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The Phoenix Egg
Governments, assassins, and madmen!
The first time they tried to kill her she went to the police. The second time she knew better.
Caitlin Maxwell is on the run. They killed her husband and now they are after her. Alone and desperate, she turns to John Blalock, the one man from her past she knows she can trust. John risked his own life to save her once. Would he - could he - help her outwit and outrun her pursuers long enough for her to unravel the secret behind The Phoenix Egg?
A near future mystery that happens in a time line a step removed from the authors.
violence.
Phoenix (phoe·nix): from Greek a legendary bird which lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period. The Phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death.
The Phoenix Egg - an impossibility; something that cannot exist.
The second edition, an updated version of the first edition which corrects some blatant grammar issues and removes a few anachronisms.
The first time they tried to kill her she went to the police. The second time she knew better.
Caitlin Maxwell is on the run. They killed her husband and now they are after her. Alone and desperate, she turns to John Blalock, the one man from her past she knows she can trust. John risked his own life to save her once. Would he - could he - help her outwit and outrun her pursuers long enough for her to unravel the secret behind The Phoenix Egg?
A near future mystery that happens in a time line a step removed from the authors.
violence.
Phoenix (phoe·nix): from Greek a legendary bird which lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period. The Phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death.
The Phoenix Egg - an impossibility; something that cannot exist.
The second edition, an updated version of the first edition which corrects some blatant grammar issues and removes a few anachronisms.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 10, 2010
It's hard to enjoy a book much when you spend much of the reading time editing it in your head. Unfortunately, that's pretty much what reading "The Phoenix Egg" was like for me -- not a bad idea, but I couldn't help but find better ways to explore the premise of the book as I read. Word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, I found myself fixing spelling, punctuation, and phrasing to improve on the story overall. Too bad they didn't do this work before publishing it, to save me the trouble and let me enjoy the novel.
It's not just misspellings, either -- though there are many of those throughout the book (you don't put airplanes in a "hanger," for example), that's at least somewhat expected for a small publisher like this. The bad punctuation, while distracting, could also be forgiven somewhat. What really got to me, though, was the poor sentence structure and paragraph construction. On nearly every page, I found ways to rephrase a sentence or two to make it stronger, or to convey the idea better. Somehow, Bamberg finds ways to make even the most high-octane action seem bland and flavorless, and the love scenes, which are supposed to be revelatory, come off as trite and predictable. It's a problem of how he phrases things -- using too many adjectives when simplicity is called for, then hedging his words when more depth is needed. It almost seemed like he was working against the ideas he was trying to express, limiting his palette to only a few word constructions.
I give him credit for a good idea, though. Even if it takes a while (almost half the book) to get there, the concept behind "The Phoenix Egg" is an interesting one, and could have been really enjoyable in the hands of a different writer. The plot, too, was fairly well structured, if imperfectly so. The book starts out at a running gallop and never really lets up much, with a great deal of action and suspense strung out before we even have an idea of what's going on. It works for the most part, though it did seem a bit far-fetched and frustrating to me how little there was to learn about the impetus behind all the action until much later. And by then, it was a little bit anti-climactic.
It starts out fairly simply...Caitlin Maxwell's husband is killed and her life is also in danger, because of something he was working on that she doesn't know about. She enlists the aid of an old flame, John Blalock, to help her survive and find out just what her husband's secret was before the folks chasing her, organizations from all over the world, find it. Blalock, in the years he and Maxwell were separated, has become something of an expert in black ops and investigation...all very convenient for Caitlin, who has need of all of his talents before their adventures are over.
The characters in "The Phoenix Egg" are on the thin side -- not as transparent as those from "The Da Vinci Code," but pretty cardboard nonetheless. The plot runs fast and hard but doesn't really establish a good steady pace. And someone really needed to go through the book with a fine tooth comb and pick out all the mistakes and things that could have been done better. This is a book with a great deal of potential. It was frustrating, and more than a little disappointing, to see much of that potential squandered. I usually think that saying a book needed a better editor is something of a cop-out when rating a book's quality, but in this case, it really fits the bill.
This could have been such a better book. As it stands, it reads more like a term paper, and I felt like the unfortunate grad student grading it.
