Gillian Anderson

Jeff Rovin

Juggling her career, parenting responsibilities and lackluster dating life, child psychologist Caitlin O'Hara begins treating an ambassador's daughter, who starts having fits and speaking in tongues right before children throughout the world demonstrate similar mystical symptoms. 50,000 first printing.

A Novel

A Vision of Fire

Natalia Hernandez

Dejé una reseña en mi blog, en español:
http://natified.com/2015/01/16/libros...


I liked this book. Knowing it was the first part of a trilogy helped me not to expect answers right away or for more definitive things to happen. There is room to grow in the following books, yes, but it's not just a presentation of a problem/story, it goes a bit deeper and leaves unanswered questions for the second book. 

There are several themes in the book: mother/son relationships, cultural differences in the world, friends who are no longer friends, future lives, lost civilizations, soulmates, spiritual realms and more. It's a fun read because of it.

The bad part is you have to wait for the second book to come out! I had promised myself not to read more WIPs unless the sagas or trilogies are done because the waiting affects me (mainly, I'm no longer interested or don't remember anything about the previous book once the next one is out), but it was a Gillian Anderson thing and I'm one of those old X-Files fans who watch/read everything Mulder and/or Scully do.

This is everything you would expect from a book with Gillian Anderson's name written all over it. The best way I can think of to describe it is that it's basically like one of those inconclusive and vaguely mystical episodes of 'The X-Files' where you get the sense that Scully and Mulder have tapped into some ancient conspiracy but the writers are so bad at keeping track of season-long narrative arcs that they never go back to it and it's never resolved in a satisfying way. Very fast-paced and easy to read, and I appreciate the effort to be all global and topical with the inclusion of so many characters with non-Anglo names as well as UN peacekeeping crises. 

There's heaps more to this book that makes me desperate to read the next one, but I feel kind of cheated by the new-agey explanations and the unconvincing deus ex machina crap that gets pulled at the end by the protagonist. Getting very 'chosen one' vibes and not in a good way. Very standard sci-fi thriller that's engrossing enough, I guess, but feels a bit undercooked. Keen to see how the next one develops. It's trashy and readable enough to be thoroughly enjoyable despite its shortcomings (like a Matthew Reilly book, only less shit), and I can totally see it adapted for television or something - in fact, the pacing makes it feels more like a book adaptation of a movie.

b.andherbooks

Fans of Dan Brown and the TV series Bones will love Gillian Anderson's newest edition to the league of extraordinary women scientists. A single mom and an elite child psychologist, Caitlin O'Hara is called on to treat the severe psychological issues of a prestigious UN member's daughter. Other young adults around the world exhibit similar symptoms, and soon Dr. O'Hara finds herself immersed in a mystery that may challenge the fate of the world.

A bit too heavy on the technical details for my personal tastes, but fans of the genre will certainly eat this up. Agent Dana Scully wrote a book!

Jessica 

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*(3.5 stars)Is that the ultimate paradox of life, she wondered, that the universe should become less clear with age?

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a massive crush on Gillian Anderson--she is basically my ride or die when it comes to celebrities. A Vision of Fire is her debut work of fiction with Jeff Rovin and it starts off steady and with a thrilling question. As far as first installments goes in science fiction, this is a positively delicious (and maybe a little frightening) introduction to The Earthend Saga and managed to be riveting, thoughtful and mysterious. It had its rough patches mid-novel that felt to drag on a bit more than the rest, which is what knocked it down a half star in my review, but for the most part it was thoroughly enjoyable. 

I liked seeing her return to science fiction in a way that was reminiscent of The X-Files but still fresh and different. Teaming up celebrities and authors to create a new series can be a tricky task that is often lost in translation but Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin's vision (har-har-har) is clear from the getgo. A total dream-team. Not only do they pen an engaging novel that will compel its readers to keep flipping through from start to finish, the message and overall plots are coherent and full of something utterly fascinating. 

It helps that the cast of characters are full of life and intrigue; an equal combination of intelligence and humour. When reading A Vision of Fire you can't help but to love Caitlin and her son, Jacob. The same goes for the minor characters that play a massive role in how the story unfolds, is connected and what will come in future installments. I'm curious to see if Ben's role will be expanded in the next installments--and of course am wondering what comes next for him and Caitlin as a pair. 

There romance isn't the novels biggest selling point: it's the mysterious occurrences happening around the world and connecting people of the present with people of the past. I loved Maanik and felt sympathy about what was going on with her as well as admiration to how well she was seeming to handle it in the moments which she was herself. It's impossible to look at what all was occurring and not feel concern for the girl who was seemingly at the center of it all. 

Overall, I enjoyed A Vision of Fire and am looking forward to the future of the series. It had its rough patches and flaws but for the most part, I definitely am looking forward to hearing more of the series. It's the perfect mix of anticipation, mystery, romance and more. I have a feeling that the next stories will only expand on this and go up from here. Perfect for longtime fans of Gillian Anderson as well as new. 

Also posted on BOOKEDJ.

A Vision of Fire A Novel

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