A Phoenix arises.
REBIRTH is Michel Poeltl's second book in THE JUDAS SYNDROME trilogy. The author has been careful to give enough back-story to make it understandable by itself, but is best read after the first in the series. That way, one gets a vivid picture of the transformation undergone by the characters—from carefree teens on a pre-college camping trip to survivalist adults in a post nuclear-holocaust world, with extremes ranging from, Sara, now a fiercely protective mother, to Earl, degenerating into a Hitlerian rage. The growth of Leif, the son of Sara and Joel, is another major theme. Leif is destined for greatness, but how and in what direction is not yet clear.
The supernatural themes lightly touched on in the first book have become prominent and are well woven into the story.
This is not a sunny and cheerful tale. The basic premise of a world devastated by atomic weapons triggered by terrorists, is all too possible. Like most apocalyptic literature, the story is in many places dreary and depressing. However, a clear thread of hope runs through REBIRTH, and the ending, like that in Star Wars, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, would suggest there is more to come even if you didn't know it was a trilogy. - Zvi Zaks
For more reviews and to purchase the book see the amazon page.
Showing posts with label book two in The Judas Syndrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book two in The Judas Syndrome. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
More positive reviews for the Dystopian tale by Michael Poeltl
I'm really excited over the below review as Janet Sked, reviewer, astutely picks up on the parallel between the main character in The Judas Syndrome, and the Apocalypse itself. Below is an excerpt from that review which can be found on Amazon.com.
-"Joel. For me this guy was the perfect anti-hero - difficult to like, remarkably easy to sympathise with. No attempt at covering his flaws or making him a saint. What really struck me was watching this guy devolve slowly into utter paranoia and self-hate, and eventually self-destruct in every sense of the word, while constantly trying to do what he thinks is right. Joel in the end is the personification of the apocalypse, and I thought this was beautifully done." - Janet Sked
-"Joel. For me this guy was the perfect anti-hero - difficult to like, remarkably easy to sympathise with. No attempt at covering his flaws or making him a saint. What really struck me was watching this guy devolve slowly into utter paranoia and self-hate, and eventually self-destruct in every sense of the word, while constantly trying to do what he thinks is right. Joel in the end is the personification of the apocalypse, and I thought this was beautifully done." - Janet Sked
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
New review for Rebirth, book 2 in the Dystopian fiction series
Another great review in from Amazon:
A Sequel That's Better Than The Original
What truly fascinated me while reading 'Rebirth' by Michael Poeltl, was how the growth and development of both the main character Sara and her son Leif mirrored the growth and development of Mr. Poeltl as an author. His first book, The Judas Syndrome, was well written albeit sometimes a little difficult to digest content wise. This second installment of what is to be a trilogy of novels, takes the reader on a more succinct and inclusive emotional journey.
Written through the eyes of Sara, the book does a fantastic job of tying up some loose ends from the first novel while exploring the progression and in some cases regression of familiar characters. The gritty and sometimes too blunt tones of the first book, have been tempered this time around. While still painting a very desperate,desolate and graphic picture of this post apocalyptic world, Mr. Poeltl has crafted the narrative in such a way that you feel a stronger connection to the main character and her journey then of Joel in his first book. The read is more of a story 'sharing' instead of a story 'telling', which in turn made me as a reader feel more invested in the outcome.
What surprised me the most was that his characterization and literal portrayal of Sara and her plight as a new mom in this uncertain dystopic future, never came across as written from a male's perspective - which should appeal to female readers of the novel. The imagery that Mr. Poeltl presents in this novel is stunning, and further highlights his development as a writer. Scenes and scenery are described in the kind of detail an artist uses to paint a picture. The story itself is well laid out, and coherent. There were however a few times I found myself wishing that he'd explored certain events in a little more detail given he didn't have the same time constraints that a movie version of the novel would.
But that, and the somewhat out of place love interest storyline are the only minor issues I had with a novel that did everything to succeed and exceed it's predecessor in the novel trilogy. 'Rebirth' is a fantastic read, and even better follow up to 'The Judas Syndrome'. It follows in the tradition of great sequels, and leaves me excited to read the conclusion to this story. An excellent follow up book by Mr. Poeltl, and I'm sure one of many great works of literature of his to come. - Michael Pongracz
See the review here
A Sequel That's Better Than The Original
What truly fascinated me while reading 'Rebirth' by Michael Poeltl, was how the growth and development of both the main character Sara and her son Leif mirrored the growth and development of Mr. Poeltl as an author. His first book, The Judas Syndrome, was well written albeit sometimes a little difficult to digest content wise. This second installment of what is to be a trilogy of novels, takes the reader on a more succinct and inclusive emotional journey.
Written through the eyes of Sara, the book does a fantastic job of tying up some loose ends from the first novel while exploring the progression and in some cases regression of familiar characters. The gritty and sometimes too blunt tones of the first book, have been tempered this time around. While still painting a very desperate,desolate and graphic picture of this post apocalyptic world, Mr. Poeltl has crafted the narrative in such a way that you feel a stronger connection to the main character and her journey then of Joel in his first book. The read is more of a story 'sharing' instead of a story 'telling', which in turn made me as a reader feel more invested in the outcome.
What surprised me the most was that his characterization and literal portrayal of Sara and her plight as a new mom in this uncertain dystopic future, never came across as written from a male's perspective - which should appeal to female readers of the novel. The imagery that Mr. Poeltl presents in this novel is stunning, and further highlights his development as a writer. Scenes and scenery are described in the kind of detail an artist uses to paint a picture. The story itself is well laid out, and coherent. There were however a few times I found myself wishing that he'd explored certain events in a little more detail given he didn't have the same time constraints that a movie version of the novel would.
But that, and the somewhat out of place love interest storyline are the only minor issues I had with a novel that did everything to succeed and exceed it's predecessor in the novel trilogy. 'Rebirth' is a fantastic read, and even better follow up to 'The Judas Syndrome'. It follows in the tradition of great sequels, and leaves me excited to read the conclusion to this story. An excellent follow up book by Mr. Poeltl, and I'm sure one of many great works of literature of his to come. - Michael Pongracz
See the review here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)