Incarnate: Existence by Thomas Harper

The first installment of an eon-spanning epic, Incarnate: Existence by Thomas Harper is a colossal undertaking and an impressive achievement.

Dragged through the endless cycle of mortality, and cursed with the memories of all those past lives, Marcy Rivera is one of the most complex protagonists in recent memory. The book’s introduction offers a small slice of her traumatic foundation as a character, as well as her inner strength that has sharpened her over the millennia. In her latest incarnation, she is a high school history teacher with a sharp tongue and profound loneliness, but when she discovers that she is not the only immortal on Earth, her old heroics are activated, elevating the novel’s stakes to saving the world.

Though there are some plot holes that beg important questions, most of this wild ride is well-crafted, while Harper’s storytelling ambition bodes well for the rest of what promises to be a sprawling series. The pieces of character history and past memories peppered into the prose give Marcy endless depth, proving Harper is as adept at character building as crafting plot. Some small grammatical and editing errors are present, as well as inconsistent spelling and some sloppy language, but most of the prose is polished.

All told, with a premise that is ripe for philosophical musing and an ever-deepening plot that lays a strong groundwork for Harper’s saga, Incarnate: Existence is a jaw-dropping, thought-provoking gem.

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