What do you think?
Rate this book
Orion
Orion Eckley Darnell, a rock and roll star, devises an unusual plan for escaping the lifestyle his success has forced upon him
353 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1989
72 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 5, 2015
I thought this book was okay - not particularly good writing. The reason I read it is because I am a fan of Elvis. It has made me decide to read an authorised biography at some point. Now I know why it was in the free box at the Hospice Shop.
May 20, 2025
I don’t remember exactly where I came across this book. Probably from a YouTube video. I was intrigued to learn that it was this book (along with another by the same author) that planted the conspiracy theory that Elvis Presley faked his death. I’ve never believed this, but culturally, I’ve found its popularity fascinating. (Even recently, a newly released book I read made mention of this theory.) I paid up for a copy given it’s been out of print for a while… now I know why.
To say this book is based on Elvis Presley’s life is an understatement. The entire book is his life play by play with the names changed and a fact here and there tweaked for good measure. While I was prepared for parallels, I was under the impression that the book would skim over the backstory and be about a celebrity exiting the limelight and foregoing his identity. None of that was here.
On top of the flimsy plot, the writing was terrible. When not focused on unbelievable characters (such as Orion’s mother, who basically prophesied that her son would be the second coming), other sections of the book felt as though they were written by a twelve-year-old boy (such as Tuck telling Orion how babies are born).
Super disappointing. I never expected this to be a literary masterpiece, but even for a silly pop-culture conspiracy, this was ridiculous. Not for its suggestion, necessarily, but everything else about it.
I’d been curious to read the author’s book, Is Elvis Alive, but not after this. Besides, after the reading experience I had reading Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir, and the more I've looked into this author's history, I feel like reading a book that went to such great lengths to perpetuate a hoax would be in poor taste. Maybe it had it's moment back in the day, but now we have access to so much contrary information. A fictionalized take? Fair game. But it could have been done so much better.
To say this book is based on Elvis Presley’s life is an understatement. The entire book is his life play by play with the names changed and a fact here and there tweaked for good measure. While I was prepared for parallels, I was under the impression that the book would skim over the backstory and be about a celebrity exiting the limelight and foregoing his identity. None of that was here.
On top of the flimsy plot, the writing was terrible. When not focused on unbelievable characters (such as Orion’s mother, who basically prophesied that her son would be the second coming), other sections of the book felt as though they were written by a twelve-year-old boy (such as Tuck telling Orion how babies are born).
Super disappointing. I never expected this to be a literary masterpiece, but even for a silly pop-culture conspiracy, this was ridiculous. Not for its suggestion, necessarily, but everything else about it.
I’d been curious to read the author’s book, Is Elvis Alive, but not after this. Besides, after the reading experience I had reading Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir, and the more I've looked into this author's history, I feel like reading a book that went to such great lengths to perpetuate a hoax would be in poor taste. Maybe it had it's moment back in the day, but now we have access to so much contrary information. A fictionalized take? Fair game. But it could have been done so much better.
September 13, 2024
I'm always torn between whether I like this book or not. The religious imagery and references annoy me, and it's so much a copy of Elvis' life that I'm surprised the author could get away with claiming it was a work of fiction and so were the characters.
June 21, 2022
Read this years ago. The writing was average but it was an interesting take on the whole 'Elvis is Alive' conspiracy.
December 28, 2014
This book contains a lot of truths and good observations about life. And although I found it really hard not to picture Elvis, his family and friends as the characters from this book. This book is not his life. I think it is very much inspired by his life and I believe it was written in the aftermath of his death (by a grieving fan?). I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this book, and when I picked it up and felt a bit of dread and why did I buy this book. I think I the author indulged in writing about Orion's humble beginnings and began rushing over the rest of his life. But the story did suck me in and I enjoyed reading it. I think the author believe how Orion escaped and made me believe it. But did Elvis do the same??? I don't think anyone will ever really know (except for those in the know... )
April 17, 2016
Great book. Reflects the truth of Elvis faking his death, even admitted through the immediate recalling off the shelves soon after it came out
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews