Murray Books

This is the first book I read by Margaret Weis without Hickman, and I was therefore interested to see the difference. Actually, the pace of the book is slower and more introspective than the Chronocles series. I would regard this book as "canon" and part of the essential story (along with Chronocles trilogy, Lost Chronocles trilogy, Legends trilogy, Second Generation, Dragons of A Summer Flame, and the War of Souls Trilogy).

FACT - Weis and Hickman are not literary geniuses. They flout several rules of good writing including their tendency to repeat ideas, recap plot points, tell you what to think (instead of showing you). However, there are few writers who can claim to have explored the depth of a character to the same extent as Weis does with Raistlin in this book. A great addition to the series.

If you want to go on and read Brothers in Arms, then do so, however, I would not consider it canon or essential to the story. However, it does give some of the background to the War of the Lance from the point of view of Kitiara, and is (reasonably) consistent with the storyline in the chronocles trilogy.

One point I would like to note - if you read dragons of autumn twilight straight after this, you will find that Raistlin's relationship with some of the other characters has "soured" somewhat, despite the fact the characters have supposedly not seen each other for five years. I found this a little unconvincing but this is a minor detail.

"Raistlin startled to wakefulness, a sense of danger bursting like lightning on his sleep, jolting him out of terrifying dreams." Oh Boy. Hemmingway this is not.

With the new Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition coming out my old dungeon master (just writing that makes me cringe) has decided to try and reunite distant (and aging) gamers using the new online gaming engine. In order to get into the spirit of things I thought I might spend some time back in the realm of D&D. When I was in high school every self respecting nerd had read the DragonLance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Quite frankly my taste in literature was still developing back then but the books seemed fine and I enjoyed all three. The most memorable character, by far, was the mage Raistlin Majere. One of my friends even modeled his D&D character after Raistlin including his relentless (and irritating) pursuit of power.

It's pretty clear by this books intro that Raistlin is also Margaret Weis's favorite and this is likely what doomed the book for me. As intriguing as Raistlin is I was hoping for more than to read about his elementary school years, his handling of bullies and his mildly dysfunctional family. The author also goes way overboard trying to hammer home the point that Raistlin is the dark brooding brains and his twin Caramon is the strong, good looking dolt. It's sometimes difficult for adults to write dialogue for children but this one is pretty bad. No five year old on earth has ever talked the way young Raistlin does and in trying to make little Caramon sound simple and naïve Weis basically writes him as retarded.

I just didn't feel that D&D vibe reading this book. The story was so focused on Raistlin that there was barely anytime for anything else and quite frankly most of the book was rather boring and tedious which isn't helped by its 400+ page length. Raistlin still stands above the rest but mainly because Kitiara and Tasselhoff were so bloody annoying while Sturm, Tanis and Flint were less like characters and more like empty ciphers.

While a bad ending can kill a good book a good ending is less likely to redeem a mediocre book but it does help and the ending in Soulforge is by far the best part. Still, rather than rekindle my interest in D&D the book ended up dampening it. If you want a good fantasy book I suggest the Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. It's not D&D but the characters are significantly better.

Really good to read after you've read Chronicles because you just HAVE to know more about Raistlin!

Wow! Raistlin fan or not this is a great book. I, of course like most of the people who read Dragonlance, like Raistlin but I am not a huge fan per say but I do find him interesting to read. A lot of my question were resolved here not all but many.
Perhaps the best part about this book is that you get to witness the Test that Raistlin endured! You've heard about out it for a long time now and finally your in the midst of it all! WOOT!
Three highlights ** Slight Spoilers ** (but not really) :)
1) Meeting all the old friends Cameron, Raistlin, Tanis, Tas, Tika, Otik, Flint, Sturm, etc. and learning about them as they met. Watching them make a covenant to return to Solace to meet again...which, if I remember, brings you to the first book you read...the Dragons of Autumn Twilight. (I liked that part)
2) Raistlin's Test
3) Raistlin's Letter at the end which gives you the reason for the book you just finished,

The Soulforge, was well written and thrill. I think this book, of all the Dragonlance books I've read to date, has answered more questions than any other novel yet.

*This review is being updated and brough over from an older account.

I am not quite sure why people are giving this 5 stars and a perfect rating. This is nowhere near classic literature, nor is is a wonderous example of english prose.

All that aside, I simply found this book slow. If you are a huge Raistlin fan, then this might have something for you. Really all you do is follow his life day by day from childhood to adulthood. Really boring and drab with about 3 pages total of action.

The second book in this set was much better, and I would pick up a third if it gets written. By itself, this book doesn't really stand for itself at all. I have liked many of Weis' books, but this one is down there at the bottom of the stack.

I'm such a LAMBERT fan...That being said, the last book in this world-wide popular soap opera was to die for! I loved it! I didn't see it coming...the ending I mean...Nouri losing her memory...and Gabe having to win her love back again...gosh, this story is so good. Like most of Ms. Murray's fans I hated to see the Lambert series come to an end. I hope Ms. Murray will bring these fun characters back again real soon!!! Now, on to The Shadow of Her Smile...I can hardly wait!

