cover image The Reincarnationist Papers

The Reincarnationist Papers

D. Eric Maikranz. Blackstone, $15.99 trade paper (432p) ISBN 978-1-09-415495-4

Maikranz’s spellbinding dark fantasy debut offers a fresh take on the concept of reincarnation. Professional arsonist Evan Michaels has vivid, unexplained visions from his two previous lives as WWI soldier Vasili and six-year-old Bobby. When a death-defying arson job in a Los Angeles warehouse leaves Evan incapacitated and very nearly apprehended by the authorities, he is rescued by Poppy, a Reincarnationist from a Switzerland-based secret society called Cognomina, whose members are similarly capable of remembering past lives. Evan longs for the answers that Cognomina can provide, but to join their ranks he’ll have to pass a trial called the Ascension. And, once he’s in, the lure of wealth and power proves impossible to resist. Presented as a true account of the Cognomina society unearthed from an antique store in Rome, this nail-biting mystery builds slowly, with Evan’s search to understand his identity propelling the plot forward before the action kicks into high gear in the final act. The high stakes and clever premise of Maikranz’s thrilling debut successfully evoke a sense of wide-eyed awe. [em]Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media. (May) [/em]