on mythology.

This is one of my favorite books by this author - he wrote some really good books, and this is definitely one of them.

Every so often I come back to this book and reread it. Each time enjoying the story line and plot twists. This book inspired me to read at a young age, and I have read just about all of Pikes books!