Reborn

Rating:
Summary: An evil thread that weaves the fabric of the Adversary
Review: Because of the years that passed since I read The Keep, The Tomb and The Touch, I was fascinated by Reborn, so much so that I checked the book out from the library when I found it was out of print. I found it particularly eerie and horrific when the character Mr. Veilleur describes the powers of Dark and Light fighting over cosmic matters of which we are only an insignificant part; and the feeling of bleak despair in the knowledge that the Light only intervenes to help us not out of "love," but only because it wants to thwart its enemy. The story leads perfectly into Reprisal and on to Night World, the final two books of the Adversary Cycle, and by itself is an excellent read for the person who enjoys supernatural fantasy, who reads for the pure fun of it and who isn't a literary critic.

Rating:
Summary: Written by an evil clone of F. Paul Wilson
Review: I can't believe F. Paul Wilson actually wrote this book. The Keep, The Tomb and The Touch are masterpieces of page-turning suspense. Reborn is practically a textbook of bad novel writing. I've halfway convinced myself that he produced this as some bizarre revenge on an editor who insisted on one more book. Characters are introduced and disappear. Sub-plots start and stop at random. The guardian from The Keep, a masterfully drawn character in that book, makes an appearance early on, wanders in and out of the story, yet never contributes anything to the exposition or plot. The protagonist is killed off 2/3 of the way through, but that's almost ok as you dont care about him by then anyway. Good characters turn evil randomly. This is bad, boring writing. I threw the book away.

Rating:
Summary: Good supernatural suspense reading
Review: Mr. Wilson is my favorite thriller/suspense writer, although I prefer his medical thrillers more. I've only read one other book from his Adversary Cycle, THE TOMB, so I don't have the same comparisons to make as the other reviewer here. However, I really enjoyed this book even though it was in a different genre. I got the hardcover edition from the library -- the illustrations were unbelievable! Mr. Gervais portrayed the moments with such detail and precision. If you are a fan of Mr. Wilson's works, I would not give up on this one. It's still a good read, a la "Rosemary's Baby".

Rating:
Summary: Good supernatural suspense reading
Review: Mr. Wilson is my favorite thriller/suspense writer, although I prefer his medical thrillers more. I've only read one other book from his Adversary Cycle, THE TOMB, so I don't have the same comparisons to make as the other reviewer here. However, I really enjoyed this book even though it was in a different genre. I got the hardcover edition from the library -- the illustrations were unbelievable! Mr. Gervais portrayed the moments with such detail and precision. If you are a fan of Mr. Wilson's works, I would not give up on this one. It's still a good read, a la "Rosemary's Baby".

Rating:
Summary: The Adversary Saga Continues
Review: Reborn is book Four in F. Paul Wilson's epic "Adversary" cycle, and it's also the book where the big picture starts to become clear.

Reborn tells the story of Jim Stevens, who, after years of searching for his birth parents, finds out that his natural Father is a recently-deceased Nobel-Prize winning millionaire. Not only that, but Jim has been left his entire estate. Rather than leave well enough alone, Jim continues to dig around for his birth Mother. That's where his troubles begin....

Wilson telegraphs the point of the book by making constant references to Ira Levin's classic "Rosemary's Baby", which covers the same theological ground. He does make a VERY unexpected detour about 2/3rd's of the way through the book that really threw me for a loop, though. There are some characters and themes that carry over from the previous books, especially "The Keep", so DO NOT read Reborn without reading The Keep (Excellent!), The Tomb (Excellent!!), and The Touch (Not bad....).

The Dark Harvest edition is gorgeous, and comes with illustrations by Stephen Garvais. His art is great, but he doesn't always pick the best scenes to represent. All in all, Reborn is a fun, if standard, read. It does what it sets out to do, though: Brings Molosar/Rasolom back with a vengeance....Bring on Reprisal!

Rating:
Summary: The Adversary Saga Continues
Review: Reborn is book Four in F. Paul Wilson's epic "Adversary" cycle, and it's also the book where the big picture starts to become clear.

Reborn tells the story of Jim Stevens, who, after years of searching for his birth parents, finds out that his natural Father is a recently-deceased Nobel-Prize winning millionaire. Not only that, but Jim has been left his entire estate. Rather than leave well enough alone, Jim continues to dig around for his birth Mother. That's where his troubles begin....

