*Materials & images courtesy of Goodreads; review owned by Desert Rose Reviews.
Originally published on October 29th, 2013; re-posted for our TBT Review.
~Published: November 9th, 2012
~Length: 320 Pages
~Genres: New Adult, Sci-fi, Romance
Goodreads
The Lightbearers is the story of an ancient Egyptian King and Queen, Akhenaton and Nefertiti, who have been reincarnating together for the past 3300 years. They have been entrusted with the mission of The Lightbearers, whose responsibility is to be guardians of the human race and to enlighten any whose path they cross. Through reincarnation, during each of their lifetimes, they strive to overcome violence, greed and injustice and in each lifetime they leave pockets of individuals with whom they have shared their secrets of life and death. They have also been ascribed with the powers of telepathy, astral projection and psycho kinesis. They are highly evolved and highly enlightened.
Discovery of their innate mystical powers is facilitated by the assistance of an alien being who introduces them to the mission of the Lightbearer. Through a series of flashbacks two of their previous lifetimes are revealed beginning in Ancient Egypt and including 17th century France where they switched genders.
The story unfolds in the 21st century where Jean Crystal, Nefertiti’s incarnate, has been kidnapped by Dr. Natas, whose plan for world domination has been temporarily disrupted by Jean and her husband George, Akhenaten’s incarnate. Jean and George have discovered a secret about Dr. Natas experimental school, a school completely computerized and robotized.
Jean is held captive on a laboratory table by a motion sensitive laser directed toward her central nervous system. Not realizing this, upon awakening from a narcotic sleep induced by the doctor, she attempts to move and is suddenly wracked by a mind numbing pain. The more she moves the more pain she receives. By astrally projecting herself she is able to overcome the pain and investigate her circumstances. George has already been assassinated and while awaiting her own demise, George pays Jean a visit in the lab, assuring her of their eternal vow to each other. Jean is very shortly, thereafter, assassinated. Upon the joyful reunion of their spirits on Petite Terre, a tiny island just off the Normandy Province of France, Jean and George plan their return. While it is possible to determine their gender and the time in which they return, they cannot predetermine their identities. They must pick a place, a time and a signal by which they can find and identify each other in their subsequent lifetime. In this particular lifetime, their favorite song was “Imagine” by John Lennon and so on the first Monday of October, 2024 at 12 noon, they decide to meet outside the computer science building on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles. She will find him sitting under a tree near the building with a guitar strumming “Imagine”.
Their reunion takes place 20 years later, albeit not without a hitch. Together they set out to rescue the United States from Dr. Natas’s well-placed plans, he has already begun to execute.
~ 4/5 Roses ~
"Jean felt sick to her stomach. She was also beginning to fear that she was failing the human race , as they were failing each other. This was, she dreaded, the beginning of the saddest time in the history of humanity.” The Lightbearers, by Nora Garcia
The plot for this story is intensely deep, hitting on many different subject and issues, such as social development of children, political atmospheres, the overall maturity level of the human race, as well as several others. Set in a not-too-distant future, this story follows the reincarnated ancient Egyptian King Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti as they face the modern world. The couple live their many lives, fulfilling the duties and mission of "The Lightbearers." While the underlying themes of this story are deep, they are mixed with a lighthearted, passionate love between the ancient rulers, and a somewhat whimsical romance between them, in their current life together.
As with any book that touches on deep subjects and fundamental beliefs, there will be those who agree, those who disagree, and those who are in the middle. The beliefs held by The Lightbearers are ones I have personal issues with, which made it difficult to stay unbiased. While I don't agree with the fundamental ideas presented in this book, several do touch on realistic problems our world is facing at the moment. Because of that, I can applaud this book, and it's author, for the message presented. Which is, in it's simplicity, to live simple, not rely on technology, and remember to be human.
The writing was, in all honesty, very very good. This has to be one of the most well written books I've read in a long time, and possibly ever read. I was very impressed by Nora Garcia's smooth mix of realistic issues, with a unique love story, all tied into a wonderful adventure. Overall, I enjoyed the story itself, and my personal beliefs aside, I would recommend this book to fans of paranormal romance, adventure, and mythology.
*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.
Nora M. Garcia, originally from New York, now makes her home in Southern California where she enjoys a successful career with an entertainment company.
While Nora considers herself an artist, she feels a strong sense of social responsibility which inspires her to write projects that are not only entertaining, but also enlightening and hopefully with a positive social message as well.
Nora was kind enough to answer some questions for me, and I'd like to share with you, what we talked about!
~ 20 Questions with Nora M. Garcia ~
1. How did you come up with the idea for this book? Not only the reincarnations aspect, but also the Lightbearer aspect itself?
2. Are the historical characters in this book inspired by real people, or are they fictional?
(This will answer questions 1 & 2) I was going through a spiritual awakening, and one night while [I was] in my apartment in Manhattan meditating, the idea came to me and it was [as] though someone had piped it into my ear and it was actually the end of the story. Two weeks later the middle came and two weeks after that the beginning.
I went to the New York Public Library to do some research because I knew it would involve ancient Egypt. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for and while walking through the empty aisles of the Egyptian section a book literally fell off a shelf and landed at my feet. It was a biography about Akhenaten, and I started to read it and discovered how incredibly enlightened he and his Queen Nefertiti were, in fact, they were light years ahead of their time. I became so enamored with them that I created a fantasy about them. A lot of what I wrote is based on their history, and then I just took it from there.
I wrote the first draft of this 30 years ago and it sat for many years until I discover I could self publish. I am a huge fan of the series Ancient Aliens on the History Channel and recently they did a program about Akhenaten and they postulated that his enlightenment was facilitated by an alien being from a far more advanced civilization. I couldn’t believe what they were saying and it gave me Goose bumps.
3. What inspired you to write this book?
I felt an overwhelming desire to write this story and to this day, I really can’t explain it but I think I was somehow directed to do so.
4. Are you planning to write any more books?
I am currently working on a sequel. My goal is to write a trilogy.
5. Are any of the characters base on you, yourself?
I think there’s a little of me in Nefertiti and her incarnates in that our sensibilities are very simpatico.
6. Is there a fundamental message you hope readers get out of this story?
Absolutely – I hope my readers will begin to look deeper into their spiritually and understand that we are all connected, that we are God and life is an endless cycle – we are spiritual beings having a physical experience and will continue to do so.
7. Was there a lot of research that went into this book? If so, what areas did you have to research to prepare?
There was a lot of research that went into the book especially from a historical perspective, some physics and geographical research.
8. What was the best part about writing this book?
Accomplishing something for which I am most proud and hopefully convey a message that inspires my readers to rethink their traditional beliefs about who we really are.
9. What was the worst part?
Writing is a very isolating experience and I’m a very social person, so that was the hardest part, having to spend so many hours alone each day.
10. What is the best compliment you've received, as an author?
“I can’t wait to read the sequel.”
11. What's the biggest criticism?
That the end was too fast, a couple of the reviewers felt I should have expanded the last few chapters.
12. What makes your writing environment the most comfortable and productive?
Being able to concentrate without any distractions.
13. Is your writing process structured, with a daily/weekly number count to be written, or do you more gush chapters on and off?
When I wrote The Lightbearers, it was very structured. I took a year off from my job and went to Europe and wrote every day for 6-8 hours a day Monday-Friday. Currently I don’t have that luxury as I have to work to support myself so I have set aside an hour or two a day to work on the sequel.
14. What does your family think of your writing?
They’re very proud and supportive of my work.
15. Who is your biggest writing inspiration?
Emily Bronte and Alice Walker.
16. Do you have a favorite book and/or author? If so, what/who?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The Color Purple by Alice Walker – talk about pulling on your heart strings, they are such prolific and beautiful writers.
17. Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?
Yes, how much I appreciate anyone who uses their hard earned money to buy my book and takes the time to read it!
18. Would you be happy to see your book made into a film?
Absolutely!!!
19. If it was made into a film, who would you cast to portray the characters?
For Akhenaten and his incarnates I would like to see Matt Damon, Christian Bale or Johnny Depp. For Nefertiti and her incarnates Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis or Jennifer Lawrence
20. What are your goals for the next 5 years?
To finish the trilogy and start another book
Thank you so much for answering my questions Nora, it's always great to get to know our authors a little better! :)
What do you think about this book, and the author? Let us know in the comments below!
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