Wizard Books

Beautiful! This is a classic and a must read for anyone involved in working with ayahuasca.

I started this novel a bit hesitantly, as I'm not the type to trust translations; "poetry is what is lost in the translation," to para-quote Rilke. Fortunately, my initial apprehension about this work proved worthless, as it was a stunning read, start to finish. While it does perhaps romaniticize the life of ayahuasqueros and their students, it very well might also be that I'm just not able to completely buy into such a hyper-magical/mystical view of quotidian life. Still, the book definitely conjures a spell over the reader, as Symington - who was of great help at the recent ayahuasca conference in SF - is seemingly a virtuostic translator; I only wish I could read Spanish at the level this novel must have been written at. Those interested in ayahuasca, the legendary "vine of the soul," will NOT be disappointed. I'd say this book is just as valuable as non-fiction works like Luna and Amaringo's *Ayahuasca Visions* or other works by Luna, and certiainly one heck of a lot more informative (though not from a practical perspective) than Ralph Metzner's recent ayahuasca-centered publication. A key moment for me occurs somewhere in the first quarter of the book, in which an ayahuasquero is conversing with the book's narrator, and what unfolds is a mystical challenge of knowledge. Can the adept come to *KnOw* (as in the Gnostic "know") and live the path ayahuasca offers? This section - you'll know it when you come to it - is among the most poetic, stunning passages in the book. Overall, this is a fine read, and much more intelligent than a lot of other like-minded fictional or semi-fictional works (check out Paul Tullio's *Mushroom Man* for some better than average psychedelic fiction). Books about ayahuasca are quite hit and miss, so it's especially pleasing to have such a mature work generally available in English (a great deal gets written in Spanish and Portuguese, and without those languages, ayahuasca adepts are a bit lost, IMHO). If you're up for highly evocative prose worthy of a master fiction writier, then by all means purchase this book. It's definitely a lot less annoying than reading Jonathan Ott for fun...

This book is amazing! You should read the whole series. You will not regret it.

TO THE GATES OF PALANTHAS was a great book! I have already read the adult version of this book, it is also the original, and this book brings out the true beauty of the DRAGONLANCE series! Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman made a great decision in creating children versions of the book!

The authors are really great at making you wonder about certain events that could happen. They keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is really exciting, I had trouble putting it down and doing something else.

The characters are described very well, making the book even better to read. The authors really showed the personality that makes each character different.

The main part of this book is the war that rages on in the North of the continent. The story leads us to the fortress city of Palanthas. The battle is so intense, im on the edge of my seat the whole time!! There is so much action! It's incredible!

Not all the characters are in Palanthas though, so we get to explore a big amount of the world of Krynn. There is so much beauty on the continent that is all being destroyed. The authors portray the time as a time that could come crashing down and destroying everything.

My favourite part of the book would have to be when the Dragon High Lord fights against her old friend. There is a lot of emotion within that battle, as short as it may be. Sturm, the Kngiht she is fighting, shows anger and hate.

The most dissapointing part of the book was when Sturm di...., I won't spoil it for you.

Another thing I like about the book is that Laurana, the elf, becomes the general of the army of Palanthas. The authors show how powerful and intelligent she actually was, something I wasn't very sure about before.

A great book! A must have if you are a DRAGONLANCE fan.

This book doesn't resemble Asimov's classic Caves of Steel much, but there is definitely homage paid to that classic throughout, and if you've never read Caves of Steel, you will be the poorer for it. In both books, we have a human and an android trying to solve a murder mystery. In Caves of Steel, it was sometimes necessary for R. Daneel to pass as human in order to do his job (even though that's illegal); in Too Too Solid Flesh, we have a human trying to pass as an android. Horatio can't find work as a human actor - there are no jobs for human actors any more, in this future. So he's masquerading as an android - even during sex.

At the same time, if you don't have a passing familiarity with Shakespeare, and with "Hamlet" in particular, you are going to miss a lot in this book. I try not to be too snobby about my opinion that the world would be a better place if more people read and re-read Shakespeare just for fun, but, well, the world WOULD be a better place. And you'd get more of the sly references/in-jokes in this book. You would notice when the characters accidentally fall into iambic pentameter while conversing, for instance. (from a source I've forgotten: "Oh who is writing poetry sublime? I am, I am, I am, I am, I am.")