Wilson telegraphs the point of the book by making constant references to Ira Levin's classic "Rosemary's Baby", which covers the same theological ground. He does make a VERY unexpected detour about 2/3rd's of the way through the book that really threw me for a loop, though. There are some characters and themes that carry over from the previous books, especially "The Keep", so DO NOT read Reborn without reading The Keep (Excellent!), The Tomb (Excellent!!), and The Touch (Not bad....).

The Dark Harvest edition is gorgeous, and comes with illustrations by Stephen Garvais. His art is great, but he doesn't always pick the best scenes to represent. All in all, Reborn is a fun, if standard, read. It does what it sets out to do, though: Brings Molosar/Rasolom back with a vengeance....Bring on Reprisal!

Rating:
Summary: The Adversary Saga Continues
Review: Reborn is book Four in F. Paul Wilson's epic "Adversary" cycle, and it's also the book where the big picture starts to become clear.

Reborn tells the story of Jim Stevens, who, after years of searching for his birth parents, finds out that his natural Father is a recently-deceased Nobel-Prize winning millionaire. Not only that, but Jim has been left his entire estate. Rather than leave well enough alone, Jim continues to dig around for his birth Mother. That's where his troubles begin....

Wilson telegraphs the point of the book by making constant references to Ira Levin's classic "Rosemary's Baby", which covers the same theological ground. He does make a VERY unexpected detour about 2/3rd's of the way through the book that really threw me for a loop, though. There are some characters and themes that carry over from the previous books, especially "The Keep", so DO NOT read Reborn without reading The Keep (Excellent!), The Tomb (Excellent!!), and The Touch (Not bad....).

The Dark Harvest edition is gorgeous, and comes with illustrations by Stephen Garvais. His art is great, but he doesn't always pick the best scenes to represent. All in all, Reborn is a fun, if standard, read. It does what it sets out to do, though: Brings Molosar/Rasolom back with a vengeance....Bring on Reprisal!

Rating:
Summary: Very Good, and not, Not, NOT a Rosemarie's Baby clone!
Review: This was a very good book. A millionare/genetic researcher had died in a plane crash, leaving his fortune and victorian mansion to a young writer named Jim Stevens. Jim, as an orphan, wonders if this guy was his father. Soon, however, all sorts of strange things begin to happen, including apocalyptic warnings from Jim's relatives and friends. I cannot believe how STUPID people are! This book is NOT a Rosemarie's Baby clone! It has similar aspects to it, I admit, and it even *mentions* Rosemarie's Baby a few times--BUT IT IS NOT A REMAKE OF THE IRA LEVIN CLASSIC! Read it CAREFULLY and you will see what I mean. This book is a SEQUEL, people, and it can ONLY be read AFTER "The Keep", "The Tomb", and "The Touch". As well, this is a very good book. Pretty scary at times, but nowhere near as scary as "The Keep". Read this book ("The Keep", I mean) and you will see what I mean. The looks at life that these books make are astounding. What's more, after reading this book, there are the horrors of "Reprisal" and "Nightworld" to face... heh-heh-hehh...

Rating:
Summary: Sequel to The Keep spawned a Cycle.
Review: When F. Paul Wilson began writing Reborn it was just intended to be a one book sequel to his successful thriller The Keep, but ideas and links to two other seemingly unrelated books (The Tomb and The Touch) arose and, thankfully, Wilson rolled with those ideas. The result is a breathtaking six book Cycle about something very evil trying to end the world.

A struggling horror novelist receives a surprising inheritance and some heartbreaking news about his parentage. But there are greater forces at play here than meet the eye and Wilson pulls numerous threads together, setting the stage for an epic battle that only begins after some devestating personal payback in the fifth book, Reprisal. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Need to Read
Review: Wilson's writing and plotting may not be as top-notch here as they were in his previous books in the Adversary Cycle, but this book provides the link between the earlier ones and the final two novels.

The story isn't anything great, but the writing moves things along and there are some exciting scenes, though none are likely to make you lose any sleep.

Enjoy this, and move on to complete the cycle.