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RE Johnston
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Two Moons: Memories from a World with One (Echoes of Past Lives Book 1) Kindle Edition

by RE Johnston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 35 ratings
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When night falls and dreams come…

…they can change everything.

How will Jay use what he learns?

On a parallel world, the people know reincarnation is real, but that knowledge comes with a price. The accumulated wisdom of previous lives can be valuable. With it, though, comes the memories, both good and bad.

For some it’s too much.

For Jay it may destroy him.

Ri Sun-Hui was a brilliant scientist, a loving mother, and the pawn of a cruel dictator. Now, in this life, as a young man coming-of-age, he’s faced with the burden of history.

How will he forget?

Does he even want to?

You’ll love this thrilling story, because it looks at society through a dual lens that is anything but rose colored.

Get it now.


"A sparkling debut that leaves the reader's mental wheels turning." - Kirkus Reviews

★★★★★ "The writing is great, the plot wonderful and the characters mesmerizing. RE Johnston transports readers into interesting landscapes and worlds, and invites them to redefine life." - Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

"Adults will enjoy the thought provoking study in the socio-political environment while young adults will identify with the adolescent who enjoys video games, his friends, and his girlfriend. It has the depth of character and connection to family and young love that ground it in our reality today, while at the same time allowing your imagination to soar.” - Susan Stradiotto quoted in Hidden Gems' Best Young Adult Books We've Recently Reviewed
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Book 1 of 2
    Echoes of Past Lives
  3. Print length
    255 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    7 - 9
  6. Publication date
    July 19, 2018
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A sparkling debut that leaves the reader's mental wheels turning." - Kirkus Reviews

"Two Moons: Memories from a World with One is a brilliant novel with a very interesting concept . . . The writing is great, the plot wonderful and the characters mesmerizing. RE Johnston transports readers into interesting landscapes and beautiful worlds, and invites them to redefine life. Jay is a character of second chances and many readers will feel inspired by him." - Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite (5 stars)

". . . a wonderful piece of literature that is able to combine all the elements of traditional science fiction within a context that feels timely and relevant . . . an exceptional read and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in thoughtful and exciting science fiction." - Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite (5 stars)

". . . a beautiful novel set in a parallel world . . . a great story with interesting characters . . . a simplicity of style and prose that is delightful to read." - Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite (5 stars)

About the Author

RE Johnston writes speculative fiction for teens and young-minded adults, blowing their minds open to experience what their lives would be like "if only."

In his debut novel, Two Moons, RE introduced us to a planet (much like ours) populated with people (much like us) who have detailed memories of their past lives on Earth (where they were us.) Now he's expanding Two Moons' world into a series, Echoes of Past Lives. The second book, League of Secrets, will be released in early 2021. He is irrationally optimistic that young adult reincarnation fiction will become the next big thing.

RE has degrees in physics and management. He spent a very long time developing systems and bossing people around, but he's finally settled down to invent new worlds.

He lives with his wife, Valerie, in Fort Worth, Texas: "Where the West Begins."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DX8S12W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gazebo Bookworks (July 19, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5907 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 255 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

About the author

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RE Johnston

RE Johnston

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

RE Johnston writes speculative fiction for teens and young-minded adults, blowing their minds open to experience what their lives would be like "if only."

In his debut novel, Two Moons, RE introduced us to a planet (much like ours) populated with people (much like us) who have detailed memories of their past lives on Earth (where they were us.) Now he has expanded Two Moons’ world into a series, Echoes of Past Lives, with the second book, League of Secrets. He is irrationally optimistic that young adult reincarnation fiction will become the next big thing.

RE has degrees in physics and management. He spent a very long time developing systems and bossing people around, but he’s finally settled down to invent new worlds. He lives with his wife, Valerie, in Fort Worth, Texas: “Where the West Begins.”

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
35 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lisa T
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick and satisfying read
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
I personally know the author, so if that affects your acceptance of my review, then I just want to be clear about it. However, I love young adult fiction. As a graduate student, I find it is a great escape from the scientific writing style, which can sometimes be quite dull. I very much enjoyed this book for the young adult fiction that it is. I felt the thoughts and emotions of the adolescent main character were described well, were easy to relate to, and at times were (intentionally) humorous. And one of the main themes of the story is unity, which really resounded with me. I highly recommend this as a quick and satisfying read.
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Dr. Ira M. Sheskin
5.0 out of 5 stars Great sci fi book
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2019
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This is a wonderful thought provoking book.
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Janice Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2018
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Great book !
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Susan at Truly Novel Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Two Moons - Speculative at its best!
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018
Two Moons is a fascinating read following characters that our youth can identify with, and it brings so many social, religious, and political concepts to light. It is a study in science, reincarnation, and the value of knowledge told through the lens of a main character who could only possibly have this much wisdom through the inheritance of another's memories. It has the depth of character and connection to family and young love that ground it in our reality today while allowing your imagination to accept what might be were all of these concepts a reality.

I believe this story has wide appeal. Adults will enjoy the thought provoking study in the socio-political environment while young adults will identify with the adolescent who enjoys video games, his friends, and his girlfriend. In literature, I consider this the type of story that should be introduced into curriculum as it teaches on a broad spectrum of societal factors and makes you think about what might be if only.
RE Johnston also introduces some humor through simple observation that plays nicely to build his world. For example, after having some Texas Toast, Jay Shipman (the main character) says,

"He wasn't even sure what Texas was, but he sure liked the toast."

