What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
► Suggest books for me
>
Book with Reincarnation used as a plot device or theme?
Haven't read but excellent author.Sisters, Long Ago by Peg Kehret
I recommend, in no particular order:Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
The Eternal Ones and All You Desire by Kirsten Miller
M.J. Rose's Reincarnation series, starts with, of course, The Reincarnationist
I second Joseph's suggestion of What Dreams May Come -- excellent book.Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar trilogy, starting with The Summer Tree, is a rich and original tale of five young college student who find themselves drawn into the Arthurian cycle of myths.
Dreams of a Dark Warrior My fav for topics with reincarnation. The male lead is constantly reincarnated in order to be with the female lead. Amazing!
Interesting suggestions everyone! Joseph, thanks especially for the lengthy list...I forgot to include The Eternal Ones in my example list of already read books! Thanks for the reminder! ;)Thanks for the suggestions everyone...keep 'em coming! :D
Not quite reincarnation in the usual sense, but Life After Life and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August come to mind.
Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn is really good. It's about 2 souls meant to be together and they keep finding each other in each life. It's a YA novel.
+1 on the rec for The Reincarnationist series by M.J. Rose. I've only read the first book, but man... that is phenomenal. What Dreams May Come is high up on my 'read asap' list... can't wait for that one. I also dug 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. Totally random, but if you're intrigued by reincarnation, and you've never seen the somewhat schlock-festy but utterly sweet movie 'Made in Heaven' (late 1980s with Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis), then I highly recommend it. Great love story that survives death.
Lobstergirl wrote: "Audrey RoseA classic from the 70s. Reincarnation was a huge theme back then."
Had no idea that was a book before it was a movie! Thanks! Great rec!
The Years of Rice and Salt is one of the only novels I've read that treated reincarnation in a non-romance-y, religiously-congruent sort of way. I enjoyed it, though the many different time periods do take getting used to (it's an alternate history).On the graphic side, of course I can't go without mentioning Osamu Tezuka's iconic Phoenix series, where he very subtly uses reincarnation to comment on the main themes of art, the circular nature of time, and the pursuit of immortality.
One of my favorite teen fantasy books, Dragon Sword and Wind Child also features a little bit of this theme. The main character finds out she is an agent of Goddess of Darkness, and so has been reborn many times in the ongoing war that divides the mythological Japan setting.
This is a work of nonfiction, but still was quite interesting to read: Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot by Bruce Leininger
So glad I found this thread again! Was browsing online bookstore, and came across this series, and immediately thought of you. Ghosts and Reincarnation by Ashley Kristen. 5 books... Paranormal Romance, and rated around or over 4 stars. Here's the series listing for Ghosts and Reincarnation by Ashley Kristen. https://www.goodreads.com/series/6939...
Has anyone mentioned the Deverry series by Katharine Kerr? Starts with Daggerspell goes for about 300 books (well, maybe 15 or so!) Not really YA as there are some very adult themes in there, but may be worth adding to the list?
Also, I just had a book I couldn't remember 'solved' here, and it turns out that it has a reincarnation or channelling theme going on... its quite entertaining (all time fave for a ton of people), but is kind of 'pulpy' from the late 1980s. Its a very mystical modern witchy book, sort of paranormal thriller? Pretty 'authentic' wicca from what I remember, and then delves back into ancient prehistory and a matriarchal clan led by a mother goddess woman. Catmagic by Whitley Strieber. The cover is pure 80's cheese, so don't let that scare you off. ;)
The Lynx advert! Lol but that would be an awesome book though. Life After Life is good, but the Fallen series by Lauren Kate is a lot more paranormal, though I'm not sure how largely the reincarnation is featured, as I've only read the first two. It doesn't show you each life as far as I've read, but you might like it.
Sophie wrote: "Not quite reincarnation in the usual sense, but Life After Life and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August come to mind."Replay would fall in that category, too, I think.
One of my GR friends, Mark Douglas Holborn, has a new book about reincarnation and soul-mates that looks faaabulous and has great reviews. well over 4 stars. I haven't had a chance to read it, but here's the blurb. We'll see if you think it sounds as amazing as I do...."Cameron MacLean has always regretted how things turned out with Marina. He could never shake her from his thoughts, even after fate took them down different paths. When a mysterious stranger tells Cameron that he and Marina lived and loved centuries in the past, the turmoil in his soul consumes him. Blindly he trusts in a chance to relive that life; he travels back 750 years in time to be with his soulmate. But when creatures out of legends walk the world once more, Cameron learns the true price he must pay to save the love of his life."
The Price by Mark Douglas Holborn
Found a YA paranormal book about reincarnation that I can't wait for. Angels, echoes of a past life, forbidden love... all the best stuff. Here's a bit of the blurbage... Love the cover art, too!"Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.
In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both?
Ancient history is only the beginning."
