The Vessels

by Anna M. Elias

Overview

NOT EVERY SPIRIT SEEKS REDEMPTION.
NOT EVERY VESSEL WILL SURVIVE.

What if you could help those who’ve passed on get a second chance—but at the risk of your own life?

Four broken strangers volunteer to become the first humans in North America to join the international VESSELS program. Their bodies will host the Spirits who seek to right past wrongs and earn a chance at Elysium.

Disguised inside a homeless shelter in Reno, the program is facilitated by a retired Army officer, a former ER Doctor, and a tech-savvy teen who tracks the Spirits merged with their Vessels through an ancient ritual on the Anaho Reservation.

The Vessels only have seven days to succeed—and to survive.

But when the vengeful spirit of a serial killer enters one of them, they learn not all Spirits are here for redemption.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944109080
Publisher:	Vesuvian Books
Publication date:	07/14/2020
Series:	Vessels
Pages:	326
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Anna Elias is a screenwriter who began her career as Don Johnson’s assistant on Miami Vice. She’s worked on feature films such as Nell, The Rainmaker, The Client, 12 Monkeys, A Time to Kill, and Practical Magic. She has written and co-written spec films, TV scripts, and award-winning shorts. Anna’s passion for justice translates to her work. This was especially true on the set of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. Canton, Mississippi had just suffered great racial hardship and division in a Mayoral race. With Anna’s encouragement, the movie crew made extra efforts to befriend, buy from, and work with the townspeople, and it served to break down walls of inequality and injustice that had divided the town for decades. The impact was so positive that Dan Rather traveled there to tape a 2-part special for 48 Hours.
 

Editorial Reviews

05/04/2020

Elias’s imaginative if murky urban fantasy debut conjures a world in which the living can become Vessels for the spirits of the dead. The Vessels program purports to do good by allowing spirits the chance to right the wrongs they committed in life, but preys on vulnerable people to do so, emotionally manipulating the down-and-out into signing on as Vessels. Among those coerced into the program are police officer Tal Davis, who falls into a depression after her partner dies; Link, who escapes from juvenile detention after being falsely convicted of murder; and Avani Nair, whose best friend leaves her unconscious in an alley after a (graphically described) attempt to rape her. All three seek refuge at a shelter in Reno, the home of the first North American branch of the Vessels program. The program’s “spirit guard,” Liam, uses threats and supernatural powers to convince Tal, Link, and Avani to become Vessels, and unknowingly puts them at risk from a vengeful rogue spirit with a dark agenda. The grey morality of the Vessels program is frustratingly underexplored and the mythology around its origins remains confusing throughout. Readers will be drawn in by the exploration of redemption and the afterlife, but disappointed by how frequently these themes are lost in the noise. Agent: Italia Gandolfo, Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"In the Vessels Program, spirits of the dead return to inhabit the bodies of human vessels and visit their still-living relations to right past wrongs. Sam has just established a program in Reno, Nevada, and recruited four vessels, Tal, Link, Avani, and Aaron. They have all suffered from life’s cruelties and are more than willing to let the spirits inhabit them for their seven-day journey of redemption as the spirits seek forgiveness or to forgive loved ones. One of the Spirits, however, is a terrifying, vengeful revenant not interested in redemption. As the three benevolent spirits work toward accomplishing their missions, the vessel for the fourth must figure out a way to prevent this vengeful spirit from harming others. This unique novel mixes social commentary, Native American mysticism, the power of love and forgiveness, and ghostly spirits. This gothic speculative tale will appeal to sf and horror fans alike, and the open-ended finale leaves plenty of room for a sequel." —Booklist


"… fast-paced, emotionally compelling, and hard to put down … a blend of murder mystery, spiritual travelogue, and thought-provoking thriller." —D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review


“Elias has crafted a thriller like nothing I’ve ever read before … a high quality, unputdownable novel, I would highly recommend The Vessels to any supernatural thriller fan looking for their next captivating read.” —Readers’ Favorite

From the Publisher