BLOG TOUR: Persistence of Vision by Liesel K. Hill

It is my utmost PLEASURE to be talking about this book today: Persistence of Vision by Liesel K. Hill. I found my way to Liesel's blog a couple of months back after she made a kind comment on one of my posts. I went there with the intent of thanking her for her words, and leaving a comment of my own. I then saw that Liesel was actually a published author! I immediately checked out her goods (naturally), and made a mental note, and a written note to email her about checking out her book-I was intrigued, to say the least.

So imagine my surprise when I got an email about a week later from Liesel, asking me if I would like the opportunity to review her book! I think it goes without saying what my answer was =). I'll admit, I enjoyed the sounds of the synopsis, but truly had NO preconceived notions. I'm always a bit weary of what I'll find within the pages of a dystopian book-it's SO easy to follow trends, and end up sacrificing quality for quantity. OH..but THIS book..I will leave my words for the review, and the words that I have...ooohh MAN. 

This book was nothing short of EXTRAORDINARY.

Title: Persistence of Vision (Book 1 of Interchon)

Author: Liesel K. Hill

Release Date:  Jan 29/2012

Adquired: Print copy provided by author

Goodreads: ADD

Purchase: Amazon

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...

*New Adult futuristic dystopian fantasy*

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I wish there was a perfect way to start book reviews. I always feel like I start them somewhere in the middle. So, this is me, attempting to start from the beginning this time. 

Like I said up there, I had NO idea what to truly expect from this book, as with every other book, yes, but I can pretty much guess, by NOW, what paths a dystopian novel favours. Liesel deems this book a "New Adult futuristic dystopian fantasy," I will just go ahead and add "A work of pure GENIUS" to that, thank you very much. This book opened exactly where books should open, SMACK DAB in the middle of the action.

It begins with Maggie. She's battling the densely packed streets of a Vegas street on her way to have dinner with her brother and his new girlfriend. Skip forward a few, and we find them BOTH, Maggie and her brother, in the middle of a hotel floor, with no recollection of the last few hours-BAM! Figure that one out. At this point, I thought it would take at LEAST another few chapters before we, the readers, would be let in on the "bigger picture." But Liesel, bless her abilities, didn't force us to wait that long. Just like that, it's a year since the incident, and we quickly find out that in the future, the ability to link minds neurologically has become the downfall of society, and individualism is a sought after "evil." We then meet a group of individuals who are pushing against the tide; who are trying to put an end to "collectivism."

I won't delve into the role Maggie plays in all of this, nor anymore about how the books plays out, but OH.MY.GOODNESS. My brain was on FIRE with delight, awe, and AMAZEMENT at Liesel's explanations of how this new society came to be. I LITERALLY wanted to find out her number, call her, and commend her on such beautiful INTRICACY, such thought out details! I sat there thinking, "WHOA..this could TOTALLY happen one day." As I read on, I expected to hit a snag, to become somewhat confused by the science of it all, but I NEVER did. Liesel is extraordinarily skilled with her words; with her ability to explain something that could have easily gotten lost in technicalities. *Happy sigh*..AMAZING.

I enjoyed EVERY character's role in this book, especially Doc's, the unofficial "leader" of the group, and Karl, the team's time traveler! How.cool.is.THAT? The whole "essence" of the team felt very reminiscent of teams from TV shows that I grew up enjoying, namely: Futurama, and Star Trek. Those of you who read this book might get what I mean. I even caught a little inkling of John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids," somewhere in my head. All of those happy things only made me enjoy this book THAT much more. The ONLY qualm I had was that I couldn't really picture what Maggie looked like in my head, I feel like there wasn't enough of a description of her-but that was just a TINY bubble of negative in a SEA of positive.

Otherwise, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed how this book played out. The realizations, the planning, the accusations, the obstacles-everything was SO brilliantly placed and thought through. Liesel K. Hill really outdid her self with this book, I felt like she thought of everything, leaving no holes for us to fall through. The ending was EXACTLY what I hoped it would be and more. It left me satisfied, albeit a "sitting on the edge of my seat" satisfied-that scene was right where it should have been. I don't know if I can WAIT for the second installment..I'm going to need me some of that time travelling ability. I'll see what I can do ;).

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    Today I ALSO have the pleasure of interviewing Karl, who is one the team members of the BCO (Brain Chemistry Optimists). Karl is the team's Traveler, yes..as in TIME traveler!! Ugh..SO cool. I am honoured, and in complete AWE to be sitting across from him right now...and uh..a little intimidated..he is HUGE.

 Anyways, ON to the interview!:

 I am an only child too! What was it like growing up with just your parents?

It was great! My parents were extremely decent people. They loved me and taught me to always make myself useful and a part of the community. Even though I didn’t always have others my own age around, I never felt lonely. When I did, I’d introduce myself to people through practical jokes. My parents didn’t always think it was funny, but I got to know people that way.

    You picked up the phrase “that sucks,” from Maggie when she was there the first time. What else did you enjoy about her stories from the past?

I loved all her stories about the world she came from. She described a world that was so brimming with resources that the rich often had nothing to do but abuse substances and get into trouble with the law. I can’t image having that kind of time on my hands.

Once she also described something to me called a gym. I think it’s hysterical that she comes from a lifestyle that is so sedentary that they have to create equipment to keep their bodies fit. Needless to say, that never happens in my world. We’re always running around doing something, and we don’t starve, but we’re lucky to get all the nourishment we need.

When was the exact moment that you knew Marcus was your best friend?

Hm. At first, we just the same age and so we hung out together a lot. I suppose maybe I knew when Marcus finally decided to trust me. It took months after he came to Interchron and we met before he was comfortable enough to tell me his darkest secrets, which involved his brother. Once he did, I knew we were buds and always would be.

Your role as Traveler is SO COOL. It is definitely my favorite role of the team. Have you ever Traveled to a certain time or place just for fun? (I won’t tell Doc, I promise.)

Aw, shucks! Yeah I think Travelling is my favorite ability too. *snickers* Seriously, though, I’m gonna hold you to that not telling Doc thing. I have gone to other times and places for fun. When I first mastered my abilities I did quite a bit of exploring. The cool thing about time traveling is that you can come back to the same instant you left. Just because you see me two days in a row doesn’t mean I’m not two months older. *Grins*

What do YOU think the future holds for the BCO and its role in society?

That even I couldn’t say with certainty. It’s much easier to go to the past than to the future, because today’s decisions affect tomorrow, where the past has already been written. I believe the BCO, struggling as we are, will always be around. I don’t believe the collectives will every completely snuff us out, much as they’d like to. I’d like to believe that one day the tide of the war will change and the BCO will be responsible for helping to put society back together again.

Thanks so much for interviewing me here today. May I remind anyone else planning to do any Traveling to be discreet, so you don’t accidentally mess up the space-time continuum? Cause, you know, that would suck. And remember, the future is always just around the corner!

Who do YOU guys think would play a better Karl in the 

hypothetical movie adaptation of the book?

Terry Crews (left), or Gary Dourdan (right)?

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Liesel K Hill writes across three genres: scifi/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. She lives in northern Utah and comes from a large, tight-knit family. She's a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and plans to keep writing until they pound the final nail into her coffin. Or until the Second Coming. You know, whichever happens first.

Contact Links

Website | Twitter |
Facebook | Goodreads

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A MASSIVE thank-you to Liesel K. Hill for kindly sending me a copy of her book, and allowing me to read and review it for the tour! =). I can't wait for your next installment!