It's not just misspellings, either -- though there are many of those throughout the book (you don't put airplanes in a "hanger," for example), that's at least somewhat expected for a small publisher like this. The bad punctuation, while distracting, could also be forgiven somewhat. What really got to me, though, was the poor sentence structure and paragraph construction. On nearly every page, I found ways to rephrase a sentence or two to make it stronger, or to convey the idea better. Somehow, Bamberg finds ways to make even the most high-octane action seem bland and flavorless, and the love scenes, which are supposed to be revelatory, come off as trite and predictable. It's a problem of how he phrases things -- using too many adjectives when simplicity is called for, then hedging his words when more depth is needed. It almost seemed like he was working against the ideas he was trying to express, limiting his palette to only a few word constructions.
I give him credit for a good idea, though. Even if it takes a while (almost half the book) to get there, the concept behind "The Phoenix Egg" is an interesting one, and could have been really enjoyable in the hands of a different writer. The plot, too, was fairly well structured, if imperfectly so. The book starts out at a running gallop and never really lets up much, with a great deal of action and suspense strung out before we even have an idea of what's going on. It works for the most part, though it did seem a bit far-fetched and frustrating to me how little there was to learn about the impetus behind all the action until much later. And by then, it was a little bit anti-climactic.
It starts out fairly simply...Caitlin Maxwell's husband is killed and her life is also in danger, because of something he was working on that she doesn't know about. She enlists the aid of an old flame, John Blalock, to help her survive and find out just what her husband's secret was before the folks chasing her, organizations from all over the world, find it. Blalock, in the years he and Maxwell were separated, has become something of an expert in black ops and investigation...all very convenient for Caitlin, who has need of all of his talents before their adventures are over.
The characters in "The Phoenix Egg" are on the thin side -- not as transparent as those from "The Da Vinci Code," but pretty cardboard nonetheless. The plot runs fast and hard but doesn't really establish a good steady pace. And someone really needed to go through the book with a fine tooth comb and pick out all the mistakes and things that could have been done better. This is a book with a great deal of potential. It was frustrating, and more than a little disappointing, to see much of that potential squandered. I usually think that saying a book needed a better editor is something of a cop-out when rating a book's quality, but in this case, it really fits the bill.
This could have been such a better book. As it stands, it reads more like a term paper, and I felt like the unfortunate grad student grading it.
September 10, 2008
Caitlin Maxwell and her soon-to-be ex-husband own a technology company. While they’re talking on the phone, Scott is run off of the road and killed in a car accident. Soon after, Caitlin finds herself being hunted by Japanese businessmen, French businessmen and the federal government. She discovers that Scott has left something behind that they all want, so she turns to an old friend for help.
The Phoenix Egg was written by Richard Bamberg and published by Invisible College Press. I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. I think it has potential, but it needs a good edit. There are lots of sentences like this one in the book - “Him aimed for the center of the wall and squeezed off six quick rounds.” At one point, the main character’s name was wrong. The plot got lost in descriptions and technicalities a few times. I felt like these things detracted from the book.
The Phoenix Egg was written by Richard Bamberg and published by Invisible College Press. I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. I think it has potential, but it needs a good edit. There are lots of sentences like this one in the book - “Him aimed for the center of the wall and squeezed off six quick rounds.” At one point, the main character’s name was wrong. The plot got lost in descriptions and technicalities a few times. I felt like these things detracted from the book.
June 25, 2013
The story starts out exciting and continues to be exciting all the way through. However, the author could make reading easier if he spent some serious time editing and revising the book or found and editor to do this. Caitlin, who husband has just died, is trying to keep one step ahead of whoever is following her looking for God know what. She and her husband owned a tech company, and someone wants what he was working on, but Caitlin has no idea what that is. She enlists the help of John Blalock, who once saved her life, to help her figure out what everyone wants and how to stay alive doing that. The author has crafted a great thriller, with excitement, suspense and a touch of romance to hold the reader’s attention. As I said, however, an editor to edit or some work by the author on the style, verbiage, etc. could easily propel this forward into the throes of the bestseller lists. I received this book from Library Thing to read and review.
May 23, 2018
I had requested and received audiobook version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
This was an entertaining read. It is mostly a detective story that has twist reveal in later half of the book that bring sci-fi elements. Thus, you can say it is mix of both. The characters are mostly one-dimensional and I wish they had more depth. But if you look past that, the story itself is quite thrilling. It keeps building up the tension, leading to a great climax. It could've been a little better though, had the story been edited better. At ~13 hours long run time, it seemed a little too long to me.
The narration by John DiLeonardo is well done. He gives a convincing delivery and kept me engaged.
This was an entertaining read. It is mostly a detective story that has twist reveal in later half of the book that bring sci-fi elements. Thus, you can say it is mix of both. The characters are mostly one-dimensional and I wish they had more depth. But if you look past that, the story itself is quite thrilling. It keeps building up the tension, leading to a great climax. It could've been a little better though, had the story been edited better. At ~13 hours long run time, it seemed a little too long to me.
The narration by John DiLeonardo is well done. He gives a convincing delivery and kept me engaged.
January 24, 2013
I won this book from the member giveaways here on LibraryThing and I loved it! There was a lot of action, mystery and suspense. As an added bonus, some science fiction was thrown in, as well as some romance. A very well-rounded book. I felt that the characters were believeable for the most part, however, toward the end of the book, I wasn't quite sure how one of the main characters could withstand so much pain and injury while being the hero. All in all, I found this book to be extremely enjoyable and it was very hard to put down.
February 17, 2013
I found a new author! The best read I have read in a long time and will be adding his other books to my "to read" list. I won this book and finished it in less than 2 days and want to see more of John and Caitlyn.
May 11, 2018
( Format : audiobook )
"One dies only once and for such a long time."
Just after agreeing a new contract for the firm owned by herself and her soon to be divorced husband, Scott, Caitlin receives a phone call from him, dialing from his car in Nappa Valley. Between strange grating sounds, he says goodbye and tells her he loves her, then silence. She realises he must have had an accident, knows he is dead. Back at the hotel, Caitlin finds her room ransacked and someone tries to kill her. With no assistance from hotel security or the police, she turns for help to someone who once saved her life and might then have loved had it not been for her impending marriage: an ex marine, John Blalock. Together, they try to stay alive as, seemingly, the whole world conspires to kill them, from the Japanese to U.S. government hit men. But why?
The Phoenix Egg is an action packed and intriguing story, with some interesting insights into personal privacy and security in this digital age. The couple is persued through the first half of the book without any knowledge of what could be so important that even the government is after them. And the discovery of what it is that has caused the intense excitement is also unique, with potential to open up further future stories. But the whole manages to not reach full potential by the use of clunky, unappealing main characters and their ability to survive (and continue) after impossible injury. They both remain cardboard cut outs to the end despite John's constant agonising over whether or not he's still in love with the woman he hadn't seen for over a decade.
Narrator, John DiLeonardo, has a pleasant, down to earth voice, reads well with good inflection and has distinctive voicings for the main protagonists. But, like the book, his reading also plods, given slowly and with constant tiny pauses. In the later part of the book, this reader increased the playback speed to 1.25, which helped but made the presentation feel rather stilted and robotic.The combination of text and narration turn what should be a fast paced thriller into more of a slow burn.
A clever plot idea which needed a rewrite and length reduction to tighten it, make it a real thriller. And this could start by disposing of the ridiculous epilogue ... Overall, the book was a disappointment, less than I had anticipated when I requested, and was gifted a complimentary copy by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. My thanks for it, though. It was nearly very good.
"One dies only once and for such a long time."
Just after agreeing a new contract for the firm owned by herself and her soon to be divorced husband, Scott, Caitlin receives a phone call from him, dialing from his car in Nappa Valley. Between strange grating sounds, he says goodbye and tells her he loves her, then silence. She realises he must have had an accident, knows he is dead. Back at the hotel, Caitlin finds her room ransacked and someone tries to kill her. With no assistance from hotel security or the police, she turns for help to someone who once saved her life and might then have loved had it not been for her impending marriage: an ex marine, John Blalock. Together, they try to stay alive as, seemingly, the whole world conspires to kill them, from the Japanese to U.S. government hit men. But why?
The Phoenix Egg is an action packed and intriguing story, with some interesting insights into personal privacy and security in this digital age. The couple is persued through the first half of the book without any knowledge of what could be so important that even the government is after them. And the discovery of what it is that has caused the intense excitement is also unique, with potential to open up further future stories. But the whole manages to not reach full potential by the use of clunky, unappealing main characters and their ability to survive (and continue) after impossible injury. They both remain cardboard cut outs to the end despite John's constant agonising over whether or not he's still in love with the woman he hadn't seen for over a decade.
Narrator, John DiLeonardo, has a pleasant, down to earth voice, reads well with good inflection and has distinctive voicings for the main protagonists. But, like the book, his reading also plods, given slowly and with constant tiny pauses. In the later part of the book, this reader increased the playback speed to 1.25, which helped but made the presentation feel rather stilted and robotic.The combination of text and narration turn what should be a fast paced thriller into more of a slow burn.
