This has elements from a mix of genres; including supernatural, spiritual, romance, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. Overall, it is well written and very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed reading this as a series of short-stories, being only disappointed with the lack of connect between the science fiction, the regressive themes, and the end of the book.
The past lives are all exciting reads, though saddled with my common complaint that it is funny how more often than not past life memories are of infamous and famous events and times, rather than of ordinary lives. This makes for good entertainment, whilst reducing plot 'credibility'.
A-Lo, if this is 'future biography', certainly gets the Halo. However, the bar to reaching redemption is set so high that I'm quite sure I'd be stuck in Limbo, or Clapham, or Mean Street forever. Perhaps like most superb destinations the already resident wish to stop 'Heaven' getting too crowded. Only special friends of Michael may here enter. So if you want to get into this exclusive club you had better be pretty damn superhuman first.
This is a good read with a positive ending, which probably tips the book more into the romance genre than any other. There aren't any original plot elements here not that that is of much consequence except to those that devour books. There are signs enough that Lo is capable of writing more ambitious books, so she is an author I'll follow. I would like the opening and closing elements to be integrated better- especially in tying in the science fiction artificial soul, the strongest character in the book and the real 'romantic' lead, with final death and arrival at station Nirvana. As to the short-life stories, they are very entertaining both standing as independent reads and as a part of the overall theme. Written in clear and simple style, this is a very easy book to get into.
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