Family dynamics play a nice role in Johnston's story, and it's nice to see a functional family unit featuring in a novel rather than a broken one. I was enamored with the sibling banter, as Jay thinks about his sister, Portia, whose memories from her past life are being a whale:

“I guess it makes sense you were something with a really big mouth.”

As an adult reader, I also found cynical humor in some of the naïve conversation of adolescents regarding assumptions about what governments will and will not do:

"Vlad said, “That would be stupid. I’m sure my government would never cut people off from talking with each other.”
"Jay agreed, “Yeah, mine either.”
"Later that day both boys were proven wrong."

As I was reading, I highlighted so many quotes that were simply poignant. All-in-all, I think the message around the power of knowledge is one point that resonated the best for me, and conversely where the real weakness lies:

“The greatest power on Duorth lies in our shared knowledge, both our recollections of Earthly genius, as well as what we learn in this life."

"...the weaknesses...didn’t lie in knowledge but rather in our inability to grasp the fundamental truths that seem always just beyond our reach."

For a thought provoking read, this one will not disappoint.
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techyjack
5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying SciFi reincarnation story
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020
This is an enjoyable read for young adults, written in what might be called a “classic” science fiction style. It is a reincarnation story, and while some of the themes are vaguely reminiscent of such classics as the Riverworld series (Philip Jose Farmer), the story is nicely-placed within in a modern (i.e. 2020) setting.

The overall story arc describes the emergence of the prior-life experience of the adolescent Jay Shipman, and the subsequent consequences of that emergence experience. (In the story, prior-life experiences are submerged until adolescence and then slowly appear as part of growing up – more simply, if you thought puberty was hard, try it with a prior life emerging *GRIN*…)

Unfortunately, Jay’s prior-life experience is as a scientist engaged in developing biological weapons. Due to the political applicability of this experience, Jay is rapidly drawn into the international politics of his homeworld (Duorth). During the course of the story, his youthful naivety is stripped away, to be replaced with a more nuanced (but still optimistic) viewpoint.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC for this novel. However, both the decision to post a review and the contents of the review are voluntary and my own alone.

There were a lot of things I liked about this story. For example:

Clear storytelling: The author has done a very nice job of storytelling. For example, rather than miring the reader in complex world-building around multiple new cultures (and potentially burying Jay’s story underneath a detailed and complex political environment), the author has simplified the politics of Duorth into three countries, Ariana, Roticia and Swotia. (Swotia is the neutral mediator between Ariana and Roticia). This is a nice technique which permits more expansion of Jay’s character than would be possible in a book with more world-building (note that Hunger Games did essentially the same thing, by simplifying the politics into the Capital and the Districts, and focusing on Katniss).

Relevant reincarnation themes: One of the first things one notices about the prior-life experiences is that they are cast within a 2020 world picture. For example, Jay’s prior life is as a female North Korean biological scientist. Jay’s mother’s prior life was as a Somalian guerrilla who worshiped his warlord and died for him. Jay’s father’s prior life was as a farmer in Myanmar, who left his village and died of starvation. Other past-lives are woven throughout the book, and they are (interestingly enough) both relevant and generally dark (the author may be going somewhere with this in future books). Even the more humorous ones (Jay’s sister’s past life is as a whale) have a dark side (the whale loses her baby to a shark attack).

A nice touch with the gaming: Woven throughout the story are gaming interludes, most based on the blockbuster game King of the Earth (KOTE). The game supports the storyline in that hacking the game will (eventually) permit surreptitious contact between Jay and his friends from other countries after such contact is denied by political events. However, the KOTE game also permits action and adventure inside a storyline that could become too cerebral for many readers. Saying this another way, discussion about the nature of reincarnation and the human mind are periodically interspersed with gunfights staged in an Earth-like “historical” environment. This could be touchy (as it risks losing the story amidst the gunfights) but the author pulls it off quite well.

Jay's approach to politics: A key part of the storyline is the opposition between Roticia and Ariana, mediated by the neutral Swotia. Jay begins with a very naïve position about the political environment, but as the story develops, he becomes much more aware of the political elements. This progression is marked by a series of conversations between Jay and his father. A key sentence from these conversations (which is repeated throughout the book to highlight Jay’s development) is “Who would have something to gain?” Jay’s initial comments are on the order of “haters” and “reporters”, develop into “Roticia because they are stealing our scientists” and generically “the government”, become financially more nuanced with “weapons dealers”, and somewhat conclude with the perceptive answer, “Swotia, their gain is having a chance to rule the world.”

The one thing I did struggle with in this story was (curiously enough) the ending. Now before anybody panics, the story has a very positive ending. (Happy endings are good, right?) My issue was that the ending was so positive as to seem banal. Even the first Star Wars movie (which ends with Princess Leia giving out awards to all and sundry) STILL had Darth Vader spinning off into space. While I recognize that this is a young adult story (and thus happy endings are generally more desirable) the ending still struck me as a bit too "Disney".
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Top reviews from other countries

LostinLondon
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2021
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I loved the story. It's such an interesting concept. I can't wait to see where the story goes and evolves
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Lynne E. Jones
3.0 out of 5 stars A good idea, but...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
A good idea, but I found it very tedious at times. Also most of the world-building and action had references to modern day America, which was a bit off-putting as they are supposed to be on another planet.
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