Customer Reviews

Night of Broken Souls

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of course not -- Rabbi Klingerman is just a fictional character, right?

Well, yes and no.

True, his appearance and personality are not a bit like me -- I'm a small-boned, fastidious person who *never* goes around spontaneously hugging people! So in that sense, the overweight, bombastic, rumpled Rabbi Klingerman in the novel is definitely *not* me!

On the other hand, I *am* the famous rabbi who has written two non-fiction books about cases of reincarnation from the Holocaust period (Beyond the Ashes: Cases of Reincarnation from the Holocaust and From Ashes to Healing: Mystical Encounters With the Holocaust -- and I am the only such rabbi on earth, as far as I know. So there is at least a superficial resemblance. Plus, he lives in a small town north of Milwaukee, and I live in a small town north of Minneapolis...

So, naturally, I was more than curious to see how Thomas Monteleone would handle a novel inspired, at least in part, by my own reincarnation work.

In terms of plot, suspense, and surprising twists, I found NIGHT OF BROKEN SOULS to be a very good read. Even though I am more familiar with the topic than the average reader might be, there were still enough surprises to keep me on the edge of my seat. The plots and sub-plots were exciting, and the nightmares, flashbacks, and past-life regressions seemed authentic, too. And the ending was absolutely superb!

Unfortunately, this excellence of story line was marred by the fact that the author did not do his homework concerning details about orthodox Jews and Judaism in general. There were a number of glaring bloopers that I found most annoying, including the fact that Purim is *not* a harvest festival, and an orthodox rabbi would never be DOWN ON HIS KNEES while praying -- because Jews do not kneel!

It was also disappointing that we never seem to get beyond Rabbi Klingerman's sloppy physical appearance to know him as more than a "fat Jew" who has "a good heart" but is not taken very seriously by the rest of the characters in the book. My impression was that the author felt he needed the rabbi character for the plot, but simply did not know much about orthodox Jews as real people. So he used a sort of "Tevye" template which resulted in a buffoon. Imitation may be the greatest form of flattery, but in this case, I found myself a bit insulted by this shallow sterotyped character.

Monteleone also seemed to confuse Orthodox Jews with the Amish, making several puzzling references to women dressed in "subdued colors" and neigborhood shops with "old time handcrafts" that were not authentic at all. In the real world, Orthodox Jewish women wear bright colors and fine jewelery, and their husbands are more likely to sell electronics than do hand carpentry.

But perhaps the most serious blooper is where the author has his Jewish psychopath-in-the-making describe how he had hunted and tortured wild animals, then brought home the kills -- including rabbits and wolves -- to a rabbi's house for dinner, for which the rabbi was supposedly VERY GRATEFUL! Apparently Mr. Monteleone is unaware that religious Jews do not hunt, nor would they eat these species of animals, because they are not kosher -- making this a totally absurd scene. Any Jewish student who brought his rabbi dead wild animals would be seen as a grievous sinner, if not a total pervert.

So, in the end, I would give this book five stars for a good plot, but only two stars for Jewish authenticity -- which averages out to about three stars. Read it as a chilling horror tale, but please remember: I am *not* Rabbi Klingerman!

Night of Broken Souls is a technical but turgid spy thriller featuring reincarnated Holocaust victims vs a reincarnated Nazi, culminating in a hail of bullets and paranormal activity, that leaves one asking the question: Just what has this guy got against Rabbi Gershom?

He obviously (to anyone who is familiar with Rabbi Gershom's work) lampooned him by depicting him as a pastiche of stereotypes derived from anti-semitic jokes and Mel Brooks characters, but then, to add further insult, he made him sweaty...The injury was making him a widower. That was just plain mean.

Stating that the characters thought he had a good heart in spite of his sweaty, unkempt stereotype persona was just not enough sugar-coating to conceal the poison inside. Why?

One thing I wonder about: this book was published in 1997 not 1957, yet the author uses the word "Negro" (he even capitalizes it) to refer to black people. There's just something not quite right about that.

I would have rated this book higher, as I found the premise fascinating and I do enjoy a good spy thriller, but for this cruel and unnecessary parody of someone deserving of respect. It is a well-crafted and well-told tale, in general. Once it gets rolling, there is a lot of clandestine CIA/FBI/etc., activity and action for fans of that genre, with an X-Files flavor. There is a restrained love story, but this book is more for the guys-no steamy sex scenes, but there are helicopters and stuff blows up.

Bottom line:
#1 If books involving reincarnated Nazis, the CIA and FBI, supernatural battles, with plenty of shooting, fire and explosions, as well as an interoffice romance and a sweaty Jewish sterotype for comic relief, you'll probably find this a good read.
#2 If you are familiar with Rabbi Gershom and his work, reading this book is likely raise your blood pressure.

