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Eden: Part 1

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"Angels: they're among us. I would know. There's one trapped inside of me. But the image you probably have of these "helpers of God" is wrong, I guarantee it. They are all maniacal assholes."

Anna Meisner awakes, naked and afraid, tied to a chair in a dark room. Across from her sits a woman who is her spitting image. With tears in her eyes, the woman puts a gun against her head and kills herself. Anna is not found until days later and in a state of hypothermia, moments from dying. But when she wakes in the hospital, she finds that the police doesn't see her as a victim, but as a suspect. It's the beginning of a series of catastrophic events in which she has no choice but to play a part. Is this the end of humanity?

This apocalyptic thriller was nominated for the Dutch Bastaard Fantasy Award.

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 5, 2018

71 people are currently reading
103 people want to read

About the author

J. Sharpe

28 books77 followers
Dutch suspense author J. Sharpe has published several mystery thrillers and short stories. He is a cross-genre writer and likes to blend themes and elements from two or more different genres in his books.

His work is often compared to that of Stephen King, Peter Straub and Dean Koontz, although Sharpe is complimented for his own distinctive style.

His novel Gebroken Geheugen (Broken Memory) – that he wrote together with the late Jos Weijmer – was nominated for the Harland Awards for best novel of 2015 and received an honorable mention for extraordinary originality. Eden was nominated for a Bastaard Fantasy Award 2016.

So far 10 novels and several short stories have been published in The Netherlands and Belgium. One of these, Eden, is translated to English, just like the first chapters of Broken Memory and a few short stories.

Sharpe has been a member of the GNM (Society for Dutch Crime Authors) since 2014.

For more information see: www.jsharpebooks.com

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5 stars
29 (24%)
4 stars
26 (21%)
3 stars
41 (34%)
2 stars
16 (13%)
1 star
8 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣.
2,541 reviews19.2k followers
March 31, 2019
A bunch of 'bat-shit crazy maniacs' roaming the apocalypse world. Intriguing but unfinished. This time the world goes out with a bang!
What angels might have to do with it (see the blurb) - I've no idea!
Q:
This was not exactly what I’d call a glorious awakening. (c) The understatement of the book.
Q:
My guess was he praised God on his bare knees every single night for this job at the police force, because the look in his eyes – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody look that vacant in my lifetime – convinced me that no other workplace would have allowed him to get a position at the top. (c) Ha-ha!
Q:
“You wouldn’t believe the lengths people go to for a bit of attention.”
“You’re one sick puppy, you know that?” (c)
Q:
“I don’t know what to think, Ma’am. That’s exactly my problem.” (c)
Q:
“So let me get this straight: you think I’m in cahoots with the boy and girl who found me, that we all agreed to them tying me up naked because that’s my kind of kink, after which they – what, forgot about me or left me there for days on purpose?
“The possibility exists.”
“In your mind, maybe.”
“Admittedly it’s a long shot, but…”
“Gee, you think?” (c)
Q:
“It took the world just a half hour to go completely nuts!” (c)
Profile Image for Jesus Velasco.
440 reviews
September 12, 2025
Edén tiene una premisa inicial fascinante y llena de potencial. La escena en la que Anna se despierta atada a una silla, solo para presenciar el suicidio de su doble, es impactante y promete un thriller psicológico o paranatural lleno de misterio.
Sin embargo, el libro peca de sobrecargar la trama con demasiados elementos inexplicables y aparentemente desconectados. Si bien el ritmo es ágil y siempre está pasando algo, muchas de estas escenas no llegan a cohesionarse de manera satisfactoria. En lugar de profundizar en los conceptos que presenta, la historia salta de una situación catastrófica a otra sin dar respuestas claras, lo que termina por generar frustración en lugar de suspense.
El final, aunque intenta dejar el camino listo para la secuela, no ofrece un clímax suficientemente atractivo o resolutivo como para motivar la continuación inmediata. Quedan demasiados hilos sueltos sin una recompensa narrativa que justifique haber llegado hasta ahí.
Profile Image for Luna Theresena.
4 reviews
April 14, 2018
4.5/5
I thought this will be a ghostly horror, but it certainly not! This is an apocalypse kind of horror where it's described the Earth's destruction in a realistic way as the world we know.
The story were so exciting, it makes me always carving for the next chapter. Even though I still a little bit confused when the more I read, the more questions I have (the reason why I took away 0.5 point out of 5) but that doesn't make me put this book to an end! Well, it's still part 1, so I'm in need for part 2!
I was surprised knowing J.Sharpe choose his protagonist as a female. And he do it very well to make Anna as fierce as it is! Not just Anna. The other characters has it's own strong point that makes this story so intense!
I like how he 'warn' readers in the first page about how this story might be offensive to people of faith, so we'll knew what's coming. While I am a believer, I still fall in love with this story.
Profile Image for Natanny ✨.
68 reviews3 followers
April 13, 2020
"Aqui estávamos nós, a raça humana, fingindo por décadas ser superior a todas as outras espécies, que tudo girava ao nosso redor, mas a verdade era outra: a vida e o mundo seguiram muito bem sem nós."

