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The Reincarnationist by MJ.Rose
"A riveting epic of secrets, history and murder that will challenge the way we think about who we are and who we were"
(back blurb)
Josh Ryder's explodes when he gets caught in the blast of a bomb exploding in Rome. After that nothing is the same for this American photojournalist.
His mind is invaded by memories, but they are not his. They are from a man back in ancient Rome. But he can smell the air, and the longings and feelings have him doubting his sanity. Then there is the intense feeling for a woman called Sabina, and the urge to save her.
He turns to the Phoenix foundation. It's well renowned and it documents the past life experiences in children. He is not their usual subject, but there is something about his experiences. This will lead him to an archaeological dig in Rome where professor Gabriella Chase and professor Rudolfo has found an ancient tomb. A powerful and ancient secret threatens the believes of an entire world.
The tomb found is on of a vestal virgin. And the experiences that Josh is having will explain more of this story. The danger lies in the memory stones that will give the person using them insights in past lifes so that they can change the mistakes they made in past lives. Not something that Christianity would like to hear about, since there are no past lives just the eternal rest of the soul.
Weren't the highest echelons of the Church worried about the magic of the stones? And for good reason. If man discovered that Nirvana was within his reach - if it was in his hands, not in the hands of God- what authority would the Church hold over him?
I have always loved the idea of reincarnation, because sitting on a cloud for eterenity, no. But getting the chance to find your own salvation, yes. So I like that about this books. And I get wondering because it does mention early Christian beliefs of a wandering soul, as with many other religions. Was that true, and believed back then? Or made up? I am intrigued.
Josh Ryder, when I saw the add for the tv-series that is being made then I could picture him. I guess he is likeable, just as Gabriella and Rachel are. Julius and Sabina, yes they are interesting with their secrets. But every passage about them made me ache, because they would die. Which of course is silly of me since we all do. But I feared the worst, and it was evident that the worse would happen to them. Not to mention the passages from those days when Christian soldiers destroyed temples and killed the pagans that they called them, when in truth that would mean all since this was the first days of a new religion. It always makes me sick, why can't all just get along, and believe in whatever they want too?! Yes it made me angry.
There is an intensity to the book, and yes I do like it, but I had that feeling through out the entire book. Maybe I am just a sucker for happy endings, and everything that may not be so makes me ill at ease.
I am confused about this whole book. It was great, and I am sure many will absolutely love it. I thought it was ok, and I am sure I would have liked it more if it hadn't been those feelings that made me so scared for the whole bunch of them. Maybe not my genre.
