Witch by Christopher Pike

I've always been amazed by Christopher Pike's ability to spin a web of supernatural tails. Witch is one of his works I've picked up in a bookstore.

My overall impression of the story is that it's definitely not one of his page-turners. After finishing the latest book of The Last Vampire and 2 books of Remember Me, it was unavoidable to keep my expectation bar at a certain level. His teen novels starring female protagonists are one of my obsessions simply because they're always rendered in a way that they exude smartness and courage.

Julia Florence was a witch. She was a healer but like a troubled teen having the lack of emotional maturity, she ends getting back at someone for revenge which pretty much teaches her that the future she's been trying to avoid is inevitable.


In the last pages of the story, she realizes her purpose and does what she perceives is the right thing to do.

Unlike my other reading sessions, this book took a little longer to finish. Although I enjoyed the story line, there was something off on the way he'd written the character lines. Some had been too straightforward while others were just too... shallow which is contrary to what I've read in his other books. I probably got used to his old ones wherein they always had depth or an uncanny sense of agenda.

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Thirst 4 by Christopher Pike

It gives me great joy to proudly say I have crossed out Thirst 4 in my "must-read" books for this year. Although I have two more Robin Cooks to read, the thought of finally finishing the Thirst series (at its current state) is something I'm somewhat happy to share to the world.

I'd like to share one of the excerpts of the book which is memorable to me (AFTER THE SPOILER ALERT). Christopher Pike's learned and interesting way of describing the higher beings are what I find most appalling. It had been so long since I could've accepted theories on regarding God and I'm delighted to have found a series of words and descriptions that completely make sense to me.

My beau is calling me a Pike-ist (derived from terms such as Theist and Atheist) because of how I like Pike's explanation of that which are unexplainable at the moment. He is a wonderful writer and I have tracked his books for more than 15 years.

SPOILER ALERT

Thirst 4 is definitely one of his well-written works. Like all the Last Vampire series, this is definitely worth every penny it cost. Alisa Perne makes a comeback as a reincarnate for the first half of the book just to be transferred back to her old body after being stuck as newborn vamp. It had its moments, especially with the 5000 year-old vampire craving for fresh human blood and lacking the skill set she used to have.

She joins forces with the two most important people in Yaksha's life while fighting a force larger than life called the Hydra (as Krishna has described). Thinking the climax had passed, it greatly took me by surprise that one more twist was about to unravel.

I believe Krishna's approach to spirituality was more scientific. He said that whatever path you follow in life, you should uncover small proofs along the way so you know you're going the right way. Otherwise, you could end up chasing illusions.

The quoted excerpt is one my favorite lines in the book. I want to share more of them but that would spoil Thirst 4. I've noticed that Christopher Pike is now into exploring more of the world's outlook on religion and it's nice to read from a fresh mind other than the ones in Youtube or the Church.

My next question would be... is this truly the last of the Thirst Series or will I be anxiously waiting for another one of Sita's resurrection or prequels to come?

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Thirst 3 by Christopher Pike

 
Ahhh, another book by Christopher Pike tucked safely in my mind. After re-reading the first two Thirst books also known as The Last Vampire novels, I'm glad I was able to finish this one sooner than I expected. I started reading it while I was waiting for my flight home and had just finished it a couple of minutes ago. Now, like a new-born vampire, I am craving for Thirst 4, anxious to find out what adventure awaits the famous Sita.

In Thirst 3, Sita faces two giant enemies- one in the name of the Telar ( an ancient race eager to disseminate the entire human race) and the IIC ( who possesses a powerful weapon in their hands). Both are after her, yet it is still a puzzle as whether they want her dead or alive. Surely, dead -as she's been that way 5000 years ago but definitely in a state where she can still share her worldly knowledge ( by torture or by.... umm, torture).

She meets an interesting personality by the name of Matt and Seymour is back in the picture. For those who've read Thirst 1 and 2, Seymour is an HIV-ridden high school friend who's supposedly written the manuscript of her life.

What's nice about Thirst 3 is that before the story gets deep into the action, Sita (Alisa Perne) visits Seymour and her whole life is summarized in 2 to 3 pages. That's right, there's no more need to read the first two books! But I'm sure most of the people reading this 3rd masterpiece of Pike have already done so.

Christopher Pike's newer books about Alisa have a more updated tech to it. Aside from the old school guns this particular vampire has in her arsenal, she is now accompanied by a mysterious and powerful being (whose name and parents I won't divulge) with a knack for state-of-the-art weaponry and gadgets.