⭐⭐⭐

Não dava muita coisa por essa leitura, tanto que iniciei o livro sem muitas expectativas. A sinopse me chamou a atenção e só; porém, não é uma leitura de todo ruim. Algumas partes são muito bem escritas e chegaram a me lembrar — muito — 'Caixa de pássaros', e ponderei até dar quatro estrelas, mas senti que a leitura oscilou muito e o primeiro mistério apresentado não se encaixa muito bem com o segundo ato, é claro que isso pode ser resolvido na parte 2, mas provavelmente não irei ler agora, talvez mais pra frente. De qualquer modo me agradou na medida do possível; nada que a parte 2 não possa resolver.
Profile Image for Xapphirea.
248 reviews7 followers
February 2, 2020
+ excellent writing style
+ great beginning
+ love the dog
- it feels far fetched
- not all ends are tied
- No dragons
Profile Image for Ferry Visser.
390 reviews7 followers
December 26, 2019
Dit jaar verscheen op Castlefest ‘Donkere herinneringen’, een bundel met achttien verhalen van J. Sharpe (Joris van Leeuwen). Het is een boeiende compilatie van de ontwikkeling van een van de meest intrigerende slipstream auteurs binnen het fantastische genre.
Is dit een goede verhalenbundel? Het motief (en thema) dat deze verhalen verbindt is verlies. Dit wordt op een variërende manier gebruikt en maakt het tot een geheel en een geslaagde bundel. Qua thematiek is het boek heel divers en een uitstekende eerste kennismaking met het werk van deze belangrijke thrillerauteur.
‘Koningin van het woud’ is een van mijn favoriete verhalen in deze bundel. Het is een beklemmend verhaal over een metamorfose, dat zich afspeelt in de wereld van het Terretoria- tweeluik. Het thema van dit verhaal gaat over de relatie tussen uiterlijk en innerlijk. Sharpe speelt hier een cynisch spel mee en dat maakt het voor mij is een van de beste verhalen die hij tot nu toe geschreven heeft.
Verder doen enkele verhalen doen denken aan het werk van Jonathan Carroll, een schrijver van magisch realistische slipstream, zoals ‘De ongenode gast’. Dit verhaal is een prachtig magisch realistisch pareltje, dat naast heel spannend ook erg tragisch is. Daarnaast verwijst het op perfecte wijze naar een van de grote problemen van deze tijd, waardoor het eerder magisch realistische literatuur te noemen is, dan horror.
‘Wederkeer’ is kort verhaal en laat een van de sterke kanten van Sharpe zien, namelijk het op een originele manier tastbaar maken van hele abstracte concepten. Er zijn overeenkomsten met ‘Eden, alleen is dit lichter en toegankelijker. Voor mijn gevoel leent dit verhaal zich prima als basis voor een roman.
Het beste verhaal is naar mijn mening ‘Het meisje dat vlam kon vatten’, omdat qua verhaaltechniek en semantische betekenis van enkele motieven het laat zien wat de auteur in huis heeft. Dit meesterlijke verhaal is een raamvertelling met een twist op het einde, die de lezer niet ziet aankomen. Sharpe bewijst de stof te beheersen waar hij over schrijf door de betekenis van water (vrouwelijk) en vuur (mannelijk element) op een bijzondere manier te gebruiken.
Kortom, voor de lezers die willen kennismaken met het werk van een van de beste Nederlandstalige slipstream auteurs, is dit een ideale eerste kennismaking, omdat het laat zien wat J. Sharpe in huis heeft. #donkereherinneringen #jsharpe #uitgeverijzilverspoor
Profile Image for Adriana Bustamante.
15 reviews1 follower
November 25, 2018
Autor: @jsharpebooks
Primera Parte
Libro: EDEN
Valoración: 🌟🌟🌟⭐
⭐=0.5

