3 out of 4 stars
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The Diary of an Immortal by David J. Castello follows young U.S. Army medic Steven Ronson during the time of World War II. He tries to deal with seeing most all of his comrades die in battle and does his best to ease their passing. When Steven and his unit free a concentration camp in 1945, he finds an immortality formula that was originally designed for Hitler. He starts taking the formula and feels liberated, realizing that time and the threat of death are no longer an issue. After the war is over, he journeys home only to discover that he does not have anything in common with anyone anymore now that he is immortal. Breaking ties with everyone he knows, he moves to Manhattan and decides to fulfill his childhood dream of playing jazz.
Once he starts playing, he quickly becomes better and discovers additional powers that comes with the immortality formula. He gets invited to play with an already established group, and they start to become famous locally. He has the possibility of getting on the radio, but then Steven gets an offer to travel to China and meet the monk who created the immortality formula, an opportunity that he can’t turn down. He travels a long journey to China and meets the monk who created the formula over 2,000 years ago, along with a menacing monk who threatens to destroy humanity. Steven and his friends come up with a plan of action to take down the evil monks, but will they succeed in time to stop another Hitler from rising to power?
I enjoyed reading this book as it is very different from anything else that I have read before. The story has a unique take for immortality and gives a different version of why Hitler acted the way he did. It explores what it may be like if someone were to take an immortality formula and where it could have come from. The different responses that people may have to becoming immortal is also explored, from one extreme to the other. The main character is well-developed and even though he is not the brightest main character, he has a good heart.
This book will be enjoyed by history buffs who are open to some science-fiction and fantasy. There is also a decent amount of traveling in the book, with references to different cultures in the parts of the world that Steven visits. Steven has a woman that he adores and will do anything for, as he proves in the story. The ending has a plot twist in regards to his love life, which adds to the story.
What I did not like about this book is that it did get slow in some parts and felt like it was a little long. There were some redundant parts, especially with Steven reminiscing about how he was feeling about life. There are also a number of grammatical errors, but they do not take away from the story and are overall very minor.
I rate The Diary of an Immortal 3 out of 4 stars for its unique, fast-paced story-line, use of history and different cultures, and great characters. I love how the psychology of different people is explored in the book and there are a wide variety of characters with vastly different personalities. I would recommend this book to any adult or young adult that is looking for an exciting story that follows real history but as a different version. I would not recommend it for younger audiences as it has some very gruesome, detailed scenes portraying death.
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The Diary Of An Immortal (1945-1959)
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