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Last Act by Christopher Pike

Another Christopher Pike book finished here. I'm sure I'm not a quarterway done of finishing all his books but I'll be getting there soon enough.

Last Act is one of Christopher Pikes earlier teen story books. It wasn't as exciting as Remember Me, which kept me yearning sequel after sequel. But it did have his personal touches like targeting another female protagonist and a sick twisted friend of hers out for revenge. I haven't mentioned in my previous post of Slumber Party so I can't really compare the two.


Last Act is about the new girl in school getting the main role in a play where she was supposed to shoot a friend of hers. The problem was, her friend died on stage during performance night. The first half of the story focused on how she had met the other casts in the play. Some had been eccentric but Pike made sure that others had their fair share of standing out through specific descriptions and actions.

What's a female heroine without a mysterious guy by her side? Christopher Pike once again introduces a male interest in his books so that all aspects of Melanie (the female protagonist) in terms of vulnerability, strength and deductive reasoning were given some attention.

Like any other murder mystery, Last Act also starred a capable detective who made use of his Q&A skills to figure out the guilty. The protagonist herself also did some investigating to uncover the truth in order for the readers to not feel helpless in the guessing game. In the end, there was a certain amount of surprise in the suspect's discovery.

It's not one of his best but I still appreciated reading the book so it's not a lose lose situation on my end. I suggest this book only for big fans of his. It's not a must read for everybody.

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Remember Me 2 by Christopher Pike

Even when I thought I'd already gotten enough of a particular author, a new surprise awaits my insatiable mind for teenage stories of protagonists of the supernatural kind. Was she a vampire? No. Was she a werewolf? It never even crossed my mind. Might she have been a ghost? In a way. But Christopher Pikes well-written teen novels are one of those collections I strive to complete.

Last Sunday, I had purchased a book of his called Remember Me 2 and I finished it in one seating. One of the first chapters had been pretty interesting that I even asked my beau to read a certain two page passage that may be the link between multiple religions in the world. And even he had agreed that it might just be that revelation he was seeking for. I would have loved to add this passage in this post but that would be spoiling one of the good parts in the story.


After reading this second story of the Remember Me saga, I noticed that Christopher Pike made sure that his fans would get the best of his stories. There had been relations to his previous work that only those who've read them would be able smile at the fact and appreciate its contribution to the current plot.

Mr. Pike has a way of creating scenes in the simplest description which some people may find downright boring and not enough to build an ambiance. I begged to differ. I'm particular in imagination and his play of words suffice the brewing curiosity in me. I prefer detailed story lines than detailed scenery and it's always still a wonder to me how his mind works. I especially like the way he had included a mini-story about a brilliant author and her muse as a form of the protagonist's partial fulfillment of her earthly agenda.

Shari Cooper goes back into another teen's body with a purpose. The unveiling of her identity becomes the main topic of this book and chapters jump from one world to another in an attempt to explain how events were to unfold and how dark secrets would come into light.

Lastly, one more thing I've noticed about Mr. Pike's protagonists aside from being headstrong, witty and beautiful females is most of them have names starting with the letter S and with blonde hair. This opposes to the stereotype of blondes being dumb, which is why his work gains more respect in my standard.

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Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Remember Me is one of Christopher Pike's part-detective, part-supernatural novels. It's about a teenage girl who tells her story while trying to solve the mystery of her death. Shari Ann Cooper starts as a ghost recalling the events leading to her demise. Her friends are her possible suspects. She observes each and everyone of them in their homes and through their dreams in phenomenal cosmic ways no living could possibly do (of course, she was a ghost so nothing is normal in this story).


I've read this story the second time around. I thought I haven't but the moment I was done reading the first chapter, I remembered immediately who killed her. What is a Christopher Pike book without a psycho for an antagonist?

What makes Remember Me special?

Aside from being written by my favorite author, the way the story turns out is original. At first, it may tend to be draggy that an amount effort should be exerted just to get through the interrogation section by the detective handling her case. But there's this build up towards the climax of the plot that you'd have second thoughts in putting the book down as details of Shari's past and identity uncovers. Even the reason why this book was written in the first person perspective is answered.

Christopher Pikes' vivid imagination, correlation of events and knack for putting mysteries in almost every single published book he wrote is a statement of how one's imagination can run wild yet come back with analogies that strongly hold the story's structure to its core.

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