Title: Persistence of Vision
Author: Liesel K. Hill
Series: Interchron (Book #1)
Publisher: Tate Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Page Count: 384
Blurb: In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.
After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.
In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.
If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...
First thoughts: Persistence of Vision is the first book of the Interchron series and it's Liesel Hill's debut novel. We can put it on the New Adult (even YA because of its clean content) Dystopia genre but it has some fantasy and a mix of science fiction elements that makes the story richer and overall pretty captivating.
That said I should clarify that even if you think that with all those fictional elements the story could be a little hard to get into or understand, don't worry. This book is completely believable and it's based on the power of human intelligence and science progress, so if you like to fantasize about what could happen in the distant future with the new scientific developments, this is definitely the book for you.
I'm not really used to read this kind of book, I mean, I read a lot of NA Romance and Dystopia but mostly separated from each other. But when the author came to me asking me to be a part of this tour, I just had to read the outline and I was sold. With such an interesting premise I couldn't let this opportunity slip by, and I'm really glad I didn't, because I really liked this book and I was immerse in this captivating world from the very first page. It has everything you would want in a great book: mysteries, action, romance, funny moments, endearing characters, a well built world and what I liked the most is that it makes you think and wonder and compare that reality with your own.
Being this a debut novel I just can say to the author: Where where you hiding and what took you so long? I mean debut novels can be tough because everyone says: "there's rough potential and things that need to be work on", but in this case, if this is just the first one and it blew me away, I wouldn't miss the next book for the world!
Plot: In this futuristic world, people has learned to use their brains at their full potential and they're able to do amazing things with the power of their minds. But with this newly discovered powers, ambition rises and we find certain people who would do anything to be more powerful than anyone else. That's how the Collectives come to life. What can be more powerful if you could not only use your brain to its full potential but to interfere with someone else's brain and make them think what you please? The Collectives are a mass of people that thinks the same way as if they were a single mind. As opposite we have the Individualist, those who refuse to join the Collectives and are willing to run and fight for their free will.
Characters: Maggie, is the protagonist of this futuristic adventure. I think Maggie is a great character because even when she's part of this whole new world (Interchron), she doesn't remember most of it, so you learn along with her through the book and that makes her really relatable.
Marcus, is an enigma at the beginning, you would find yourself wondering along with Maggie "where did he come from?". But as the story develops we start to understand his story just as we get Maggie's.
The romance between these two character is subtle, you don't get big passionate moments but this sexual tension and kind of buddy moments that kept you trying to read between the lines.
Writing: The book is written in third person but you can clearly perceive it is mostly from Maggie's point of view.
You can tell that the author made a lot of research to make this book happen which is always appreciated. The language is rich and the story fluid, don't be afraid of getting caught up in technicalities because the book is full of action and it has some really funny moments that made everything much smoother.
Rating:
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Liesel K. Hill was born in Oren, Utah. Graduate of Weber State University. Known for writing across three genres: scif/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. Her debut novel, Persistence of Vision came out on January 29th, 2013. If you want to reach her go to the links below.
Review
That said I should clarify that even if you think that with all those fictional elements the story could be a little hard to get into or understand, don't worry. This book is completely believable and it's based on the power of human intelligence and science progress, so if you like to fantasize about what could happen in the distant future with the new scientific developments, this is definitely the book for you.
I'm not really used to read this kind of book, I mean, I read a lot of NA Romance and Dystopia but mostly separated from each other. But when the author came to me asking me to be a part of this tour, I just had to read the outline and I was sold. With such an interesting premise I couldn't let this opportunity slip by, and I'm really glad I didn't, because I really liked this book and I was immerse in this captivating world from the very first page. It has everything you would want in a great book: mysteries, action, romance, funny moments, endearing characters, a well built world and what I liked the most is that it makes you think and wonder and compare that reality with your own.
Being this a debut novel I just can say to the author: Where where you hiding and what took you so long? I mean debut novels can be tough because everyone says: "there's rough potential and things that need to be work on", but in this case, if this is just the first one and it blew me away, I wouldn't miss the next book for the world!
Plot: In this futuristic world, people has learned to use their brains at their full potential and they're able to do amazing things with the power of their minds. But with this newly discovered powers, ambition rises and we find certain people who would do anything to be more powerful than anyone else. That's how the Collectives come to life. What can be more powerful if you could not only use your brain to its full potential but to interfere with someone else's brain and make them think what you please? The Collectives are a mass of people that thinks the same way as if they were a single mind. As opposite we have the Individualist, those who refuse to join the Collectives and are willing to run and fight for their free will.
