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Zodiac
In a corrupt and volatile society where people are divided and defined by zodiac signs, status is cast at birth and binding forever. The line between a life of luxury and an existence of poverty can be determined by the stroke of midnight.When a series of uniquely brutal murders targets victims of totally different signs, is it a misguided revolution or the work of a serial killer?All eyes are on Detective Jerome Burton and Profiler Lindi Childs. They may disagree over whether the answers are written in the stars, but they are united by their belief that a grand plan is being executed...
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First published January 1, 2016
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About the author
Sam Wilson
9 books47 followersSam Wilson is a writer and TV director working in Cape Town.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
August 1, 2018
3.75 estrellas
Es un libro bastante entretenido que es contado al rededor de una sociedad distópica dividida por los signos del zodiaco. Además, también es un thriller/policial así que es una receta para pasarla bien.
Aprendí bastante sobre el mundo astrológico del que tanto desconozco (no sabía nada de el aparte de que era Virgo) así que eso me gustó, poderme sumergir un poco por ese lado.
Es una lectura bastante light y que me dejó con algunas ganas de más. Aún así, la idea es interesante y si te llama la atención el tema seguro la pasas bien leyéndolo.
No termina siendo un 4 estrellas por eso le puse 3.75 xd
Es un libro bastante entretenido que es contado al rededor de una sociedad distópica dividida por los signos del zodiaco. Además, también es un thriller/policial así que es una receta para pasarla bien.
Aprendí bastante sobre el mundo astrológico del que tanto desconozco (no sabía nada de el aparte de que era Virgo) así que eso me gustó, poderme sumergir un poco por ese lado.
Es una lectura bastante light y que me dejó con algunas ganas de más. Aún así, la idea es interesante y si te llama la atención el tema seguro la pasas bien leyéndolo.
No termina siendo un 4 estrellas por eso le puse 3.75 xd
July 3, 2016
Zodiac is a clever and very intriguing book – the world Sam Wilson creates here is fascinating and allows for some allegorical social study and honestly, its a banging good thriller too. It works so well because the author presents this world as fact, doesnt over explain and by a couple of chapters in you would almost imagine this IS our world and you are reading a reality based crime story rather than what it is – a beautiful mix of speculative fiction and (sort of) serial killer thriller. That right there is a talent.
Your starsign defines you. There is no room for compromise in this, you are who you are depending on the date and time of your birth. Enter into this two opposing characters – Detective Jerome Burton who is unconvinced by the whole astrology thing (and has to walk a VERY fine line because of this) and profiler Lindi Childs. She profiles of course, with star charts and readings – something accepted and utilised in the prevention and detection of crime. I loved the yin/yang of these two and the author plays on their differences beautifully – the relationship between them is definitely one of the defining aspects of “Zodiac” another reason why its so intensely addictive.
Then we have Daniel Lapton, a privileged man who discovers that he has a daughter. Her circumstances are not so clear cut and he finds his assumptions and realities challenged at every level. I really loved how Sam Wilson integrated this into the wider plot allowing for an incredibly insightful character study and Daniel’s personal journey is a compelling one.
Plenty of thrills and spills and death and destruction too as people from all starsigns start to die – the plotting is tight and clever, the resolution perfectly executed and I found Zodiac to be a real page turner, where the moral grey areas are many and there are challenges to your thinking at every turn. As a fan of many genres it was nice to see an author cross the boundaries and do it really quite well.
Recommended. Can’t wait for more.
Your starsign defines you. There is no room for compromise in this, you are who you are depending on the date and time of your birth. Enter into this two opposing characters – Detective Jerome Burton who is unconvinced by the whole astrology thing (and has to walk a VERY fine line because of this) and profiler Lindi Childs. She profiles of course, with star charts and readings – something accepted and utilised in the prevention and detection of crime. I loved the yin/yang of these two and the author plays on their differences beautifully – the relationship between them is definitely one of the defining aspects of “Zodiac” another reason why its so intensely addictive.
Then we have Daniel Lapton, a privileged man who discovers that he has a daughter. Her circumstances are not so clear cut and he finds his assumptions and realities challenged at every level. I really loved how Sam Wilson integrated this into the wider plot allowing for an incredibly insightful character study and Daniel’s personal journey is a compelling one.
Plenty of thrills and spills and death and destruction too as people from all starsigns start to die – the plotting is tight and clever, the resolution perfectly executed and I found Zodiac to be a real page turner, where the moral grey areas are many and there are challenges to your thinking at every turn. As a fan of many genres it was nice to see an author cross the boundaries and do it really quite well.
Recommended. Can’t wait for more.
April 13, 2017
The author has created a world that plagues society, much like what we experience here and now ... except people are judged not by their color, race, religion, nor even gender.... but by their birth signs, date and time of birth.
The 12 zodiac signs are representative of different neighborhoods, different schools, different job markets. Capricorns are the elite. Aries are at the bottom of the pack. This is where you will find the thugs, criminal elements. They are profiled, strip searched, and made to produce their identity documents.
Babies are induced early so as to choose what sign they will be under. Parents must try to have their children born under their astrological sign or it can cause major difficulties. One could be forced to move or to give up a job or social standing because their child is born under the wrong sign...
With adoptions, for example, parents are heard to say ... " We're going to raise him/her in a Gemini household but will make sure he/she (Libra baby) will get lots of exposure to other Libras.
Detective Jerome Butler has his hands full. A maid discovers her boss dead in his back yard. He was the Chief of Police. The maid has disappeared.
Daniel Layton has just discovered he has a 17-year-old daughter. When he tries to track her down, he finds she has also disappeared and cannot be found.
And more bodies will fall .....
When crime soars in this alternative world, psychics and regular profilers are not called in to help. Instead they get Lindi Childs, an astrological profiler. She does readings on suspects and victims alike.
But who is the killer and why is he killing? What these characters find are extremely disturbing.
This amazing debut novel is the most original crime thriller I have read in quite some time. I gave it 5 stars for being well-written so seamlessly and for originality. I can't wait to see what this author will come up with next.
