Official Review: Rasputin's Nephew by Marc J. Seifer

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 15 May 2018, 13:35

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rasputin's Nephew" by Marc J. Seifer.]

3 out of 4 stars

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It is difficult to review a book like Rasputin's Nephew by Marc Seifer. On one hand, the story is full of all the right kind of thrills—a page turner. On the other hand, much of the included technical information was beyond my comprehension and sort of settled into an uneasy blur after a while.

Rudy, a journalist from New York, is caught between his girlfriend and his job. Rudy is tracking a story that connects ESP, psychokinesis, mental telepathy, and other paranormal topics. Meanwhile, some unknown person is going around destroying all copies of a particular book that deals with these very topics. To be more specific, this person is destroying the first edition of the book. While Rudy is researching, he discovers that several prominent professionals in the psychic phenomena fields have mysteriously died. Before Rudy knows half of what is going on, he himself becomes a target!

On the other side of the world, Mother Russia is sore at losing the Cold War. The highest officials have determined to wage another war and win at all costs. Human experiments, strange events, more suspicious deaths, seemingly super-human people... All this and more fill the pages of Rasputin's Nephew. Those who know anything about Russia's czarist history, will recognize Rasputin. From historical reports, Rasputin had legendary powers. Although he largely works in shadows, the descendant of Rasputin also has abilities that no one can explain.

A young Russian doctor, Imo, is working with a medical group studying the brain, including those areas that are largely dismissed by scientists, such as ESP and telepathy. While observing the experiments others are doing, Imo gradually becomes disillusioned with the work.

What will happen to Rudy? Will he find out the truth behind the mysterious deaths and the disappearing book? Will he survive the assassination attempts on his life? Is Abdulla Manu a fake? Can Manu really levitate people and objects, bend objects, channel mysterious entities and emit multi-colored lights? What choices will Imo make? The answers are not easy in coming, but the ends are all tied up by the last page.

I loved the action in this book, as well as the conspiracies. The topic is fascinating, although I have to admit, I found it hard to understand the technical terms. At times, large sections were devoted to how ESP, etc., is supposed to work scientifically. Much of that flew over my head so high that I could never capture it back again. I was uncomfortable with the amount of graphic descriptions of both violence and intimacy. I realize much of this was inextricably integrated as part of the plot itself, but I would not recommend this to anyone who does not wish to have these things explicitly written out. I also would not recommend anyone who is not interested in reading minute details concerning scientifically technical subjects. The author includes an abundance of resources, which tells me that there is at least some truth tucked inside this story.

Overall, the plot moved along smoothly, except for the large sections of technical explanations, as I mentioned before. Characters were well-drawn, but there were a lot of characters! The plethora of characters created some confusion as I was not always sure which characters were "evil, "good," or "neutral." This started getting sorted out somewhere in the middle. Throughout the entire book, I found only one error in spelling. Due to too many characters to keep track of and the overwhelming amount of technical explanations, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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Rasputin's Nephew
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Post by **Vickie Noel** » 10 Jun 2018, 00:58

My first encounter with the name, "Rasputin" was in my favorite, growing-up, animated movie, "Anastasia." It popped up again as a nickname for someone in a recent book I read so I decided to read about him. It was somewhat fascinating. This author has added a twist by producing a nephew for him and I'm dying to read what show-stopping displays he has up his sleeve. I don't care much for explicit details and technical jargons but I'm far too curious about this to let them get in my way. Thanks for the detailed review.

Chazza3007 · Post by **Chazza3007** » 10 Jun 2018, 03:08

So Impressed by your writing skills in this review! Could definitely use some tips.
Funnily enough GCSE history has a whole section dedicated to Rasputin and his devilish ways.

Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 10 Jun 2018, 08:07

This sounds fascinating! I think I want to check it out and just page through the graphic/boring stuff for the sake of the story. Great review!

joshfee77 · Post by **joshfee77** » 10 Jun 2018, 17:45

Sounds to me like a highly entertaining story that might just need a couple of tweaks to appeal to the average reader. I also find too much in-depth technical detail difficult to follow. Great review.

aremu malik · Post by **aremu malik** » 10 Jun 2018, 17:48

Looks to me like boring story, might just check it out anyway

Post by **kandscreeley** » 10 Jun 2018, 18:07

This does sound intriguing. However you lost me at the amount of technical details of ESP as well as the intimacy details. So, thanks for the information, but I'll pass.

Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 10 Jun 2018, 22:49

Rasputin reminded of the Romanov family in russia. I have watched documentary fils related to Rasputin and he is one creepy man. A story that involves Rasputin seems like a story that stirs up trouble. I saw the thriller and action linger in your review and I can expect a great deal of it from the book, but I wonder about the technical ESP. Thank you for your detailed review!

daniya__shah3 · Post by **daniya__shah3** » 12 Jun 2018, 05:24

I'm always up for books filled with action, adventures and conspiracies. Your review is quite detailed and I loved how you have worked thoroughly with every bit of the details. Amazing writing skills, you've done a good job and definitely provided the book with another reader.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 18 Jun 2018, 10:30

@Vickie noel The plot is indeed quite intriguing! I was curious to learn more about Rasputin also!

@Chazza 3007 and daniya__shah3

Thank you for your compliments!

bclayton13 · Post by **bclayton13** » 27 Jun 2018, 17:18

This is a great review, you point out a valid weak point, since a lot of people wouldn’t enjoy the long technical explanations. I’m not sure I would, but it sounds like the story is worth it.

Nizar Ali Shah · Post by **Nizar Ali Shah** » 28 Mar 2020, 12:06

This is filled with actions, adventure and conspiracies.The writer has an amazing writing skills.

Post by **Sushan Ekanayake** » 11 Oct 2024, 07:59

Rasputin's Nephew by Marc Seifer is a thrilling blend of paranormal intrigue and Cold War conspiracies in which, journalist Rudy uncovers a web of ESP, telepathy, and mysterious deaths, while Russian officials plot a new war. With action-packed twists and a deep dive into psychic phenomena, it's a page-turner, and a fascinating read for fans of conspiracy and the supernatural. Congratulations on being BOTD!

Jane Gaskins · Post by **Jane Gaskins** » 11 Oct 2024, 08:03

Enjoyed your review. The technical jargon is not something I appreciate wading through either. I have purchased the book but am hesitant to begin reading it. Sounds like a good story line though. Conspiracies and Mother Russia always lead to a fantastic story.

Brienna Cooper · Post by **Brienna Cooper** » 11 Oct 2024, 08:13

Excellent review!

Rudy, a journalist from New York, is caught between his girlfriend and his job. Rudy is tracking a story that connects ESP, psychokinesis, mental telepathy, and other paranormal topics. Meanwhile, some unknown person is going around destroying all copies of a particular book that deals with these very topics. To be more specific, this person is destroying the first edition of the book. While Rudy is researching, he discovers that several prominent professionals in the psychic phenomena fields have mysteriously died. Before Rudy knows half of what is going on, he himself becomes a target!

So, there very much is a psychological aspect to this book! I had a feeling since it’s being described as “psi-fi” on the Amazon page. I also can easily see how a plot like this can get too “wordy” for some readers, even if it’s super engaging.