Characters: Maggie, is the protagonist of this futuristic adventure. I think Maggie is a great character because even when she's part of this whole new world (Interchron), she doesn't remember most of it, so you learn along with her through the book and that makes her really relatable.
Marcus, is an enigma at the beginning, you would find yourself wondering along with Maggie "where did he come from?". But as the story develops we start to understand his story just as we get Maggie's.
The romance between these two character is subtle, you don't get big passionate moments but this sexual tension and kind of buddy moments that kept you trying to read between the lines.
Writing: The book is written in third person but you can clearly perceive it is mostly from Maggie's point of view.
You can tell that the author made a lot of research to make this book happen which is always appreciated. The language is rich and the story fluid, don't be afraid of getting caught up in technicalities because the book is full of action and it has some really funny moments that made everything much smoother.
Rating:
Quotes:
"People ought to be treated equally and given equal opportunities, but no two people are exactly alike. They exude their own kind of beauty--strong in some areas, weak in others, and just as beautiful for their weaknesses as for their strengths."
"David: What I mean is." He backpedaled upon seeing her expression but then rubbed his forehead, obviously frustrated. "My brain is drawn to yours"
Maggie glanced from side to side, unsure what to say. That had to be the worst pick-up line she'd ever heard, or at least the geekiest."
"Karl: Do you know what persistence of vision is?"
She shook her head.
"It's the term science uses when you see something that is no longer there"
[...]
Marcus: "Perhaps -he ran his finger down her cheek to wipe away a tear-"it's a gift you have, an ability to see that which s no longer there [...]
Maggie: "Or maybe some things are so vital that they imprint themselves on your very soul. All the flashes had something to do with you, Marcus. They couldn't take away my memories of you, even... when they did. You had such a pull on me..." A term Karl had used came to her mind just then. "You were my persistence of vision."
Guest Post
My Book Journey by Liesel K. Hill
Writing a book is unlike anything else
you’ll ever do. It involves hours of tedious, unpaid work and can take years to
come to fruition. It’s a creative endeavor that you take on by yourself, with
no idea what to do or how to do it.
Madeleine L’Engle said, “Inspirations
usually comes during the work, rather than before it.” That’s a perfect
description of writing. You just have to jump in and start, knowing that you’ll
learn and make mistakes along the way, probably look like an idiot a few times,
but have faith that, ultimately, you will succeed.
When you start out, it’s exciting and
scary. You can’t imagine what it will be like when your book is finally released.
By the time it actually does, though, you’re so used to the idea that it seems
more natural than surreal.
It’s different for friends and family. Most
of mine are in awe—can’t believe I’m a published author. I make jokes about
their votes of confidence being overwhelming, but I also recognize that they
haven’t been on the journey I have.
I remember telling one of my brothers when
my book got picked up for publication. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe me, but
I don’t think it sank in. Months later, when the book was close to release, he
asked me where the book would be carried.
“In most major venues,” I answered.
“Yeah, but like, specifically where?”
“Oh you know, Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
probably Costco.”
He made a fist and rested it against his
lips as he always does when he’s freaking out. “Oh. My. Gooooosh!”
The other reaction that makes me smile is
that people are surprised I plan to write more than one book. They think this
was like a bucket list goal that I achieved, and now I’ll be satisfied. When I
tell them I’m working on a number of projects, it’s like telling people that
you just ran a marathon and are beginning training for another: they just can’t
understand it.
My journey to publication has been
sprawling and varied, but worth every minute of toil. The details of it would
fill a book, no pun intended. Now that my debut novel is out, I feel a deep
satisfaction I never had in any day job I ever held. And I look toward my
future in writing with great hope and eagerness.
Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that any form
of creation was the greatest expression of freedom. It takes confidence,
creativity, and originality not present in oppressed minds. Here’s to being
free enough to create our own worlds, and connect with one another within them.
Cheers!
About the author
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Liesel K. Hill was born in Oren, Utah. Graduate of Weber State University. Known for writing across three genres: scif/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. Her debut novel, Persistence of Vision came out on January 29th, 2013. If you want to reach her go to the links below.
Thank you so much, Kar, for hosting me today and for the kind review. I'm so pleased that you liked the book! Thanx so much for for participating in the tour. ;)
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