Many thanks to the author / Pegasus Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of ZODIAC. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 9, 2019
OMG! THIS WAS SUCH A BAD BOOK
So I went into this expecting that the main storyline would be along the lines of there is a serial killer on the loose and he is targeting victims based on their Zodiac signs. Cool.
But no....
A detective got killed and the book was trying to figure out who did it, which is fine but what wasn't fine was the fact it was set in this world where everyone is obsessed with star signs.
Like, if you hear someone speak on the phone they have a ' virgo accent' or instead of bringing in a forensic psychologist to help with the case they bring in an astrologist to help. They would look at the moons and stars and that would tell them something about something... I really don't know what they were on about.
Certain star signs were bad and parents would pay people to forge their birth certificates so they were the same star sign as them or them delivered very early and risk their health just so they could be the 'right' star sign...
Don't get me wrong I respect people who are interested in star signs. If that's what you want to believe that is absolutely fine but omg this book was ridiculous.
I read it on ebook so I couldn't throw it across the room but omg I had to do some deep breaths at mutiple points during the book to contain myself.
There was also a million and one characters which I couldn't keep up with.
This is definitely making it in to the worst books of 2019 list for sure
TW: suicide and depression
So I went into this expecting that the main storyline would be along the lines of there is a serial killer on the loose and he is targeting victims based on their Zodiac signs. Cool.
But no....
A detective got killed and the book was trying to figure out who did it, which is fine but what wasn't fine was the fact it was set in this world where everyone is obsessed with star signs.
Like, if you hear someone speak on the phone they have a ' virgo accent' or instead of bringing in a forensic psychologist to help with the case they bring in an astrologist to help. They would look at the moons and stars and that would tell them something about something... I really don't know what they were on about.
Certain star signs were bad and parents would pay people to forge their birth certificates so they were the same star sign as them or them delivered very early and risk their health just so they could be the 'right' star sign...
Don't get me wrong I respect people who are interested in star signs. If that's what you want to believe that is absolutely fine but omg this book was ridiculous.
I read it on ebook so I couldn't throw it across the room but omg I had to do some deep breaths at mutiple points during the book to contain myself.
There was also a million and one characters which I couldn't keep up with.
This is definitely making it in to the worst books of 2019 list for sure
TW: suicide and depression
March 29, 2019
Kitabın konusu çok ilginç. İyi ki okumuşum dediğim bir kitap.
Toplum burçlara göre sınıflandırılmış ve her burç kendi kaderini yaşıyor. Örneğin Koç’lar suçlulardan oluşuyor. Boğa’lar polis oluyor. Oğlak’lar en zenginler.
Sonra farklı burçlardan insanlar ölmeye başlıyor.
Gerilimi çok iyi ve sürüklüyor. Tek tatmin etmeyen şey sonuydu. Sonu pek hoşuma gitmedi.
Polisiye severler bu kitabı seveceksiniz 🥰
Toplum burçlara göre sınıflandırılmış ve her burç kendi kaderini yaşıyor. Örneğin Koç’lar suçlulardan oluşuyor. Boğa’lar polis oluyor. Oğlak’lar en zenginler.
Sonra farklı burçlardan insanlar ölmeye başlıyor.
Gerilimi çok iyi ve sürüklüyor. Tek tatmin etmeyen şey sonuydu. Sonu pek hoşuma gitmedi.
Polisiye severler bu kitabı seveceksiniz 🥰
March 5, 2019
Thriller distópico flojito.
Una buena idea de partida pero muy poco desarrollada. El mundo basado en la discriminación por signo se parece demasiado a la discriminación racial que padecemos, no está trabajado ni explicado.
La parte de Thriller no es mala pero demasiado simplona y con unos personajes que no acaban de salir de los clichés.
Poco que sacar de este libro, salvo que se lee fácil.
Una buena idea de partida pero muy poco desarrollada. El mundo basado en la discriminación por signo se parece demasiado a la discriminación racial que padecemos, no está trabajado ni explicado.
La parte de Thriller no es mala pero demasiado simplona y con unos personajes que no acaban de salir de los clichés.
Poco que sacar de este libro, salvo que se lee fácil.
November 3, 2016
Also find my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-review...
Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this book in an exchange for a review.
"How much worse would the world be if everyone was colour-coded? If people thought they could tell someone's essence at a glance, and discrimination became purely thoughtless? … Maybe people wouldn't spend so much time making sure they acted, sounded and thought the same as their neighbours, if they weren't terrified of being mistaken for the wrong sign. Maybe they'd realise how arbitrary it truly was."
This was such a tricky debut novel. The premise was incredibly unique and intriguing that it almost became difficult for the author to live up to the expectations of the plot. Not to say that all debut crime novels are crap but this was such a complex story that I think only really experienced writers like Stephen King or even Gillian Flynn could have shaped it into what it was supposed to be.
I was initially attracted to this book because of the front cover and because the idea of a society where you are segregated by your star sign is a really interesting and unique twist on a look at modern society. Plus I love a crime thriller and had read some good things about this already.
To my disappointment, I felt this started off really slow. I almost couldn’t get into it, but I decided to push myself to continue reading. Only at around 30 - 40% did I finally start to enjoy this. I think a big problem for me was the writing. I often found it a bit clunky and overly descriptive, plus a few spelling and grammar mistakes threw me off. (I hope there's a lot of proofreading before this gets published!)
Though the plot got better, more fast paced and more exciting I still found it difficult to like any of the characters. Burton was a little pretentious and overly insecure. Lindi was as useful as a medium. Mendez was a little bitch. Daniel was mopey and selfish. Cray was your typical dislikable teen gangster. Bram was needy and childish. Maria was supposed to be a kind character but all she did was resent her job and her life. Maybe I’m being a little harsh but I found it difficult to like or relate to any of them.
I felt there was a lot left unsaid when it came to the characters too. Like what happened between Burton and his wife? They were completely fine and loved up one minute and then the next he was saying “he knew she was separating from his life”, but why? Also after the whole Bram thing, he said ”Justice was coming for them all” but again, when did that happen in the novel?
