Not sure how I ended up reviewing two historically-based sci-fi books in under six months, but here we are.
The Diary of an Immortal follows Steve Ronson, a WWII army medic, who after procuring an immortality formula, travels to China to find its source and ultimately, to destroy the man who wishes to abuse the formula for his own power. The book deals not just with the idea and consequences of immortality but also with love, politics, death of course and it even delves into the differences between Eastern and Western philosophy on things ranging from community to vengeance. This was another novel (if you read my review on Andra Watkins' Hard to Die) where a lot was going on, however, knowing a great deal of this novel was based in fact and events that actually happened, with only supplemental embellishment, made it easier to read.
I enjoyed The Diary of an Immortal more than I expected to because it was equal parts narrative and commentary, which I think something that deals with so many outlandish and at times downright fantasy-based ideas needs to be. If you're looking for an escape from reality that still makes you think and feel real things, The Diary of an Immortal is definitely worth cracking open.