The interplay between the characters' roles in the play and their roles in the "real life" of the book is fascinating. All sorts of questions arise over whether humans' actions are any more the product of free will than androids' - or are we as much shaped by the roles other people have envisioned as our destiny before we were old enough to make choices?

And there's the question of whether being human and having the free will to make choices - often bad ones - is necessarily better than being an android. When the real reason the theatre project exists is finally revealed, one would have to doubt that humans have the wisdom to make good choices. This part of the plot hinges on technology (I won't give away what) outstripping our ability to deal with it rationally - just as the entire book up to that point hinges on our ability to build androids outstripping our ideas of what they are for and how they should be used.

I first discovered O'Donohoe through his Crossroads fantasy series, about veterinary students who get to practice on unicorns and griffins. This book is quite different, but still displays O'Donohoe's talents at humor and intricate dialogue. I don't know whether they were meant to appeal to entirely different audiences, but I find myself quite glad that my interests are broad enough that I thought to read both.

I bought this book when it first came out in 1989, and have since had to rebuy it through several local bookshops no less than six times, because the people I lend it to always want to keep it afterwards. That alone seems like a recommendation to me, but you probably want to know a little bit more...

In a futuristic, Orwellian society, populated by strictly divided haves and have-nots, a troupe of Shakespearean androids, the last troupe of actors on earth, perform Shakespeare's Hamlet night after night after night. Their personalities programmed to BE the character they portray, they act their lives and live their lines, both inside and outside of the play.

Art mirrors life, and the creator of the troupe, Dr. Capek, is murdered. Hamlet, looking upon his creator as father-figure vows to find out how, and why. Aided by his companion, Horatio, who houses a dark secret of his own, he embarks on a quest to find out what happened. Can a synthetic, a created robot with little understanding of human illogic and frailty, but with the same capacity...the same HUNGER to learn...to know...as Shakespeare's Hamlet did, break the pattern established by the play and see to it that justice is carried out?

Hey, don't ask me...read the book. :-)

The more times I read Too Too Solid Flesh, the more parallels I find between the book and the original play, and these fascinate me, and make the final explanation of what is really going on all the more chilling. O'Donohoe has taken such well-defined characters (as they exist within the confines of a strictly defined play) and moved them beyond themselves to make them seem far more like PEOPLE than has been done in some of the great filmed works of the play itself. You get to watch Hamlet learn, and EVOLVE to far more of a degree than Shakespeare explored.

Much like Hamlet, there is little mystery to the murder itself, but it's the WHY that keeps you interested. That and the stunning extrapolation of the characters themselves. Several of the scenes between Hamlet, Ophelia and Horatio near the middle of the book are quite astounding with the complex philosophies they are exploring.

But enough of the long words...I'm not Shakespeare. But, if you like Shakespearean themes and are not averse to seeing how much they improve with a little sci-fi and social commentary thrown together, you should try hard as you can to get a copy of this book.

Or, better yet, get two...just in case.

As one who has been following the Path for some time, I bought this book expecting a tediously shallow Enlightenment story. However, I found this book to be an in-depth, coherent, and exciting look at the Kabbalistic Path. As "The Mists of Avalon" is a meaningful guide to the Celtic Way, I feel this book will be the blueprint for someone who wishes to enter the world of Jewish Mysticism. I highly recommend this book to all who wish to be lead on a story of Enlightenment. I could not put the book down after Chapter 3 !

This book has an excellent flow of language, and the story itself is beautiful. I went into the reading of it knowing very little about the Kabbalah and the mystical lore the story is based on, but was quickly drawn in and learned a great deal in the process of enjoying the story. I'll look forward to reading more books by this author.

It was exactly what I was expecting...more map, new warcards (new types of warcards)...full explanation of the kingdoms, ans a lot of new things!!

Just perfect!

It was exactly what I was expecting...more map, new warcards (new types of warcards)...full explanation of the kingdoms, ans a lot of new things!!

Just perfect!

iread this book when i was six and i kept the copy and re-read it over and over again. but now i'm 28 and need a new one

Growing up, Chew was my favorite writer and this is one of her premier books. It's about Harrison Peabody, a good-natured wizard who has a few "kinks" to iron out in his magic. As with all of her works, this book allows kids to set free their imaginations and really have fun reading--I did when I first read it over 15 years (gulp!) ago!