Night of Broken Souls

The book Night of Broken Souls by Thomas Monteleone is exciting and action-packed. This thrilling novel is about the psychiatrist, Michael Keating. A new patient comes bursting into Michael's office about to kill herself because of horrible nightmares she had been having of being a Jewish girl in a consentration camp during the Holocaust. While doing research on his patient he stumbles onto a horrifying phenomenon, people worldwide have been vivid nightmares and blackouts relating back to the Holocaust. Michael realizes that these victims are the reincarnated souls of innocent Holocaust victims. Later Keating discovers that along with the victims, Der Klein Engel, the man destine to murder these victims may has been reincarnated also. Michael and a few select colleagues must stop Der Klein Engle, or "the Little Angel" before the Holocaust happens all over again.
Any one who likes a little action in their life would love this book. I personally enjoyed this novel despite the slightly vulgar language and distasteful sexual content. I would rate this to be a nine on a scale from one to ten. For those who thrive on details and knowledge this book has very detailed scenes of the horrors of the Holocaust. For those thrill seekers out there, there is enough action to full fill anyone's thrive.

I grabbed this book off the shelf after reading The Resurrectionist (so-so) because I was in the mood for a quick, mindless read. The premise was interesting (past lives and souls reborn), but the characters came and went with little thought to plot. It is as if Mr. Monteleone asked all of his friends to come up with horror stories from WWII regarding Jews and included them. Now, of course, if all of these "good" people (read: innocent) who died in the Holocaust were reborn, it only makes sense that the evils ones would be as well. Oooohhh! Spooky!

It is never quite explained if part of the reborn soul is carried over life to life (an opera singer becomes a concert violinist becomes a pop star, etc). None of the "reborn" characters have any of their former life's qualities...so why should we be concerned about Hitler/Mengele/Der Klein Engel? So only the "bad" souls take the evil with them?

Also, I have to agree with the Rabbi's review below (excellent, by the way...please read it). There were quite a few "Jewish" anomalies...Mr. Monteleone's research must have focused on the Holocaust, not the Jewish faith (and culture - to some) in general. And I found his portrayal of the Rabbinical expert as stereotypical (and bordering on offensive), as we all know that Rabbis are either cold and distant (and tall and thin) or fat and jolly...a Jewish Santa Claus!

The romance between the male psychiatrist and his secretary (please) felt false and included only for some legitimate sex (too keep bored readers interested?). The female psychiatrist was cardboard as well.

The ending, which I won't describe, was full of (for me, at least) much eye rolling and "you MUST be kidding"'s. Very warm and fuzzy, with a requiset creepy epilogue.

In general, this book is not THAT bad if you don't read too much into it. Nice for a plane or long road trip. Not for those who want factual information.

Slightly worse than average...

In 1999 New York, a half-crazed young woman barges into the office of psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Keating. The distraught patient threatens to commit suicide unless Michael can help her with her recurring Holocaust nightmares. Stunned that the woman is too young to have those types of memories from an event over a half a century ago, Michael begins to research the problem. ......Michael's investigation shocks him even further when he realizes that his client's nightmares are being shared by numerous people around the globe, several who have died. He soon determines that the notorious Der Klein Engel (The Little Angel) has either returned from the dead or is being copied in order to complete his personal "final solution". Michael, an FBI agent, an old Rabbi, and the apparent reincarnation of Jewish holocaust victims team up in a monumental battle between good and evil, in which the bad side has a head start. .......NIGHT OF THE BROKEN SOULS is a strange but interesting horror novel that recreates in the last decade of the twentieth century and the horrors performed by the Nazis during the middle decade. The tale is ultra frightening (especially when the story line looks back into the forties) as it builds to an exciting, but expected ending. The support cast and the villain are all top rate, though Michael fails to generate any empathy. Thomas Monteleone demonstrates with this book why he has previously won the Bram Stoker award. ......Harriet Klausner

NIGHT OF BROKEN SOULS was suggested to me by author Michael Laimo, and I'm glad I bought a copy. Monteleone's characters are so real you'll feel you know each one, which is a big accomplishment here considering there's several of them, not to mention one that pops up toward the end of the story! NOBS is a scary, smart, and impossible to put down read. A genuine gem that should be on every horror fans' shelf.

I picked this up hoping it would be a chilling but illuminating exploration of the Holocaust Reincarnation Phenomenon. It is not for me to say whether or not the experiences of people who believe in this are real but I do know that this author just has not done his homework on the Jewish Holocaust experience in my opinion. This book cried out that it was written by a non-Jew, which is not to say that a Gentile couldn't write well about this subject, just that this one didn't write well on the subject. I was further dismayed by the obvious resemblence of the Fictional Rabbi to the one Rabbi who in real life has spoken out about this issue. For some further and much more literate comments on that, please read his statements below. In conclusion, I feel you would do better to seek out non-fiction works on this subject until such time as a more skilled writer takes up the subject.

This book is tight and fast. It's exciting to me, in its historical look at Nazis and the Holocaust, while spinning a parallel story of reincarnation. I recently met Mr. Monteleone in person while we both signed our books for readers at Greetings and Readings in Maryland. His instant friendship and warmth is in such sharp contrast with his tense, often scary stories. I know it takes a complex soul to craft a complex tale, yet he surprised me with his simplicity of heart, his giving ways. So many novels are lost in this age of fast sales, of revolving door marketing where a book is only in stores for a short period. I recommend going back in time, in reading the older works of writers you love. See how they evolve, building one tale upon the last. That is what I am finding when I read and re-read Tom Monteleone. This guy has the goods and I recommend him!!