Unfortunately I predicted the twist before the 50% mark, I don’t think it was that hard to guess, so that took away some of the excitement of finding out what was going on and getting our killers motive. By the time we find out who our killer is and the Aries people are rising up it all got too confusing for me. There was too much going on in each scene that my mind couldn't focus on any of it!
I’ve given this 3 stars because there was a good story line there and at times some quite nice writing but it was a mediocre book in my mind, not particularly memorable.
On another note, the Ram Squad reminded me of the all the different gangs in Saints Row and the entire Ariesville had a very Gotham vibe to it.
Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this book in an exchange for a review.
"How much worse would the world be if everyone was colour-coded? If people thought they could tell someone's essence at a glance, and discrimination became purely thoughtless? … Maybe people wouldn't spend so much time making sure they acted, sounded and thought the same as their neighbours, if they weren't terrified of being mistaken for the wrong sign. Maybe they'd realise how arbitrary it truly was."
This was such a tricky debut novel. The premise was incredibly unique and intriguing that it almost became difficult for the author to live up to the expectations of the plot. Not to say that all debut crime novels are crap but this was such a complex story that I think only really experienced writers like Stephen King or even Gillian Flynn could have shaped it into what it was supposed to be.
I was initially attracted to this book because of the front cover and because the idea of a society where you are segregated by your star sign is a really interesting and unique twist on a look at modern society. Plus I love a crime thriller and had read some good things about this already.
To my disappointment, I felt this started off really slow. I almost couldn’t get into it, but I decided to push myself to continue reading. Only at around 30 - 40% did I finally start to enjoy this. I think a big problem for me was the writing. I often found it a bit clunky and overly descriptive, plus a few spelling and grammar mistakes threw me off. (I hope there's a lot of proofreading before this gets published!)
Though the plot got better, more fast paced and more exciting I still found it difficult to like any of the characters. Burton was a little pretentious and overly insecure. Lindi was as useful as a medium. Mendez was a little bitch. Daniel was mopey and selfish. Cray was your typical dislikable teen gangster. Bram was needy and childish. Maria was supposed to be a kind character but all she did was resent her job and her life. Maybe I’m being a little harsh but I found it difficult to like or relate to any of them.
I felt there was a lot left unsaid when it came to the characters too. Like what happened between Burton and his wife? They were completely fine and loved up one minute and then the next he was saying “he knew she was separating from his life”, but why? Also after the whole Bram thing, he said ”Justice was coming for them all” but again, when did that happen in the novel?
Unfortunately I predicted the twist before the 50% mark, I don’t think it was that hard to guess, so that took away some of the excitement of finding out what was going on and getting our killers motive. By the time we find out who our killer is and the Aries people are rising up it all got too confusing for me. There was too much going on in each scene that my mind couldn't focus on any of it!
I’ve given this 3 stars because there was a good story line there and at times some quite nice writing but it was a mediocre book in my mind, not particularly memorable.
On another note, the Ram Squad reminded me of the all the different gangs in Saints Row and the entire Ariesville had a very Gotham vibe to it.
May 30, 2017
Review can also be found at: https://overtherainbowbookblog.wordpr...
In Zodiac, Sam Wilson has created the most amazingly realistic and frightening world. It was scary to imagine a world were something like star signs could determine your whole life. Especially if you are an Aries, like me, so would be one of the criminal underclass in this world. The author does a great job in describing the world and the reader quickly gets immersed into it. I liked that the author had even created unique words like ‘signist’, meaning someone who is prejudice against the lower signs.
There is a lot of unfairness throughout this book which, at times, made my blood boil. Some of the inequality described towards the lower signs was astounding. I couldn’t believe that there were laws that allowed the police to deal with out of control Aries whatever way they wanted without fear of repercussions. It reminded me a bit of apartheid in South Africa where I believe the police had similar powers, although I’m not sure that’s what the author intended.
The book tackles a lot of interesting theories which have led to great debates between my family and friends. Does your star sign determine your personality and would the same person turn out differently if they were given different opportunities or chances. This is something that is touched upon a lot throughout the book, especially when one character discovers he’s a lower sign then he had thought. He had grown up with a great education, childhood, lots of friends and had ended up with a great career which he wouldn’t have had his true sign been known. It made me wonder if this is true in our world.
The story is told from two points of view. The first is detective Burton, the lead detective in the murder investigation. The second is Daniel Lapton, a business man looking for his missing daughter and for a way to make the world more equal for everyone. I liked both characters and enjoyed reading both parts of the story. They both go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover more about themselves and the unfairness of the world they live in. I found that I cared for them both and kept reading to find out what would happen next. They way their two stories comes together was very exciting and unexpected. It was one of those moments that made me sit up and read faster as I absorbed what was happening!
The murder investigation, although part of the book, isn’t always the main focus of the story. Instead the story sometimes moves other ways, which gives the reader more insight into the characters and the world they inhabit.
There is a lot of astrology mentioned in the book which was very interesting to learn more about though some parts, I’ll admit, were a little complicated for me to follow.
The ending was brilliant! So action packed that I couldn’t put it down and read long into the night. I don’t think I remember a better ending for a book, as most of the time the action tends to stop towards the end but this one was action packed right to the end. There were a few characters that I would have like to have seen get their comeuppance but that might have made the ending too perfect.
This is Sam Wilson’s debut novel and I will definitely be reading more of his books. In fact I believe there is a sequel planned set in the same world which I will look forward to! If you like action packed, dystopian novels you’ll love this book. It might also suit people who like fantasy or science fiction as the author has really created a fascinating world.
Huge thanks to Sarah Harwood and Michael St Joseph publishers for my copy of this book. I absolutely loved it and its definitely one of my top books ever!
In Zodiac, Sam Wilson has created the most amazingly realistic and frightening world. It was scary to imagine a world were something like star signs could determine your whole life. Especially if you are an Aries, like me, so would be one of the criminal underclass in this world. The author does a great job in describing the world and the reader quickly gets immersed into it. I liked that the author had even created unique words like ‘signist’, meaning someone who is prejudice against the lower signs.
There is a lot of unfairness throughout this book which, at times, made my blood boil. Some of the inequality described towards the lower signs was astounding. I couldn’t believe that there were laws that allowed the police to deal with out of control Aries whatever way they wanted without fear of repercussions. It reminded me a bit of apartheid in South Africa where I believe the police had similar powers, although I’m not sure that’s what the author intended.
The book tackles a lot of interesting theories which have led to great debates between my family and friends. Does your star sign determine your personality and would the same person turn out differently if they were given different opportunities or chances. This is something that is touched upon a lot throughout the book, especially when one character discovers he’s a lower sign then he had thought. He had grown up with a great education, childhood, lots of friends and had ended up with a great career which he wouldn’t have had his true sign been known. It made me wonder if this is true in our world.
The story is told from two points of view. The first is detective Burton, the lead detective in the murder investigation. The second is Daniel Lapton, a business man looking for his missing daughter and for a way to make the world more equal for everyone. I liked both characters and enjoyed reading both parts of the story. They both go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover more about themselves and the unfairness of the world they live in. I found that I cared for them both and kept reading to find out what would happen next. They way their two stories comes together was very exciting and unexpected. It was one of those moments that made me sit up and read faster as I absorbed what was happening!
The murder investigation, although part of the book, isn’t always the main focus of the story. Instead the story sometimes moves other ways, which gives the reader more insight into the characters and the world they inhabit.
There is a lot of astrology mentioned in the book which was very interesting to learn more about though some parts, I’ll admit, were a little complicated for me to follow.
The ending was brilliant! So action packed that I couldn’t put it down and read long into the night. I don’t think I remember a better ending for a book, as most of the time the action tends to stop towards the end but this one was action packed right to the end. There were a few characters that I would have like to have seen get their comeuppance but that might have made the ending too perfect.
This is Sam Wilson’s debut novel and I will definitely be reading more of his books. In fact I believe there is a sequel planned set in the same world which I will look forward to! If you like action packed, dystopian novels you’ll love this book. It might also suit people who like fantasy or science fiction as the author has really created a fascinating world.
Huge thanks to Sarah Harwood and Michael St Joseph publishers for my copy of this book. I absolutely loved it and its definitely one of my top books ever!
March 12, 2019
Empecé este libro esperando encontrar una distopía pero a pesar de que la sociedad esté dividida según su horóscopo, no he encontrado más características de este género. Sin embargo, como libro policiaco me ha gustado bastante.
La investigación de asesinato por parte del detective está muy bien llevada y cada pista les lleva a otra persona o lugar que hace que el puzzle esté un poco más completo. Juntar a dos personajes tan distintos como Burton y Lindi es un acierto porque se complementan a la hora de pensar e investigar y acaban siendo ambos necesarios para el desenlace.
Al principio no entendía la historia de Daniel y que relación podía tener con el caso pero conforme avanzaba las páginas me fue intrigando más y más y me ha acabado encantando.
Sinceramente, creo que ha valido la pena leer el libro a pesar de no pertenecer al género que yo buscaba.
La investigación de asesinato por parte del detective está muy bien llevada y cada pista les lleva a otra persona o lugar que hace que el puzzle esté un poco más completo. Juntar a dos personajes tan distintos como Burton y Lindi es un acierto porque se complementan a la hora de pensar e investigar y acaban siendo ambos necesarios para el desenlace.
Al principio no entendía la historia de Daniel y que relación podía tener con el caso pero conforme avanzaba las páginas me fue intrigando más y más y me ha acabado encantando.
Sinceramente, creo que ha valido la pena leer el libro a pesar de no pertenecer al género que yo buscaba.
March 7, 2019
No vale la pena el tiempo empleado en su lectura. Muy simple.
June 27, 2017
I loved this book. It did start out a little off (writing) but it quickly found its groove. There was a natural flow to the book that grabbed your eyes from the beginning and held them hostage until the end. Incorporating zodiac signs as an integral part of the story could have gone either way, but it worked out beautifully. For a debut novel... I can't wait to see what Wilson writes next!
April 6, 2016
I was totally enthralled and entertained by this book and found it to be a very clever commentary on society as a whole. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a page turning thriller that will also get you thinking. I expect it's going to be a very divisive novel and would recommend going in with an open mind, definitely free up a few hours when you start because if you're like me you won't put it down!
July 31, 2017
I really wanted to read this novel when I saw the stunning cover with that caption line. Those who know me won’t be surprised though if I tell that I really never read dystopian books. The first and last one I read was years ago and didn’t really appeal to me in the end. So it might be even more suprising if I say that I actually enjoyed Zodiac.
A lot of it of course is the merit of this really interesting concept of a society based on different signs and the idea that you can’t treat people of different signs the same way because people of different signs behave differently. Sounds plausible right ;-)? Right, until of course there’s a whole hierarchy based upon this principle and some signs are regarded more highly than others. This novel focuses mainly on 2, 3 signs: being a Capricorn or a Taurus brings you a good status, but the lowest sign of all is Aries. They are prone to violence, they live in bad neighbourhoods, they are the most unemployed and the biggest population in prison are Aries too. But then of course they get caught most because – according to some – they are sought out, a stop and search for them is the new norm. One of them who raises his voice against the oppression of his sign is Solomon Mahout, leader of Aries Rising. On the other side there’s also the RAM Squad, a special unit set up to control the Aries population.
I read it all with a lot of interest and really didn’t think I could get lost in this world as much as I did. There is an overview about each sign before the novel kicks-off. I was apprehensive about what I would find further on in the novel because the mention of a sci-fi and fantasy culture didn’t seem like it was talking about me as a Virgo. In the novel itself I did find one reference to my own sign that sounds more like it though ;-):
Virgos […] were smart and interesting and independent, but they were often so socially blunt that talking to them was like boxing.
Anyway, onto the story itself. The first murder victim they find was working at the police force in one of the highest ranks. Detective Jerome Burton is assigned to the investigation and gets help from astrologer Lindi Childs. She’s going to see if the murderer’s profile fits based on his birth charts. Riiiight. Queue my sigh ;-). Thankfully the weight of this approach wasn’t hanging over the novel at all :-). Burton has his own personal struggles too, about his sign and about the sign his unborn child will be born into. Children will be born sooner to get the right sign but that might have consequences for its health too of course. Of course there’s also fraud with birth certificates and there’s even a school, The True Signs Academy, for children who have to learn the necessary code of behaviour to fit into their sign then. There was obviously put a lot of thought in all of this and it’s strange but I was completely loving this!
At the same time there’s a guy (capricorn) Daniel who stumbled upon a secret his father kept from him and is following his own investigation with the help of some Aries kid he ran into. Until suddenly someone Burton interviews leads them to the same place. The thing that confused me a little were these two plotlines and it took me quite a while to realise that they don’t start out at the same time.. the plotline with Daniel starts much earlier than the other one but that wasn’t made clear, it’s actually years ago in the past and it’s only towards the ending that they are both coming together gloriously in the present.
The last part of the novel held threats, danger and quite a bit of battle and action. Unfortunately, I still didn’t grasp all that well what the murders were about in the end and I found that the motive for the murders wasn’t explained thoroughly enough. Personally, I found the world-building and everything in it a little more interesting than some people’s fantastical ideas but then it might be just me, so don’t let that put you off.
A lot of it of course is the merit of this really interesting concept of a society based on different signs and the idea that you can’t treat people of different signs the same way because people of different signs behave differently. Sounds plausible right ;-)? Right, until of course there’s a whole hierarchy based upon this principle and some signs are regarded more highly than others. This novel focuses mainly on 2, 3 signs: being a Capricorn or a Taurus brings you a good status, but the lowest sign of all is Aries. They are prone to violence, they live in bad neighbourhoods, they are the most unemployed and the biggest population in prison are Aries too. But then of course they get caught most because – according to some – they are sought out, a stop and search for them is the new norm. One of them who raises his voice against the oppression of his sign is Solomon Mahout, leader of Aries Rising. On the other side there’s also the RAM Squad, a special unit set up to control the Aries population.
I read it all with a lot of interest and really didn’t think I could get lost in this world as much as I did. There is an overview about each sign before the novel kicks-off. I was apprehensive about what I would find further on in the novel because the mention of a sci-fi and fantasy culture didn’t seem like it was talking about me as a Virgo. In the novel itself I did find one reference to my own sign that sounds more like it though ;-):
Virgos […] were smart and interesting and independent, but they were often so socially blunt that talking to them was like boxing.
Anyway, onto the story itself. The first murder victim they find was working at the police force in one of the highest ranks. Detective Jerome Burton is assigned to the investigation and gets help from astrologer Lindi Childs. She’s going to see if the murderer’s profile fits based on his birth charts. Riiiight. Queue my sigh ;-). Thankfully the weight of this approach wasn’t hanging over the novel at all :-). Burton has his own personal struggles too, about his sign and about the sign his unborn child will be born into. Children will be born sooner to get the right sign but that might have consequences for its health too of course. Of course there’s also fraud with birth certificates and there’s even a school, The True Signs Academy, for children who have to learn the necessary code of behaviour to fit into their sign then. There was obviously put a lot of thought in all of this and it’s strange but I was completely loving this!
At the same time there’s a guy (capricorn) Daniel who stumbled upon a secret his father kept from him and is following his own investigation with the help of some Aries kid he ran into. Until suddenly someone Burton interviews leads them to the same place. The thing that confused me a little were these two plotlines and it took me quite a while to realise that they don’t start out at the same time.. the plotline with Daniel starts much earlier than the other one but that wasn’t made clear, it’s actually years ago in the past and it’s only towards the ending that they are both coming together gloriously in the present.
The last part of the novel held threats, danger and quite a bit of battle and action. Unfortunately, I still didn’t grasp all that well what the murders were about in the end and I found that the motive for the murders wasn’t explained thoroughly enough. Personally, I found the world-building and everything in it a little more interesting than some people’s fantastical ideas but then it might be just me, so don’t let that put you off.
July 10, 2019
I was so excited about this book, imagine a serial killer targeting you for your zodiac sign?! How creepy is that, anyone could be next!
In this book as previously mentioned, we follow a serial killer who is targeting people based on their zodiac sign. This is in a world where your zodiac sign defines who you are, Aries live in the slums and if you are a Taurus you are usually in a position of power. Sometimes the difference of a few minutes can change your life forever.
This had such a unique premise, I was really excited to learn more about the world, there is a whole hierarchy based on zodiac signs, some can be trusted more than others. Some zodiac signs are only destined to be criminals where as others are to be corporate businessmen etc.
I think the most interesting part of this book was how the plot can be related to modern day (hear me out), some people who are in a certain neighbourhood or have a certain skin colour are immediately treated differently to others. People instantly become suspicious and expect bad things from them - just like Aries in the book. It was very interesting to see how alike the two were when in relation to modern society.
We then have the murders themselves, surprisingly there aren't actually that many murders based on zodiac signs from the actual serial killer. I expected to go in and have like 5/6 murders of different zodiac signs and we then have to figure out who the killer is. When in fact, I think we only get 2(?) actual deaths by the serial killer. The rest is politics and backstory. It got boring pretty quickly.
Now I think the makings of a good crime novel depend on the police work, good police work = good book. However in this book the police work was incredibly bad. It seemed as though nobody was capable of doing their job and when they actually showed some promise their superior would do something incredibly stupid (I'm pretty certain at one point someone's superior officer threw/pushed them over?). It really ruined the book for me because there was no actual police work so how we were supposed to follow the police investigation to the killer I have no idea. I've never actually heard of a crime novel where you don't follow an investigation to the killer, it just sort of gets revealed through the story.
When the killer was eventually revealed I found that I just didn't care. There was no true motive that was explained enough. It just seemed like everything had to sum up and this person was the most likely with this motive. It didn't really work and felt a bit rushed.
I will say though I enjoyed the world and the premise was interesting, unfortunately it was a completely different story to what I was lead to believe the book was about. It was more politics and stupid police work than actual killings.
I think the author tried to do too much in this book and ended up not pulling any of them off well, there were so many different plot lines that just didn't get wrapped up in the end. I think they just had an idea of this world, thought they'd throw in some additional plot lines and run with it. Unfortunately for me it just didn't work.
Overall I wouldn't recommend this book, there was too much going on and none of it was really done well. I enjoyed the world building and the hierarchy of the zodiac signs however the rest of the book was a complete let down for me. Not what I expected at all and was very disappointing when I realised that it wouldn't actually be a killing spree of zodiac signs, more a small couple of killings and the rest was politics.
In this book as previously mentioned, we follow a serial killer who is targeting people based on their zodiac sign. This is in a world where your zodiac sign defines who you are, Aries live in the slums and if you are a Taurus you are usually in a position of power. Sometimes the difference of a few minutes can change your life forever.
This had such a unique premise, I was really excited to learn more about the world, there is a whole hierarchy based on zodiac signs, some can be trusted more than others. Some zodiac signs are only destined to be criminals where as others are to be corporate businessmen etc.
I think the most interesting part of this book was how the plot can be related to modern day (hear me out), some people who are in a certain neighbourhood or have a certain skin colour are immediately treated differently to others. People instantly become suspicious and expect bad things from them - just like Aries in the book. It was very interesting to see how alike the two were when in relation to modern society.
We then have the murders themselves, surprisingly there aren't actually that many murders based on zodiac signs from the actual serial killer. I expected to go in and have like 5/6 murders of different zodiac signs and we then have to figure out who the killer is. When in fact, I think we only get 2(?) actual deaths by the serial killer. The rest is politics and backstory. It got boring pretty quickly.
Now I think the makings of a good crime novel depend on the police work, good police work = good book. However in this book the police work was incredibly bad. It seemed as though nobody was capable of doing their job and when they actually showed some promise their superior would do something incredibly stupid (I'm pretty certain at one point someone's superior officer threw/pushed them over?). It really ruined the book for me because there was no actual police work so how we were supposed to follow the police investigation to the killer I have no idea. I've never actually heard of a crime novel where you don't follow an investigation to the killer, it just sort of gets revealed through the story.
When the killer was eventually revealed I found that I just didn't care. There was no true motive that was explained enough. It just seemed like everything had to sum up and this person was the most likely with this motive. It didn't really work and felt a bit rushed.
I will say though I enjoyed the world and the premise was interesting, unfortunately it was a completely different story to what I was lead to believe the book was about. It was more politics and stupid police work than actual killings.
I think the author tried to do too much in this book and ended up not pulling any of them off well, there were so many different plot lines that just didn't get wrapped up in the end. I think they just had an idea of this world, thought they'd throw in some additional plot lines and run with it. Unfortunately for me it just didn't work.
Overall I wouldn't recommend this book, there was too much going on and none of it was really done well. I enjoyed the world building and the hierarchy of the zodiac signs however the rest of the book was a complete let down for me. Not what I expected at all and was very disappointing when I realised that it wouldn't actually be a killing spree of zodiac signs, more a small couple of killings and the rest was politics.
July 15, 2016
A very clever crime thriller idea. A society divided by Zodiac signs. Status is cast at birth binding for ever. Fresh and different. A series of uniquely brutal murders target victims from totally different star signs.
September 16, 2018
Yeah I really didn't like this book.
I think the only reason I managed to finish this book was the extremely short chapters which is probably the only good point I can make...
I think the only reason I managed to finish this book was the extremely short chapters which is probably the only good point I can make...
October 16, 2020
This had a really interesting premise but I think it kind of fell short of what it was aiming for. That said, it was a definite page turner for me, in the beginning especially! I'm not sure I 'care' about any of the characters and to be honest they were all a little flat but overall it was entertaining enough. If you really don't care about astrology this will likely just annoy you though. I liked how it portrayed Virgos so I gave it an extra star for that. :D
January 9, 2018
I love astrological fiction and found this unique and fascinating. Not only a good plot with good characters, but accurate astrology in it, the guy obviously has studied astrology or done some very good research. i don't think you'd need to understand astrology but it's a bonus if you do. I just hope it's first of a series of many and that he writes them fast. Loved it.
October 17, 2018
Flojito
February 1, 2022
A solid 3.5/5! I loved the concept, but I did find the rhythm of the chapters felt off.
May 2, 2025
(3.5) há livros que têm finais abertos, outros finais fechados, e este apenas se esqueceu de acabar
April 21, 2016
This is a gripping and morally ambiguous thriller. Sam Wilson imaginatively constructs a world where everything comes down to astrology and astrological signs. It serves as a caste system that defines a person's status and entire life experience. Within this world, murders take place. Taurus is the sign to be respected and have a good life and at the other end is Aries, the sign most despised and at the bottom of the heap. The other signs fit within the spectrum of the two. Aries people are doomed to a life of struggle, despair and prejudice. A protest movement, led by Solomon Mahout, tries to challenge the horror of being Aries. There is a police squad that is designated to keep Aries individuals and communities under control and uses brutal means to do so. The entire police force is Taurus.
Burton, a police detective is aided by Lindi Childs, an astrological profiler, to investigate the murder of police chief, Williams. They uncover a plot to murder key individuals involved in funding, instigating and covering up suicides, murder, torture and experimentation. Daniel Lapton, a rich man discovers what happens to a daughter he never knew he had and tries to help the lot of Aries communities. Daniel discovers his life of privilege is unable to protect him from the consequences of trying to help Aries people. Burton comes very close to losing his life as he gets closer to the truth.
I really felt for Burton, but I was rooting for the perpetrators of the killings. The murdered were a grim and repellent quartet who were responsible for heinous crimes. The police force were a disgrace and it's a wonder that Burton should want to return to it. I suppose it needs someone who has integrity! Sam Wilson brilliantly plots this thriller so that you feel torn about what is happening where the Zodiac is everything. It is a compelling read. Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC via netgalley
Burton, a police detective is aided by Lindi Childs, an astrological profiler, to investigate the murder of police chief, Williams. They uncover a plot to murder key individuals involved in funding, instigating and covering up suicides, murder, torture and experimentation. Daniel Lapton, a rich man discovers what happens to a daughter he never knew he had and tries to help the lot of Aries communities. Daniel discovers his life of privilege is unable to protect him from the consequences of trying to help Aries people. Burton comes very close to losing his life as he gets closer to the truth.
