Customer Reviews

The Reincarnationist

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Every once in a while a good audio book provides me with the motivation I need to spur on my daily cardio exercise. When I saw M. J. Rose's "The Reincarnationist" available as a download for my iPod, the type of story (thriller), its theme (reincarnation) and its overall length seemed to fit the bill.

I wasn't disappointed--not really although the reader's usage of the same Italian accent for both male and female players did grate on my nerves somewhat. Ms Rose tries extremely hard to provide her reader (in this case, listener) with a plotline filled with the inevitable twists and turns necessary to categorize "The Reincarnationist" as a tale of suspense. As I am not aware if Rose herself has a belief in the complicated and controversial topic of reincarnation, I trust she has a healthy interest in it as she explores it in a meandering questing manner through the burgeoning enlightenment of her main character, photographer Josh Ryder that suggests like most of us she has more questions than answers.

Josh seems to be a believer, or is he? After a near collision with death during the detonation of a terrorist bomb, Josh is endowed with the ability to see auras over the heads of certain subjects as he views them through his camera lens. Although he cannot capture this nimbus effect on film, he does sense that it is indicative of a vital mystery of which he specifically needs understanding. In the same sense, sadly, Rose does not imbue Josh with any great insight regarding the hows and whys of reincarnation. He muddles along attempting to understand what is happening to him, but like Rose or anyone else, never quite puts it all together.

To move the story along, Rose increases the frequency of his fugue states--blackouts of a sort where he actually finds himself reliving an event in a different time from the vantage point of another body. When he isn't in the modern day, Josh inhabits the body of the pagan priest Julius, who in 391 AD is compelled by the mandate of the Emperor Theodosius the Great to cease and desist from practicing his religion and embrace only Christianity. Julius, bound in a passionately intense relationship with Sabina, a vestal virgin, knows all too well that the discovery of their forbidden affair means that his lover could be buried alive. Driven by a disastrous spiraling of events that puts everything he holds dear in jeopardy, Julius must concoct a plan of great connivance to save Sabina, himself, and the supernatural treasure trove the vestals have been guarding since their inception. Rose does a magnificent job of recreating this time period; her descriptions of temples, the life of the vestals, their terror with regard to the encroaching threat of Christianity makes for a thoroughly believable reenactment.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for the present day story that contains so many extra characters whose tales are told from a bewildering third person perspective, that the reader (listener) wonders just what purpose they serve in the overall scheme of things. Encumber this with a murder, a theft and a kidnapping that diverts the audience from the main theme of reincarnation to pursue a rather mundane mystery of which the perpetrator is known pretty much from the start of the novel. Multiply the complexity of all this with characters that also have past lives and we encounter a veritable labyrinth of intrigue that perpetuates to the nth power. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but believe me, many of the author's seemingly helpful additions merely lead to a bird's nest of confusion rather than yielding any epiphanies regarding reincarnation.

The main thrust remains the increasingly recurring and more detailed memories of the priest Julius which Josh analyzes with the help of the Phoenix Foundation, an organization headed by the intriguing Malachai Samuels, a man desperate to experience the flashbacks of remembrance first hand. Dispatching Josh to sniff out information regarding the legendary Memory Stones of ancient Egyptian origin found at the site of a dig on the outskirts of Rome, he craves to at least see the artifacts so that he can not only careen backwards with his soul in time but, become the master controller of the power that the stones contain.

During his Roman holiday, Josh concludes that he is searching for the lost Sabina, reincarnated now in the present day. Perhaps he can fulfill his karmic duty, shrug aside the failures of the past and save her, the stones and recapture his own sanity. As he races from Rome to New York, thwarting the Italian police, amazingly wealthy men who make it their business to acquire artifacts legitimately or not and flustered souls reborn from the past hell-bent on accomplishing what they did not succeed lifetimes ago, he eventually reaches a too-fast climatic cliffhanger of an ending that makes sense, but ultimately seems a fast and easy conclusion that does not provide the insight that this reader desired.

Bottom line? M.J. Rose's "The Reincarnationist" is an ambitious novel that keeps the pages turning, but in the long run fails to deliver a complete and satisfying story. Much of the prose seems over done, as is the inclusion of so many miscellaneous characters whose motives are never quite explained from a virtual timeline perspective. The main player remains mystified to the very end, and even then his moment of revelation seems underdeveloped and he, not accepting of his fate. Recommended to any who want a fast-paced read and do not mind trite phrasing and too many comments regarding Italian accents. Overall a pleasant audio experience.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

I wanted very much to enjoy THE REINCARNATIONIST, but I had some serious problems with it.

While some reviewers have openly compared this novel to THE DA VINCI CODE, I felt that THE REINCARNATIONIST was not nearly as well plotted. For the most part, this novel lacks a real sense of narrative drive. Whatever you think of Dan Brown's writing skills, he knows how to produce a novel with a tight plot and a lightning fast pace. THE REINCARNATIONIST's pace is largely placid, with a multitude of flashbacks that slow the action down even further.

