Six books about reincarnation

Verlin Darrow is currently a psychotherapist who lives with his psychotherapist wife in the woods near the Monterey Bay in northern California. They diagnose each other as necessary. Darrow is a former professional volleyball player (in Italy), unsuccessful country-western singer/songwriter, import store owner, and assistant guru in a small, benign spiritual organization. Before bowing to the need for higher education, a much younger Darrow ran a punch press in a sheetmetal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor, shoveled asphalt on a road crew, and installed wood flooring. He missed being blown up by Mt. St. Helens by ten minutes, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake (8 on the Richter scale), and (so far) has successfully weathered his own internal disasters.

His latest book, Prodigy Quest, is a YA speculative novel.

At Tor.com he tagged six notable books that "focus on transformation, although they utilize the vehicle of reincarnation in different ways: time travel, galactic conflict, Arthurian legend, a secret society, finishing the reincarnation cycle, demonology, and a love story." One title on the list:

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne

Monica Byrne’s The Actual Star is full of ideas about human nature and transformation on a grand scale—all of humanity and where it’s heading. Byrne has done her homework, recreating an authentic-feeling Mayan culture, and then fast-forwarding the journey of three linked souls as they reincarnate into a fraught future of horrific climate change. The characters range from dangerously charismatic leaders to committed lovers striving to save the world. Reminiscent of Octavia E. Butler, Byrne creates cultures and characters that embody depth, sensitivity, and a riveting story line.

Few authors tackle themes of tradition vs change, the nature of human connection, and the very meaning of being alive in such an ambitious manner, let alone make it work as an entertaining read the way Byrne does. Her craft impresses without being in the foreground in any distracting way. Readers will be immersed in a rich, detailed experience that may well make them more empathic, culturally sensitive, and wise. Set to be published this fall, you’ll have to wait until September to dive into Byrne’s rich world.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue