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21st out of 28 books
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24 voters
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The Reincarnationist (The Reincarnationist #1)
by
M. J. Rose
M. J. Rose offers a spellbinding, psychologically riveting epic thriller of secrets, history, and murder that will challenge the way we think about who we are and who we were.
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
2007
by MIRA
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This was a fast read and an interesting premise – the main character has flashbacks to past lives, and he and some shadowy other figures are seeking the Memory Stones, ancient relics that supposedly will prove that reincarnation exists. However, there are a number of subsidiary characters and subplots that make the action unnecessarily confusing, rather than functioning as actual red herrings.
Good reviews and a subject close to my heart - I was really looking forward to reading the Reincarnationist and there is a story hidden here, but it’s so hard to see the wood for all the trees. The story jumps about in what I’m sure, was meant to be an exciting way but only serves to puncture what little momentum and atmosphere had been built by the preceding chapter. It seems to me that there's an awful lot of plot but not enough skill to make it come alive.
At the same time, the ch...more
At the same time, the ch...more
i would give this book less than one star if it would let me. It started out with such promise, but ended up making me promise to never read another of this author's books. The plot begins, albeit in an disjointed way, in two timelines, with the main character experiencing past-life regressions after a jarring accident. What follows is an attempt to cash in on the style of writers, the like of Dan Brown and Steve Berry. Unfortunately, this offer has neither the gripping plot, nor the follow-...more
After a near death experience, Josh Ryder begins having flashes where he seems to be remembering being a pagan priest in ancient Rome, trying to save the woman he loves and the sacred treasures that they both revere from the onslaught of Christianity. Seeking answers brings Josh to the Phoenix Foundation, a group that helps children who experience past life memories. The Phoenix Foundation doesn't work with adults, but Josh takes a job with them in exchange for the opportunity to learn more abou...more
The Reincarnationist is about the tenth book by M. J. Rose and is a thriller set in the present and the past thanks to numerous past life flash backs.
After nearly dying in a terrorist bomb, Josh Ryder is haunted by memories of a past life in Rome. The medical profession cannot explain or solve his new memories and flashbacks and so he turns to the Phoenix Foundation who specialise in past life regression.
A trail of present-day murders seem to link up to his past life memories...more
After nearly dying in a terrorist bomb, Josh Ryder is haunted by memories of a past life in Rome. The medical profession cannot explain or solve his new memories and flashbacks and so he turns to the Phoenix Foundation who specialise in past life regression.
A trail of present-day murders seem to link up to his past life memories...more
A thriller along the same lines as the likes of Angels & Demons (except better written), this is definitely worth your time.
Following an accident in Rome, photographer Josh Ryder begins to experience what he considers to be hallucinations of two separate lives in previous eras. After psychologists and doctors fail to diagnose his problem, he begins work with the Phoenix Foundation - a foundation specializing in aiding children with exactly these types of episodes, considering them t...more
Following an accident in Rome, photographer Josh Ryder begins to experience what he considers to be hallucinations of two separate lives in previous eras. After psychologists and doctors fail to diagnose his problem, he begins work with the Phoenix Foundation - a foundation specializing in aiding children with exactly these types of episodes, considering them t...more
After a near-fatal accident, photojournalist Josh Ryder is haunted by dreams of past lives. While trying to find some stolen gemstones believed to be powerful pagan memory stones for the Phoenix Foundation, Josh realizes that his past lives are trying to send him a message to save his own present-day life and that of the future world.
Wow! Very original! This fast-paced, thought-provoking, intricate page-turner will stay with the reader long after the last page has been read. The en...more
Wow! Very original! This fast-paced, thought-provoking, intricate page-turner will stay with the reader long after the last page has been read. The en...more
A fast paced read along the lines of the Da Vinci Code. After a blast almost kills him, Josh Ryder begins to have visions of a pre-Christian Rome with he himself a priest named Julius. Trying to understand this past life he sets out to find the memory stones, stones that are supposed to tell you of your past lives in order to help you learn from them. Traveling to Rome to an archealogical dig his flashbacks get stronger and stronger as do the threats to his life and those surrounding him. Se...more
This was another quick and easy read that kept me in suspense throughout, however, I didn't like it quite as much as The Memorist. Overall I really liked the book but I just had a couple of problems with it.