An even more serious problem with THE REINCARNATIONIST is the characterization, which lacks depth. Throughout this novel, Rose repeatedly jumps from character to character, and from time period to time period, and I couldn't care less about any of the major players in the story. Josh Ryder, the main character in this book, is something of a cypher. He has very little personality outside of his reincarnation memories, and I didn't find him even remotely interesting as a person.

Lastly, this book teaches nothing new about the concept of reincarnation. The whole novel's plot revolves around a set of "Memory Stones" that may allow the holder to reach back to their past lives. But as Rose admits in her afterword, these stones are a complete fiction and have no historical basis in fact. So if you're expecting to learn something new and profound about reincarnation, lower your expectations.

Rose does do a good job, however, of painting a picture of Ancient Rome and how the pagan religions operated during that time. I thought the flashback scenes in 391 AD were the best and most interesting part of the novel. I wish she had spent more time on this aspect of the plot, as opposed to the less interesting modern-day story.

In short, THE REINCARNATIONIST has some interesting and clever moments, but I just didn't find it particularly suspenseful or compelling. I would recommend this novel only to people with a strong pre-existing interest in the subject matter it explores.

After photojournalist Josh Ryder nearly loses his life in a Rome terrorist bombing, Josh finds himself plagued by flashback-like hallucinations. When the episodic flashbacks can't be medically or emotionally explained, Josh looks into a metaphysical cause. Allied with the Phoenix Foundation in New York, an organization dedicated to the study of past-life regressions in children, Josh concludes that the perplexing images are actual scenes from the past lives of Julius, a pagan priest in 391 A.D. Rome, and Percy Talmage, a 19th century New York City tormented patrician. Piecing together the message behind each vision, along with their connection, however, is going to be infinitely more difficult.

Following an eerie return to Rome, Josh is swiftly thrust into a world of murder, mystery and mayhem. What was supposed to be a foundation-funded visit to an archaeological site searching for mythical memory stones rumored to invoke past-life regressions, ends up being the catalyst to unraveling Josh's hallucinations. And it all begins with a vision romantically linking Julius with the archaic remains of a Vestal Virgin.

With each new flashback coming to virtual life for Josh, comes a new revelation related to present day events. And with each revelation, a new threat to Josh, the foundation, and those involved with the dig is revealed. Enemies abound with the Roman Catholic Church stopping at nothing to prevent evidence of reincarnation coming to light and mysterious "other" players striving to achieve their own end, all forming an intricate web of intrigue with Josh at the epicenter of the turmoil. It's only a matter of time before all the players reveal themselves and their true motives. Can Josh uncover the truth behind his visions before someone else is murdered... namely him?

M. J. Rose cleverly intertwines historical fact and dramatic fiction into what can only be described as a "novellic movie." With the action playing out with such sobering reality, every scene described with intimate precision, and each character's emotions personified with such unfettered intensity, the reader will undoubtedly walk away from THE REINCARNATIONIST feeling the events portrayed are credible pieces of history.

The romantic relationship between Julius and the Vestal head priestess, a liaison punishable by death, acts as a crux for the novel's main storyline. The foundation of bitter poignancy and longing, with barely any hope for a happy ending, breeds the perfect combination of suspense, shock, and hope. Riding the waves of emotion evoked by THE REINCARNATIONIST, the reader can't help but sympathize with Josh's incessant commitment to scientifically verify the whys behind his past-life images. But there comes a point in the novel when the reader not only accepts all of the transcendental coincidences inherent with the basic tenets of reincarnation, but faithfully follows the intrinsic flow of each revealed clue, resulting in the reader ultimately searching for the same truth Josh seeks.

Two-parts History, two-parts Fiction, ten-parts Suspense, M. J. Rose's THE REINCARNATIONIST has all the trappings of the next craze. This is a must read.

Chris (Courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Josh Ryder has a knack for showing up in strange places, accompanied by a feeling of deja vu and impending danger. Therapists tried to convince him it was the aftermath of a near-fatal accident, but he's starting to believe otherwise. Now he just needs to prove it.

Drawn by forces he barely comprehends, Josh finds himself at an archaeological dig outside of Rome, Italy . . . a place he shouldn't have been able to find unless he'd been there before. Professors Chase and Rudolpho have uncovered what they believe is the find of the century. While the "Memory Stones" have value as the massive gemstones they are, their true worth is only legend. But, if true, they could change the face of organized religion and humanity as we know them today.

As Josh and Gabriella Chase, along with Josh's mentor, Malachai Samuels, begin the task of tracking down the stolen Memory Stones, Josh's visions seem to be sucking him inside more often---as though a former self is trying desperately to send a message from the past to save the future.

M.J. Rose's latest novel, The Reincarnationist, is easily the most complicated book I've read in years. Yet, Rose seamlessly blends three separate stories from across the centuries, including a host of characters, into an entrancing tale of love, deceit and hope for the future. Whether as Josh Ryder in the twenty-first century, Julius of Rome in 391 A.D., or Percy Talmage of New York City in 1884, the hero is independent, smart and willing to sacrifice to protect those he loves.

I can't say enough good things about this book for someone who's looking for a challenging, thoughtful read that will leave you breathless at the surprise ending

I can't say a single negative thing about this book up until the last 2 pages-- it was engaging, intriguing, well-paced and compelling to see how all the subplots intertwined into the main plot.

So having the author wrap everything up in a single half-page, with a miserly amount of exposition, was an enormous disappointment. I'd go so far as to call it blue-balling, as the enjoyable and good-quality writing up to that point gave no indication that we were in for such a shoddy and lazily slapped-together climax.

Yes, climax, because there's no denouement after this scene, no reaction to what they learn or how they're going to cope with everything that's occurred. There's nothing at all-- for those few paragraphs when this happens, we're hovering, quivering even, at the brink of discovery and resolution, and we finally get two paragraphs explaining it all, and then--

and then--

the book is over.

And then I threw the book across the room, returned it to the library, and was damned happy I hadn't wasted a pile of cash on buying it.

Ugh.

The red binder made this book stand out among the new releases at the library and what clinched the decision was the recommendation by Douglas Preston, who's books I thoroughly enjoyed.

However, I'm thoroughly disappointed by the lack of imagination by the author. Most of you would chuckle at that statement, 'lack of imagination' about reincarnation, but it's true, it took me forever to read this book, because I couldn't read more than a chapter at a time because it was so darn repetitive. 'Josh' lacks depth, he's a lackluster protagonist plagued constantly by his past that is waaaaaay more interesting than the main story which seems to be just an annoying interlude between flashbacks. (sorry for being so general about the story, but I won't give anything away.) I'm not one to criticize an author so badly, not being one myself, but this was an especially disappointing read. Characters-flat, flashbacks-very good-, present-annoying, = bumpy, tiresome story.

However, do read this book for the one or two really good parts that it has if you don't have to spend money to read it.

Gurus who study reincarnation claim that those around us in this life life were around us in previous lives. Rose uses this premise to her advantage as she weaves an interesting mystery with a cast of characters who've dealt with each other before.

The main character, who--after a near-death experience in the opening pages--begins experiencing "lurches" into a lifetime connected to a present-day archeological dig wants to learn more about his uncontrollable journeys into the past. Suddenly, he finds himself involved in a present day whodunnit.

Rose has concocted a compelling story, but she tells it in choppy and unclear prose and then suddenly ends the book in the middle of the climax. I was convinced my copy had been damaged in printing and was missing the last chapter of the book. She needs a denouement to show how all of the characters get out of the mess they're involved in on the last page she bothered to write.

The publisher has played a cheap trick with the book in adding more than the standard amount of space between the lines of body text making the book fatter and more costly than it would otherwise be.

A promising premise, and it kept the pages turning. But in the long run the book failed to satisfy. The characters were less than enthralling in the end, no wrongs really righted, no thumping-good-read. A little too much complication. Josh remains mystified to the end, and the quick wrap-up was a let-down.

While I thought that Rose did a fairly good job of grabbing your attention initially, about two thirds of the way through, I had the fleeting thought that the book should end, now.

Her characters were two dimensional, as a result, I really didn't care about any of them that much, except for Sabina. I wanted to see what would happen when Josh found her in the present. I wanted to know who she was going to be. What an irony that the only intriguing character was the one that Rose did not bring into the present. She just teases us with the main character's obsession with Sabina, constantly reminding us of her every time Josh experiences a "lurch". But, Rose committed the greatest betrayal any author can. She leaves us hanging. She leaves loose ending dangling all over the place. Frankly, the whole book crashed and burned in the last pages.

It was painfully obvious who the "villian" was going to be. It was also just as obvious, without revealing too much to those who might not have read the book yet, who the child was going to be. What about Sabina? What about the stones, how do they work? Rose just gives us some symbols and a vague mantra...so what. What about all the side characters, or should I call them token characters, cheap decoys, since they just disappear.

I also have to say that Rose fell flat on her concept of Karma! The child did not die in the past, so why the author thought that saving the child should wind up the karmic center, I have no idea. It should have been Sabina. It was Sabina and her fate and present identity that tortured the main character, not some shadow child!

I was so irritated when I finished the book. I felt cheated. I would not recommend this book.

But not great either. This novel is good enough to entertain during a long plane trip or one's daily commute and it does have its page-turning moments. On the other hand, the plot is predictable and the characters pedestrian. Short story -- If you need something to reduce boredom while you travel or wait in some doctor's office, this novel will do the trick, but it will probably not end up on anyone's "best of" list.

Among its good points are that the historical details are interesting and, as far as I can tell, accurate. The author also does a good job of describing the time and place of events, and in this regard her scope is impressive. She appears to capture the feeling of Central Park and other NYC landmarks quite well and also creates a convincing portrait of Rome and environs, both in ancient times and today.

On the not-so-great side, the plot structure is familiar and offers few surprises. The idea of one's past life "bleeding" through to the current life has been done repeatedly, and often more deftly. (Anya Seton's Green Darkness for instance.) And authors such as Diana Galbadon have set a very high bar for the "time traveling lovers" device. Also, the characters are not particularly well drawn and I found their struggles less than compelling.

If, however, you haven't read many novels about reincarnation and/or "romance through the ages" then The Reincarnationist may be of greater interest to you.