Apparently, Chew's books are still popular with kids as I saw her listed on several school reading lists and also found some online book reviews from kids. It'd be great if they'd start printing her books again--now I'm desperate to locate copies of anything she's written!

I have only read the first volume in the series and loved it. (I've only read the first volume because I picked up the book after the series had gone out of print.) This book is great fun with a hint of a morality play being acted out as the forces of good oppose the forces of evil. The time frame is the the 1930s (an obvious time frame in which to have good and evil forces vying for control.) Fun read and highly recommended if you can find a copy.

What are you guys talking about? This stuff is for pre-adolescents and immature adults like me!!! This series is great and if you get a chance read them. A total serialized spy\assassin epic. I loved them when I was 12 and now I can't find 'em anywhere.

I suggest this book to anyone even my grandmother. It is the perfect balance of intrigue, combat, love, and death. I was an avid birthright novel reader till it got discontinued.

This has been the best fantasy book I have ever read. It had a perfect balance of combat, mystery, and even romance. I understood the plot and everything in it perfectly. If you need a good book to read in your spare time, this is the one. I have bought this book three times because I kept on loosing it when i wanted to read it again. You will not be able to put this one down.

The final battle is about to commence!

Lokith returns for revenge against Bloodsong and Guthrun. He is to pave the way for the Goddess of Death, Hel, to overtake the Earth.

By the sides of Bloodsong and Guthrun, remain the Freya-Witch (Huld), the shape-shifting Berserkers, and some ex-slave/warriors. However, to win this final battle Bloodsong must accept her shape-shifting abilities, just as Guthrun must risk using the newly awakened Hel-power within herself, without losing their true selves. ONLY THEN could they reach the lair of an ancient army that waits for Bloodsong to awaken them. Then they would have the chance to send Hel back to Hell!

*** An awesome conclusion to an extra ordinary trilogy! These books are "Keepers" to be read many times over! Author, C. Dean Andersson, has proven his skill for weaving magical stories of unforgettable characters. Highly recommended! ***

The final battle is about to commence!

Lokith returns for revenge against Bloodsong and Guthrun. He is to pave the way for the Goddess of Death, Hel, to overtake the Earth.

By the sides of Bloodsong and Guthrun, remain the Freya-Witch (Huld), the shape-shifting Berserkers, and some ex-slave/warriors. However, to win this final battle Bloodsong must accept her shape-shifting abilities, just as Guthrun must risk using the newly awakened Hel-power within herself, without losing their true selves. ONLY THEN could they reach the lair of an ancient army that waits for Bloodsong to awaken them. Then they would have the chance to send Hel back to Hell!

*** An awesome conclusion to an extra ordinary trilogy! These books are "Keepers" to be read many times over! Author, C. Dean Andersson, has proven his skill for weaving magical stories of unforgettable characters. Highly recommended! ***

The Queen of Death, Hel, instructed the Hel-Witch, Thokk, and the ghoulish Death Riders to kidnap Bloodsong's daughter, Guthrun. Guthrun was nearing puberty. Thokk was to awaken the Hel-magic that was sleeping deep within the teen and use her special blood to grant life to Lokith.

Lokith had once been Thorbjorn, Bloodsong's son, who had been tortured to death as a child. Thokk had helped his corpse mature. Hel had given him power beyond imagination. The only way Bloodsong could defeat Hel was to acquire the help of a God (Odin) and some shape-shifting Berserkers.

*** Mother and daughter fight together in THIS one. Both of them change in ways for the better AND for the worst. I hated to see this book end because it means that only one remains to be read. This trilogy is the best of the best in Fantasy! ***

The Queen of Death, Hel, instructed the Hel-Witch, Thokk, and the ghoulish Death Riders to kidnap Bloodsong's daughter, Guthrun. Guthrun was nearing puberty. Thokk was to awaken the Hel-magic that was sleeping deep within the teen and use her special blood to grant life to Lokith.

Lokith had once been Thorbjorn, Bloodsong's son, who had been tortured to death as a child. Thokk had helped his corpse mature. Hel had given him power beyond imagination. The only way Bloodsong could defeat Hel was to acquire the help of a God (Odin) and some shape-shifting Berserkers.

*** Mother and daughter fight together in THIS one. Both of them change in ways for the better AND for the worst. I hated to see this book end because it means that only one remains to be read. This trilogy is the best of the best in Fantasy!