Page 1 of 1

Review by Noeld150 -- The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)

Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 11:41
by Noeld150
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)" by David J Castello.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


The Diary of An Immortal is a sci-fi thriller that is hard to put down. The author, David J. Costello, presents a young American medic in WWII who accidentally discovers a medical bag in a Nazi-controlled internment camp which contains two letters and supposed immortality pills. One of the letters is addressed to Adolph Hitler telling him that if he took one of these pills daily, he would live forever. Having seen so many of his friends die and then remembering the horrors of war, Steven decides to take the immortality pills himself. He feels he has nothing to lose. He moves to New York and decides to pursue his love of music by joining a band and playing the saxophone that he loves.

When he is playing in a Manhattan club, he meets a beautiful young woman and her uncle Albert. Steven learns from the uncle that he had done missionary work with Chinese Buddhist monks who were thought to be immortal. With this newly found knowledge, Steven decides to leave the band that he loves and venture to China to find out the validity of the immortality formula. There he meets many new people and learns about the history and purpose of the immortality pills and their consequences. Costello is a great storyteller, and all the characters he introduces are defined in much detail. His vast knowledge of history combined with his style of fantasy writing make for a delightful read.

The characters interact well with each other, and the plot itself is easy to follow. There are a few graphic scenes, but they make the story more believable as immortals display their supernatural powers and strength. The love story which evolves is tender and a release from some of the horrific deeds that are carried out in the German concentration camps and to the citizens living through that time of war and destruction.

The life adventures of Steven and the characters he meets who help him in his search for answers make for a great read. I am not usually a fan of science fiction, but this book has a touch of tenderness about it that makes it enjoyable for a female reader. I especially enjoyed the conclusion of the book. It was totally unexpected. I did not find errors, and I feel that the book is professionally edited. I would recommend it to adult readers. I feel it may be too graphic for teenagers. I rate it a 4 out of 4 stars and look forward to reading future books by this author.

******
The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

Like Noeld150's review? Post a comment saying so!

Re: Review by Noeld150 -- The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)

Posted: 22 Aug 2021, 22:53
by Udogu Oluebube
Thanks for the review, love the factor that a different approach was taken for the immortality theory. I look forward to reading the book.

Re: Review by Noeld150 -- The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)

Posted: 10 Sep 2021, 03:53
by kobby95
Living forever is what some people aspire to. I wonder if Steven did find the immortality formula, but thanks for a great review. It gave a good summary of the book's content.