I really felt for Burton, but I was rooting for the perpetrators of the killings. The murdered were a grim and repellent quartet who were responsible for heinous crimes. The police force were a disgrace and it's a wonder that Burton should want to return to it. I suppose it needs someone who has integrity! Sam Wilson brilliantly plots this thriller so that you feel torn about what is happening where the Zodiac is everything. It is a compelling read. Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC via netgalley
March 20, 2017
I grabbed this book because the title begins with Z and the cover art is the zodiac. This fits great for the ABC challenges. Sadly that is all that is great about this book. It is an orginial concept that your life, your children, your job is all determined by your zodiac sign. After reading for a while I couldn't help compare to how Hunger games were divided in units. The murder kept my interest but then we have a father searching for his daughter that has nothing to do with the orginial story. I can see why when I couldn't find it for days why I wasn't compelled to search for it
February 4, 2017
Original en su concepción y la manera en la que el autor ha dividido la sociedad en los signos del zodiaco. No sé si habrá segunda parte pero me gustaría.
March 12, 2017
Interesante la crítica a la división social por estratos. Bien llevada y entretenida
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April 24, 2017
I didn't finish this book. It was horrible.
February 5, 2024
Might change this later
February 2, 2019
Review originally posted at A Reading Brit.
I started this book out of boredom, to be honest with you. I’d been scrolling through Twitter all day, watched a couple episodes of Bones and wanted something else to do. Reading seemed like the obvious thing. This was one of the books I picked up from the library, and I’m hoping to return them on Tuesday, so I had to get a move on with reading them.
This book was different. In a good way. As I said, I was watching Bones earlier. I’ve watched NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds, Silent Witness and so many more police procedurals you wouldn’t believe.
This almost started as a normal police procedural. You’ve got someone stumbling across a body and calling the police. Standard, right? From there though, it becomes so much more. There’s this whole society built on the zodiac. What zodiac sign you’re born in decides the sort of life you’ll have.
It’s weird, because I was jotting down ideas for a story about 2 weeks ago, and one of the ideas was a Hunger Games style system where instead of being separated by where you’re born, you’re separated by when, almost like this. It’s interesting for me to read this author’s perspective on it.
The characters were good, not crazy loveable and amazing, but enough to carry the story and not bore me to death. They’ve got their own personalities, which are heightened in certain ways based on their sign. They’re largely superficial, however. The only character I really felt had more than a basic personality was Daniel.
The world-building is where I think this excels. The societies that have formed because of the signs of the zodiac, the personalities and the friction that are caused by it are great. I’ve always been a little curious of the zodiac, not because I believe any of it has any truth, but because I love the entertainment value it’s got. This book helped me find even more entertainment in it.
The police side of things were a little stereotypical, but then, finding anything new with a police investigation after millions of TV shows, films and books would’ve been one hell of an achievement.
The bad-guy at the end was a little obvious, but I enjoyed how the information was shared, and the motive and emotion behind it. The reasons for the killing, and how it was done, seems to make a lot of sense. As much sense as murder can make, of course!
I’ll admit, as a Sagittarius, I was disappointed they weren’t more involved just for my own satisfaction. Haha!
Will I be picking up the next in the series? This is a stand-alone. Look at me, finally reading a stand-alone after reading the first book in so many series and never continuing them!
Would I recommend it? It’s different. Part sci-fi, part thriller. I enjoyed it.
Is it going on my Favourites shelf? There was nothing about it that stood out enough for it to be a favourite.
I started this book out of boredom, to be honest with you. I’d been scrolling through Twitter all day, watched a couple episodes of Bones and wanted something else to do. Reading seemed like the obvious thing. This was one of the books I picked up from the library, and I’m hoping to return them on Tuesday, so I had to get a move on with reading them.
This book was different. In a good way. As I said, I was watching Bones earlier. I’ve watched NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds, Silent Witness and so many more police procedurals you wouldn’t believe.
This almost started as a normal police procedural. You’ve got someone stumbling across a body and calling the police. Standard, right? From there though, it becomes so much more. There’s this whole society built on the zodiac. What zodiac sign you’re born in decides the sort of life you’ll have.
It’s weird, because I was jotting down ideas for a story about 2 weeks ago, and one of the ideas was a Hunger Games style system where instead of being separated by where you’re born, you’re separated by when, almost like this. It’s interesting for me to read this author’s perspective on it.
The characters were good, not crazy loveable and amazing, but enough to carry the story and not bore me to death. They’ve got their own personalities, which are heightened in certain ways based on their sign. They’re largely superficial, however. The only character I really felt had more than a basic personality was Daniel.
The world-building is where I think this excels. The societies that have formed because of the signs of the zodiac, the personalities and the friction that are caused by it are great. I’ve always been a little curious of the zodiac, not because I believe any of it has any truth, but because I love the entertainment value it’s got. This book helped me find even more entertainment in it.
The police side of things were a little stereotypical, but then, finding anything new with a police investigation after millions of TV shows, films and books would’ve been one hell of an achievement.
The bad-guy at the end was a little obvious, but I enjoyed how the information was shared, and the motive and emotion behind it. The reasons for the killing, and how it was done, seems to make a lot of sense. As much sense as murder can make, of course!
I’ll admit, as a Sagittarius, I was disappointed they weren’t more involved just for my own satisfaction. Haha!
Will I be picking up the next in the series? This is a stand-alone. Look at me, finally reading a stand-alone after reading the first book in so many series and never continuing them!
Would I recommend it? It’s different. Part sci-fi, part thriller. I enjoyed it.
Is it going on my Favourites shelf? There was nothing about it that stood out enough for it to be a favourite.
January 4, 2018
Yeni bir yıla güzel bir kitapla başlamaktan daha iyisi olamazdı 🤩 geçen yıl alıp, uzun zamandır da okunmayı bekliyordu. @bizimbuyukchallengeımız sayesinde öne almış oldum. Çok da iyi yapmışım. Gel gelelim kitabın konusuna
♊️ insanların burçlarına göre sınıflandırıldığı bir toplum düşünün. Boğa ♉️burçlarından polisler, oğlak ♑️burçlarından iş adamları ve Koç ♈️burçlarından asiler...
