The one good thing about being sick is that, as long as you’re not delirious with pain or fever, the forced inactivity gives you plenty of time to catch up on your reading. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks as waves of flu, bronchitis, and various nasty bugs pass over and through my helpless little body. But I’m not asking for your sympathy (encouraging notes are always welcome).
The one good thing about being sick is that, as long as you’re not delirious with pain or fever, the forced inactivity gives you plenty of time to catch up on your reading. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks as waves of flu, bronchitis, and various nasty bugs pass over and through my helpless little body. But I’m not asking for your sympathy (encouraging notes are always welcome).I was very pleasantly surprised when I opened my review copy of The Reincarnationist, the latest novel from M. J. Rose. The book is beautifully packaged, with a rich-looking dustjacket. Is it shallow to make a point of that? I don’t think so. In discussions about e-books, I’m constantly hearing that people are attached to books as physical objects. The jacket, binding, paper weight, and jacket copy all play into my experience of a book. I’m one of those nerds who even reads the font description in the back. The Reincarnationist is a nice-looking book, better than you might expect from the thriller genre.
Josh Ryder is the hero of our story. He suffers frequent episodes in which he seems to be reliving the life of Julius, a pagan priest who bears a forbidden passion for a Vestal Virgin named Sabina at the time of the Roman Empire’s conversion to Christianity. Josh is mysteriously drawn to an uncovered tomb in Rome, where he witnesses a murder and the theft of precious artifacts. Thus begins a chase through time and place to solve the murder, recover the artifacts, and perhaps reunite Josh/Julius and his lost love.
The secret to an effective thriller is a tight plot and an exciting premise. Reincarnation is a great concept for a thriller, combining the excitement of a sort of time travel with our longing to heal the heartaches and losses in our present lives. It’s clear that Rose is passionate about reincarnation and has dug deep into the subject. I would have liked more of that passion to come through on the page. Josh works with the fictional Phoenix Foundation, whose staff counsel children who purport to have past-life memories — perhaps if I could have met more of these children, somehow tapped firsthand into the passion that drives those who believe, I would have been hooked even harder into this story.
The plot structure is a bit uneven. An important subplot is introduced late, dropped for several chapters, then brought back as needed to tie up loose ends. After finishing the book I was still not entirely clear on the role of some important players in the story, but then, I was sick. The Reincarnationist is not as earthshaking as The DaVinci Code, a book it is bound to be compared to (and which I threw against the wall after 30 pages), but it is better and more credible. No self-flagellating albino priests here, thank you very much.
Looking for something entertaining, but substantive? Try The Reincarnationist. It was a good sickbed read, and I look forward to the sequels, of which I’m sure there will be many — after all, with reincarnation, anything is possible!
More links:
- The backstory for the novel
- Author’s Web site
- Author’s blog
- Podcast interview with author
Filed under: authors, books, reading Tagged: | M. J. Rose, reincarnation, The Reincarnationist, thrillers
[...] Charlottesville Words says “I was very pleasantly surprised when I opened my review copy of The Reincarnationist, the latest novel from M. J. Rose. The book is beautifully packaged, with a rich-looking dustjacket. Is it shallow to make a point of that? I don’t think so. In discussions about e-books, I’m constantly hearing that people are attached to books as physical objects. The jacket, binding, paper weight, and jacket copy all play into my experience of a book. I’m one of those nerds who even reads the font description in the back. The Reincarnationist is a nice-looking book, better than you might expect from the thriller genre. [...]
I hardly think it shallow to comment on the dust jacket. I too thought it gorgeous, and would have probably bought the book for it.
While reading this book for the Mother Talk Tour, I wasn’t very clear on some of the characters roles myself-hello Rebecca-and it seemed as if the plot dropped off and picked up suddenly in a couple spots.
That was the main…..irritation….I had with this book.
Great review-very concise!
Rebecca — exactly!
I expect the sequel to be even better, now that the basic story and cast of characters are laid down.
[...] Stevenson was a major influence on M. J. Rose’s The Reincarnationist, recently reviewed on these very [...]