Hola... quiero compartir con ustedes una nueva reseña y mi opinión. Esta vez del escritor #jdharpe el libro se llama #eden , y lo pueden encontrar en #amazon #kindle la primera parte esta total mente gratis
#opinionpersonal

Es un libro que en lo personal me tubo atrapada en su misterio en las primeras líneas, es un genero que en realidad casi no leo pero este libro despertó mi curiosidad por este, ¿lo recomiendo? Claro que lo
recomiendo como es parte de una serie creo que este libro despertará tu curiosidad por el resto de la historia. ¿Por que 3.5 estrellas ? Por que que a mi parecer estuvo muy bueno pero creo que el final hubiese quedado mejor si hubiera sido en una situación de extremo suspenso.

#reseña
Todo comienza con ana en medio de un dudoso despertar en una situación la cual ella no recuerda como llego allí, en medio de su agonía es descubierta por 2 personas, las cuales la auxilian y la llevan a un lugar seguro, luego de su despertar en el hospital. Resulta que ella a estado desaparecida 2 años de los cuales ella no recuerda nada. Y así es como inicia su travesía, y rodeada de intriga empiezan a suceder cosas las cuales parece que son causa de ella.
#meencantanloslibros #guatelibros #instaphotos #meencantaleer #adoptolibros #amorporloslibros #oloralibroviejo #instagramersgt #instabook #instagramers #bookinstagram #bookstagramer #instalibros #lovebooks #amoleer #amoloslibros #adoroleer #adoroloslibros #megustaleer #megustalalectura #megustanloslibros #locaporloslibros #locaporlalectura
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Booksandcoffeemx.
2,482 reviews128 followers
August 30, 2019
“We always know death is waiting for us, but only when you actually turn that corner do you realize just how fragile life really is.”
-
Ana wakes up naked and tied to a chair in an empty room, a woman who looks just like her is in there, with tears in her eyes the woman puts a gun to her head and kills herself.
She is rescued days later and when she wakes up in the hospital she finds out that she is being treated as a suspect by the police.
Wow, this is one of those stories that once you start reading just can’t put it down, it’s an apocalyptic thriller full of catastrophic events that describes the destruction of the world.
It was a short and fast paced story that blew my mind, can’t wait to read the second part.
This book was nominated for the Ducth Bastaard Fantasy Award.
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“I don’t really beleive what’s happening right now. I feel as though I’m trapped in a nightmare and I just can’t wake up.”
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“The entire world seemed to be at war.”
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“The world would never be its colorfull self again after what happened, not in the way I once knew it.”
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Thank you J.Sharpe for giving me the opportunity yo read and review your book.
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http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoff...
Profile Image for Carole.
616 reviews
February 23, 2020
Creepy story

First of all, Eden comes in 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2.
The subtitle is: ‘will you survive a new plague?’ It really is a fast paced post-apocalyptic suspense novel, and it is not for the faint of heart.
The book starts with a young girl who wakes up tied to a chair, only to discover she has been gone for 2 years. She can’t explain what’s happened or where she’s been for the last 2 years. The future isn’t going to get any better.
Creepy twists and turns, scary Biblical references, and a really clever author who creates very real characters.
This is Judgment Day.

