The Reincarnationist

By: M. J. Rose

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white light, and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. From that instant nothing would ever be the same.

As Josh recovers, his mind is increasingly invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But they are not his memories. They are ancient... and violent. A battery of medical and psychological tests can't explain Josh's baffling symptoms. And the memories have an urgency he can't ignore, pulling him to save a woman named Sabina, and the treasures she is protecting.

But who is Sabina?

Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation, a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb - a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.

©2007 M.J. Rose (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[A] tale of intrigue that's more believably plotted and better meets its ambitions than Dan Brown's ubiquitous book." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Rose's engrossing thriller effortlessly leaps to and fro through the centuries. Dramatic suspense and intriguing characters expertly set the stage for this first in a series." ( Library Journal)

"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. It will open your mind to some of the incredible mysteries of the past and the greatest secrets of existence. The Reincarnationist is more than a page-turner -- it's a page-burner. Don't miss it." (Douglas Preston)

for those of us who have memories...

The narrator keeps the listener engaged with the emotions conveyed throughout the story. The story combines actual locations with the fictional narrative which is complex and believable while unpredictable, which keeps the listener wanting to know what happens next! Reference to the voluminous work on reincarnation by Dr. Ian Stevenson, the book provides a narrative to the wonder of its possibility, if not actuality.

Good, but had an unsatisfying ending.

As the first in a series, I found that lack of a satisfying ending to be a turn off for the other books which are not the same characters, but a continuation on the theme. Too bad, it was good up till than point, but endings make a book as much as the beginning and middle does.

if you are interested in reincarnation ...

This is not a bad fictional story based on true reports. I enjoyed reading it.

Love the narrator, just not the ending

Found this book because I love the narrator. Once again he did a fabulous job. The book was great until the ending. I was just left with so many questions.

The premise sounded good, but....

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story kind of meandered. This guy was having what seemed like hallucinations and was idly wondering why he was having these sort of episodes. I just didn't believe it or relate to the character at all. Not for me, but not exactly bad. Just kind of, Eh.

What three words best describe Phil Gigante’s voice?

LOVE Phil Gigante as a narrator!

Any additional comments?

I couldn't get through the story as it didn't really suck me in. Although it is possible, this could've gotten better if you can persist through the boring beginning chapters.

Got sick of soot covered breasts and the like

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I can't imagine who could enjoy this book. The only thing worse than the performance was the storyline and the UTTER LACK of historical details. Maybe a romance novel enthusiast without much power of discernment would like this book. Oh, and Dave Barry. I was tricked into downloading this book because he reviewed it highly.

What was most disappointing about M. J. Rose’s story?

I tired of hearing the belabored sexual longings of the main character. He appeared to only love the object of his affection because of sex. BORING. This was presented as historical fiction, which would imply the characters were real or that some aspect of the story, aside from the setting, was real. I can sum up the entirety of the true historical part: There used to be vestal virgins who were buried alive for breaking their vows. Wow. It doesn't take much to qualify as historical fiction these days, does it?

What didn’t you like about Phil Gigante’s performance?

He was breathy, too close to the microphone and too rumbly. I came to dislike the main character the more I listened.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was so disappointed I spent a month's credit on this dull book. It also made me a little angry that it would be classified as historical fiction when it clearly was NOT based on history. It is a completely made up story, set it in the past. That's it.

Any additional comments?

Try listening to A Winter's Sea instead. I LOVED it, great story, and it was deeply rooted in actual history.