The Watcher by Lisa Voisin
That does look intriguing, Kinksrock! I love the era its set in. Thanks so much! I gather its also a movie, according to reviews. We're having a bit of a chat about reincarnation fiction and other mysteries of religion, mythology and the occult throughout history over here, if you happen to want any recommendations in return. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I'll second "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud"--excellent book, excellent movie, a little dated (I think it was published in the 1970's). Another reincarnation/horror title to consider is Tom Tryon's "The Other" (also published sometime in the 1970's, I think). You might also consider:
-The Search for Bridey Murphy
-The Centurion (by Jan de Hartog)
-Another Shore (by Nancy Bond)
-Outlander (by Diana Gabaldon)
-The Torching (by Marcy Heidish)
-An Adventure (by Charlotte Moberly & Eleanor Jourdain)
Of these, I think only Bond's book is considered YA; the rest are adult, and many blend time travel, reincarnation, the supernatural, ghosts, though not all of them have all of these elements. It is hard to pick a favorite, so try them all. An academic library is more likely to have "An Adventure" than a public library although you can always try ILL for harder to find books.
I have one more recommendation:-So Once Was I (alternative title: A Pattern of Roses) by K.M. Peyton.
YA book, adult themes, not reincarnation but ghosts, supernatural.
I believe that there is a book called "Before I Fall" and I think it has to deal with reincarnation....sort of.
I just finished reading/reviewing that book The Watcher by Lisa Voisin that I mentioned above when I first found the book. Wow... can't recommend that one highly enough, especially if you're interested in reincarnation. It's YA paranormal romance, but beautifully written... everything is so gorgeously described, you feel like you're there, and it's so emotionally evocative! Reincarnation is a huge theme in the book, and also based on fantasy and mythology of the Grigori. I loved the romance between Mia and Michael, and really cared about what was going to happen to them. Even cried a bit at places. lol I've read a ton of good vs evil, and angel ya paranormals that had some element of spirituality, and this one is outstanding, truly. Out of the 100+ YA books I've read so far this year, this is easily in my top 5. I figured I'd like it based on other reviews, but I was really blown away. Can't wait for next books in the series! Here's my review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I haven't read any books on your list so can't compare them but would recommend The Reincarnation of Peter Proud by Max Erlich.
These might fit. People live their life over again (same life).The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver
The Redemption of Michael Hollister: A Middle Falls Time Travel Novel
The Death and Life of Dominick Davidner: A Middle Falls Time Travel Novel
The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon
The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister
I'm surprised no one mentioned Juliet Immortal. I don't know if you're still interested in this topic, but just in case you are.
Oh wow! This is insane guys!I hadn’t looked into this post in a while (3 years apparently), and I had no idea it kept right on going in my absence. Thanks so much for all your continued suggestions guys, they are appreciated and still to this day added into by tbr pile whenever I come across them.
Special thanks to @OddModicum Rachel, you are one sweet determined trooper to have continued to add to the list of suggestions whenever you came across one that reminded you of this little post of mine!
Keep ‘em coming guys, there’s plenty of hidden treasures out there that fit the theme! Who knows, we might accidentally help someone out who’s been looking for a particular book that fits the bill!
Many thanks and happy reading!
Traci Harding has The Ancient Future series (9bks?), and another series... Maybe Beings of the Field? First is all about reincarnation, but I can't remember if the BoF is an offshoot with more 'lives' of the characters, or if it's a separate one. Katharine Kerr has the Deverry series. It follows a group of souls through hundreds of years trying to set things right. It's old tho and can be hard to find.
The Star-Touched Queen, by Roshani Chokshi. In broad terms, it's a retelling of East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon (some reviewers also mentioned Hades and Persephone), but it's in a fantasy world inspired by Hindu mythology. If you click over to the books page, someone asked about what Indian myths influenced it, and the author answered with a list of those, too.
Just read another of Traci Hardings that is a stand alone. The Immortal Bind. It was pretty good ;)
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
For All Time (other topics)The Sky Above Us (other topics)
On That Dark Night (other topics)
Mahabharata (other topics)
Midnight Valentine (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
J.T. Geissinger (other topics)Kresley Cole (other topics)
Jodi Meadows (other topics)
Katharine Kerr (other topics)
Bruce Leininger (other topics)
More...
As of late I've picked up a few YA (as well as many other genres really) books that more or less deal with the subject of reincarnation as a type of plot device or theme in each of their respective stories. Some examples of some of the material I've read and am referring to are as follows:
-Eternity by Maggie Shayne
-My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
-Dreadful Sorry by Kathryn Reiss
-Rising Above by Stacey Joy Netzel
Now, keeping the example list in mind, are there any books out there that any of you have read that fall along a similar vein that you would recommend? Any favorites in the bunch? I'm not picky at all about suggestions, but if it falls into the category of fantasy or paranormal (or even paranormal fantasy) then let me hear them!
Thanks so much for any suggestions you guys are willing to offer in advance, and as always...happy reading!
-Steph