Profile Image for B. Truly.
Author 17 books380 followers
October 9, 2020
4.5 Star

The plot of this book was awesome. It was refreshing reading something different. It reminded me a little of the show Dominion with the 8 ball Angels.
Angels possessing bodies and killing all humans was a thrilling concept. Trust no one. This book was intense and had me on the edge of my seat. I felt like I was reading horror—not just a mystery, thriller.
The book was well-written and I wasn’t sure how things were going to work out. I was relieved it turned out to be a test and their was some form of happily ever after. Or shall I say, new beginnings. I hoping that the author decides to write a sequel. This book was one of the best I've read this yea
Profile Image for Michelle Willms.
555 reviews45 followers
February 11, 2018
Beginning of the end

This was the first part of a series. As such, it didn't really tell us much about anything at all. There was enough intrigue to make me want to read the next installment, except for one detail (which is sort of a minor spoiler). It is really hard to care about a main character who locks an injured dog in an attic and then just gets in a jeep to leave him without even a single thought.
Profile Image for Kim Tusscher.
Author 23 books93 followers
July 6, 2018
When I start reading a book by J. Sharpe it's almost a game of trying to get inside this authors head and try to predict where the story is going. I've read 5 books by J. Sharpe so far and I was never able to predict it. Every time I think I know what's going to happen next, he throws everything upside down and the story takes a new direction. This results in wanting to finish the book, because this is the only way to know the truth. Or is it?
Fast paced, mind blowing and an absolute must read.
35 reviews
May 8, 2025
Sinceramente no he entendido nada. Entiendo que es una primera parte y que si lo compras te enteras más de la historia, pero lo poco que he leído no me ha dado respuestas de nada, nada tiene sentido.

En cuanto al vocabulario, a repetido en la misma frase "coraje" mínimo 4 veces.

Dudo que siga leyendo esta historia, puesto que no hacía más que repetirse lo mismo todo el rato, y no se daban ni pistas ni pequeñas explicaciones de nada en absoluto.
Profile Image for Kat.
135 reviews3 followers
August 16, 2019
Very short but cool book! This is part 1 of 4 (the other 3 parts are in book 2). This first book doesn't reveal much about what's happening and it gets really confusing, which is why I gave it a 4 start. But it was an exciting book and action packed. So much happens in such a short time span! And it's creepy. Really creepy and quite gory. Fun, short read!
Profile Image for Eleonor Rose.
268 reviews8 followers
July 31, 2021
Creo que este libro es tan real que realmente asusta que algo así pudiese llegar a pasar. Es un libro realmente corto ya que solo es la parte 1 pero es muy real y te hace sentir demasiado, te hace ponerte en el lugar de Anna y temer estar en su lugar.
Profile Image for Diana Gómez.
57 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2025
Necesito leer la segunda parte para entender de que va todo, porque terminé esta parte con muchas dudas… sin embargo, me urge saber qué continuará, ya que es una historia intrigante y con mucho misterio (al menos la primera parte)
Profile Image for Tamara.
569 reviews54 followers
February 11, 2018
3+ stars - bordering on 4 but not quite. It's a decent read and does make the reader curious about the next installment - curious about the author's development.
Profile Image for Sandy Michael.
82 reviews6 followers
March 1, 2018
On to Part II !

Looking forward to finding an explanation to a few things that happened in Part I. Good job J.Sharpe! Keep it coming.
33 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2018
Que entretenido

Me ha encantado la historia solo quiero saber como continua, estoy muy entusiasmada con lo que puede seguir....muy interesante e innovador
Profile Image for Annie.
10 reviews
September 20, 2025
Did I like the book? Absolutely! Did I hate the ending? Absolutely.....
It's the reason why I'm giving it (barely) 4/5 stars.
The horror is well-written. So are the main character's thoughts and the way she deals with the whole 'apocalypse' but the nearer I got to the ending the more I thought 'seriously?' So yeah. Good read up until the last few chapters.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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