First, the book is called The Reincarnationist, who is identified in The Memorist as Malachai Samuels, however Mr. Samuels is a VERY minor chracter throughout this book. I think the title is misleading because The Reincarnationist has nothing to do with this book. Maybe The Memory...more
First, the book is called The Reincarnationist, who is identified in The Memorist as Malachai Samuels, however Mr. Samuels is a VERY minor chracter throughout this book. I think the title is misleading because The Reincarnationist has nothing to do with this book. Maybe The Memory...more
A pretty good read until the end. A young man is tormented by visions of what seems to be a previous life. When he's drawn to a dig in Rome that turns out to be a tomb of a Vestal virgin, there is more to the story. It's a good thriller, blending the present time frame with multiple lives in the past in a way that allows us to feel what the character must be feeling, as it's sometimes quite slippery and confusing. The ending, though, is disappointing, as it just kind of ends without any good res...more
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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 lazil...more
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 lazil...more
“The Reincarnationist” by M. J. Rose is a fictional story involving past lives and religious myth. It is the first of a series, I bought this book because I'm on a book tour for the third one.
While on an assignment in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder experiences strange feelings of déjà vu and strange memories of a previous life. Josh enlists the Pheonix Foundation, which specializes in past life research, for help.
Soon Josh gets involved with discove...more
While on an assignment in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder experiences strange feelings of déjà vu and strange memories of a previous life. Josh enlists the Pheonix Foundation, which specializes in past life research, for help.
Soon Josh gets involved with discove...more
As a believer in reincarnation and a lover of history, I really wanted to like this book. But no matter how I tried - and I really tried - I just couldn't. The characters were pretty poorly-developed, making it difficult to care about any of them. Halfway through the book an additional character was added, bringing her own past life that was somehow tied to the main protagonist. But this new female only existed to provide answers later on, and not because she was important to the plot in any...more
This book comes with an endorsement from Douglas Preston: “One of the most original and exciting novels I've read in a long time, with a premise so delicious I'm sick with envy I didn't think of it myself.”
When Josh Ryder begins to recover from the wounds he sustained in a terrorist blast near a church in Rome, he realizes his life has changed forever. From that point he experiences new sensations: repeated vague scents of jasmine and sandalwood, brief flashes of light and images of ...more
When Josh Ryder begins to recover from the wounds he sustained in a terrorist blast near a church in Rome, he realizes his life has changed forever. From that point he experiences new sensations: repeated vague scents of jasmine and sandalwood, brief flashes of light and images of ...more
What can I say about The Reincarnationist besides FABULOUS?
After an accident in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder begins experiencing flashes of past memories―from another life, another era. As these flashes intensify, he’s drawn back to the time of ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins and the mysterious Memory Stones. Through the eyes of Julius, he is reunited with a powerful love for Sabina, the Vestal Virgin he has sworn to protect and would willingly die for, a woman whom would be buried...more
After an accident in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder begins experiencing flashes of past memories―from another life, another era. As these flashes intensify, he’s drawn back to the time of ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins and the mysterious Memory Stones. Through the eyes of Julius, he is reunited with a powerful love for Sabina, the Vestal Virgin he has sworn to protect and would willingly die for, a woman whom would be buried...more
Jen
added it
I love Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's work, and my decision to read this was based on Preston's glowing, envious review. I was not as impressed as Preston. The first half of the book introduces a fascinating premise and characters compelling enough to keep me reading. So many books lose their pacing when they switch between time periods, but that isn't a problem here.
But after 300 pages of excitement and suspense, Rose lost her momentum (or maybe her inspiration?). As she introduced the th...more
But after 300 pages of excitement and suspense, Rose lost her momentum (or maybe her inspiration?). As she introduced the th...more
M.J. Rose's The Reincarnationist is a fairly fast paced thriller/adventure novel that I really wanted to like. From the cover blurbs it seemed to have all of the elements I was looking for: action, intrigue, a DaVinci Code style plot, etc. And truth be told, I was fairly well engaged over the length of the story. The concept was sound, despite what you may believe about reincarnation. I was sympathetic to the plight of the protagonist. There was some romantic attraction with other characters and...more
The thought behind The Reincarnationist is, admittedly, original. Josh Ryder, who is a photojournalist, falls a victim to a bomb attack while working on an assignment. He barely escapes death but he also starts experiencing déjà vu’s and flashbacks to ancient times where apparently he is a pagan priest in love with a Vestal Virgin. The flashbacks intensify when he visits a newly discovered tomb in Rome. They become really violent and Josh, in his desperation to find answers, turns to a research ...more
Pg 432, Chapter 68: Twenty pages and two tiny chapters from the end I thought I had it all figured out. As I got closer to the final words of the story I was even more sure of myself that I had probably ruined the end. I kept reading, quicker, taking in all the words I was reading and feeding them through the vortex of my mind and processing them for my own enjoyment.
I was so completely sure of myself even right up to the last page when it hit me like a bolt of lightening! The ver...more
I was so completely sure of myself even right up to the last page when it hit me like a bolt of lightening! The ver...more
This is the first time I've read anything by this author, and she has a fantastic writing style, she really knows how to draw you into the story right from the first page. The story is fast paced and really interesting to read, flicking between modern day and ancient Rome, as Josh Ryder is experiencing flashbacks to his past life as Julias, a priest who is trying to escape persecution. The whole plot is about reincarnation, and Josh trying to prove it exists. The book switches between the past a...more
I liked this book, and probably could have gone for 4 stars if I'd read its predecessor, The Memorist. It's Dan Brown-ish theme was not as action-packed as one of his, however, which may disappoint someone expecting it. This book is more intellectual, occurs more in thought and mind and requires the reader to delve into that supposition as well.
By the title I knew this book was about reincarnation and, as a Christian, I found myself a little uneasy about even reading it. The histo...more
By the title I knew this book was about reincarnation and, as a Christian, I found myself a little uneasy about even reading it. The histo...more
The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose is a fast paced suspense about many lives that intertwine over centuries. Josh Ryder is a photojournalist who is caught in the blast of a bomb. Since his accident, he has been experiencing something he refers to as "lurches" in time. He is often taken back to early Christian Rome and a man named Julius. Is this man Julius really a past incarnation of the modern day Josh Ryder, or is Josh just losing his mind to hallucinations? On his journey to figure ...more
I’m really not much of a mystery/thriller reader. I tried them out in highschool and just couldn’t seem to get into it; usually too formulaic, especially with the twist endings. Still, though, interesting concept, interesting execution, even if it was predictable and somewhat shallower than it had to be. I was looking for easy entertainment, and it fit the bill.
Reincarnation is not a subject I would typically choose to read about. Everyone who was anyone read Frank De Felitta's account of it in his book, and later a movie, "Audrey Rose" in the 70's, neither of which did nothing to endear me to the concept.
I enjoyed M.J. Rose's take on the subject. However I didn't like the changes of character and time within the conscious thread of the current story with out any warning. One minute the narrative is handled by Josh Ryder, the...more
I enjoyed M.J. Rose's take on the subject. However I didn't like the changes of character and time within the conscious thread of the current story with out any warning. One minute the narrative is handled by Josh Ryder, the...more
I enjoyed this quick, interesting book. While it's similar in theme (and has some reappearing characters)as 'The Hypnotist', I liked that you didn't have to read the series in order to understand it. It's similar to 'The Hypnotist' in the sense that it deals with reincarnation, the Phoenix Society and people trying to come to terms with past lives. However, the main characters are different. As with 'The Hypnotist', I prefered the scenes set in the past to the writer's present scenes! And I...more
Tough book to review. Josh, I mean Julius, I mean Percy is trying to figure out what he really wants out of life. Of course which life is the real question. Multiple people with multiple past lives told through machine gun chapters and a drunken plot-line. What do I mean by that? Well the plot stops and starts and staggers around before finally picking a direction. Many things are beyond explaining and the reasoning certainly seems impaired. Furthermore 70 chapters in less than 450 pages ...more
My review of this book may not be a fair reflection as it was read under extraordinary circumstances. A couple of days after starting this book I had to travel to the other side of the world because my mother had fallen ill while on holiday. The book, being hardcover and a library copy, was left behind. I came back to the book on my return, after my mother had died, so it would be fair to say that my mind was never very focused on the story. In that respect it was the perfect book to read. I cou...more
I enjoyed the premise of this book. I really liked the idea of a protagonist using past life episodes to solve a modern day intrigue. The biggest question for him is why is this happening to him and who is he supposed to help? I was a bit surprised at the answer. Nonetheless, the weaving of past and present draws you in (albeit a bit slowly at first). It did take me awhile to get used to the choppy shift between times, but by about page 300 I was fully invested and couldn't wait for the res...more
I just finished this book and I'm tempted to go right into the next book in the group (I won't call it a series, because the stories are based on the same principle of reincarnation and a fictional organization that aids people with past life regressions, but are not related stories per se.
The reviews were very mixed on this book, so I was a bit hesitant. It did take me a bit to get into it because the reader is a bit overdramatic (I listened to the audio). Once I was hooked, thoug...more
The reviews were very mixed on this book, so I was a bit hesitant. It did take me a bit to get into it because the reader is a bit overdramatic (I listened to the audio). Once I was hooked, thoug...more
Interesting concept--completely disappointing follow-through. I couldn't get behind the character's motivations, most of the dialogue felt unreal, the irregular structure panned out to have little purpose, and my goodness--there was no need for the one major sex scene, ahahaha, I cracked up through the whole thing and I'm sure that was not the intention of the author. I hate to be a downer about someone's published work, but in all honesty I skimmed the last half, and I would have tossed it as...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Reincarnationist | 2 | 16 | Jan 24, 2012 05:26am | |
| Central Book Club: November 2011, The Reincarnationist | 1 | 4 | Dec 07, 2011 05:13pm |
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“"As Oedipus learned, the more you run away from what is predetermined the more you run toward it.”
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