♊️ insanlar kendi burçlarından olanlarla evlenip, yine kendi burçlarından olan çocuklar yapıyorlar. Tabi bazen işler istediği gibi gitmeyebiliyor ve çocuklar farklı burçtan olabiliyor. Tabi bu toplumun pek de sevmediği bir grup.
♊️ isyankar koçlar sürekli ayaklanıp toplumu huzursuz ederken, boğa polis güçleri de aşırı şiddet içeren önlemler almaktan geri durmuyor. Koçlara göre yoğun baskı altında oldukları için böyleler. Boğalara göre ise yapılanlar toplum huzuru için şart.
♊️ işler bu şekilde devam ederken, bir gün bir polis komiseri evinin bahçesinde ölü olarak bulunuyor ve o andan itibaren eski defterler açılmaya başlanıyor.
♊️ açıkçası ben kitabı çok sevdim. Kitabın türüne distopik- polisiye denilebilir sanırım. Bu yönüyle ilgi çekiciydi. Geçmişte yaşanan olayı, günümüzde yaşanan sonuçlara bağlıyor yazar. İlk bölümlerde bunu anlamamıştım açıkçası. Bölümün içinde “olayın üstünden 10 yıl geçmesine rağmen ...” gibi cümleler geçmese bilemezdim. Belki yazar tarih kullanabilirdi 🤷🏻♀️ ilk kitabı olmasına verelim bunu da.
♊️ bu @beyazbaykusyayinlari ndan okuduğum ikinci kitap ve ikisini de çok başarılı buldum. Tercihleri için tebrik ederim 👏🏻 kapağı, basımı, kalitesi... her şeyi çok iyi 👍🏻 yeni bastığı kitapları da yakından takip edeceğim artık.
♊️ insanların burçlarına göre sınıflandırıldığı bir toplum düşünün. Boğa ♉️burçlarından polisler, oğlak ♑️burçlarından iş adamları ve Koç ♈️burçlarından asiler...
♊️ insanlar kendi burçlarından olanlarla evlenip, yine kendi burçlarından olan çocuklar yapıyorlar. Tabi bazen işler istediği gibi gitmeyebiliyor ve çocuklar farklı burçtan olabiliyor. Tabi bu toplumun pek de sevmediği bir grup.
♊️ isyankar koçlar sürekli ayaklanıp toplumu huzursuz ederken, boğa polis güçleri de aşırı şiddet içeren önlemler almaktan geri durmuyor. Koçlara göre yoğun baskı altında oldukları için böyleler. Boğalara göre ise yapılanlar toplum huzuru için şart.
♊️ işler bu şekilde devam ederken, bir gün bir polis komiseri evinin bahçesinde ölü olarak bulunuyor ve o andan itibaren eski defterler açılmaya başlanıyor.
♊️ açıkçası ben kitabı çok sevdim. Kitabın türüne distopik- polisiye denilebilir sanırım. Bu yönüyle ilgi çekiciydi. Geçmişte yaşanan olayı, günümüzde yaşanan sonuçlara bağlıyor yazar. İlk bölümlerde bunu anlamamıştım açıkçası. Bölümün içinde “olayın üstünden 10 yıl geçmesine rağmen ...” gibi cümleler geçmese bilemezdim. Belki yazar tarih kullanabilirdi 🤷🏻♀️ ilk kitabı olmasına verelim bunu da.
♊️ bu @beyazbaykusyayinlari ndan okuduğum ikinci kitap ve ikisini de çok başarılı buldum. Tercihleri için tebrik ederim 👏🏻 kapağı, basımı, kalitesi... her şeyi çok iyi 👍🏻 yeni bastığı kitapları da yakından takip edeceğim artık.
August 30, 2018
“Abraza a tu elemento”
Un libro que maneja una temática muy interesante, sobre la división social, donde se conjunta un crimen y la astrología. No soy muy fan de los perfiles astrológicos ni creo mucho en ello, pero fue una buena apuesta dentro de la historia, lo que nos permite entender un poco sobre el comportamiento y las cartas astrales.
Y con un giro inesperado casi al final de la obra, lo cual creo yo que era demasiado obvio ya que las dos anécdotas se entrelazaran y revelan por qué se están llevando a cabo los cuatro asesinatos, y entendemos el motivo y la planeación de cada uno de ellos, una de las cosas que el personaje principal el detective Jerome Burton junto con Lindi Childs una astrologa especialista en perfiles criminales, tienen que descubrir para esclarecer y encontrar al verdadero culpable antes de que se cometa una injusticia fundamentada por prejuicios sociales en contra de los del signo Aries (el signo menos respetado dentro de la historia)
Sin más que comentar, me ha gustado la descripción de los personajes siendo mi favorito el detective Burton y David Cray, siendo este último el que tiene mayor peso por todas las cosas que realiza y aporta mucho en este fascinante libro.
Un libro que maneja una temática muy interesante, sobre la división social, donde se conjunta un crimen y la astrología. No soy muy fan de los perfiles astrológicos ni creo mucho en ello, pero fue una buena apuesta dentro de la historia, lo que nos permite entender un poco sobre el comportamiento y las cartas astrales.
Y con un giro inesperado casi al final de la obra, lo cual creo yo que era demasiado obvio ya que las dos anécdotas se entrelazaran y revelan por qué se están llevando a cabo los cuatro asesinatos, y entendemos el motivo y la planeación de cada uno de ellos, una de las cosas que el personaje principal el detective Jerome Burton junto con Lindi Childs una astrologa especialista en perfiles criminales, tienen que descubrir para esclarecer y encontrar al verdadero culpable antes de que se cometa una injusticia fundamentada por prejuicios sociales en contra de los del signo Aries (el signo menos respetado dentro de la historia)
Sin más que comentar, me ha gustado la descripción de los personajes siendo mi favorito el detective Burton y David Cray, siendo este último el que tiene mayor peso por todas las cosas que realiza y aporta mucho en este fascinante libro.
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