A clever plot idea which needed a rewrite and length reduction to tighten it, make it a real thriller. And this could start by disposing of the ridiculous epilogue ... Overall, the book was a disappointment, less than I had anticipated when I requested, and was gifted a complimentary copy by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. My thanks for it, though. It was nearly very good.
July 22, 2018
Is there anyone not after her?
What a fantastic story about the greed of international organizations and governments and secret technology. Caitlin’s husband is killed before revealing where the Phoenix egg is, so of course the killers turn to Caitlin. Realizing she can’t trust the police, she tracks down an old friend hoping he will help her. Pretty soon it seems she’s running from everyone, and with a little help, they try to find what these pursuers are after and why it it so important.
This is the fourth book I’ve listened to by this author (John DiLeonardo) and he’s definitely on my list of “I’ll read/ listen to anything they write”.
This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator and I would listen to another. He did a good job narrating this book. His female voices could use a bit of refining and could be a little smoother so he’s more “telling the story” than reading it” but it was still an enjoyable listen. I listened in 1.25.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review
What a fantastic story about the greed of international organizations and governments and secret technology. Caitlin’s husband is killed before revealing where the Phoenix egg is, so of course the killers turn to Caitlin. Realizing she can’t trust the police, she tracks down an old friend hoping he will help her. Pretty soon it seems she’s running from everyone, and with a little help, they try to find what these pursuers are after and why it it so important.
This is the fourth book I’ve listened to by this author (John DiLeonardo) and he’s definitely on my list of “I’ll read/ listen to anything they write”.
This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator and I would listen to another. He did a good job narrating this book. His female voices could use a bit of refining and could be a little smoother so he’s more “telling the story” than reading it” but it was still an enjoyable listen. I listened in 1.25.
There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review
May 5, 2018
I have read and enjoyed a number of books from this author with them mostly fitting into the urban fantasy genre, but this time his offering is more of a thriller with some sci-fi trappings to it.
After hearing the death of her soon to be ex-husband happen while he is on the phone with her, Caitlin Maxwell finds herself running from unknown parties who are trying to capture or even kill her in order to obtain something that she doesn't even have. With nobody else to turn to, she seeks out an old friend John Blalock to help her escape and survive this mysterious pursuit and to help her find out what they are all after.
The narrator gave a good performance with this book with a range of distinctive voices for the main characters that nicely enhanced the overall story.
Overall, I found this to be another enjoyable book from this author and will continue to look out for other works from him in the future.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
After hearing the death of her soon to be ex-husband happen while he is on the phone with her, Caitlin Maxwell finds herself running from unknown parties who are trying to capture or even kill her in order to obtain something that she doesn't even have. With nobody else to turn to, she seeks out an old friend John Blalock to help her escape and survive this mysterious pursuit and to help her find out what they are all after.
The narrator gave a good performance with this book with a range of distinctive voices for the main characters that nicely enhanced the overall story.
Overall, I found this to be another enjoyable book from this author and will continue to look out for other works from him in the future.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
July 27, 2018
AUDIOBOOK edition
This story starts with high action and doesn't stop til the end. An interesting premise, got my imagination going and thinking this might be possible. A great mix of scifi and thriller and a touch of romance, this story follows Caitlin running for her life after her husband gets killed while talking on the phone with him no less and she has no idea why. Reaching out to John, an old friend living in the city she is in at the moment, they unravel the mystery getting to the bottom of why and how, but with great sacrifices. It all ends well, but the listener does not find out till the very end having to journey thru the twisted journey along with the characters. - 4 stars
Loved listening to Mr. DiLeonardo's voice, flexible to suit each character, a true story teller I could listen to for hours. Looking forward to more. - 5 stars
This story starts with high action and doesn't stop til the end. An interesting premise, got my imagination going and thinking this might be possible. A great mix of scifi and thriller and a touch of romance, this story follows Caitlin running for her life after her husband gets killed while talking on the phone with him no less and she has no idea why. Reaching out to John, an old friend living in the city she is in at the moment, they unravel the mystery getting to the bottom of why and how, but with great sacrifices. It all ends well, but the listener does not find out till the very end having to journey thru the twisted journey along with the characters. - 4 stars
Loved listening to Mr. DiLeonardo's voice, flexible to suit each character, a true story teller I could listen to for hours. Looking forward to more. - 5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews