Zodiac: A Novel by Sam Wilson
In a volatile society ruled and divided by its citizens' zodiac signs, a serial killer is on the loose: is it a misguided revolution or something more sinister?
A starting new thriller with one of the most original concepts in years, where the line between a life of luxury and an existence of poverty can be determined by the stroke of midnight. In San Celeste, a series of uniquely brutal murders targets victims from totally different walks of life. In a society divided according to Zodiac signs, those differences are cast at birth and binding for life. All eyes are on detective Jerome Burton and astrological profiler Lindi Childs―divided in their beliefs over whether the answer is written in the stars, but united in their conviction that there is an ingenious serial killer executing a grand plan. Together, they will unravel a dark tale of betrayal, lost love, broken promises and a devastating truth with the power to tear their world apart . .
I chose to read this book because I was curious if someone who has no knowledge of or belief in Zodiac signs and the overarching belief of Astrology could still come away from reading this with an understanding of the storyline and the author’s intent. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to say the answer is yes. Like most living in America I was at least familiar with the existence of Zodiac signs and knew which was mine but my knowledge ended there. I have no familiarity though with positions of the sun, moon and stars as they pertain to events nor with personality traits that are assigned to each symbol. Thankfully you do not need a thorough or even basic understanding of these things to understand and enjoy this story as the author does a very good job of including these details to ensure you don’t feel inadequate. Admittedly there were times I felt one of the main characters, who specializes in astrology, was speaking a foreign language but thankfully the author used various other characters and events to flush out these things so I as the reader could grasp the concept. Sometimes I felt complete disbelief that police procedures and guilt relied so heavily on these seemingly arbitrary and asinine things to the extent I thought about not reading this anymore due to its “stupidity”. Then I realized the society created within these pages which placed such a heavy emphasis on a person’s worth, position in life, choices and guilt vs innocence was no different than a reality which does this exact same thing only instead of using zodiac symbols uses a person’s skin color or religious affiliation. Suddenly the storyline didn’t seem so farfetched or unbelievable. I loved the originality and how the author blended past events seamlessly into the present to show the consequences of decisions and the long term ramifications. Wilson is definitely an author to watch for and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
*synopsis and pic from amazon.com