The Scorpion Child [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sequel to previously published novel, The Horseman (Hollis Books, VA, 1999), and part of the Lands of the Morning Series, The Scorpion Child is independently plotted and it's a gritty, exciting, controversial novel or reincarnation. Enter Ariadne's dangerous, exotic world, if you dare, for The Scorpion Child might make you a believer! American stage and screen star Daniel Saxon, Ariadne (an American expatriate novelist married to a Turk) and Burhan Kayhanolu (he is an Advisor to the Turkish Military Junta ) are the protagonists, which is a fast-paced, colorful and controversial political thriller. The plot flows between New York, California and Istanbul, on a cinemascopic reel of romance, high-stakes terrorism, sex, intrigue, and subtle undercurrents of mysticism as well as reincarnation, the idea of the latter presented in a no-nonsense, thought-provoking manner.

From the Publisher

Although part of Lands of the Morning Quintet series, The Scorpion Child is independently plotted, and is the sequel to the critically acclaimed novel, The Horseman.

Lands of the Morning Quintet - A sweeping, tri-continental series of related, yet independently plotted epic novels (each story stands on its own).

From Keltia to Anatolia ... From the Lady of the Unicorn, to Mevlana... a unique blend of cultures, legends and history, both ancient and contemporary ... an offering to bridge the gaps Mankind is wont to create....

The fruit of a lifetime of research and writing, this series is fiction based upon authentic, contemporary as well as historical backgrounds and events. Character Profiles for The Scorpion Child: Daniel Saxon - the handsome American star of TV, stage and screen, is a spirited man and an accomplished Shakespearean actor. Newly divorced from his wife of twenty five years, he is fighting to overcome alcoholism and a midlife crisis. Daniel has two children, Katrina, ambitious and assertive,clawing her way up as a television producer, and Matthew, introspective and rebellious. During the course of the novel, Matthew will be assassinated by a terrorist as a revenge for Daniel’s friendship with Ariadne.

Ariadne - only a few people know that her marriage to Burhan, an amalgam of passion, turbulence and disenchantment, is strained to the breaking point, marked by the tragic murder of their son by terrorists. She has come to New York to promote her novel based on Chatalhoyuk, an eight-thousand year old neolithic town in Konya, Turkey. As she is trying to sort out her life, she is also writing a controversial book about the Turkish-Armenian conflict, which brands her as an enemy of the Armenian people, and makes her the target of protest and abuse.

Burhan - destiny has extracted from him a terrible personal price for his meteoric ascendancy in politics. Be that as it may, ever the undaunted idealist, he is fighting for the betterment of his people at all cost. Presently, he is an Advisor to the Turkish Military Junta as they prepare to re-launch democracy. Also, however, he is leading a dragnet against international terrorism sponsored by Anika Alkibiades’ dictatorial faction, which is still operating (and succeeding) by employing different special interest groups, from Militant Islam to Armenian and Kurdish, terrorists. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Rose International Publishing House; illustrated edition edition (November 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930574010
• ISBN-13: 978-1930574014
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,772,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars passion, passion and more passion, November 7, 2002

By	P. Blue "bbblue" (LAS CRUCES, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Passion, passion and more passion, but what else are you to expect from a Scorpio?!....its sting is nearly fatal! "The Scorpion Child" will make you wish to run away to exoticism, Constantinople and romance. This Scorpio heroine keeps her head cool among a maze of love, political and kharma intrigues, while everybody else is thrown into turmoil under her intense gaze and velvety touch. Like a real Scorpio, "The Scorpion Child" is fascinated by life and death issues, spirituality and passionately interested in sex, it has always an hypnotic appeal on Scorpio!....(be sure you have your sweetheart at hand while reading!).
One more time Kristina O'Donnelly masters the plot and romance while bringing us some invaluable insights, in this case about the Armenian-Turkish conflict. "The Scorpion Child" will give you an inlook at what a terrorist mind can be made of as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have I lived before? The Scorpion Child makes me wonder!, March 8, 2001

By	"adrian747" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Have I lived before? Orient-Express type books makes me wonder I am a 35 year old artist and multi-media web designer from New York, and do not have much time to keep up with the latest releases. However, friend who has read this novel's prequel, The Horseman, which also deals with reincarnation and is quite exotic, praised it, and I got curious and ordered it from the publishing house. Well, this is a suspense-thriller with unusual and exotic backdrops. Sexy and fast moving, never boring,from New York to Istanbul,politics, high-stakes terrorism,a sympathetic and courageous heroine, and yes, reincarnation is in the core. As I read the novel in between breaks from my heavy work load, I felt like I had a window seat on the Orient Express and pondered the question: is it the soul that reincarnates, or the genes? Even though I finished reading this novel, I still wonder...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A love triangle in the midst of unrest and terrorism--strong stuff, July 2, 2006

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Civil unrest continues in Turkey despite military rule. Burham Bey survived the attempts of Anika Alkibiades to recreate the Byzantine Empire, but the plots she set in motion continue and Turkey is torn by terrorists from the right, left, and Armenian separatists. Meanwhile, Burhan's estranged wife, Ariadne is back in New York after deserting Burhan due to a long-past affair and the son that resulted from that affair (as well as her reaction to the death of her own son, killed by terrorists).

Ariadne, now a successful author, meets and falls for a handsome American actor who is fighting his own battles against alcoholism and a problem staying faithful to any one woman. Ariadne's most recent book is a novel about past-lives and although David is a skeptic, he begins to receive hints that he and Ariadne once shared a sort of relationship in an earlier life--a relationship in which he was a priest/confessor.

Although she swears she has left Burhan forever, Ariadne remains drawn to him and is torn between the two men she loves. But in the larger context of Turkey's problems, the love triangle is doomed to explode. When their daughter, Leyla, vanishes into the international terrorist movement and a terrorist tracks Ariadne down to New York and attacks her in her apartment, Ariadne flees to Turkey and to Burhan. But the results of her affair with David remain, even as Ariadne and Burhan attempt to restore their damaged relationship.

Author Kristina O'Donnelly delivers a compelling story of personal growth and suffering. The story of DEFY ETERNITY: THE SCORPION CHILD is even more topical in the post-9/11 world than when O'Donnelly wrote it, and her message of the world being one people is certainly welcome.

Some readers (including me) may be troubled by O'Donnelly's arguments that Armenian Genocide of World War I was exagerated. Arguments about the actual events during this tragedy do not, however, detract from O'Donnelly's message that terrorist tactics are ultimately destructive of civilization.

DEFY ETERNITY: THE SCORPION CHILD is an emotionally moving story as the major characters of O'Donnelly's LANDS OF THE MORNING series age and suffer the consequences of their mistakes--and even of their victories. Readers who started with THE HORSEMAN and CLARION OF MIDNIGHT will definitely want to add this one to their to-be-read list. Although each book in the series stands alone, I found that DEFY ETERNITY: THE SCORPION CHILD in particular benefited from having read the earlier novels.

If you enjoy a novel with complex characters, plenty of action, and a strong thematic position, DEFY ETERNITY: THE SCORPION CHILD and, indeed, the entire LANDS OF THE MORNING series will be a welcome treat.