The reason I read stories like this one is because they sweep me away from the same ol' same ol' of everyday life! My one true passion in life is books like Le Fin. This writer is great! I enjoy her unique style of story-telling. Her characters are believable, fun, hot and exciting. Her plots are edge of your seat during the reading of the entire book, and her dialogue carries me contentedly through the whole book. I think I must have devoured this book in record time! I look forward to Ms. Murray's next offering or passion and romance with an edge!

Le Fin by Victoria Murray is such a terrific read. I was totally surprised by the way this series ended. I thought the ending was both unexpected and delicious. I was thrilled with the outcome of Nouri and Gabe. I hope Victoria will bring her great Lambert cast of characters back in a return to Lambert series. I, for one, would enjoy the heck out of that! Just keep them coming and I'll be a happy reader!!!

Le Fin by Victoria Taylor Murray is a love story that you'll forever remember. I fell in love with Nouri and Gabe and Company by the time I finished the 2nd book in the Lambert series. Talk about a steamy affair, ouch! Gabe and Nouri belong together so I was thrilled they wound up together even though for a long time I didn't think they would, whew! When the writer stated on the back cover of this book, 'falling in love, out of love, and in love again,' she really meant it! If you are a rock'n reader like myself then you will just have to find the time to read this book! It's great, I kid you not!!!

I cannot believe everyone loved this book! It was, by far, the worst out of the series.

First of all, the editor of Murray's books should have been fired. In all four books, there were tons of grammatical errors.

As for Murray, her ideas for the stories had an excellent start. She offered scandalous intrigue and interesting characters. Unfortunately, after time, the characters became weak, and they were not relatable. For example, all the female characters "giggled." In addition, some of the "alpha" males giggled and often cried. (When I want to be swept up in a romance, my ficitonal man shouldn't show signs of weakness.) Also, Murray repeated herself too many times. For example, the letter Nouri left Charles... it did not need to be printed twice. I understand you need to remind the reader of certain events, but you only have to do that to a certain extent. We're not idiots.

Overall, I did not mind reading the series b/c they were extremely quick reads. However, I wish I bought them used.

I had never heard of the book nor the author when I bought it, but it had received a 5 star review on your web page, so I bought it. I have read my whole life and enjoy it very much, but this book was very poorly written, the story line was absolutely stupid, there were more misspelled words throughout than I can ever remember coming across while reading a book. I threw the book away, rather than loaning it or passing it on to someone else.

I have not read these books, but it is rare for a book to get so many reviews and have an overall 5 star rating, so I thought I'd check it out. Then I noticed something fishy - I'm not making it up - check it out for yourself: Most (not all) of the reviews use the same basic language and grammar. Most of them mention the word "series" in the first sentence, "characters" in the second, and the last sentence ends with one to three exclamation marks "!!!". Also, they don't say anything about the plot of the book, and they have about the same number of helpful votes (30-50). All this is very suspicious to me, and then comes along a review that says they bought the book because of all the 5 star ratings and then found the book to be awful and even contained many spelling errors. Did the same person write these using different names? It looks that way to me. Based on all this I decided to skip this one.

This was my favorite visit to Lambert by Victoria Taylor Murray. The characters are now beginning to show their human side and I like that. Nouri certainly has her fair share of love interests to choose from with her crazy husband, her first real man Charles Mason, the guy that holds the key to her heart Clint Chamberlain (or does he?) and of course, my favorite the sexy homicide detective Gabe Baldwin. Which one will she wind up with? I'm getting ready to find out! Can't wait!!! This storyline is so hot!!!

I absolutely love this story! Gabe Baldwin is my favorite male character in this MUST READ series. His character is alpha-male, hot, sexy, and mysterious. I like that in the characters I read about. Of course, Charles Mason and Clint Chamberlain aren't bad either. I wouldn't kick either one of them out of the sack, hahaha! If you are a reader who wants to escape from it all via reading fiction then you have just struck gold with Ms. Murray's popular LAMBERT series. Get cozy before you start reading this book because it is very hard to put it down once you begin the story. That's a fact! (I'm thrilled to recommend this book and the 3 other books that go with it!)

I bought the first two books based on the glowing reviews. I agree with the What Am I Missing Reviewer. They were poorly written and I could not even stand to finish the first one. The reviews are obviously a set up and a great disservice to people who actually buy these books. Please show us a review from a national source.

I would love to detail all of the specifics of what I found interesting and helpful from the books and DVDs in this system, but that would surely take up more time and room than this space allows, lol. Suffice it to say that those Reiki recipients whom I have been working with for some time have commented that they notice an increase in Reiki power -- and they didn't know that I had been doing further study with Steve Murray's Usui Reiki system products; they simply knew something was different. As a newly-signed author myself, I love his writing style; Steve is straight to the point without unnecessary wording --- I like and appreciate that.
Steve Murray's books and DVDs and absolutely priceless and will remain in my personal library as invaluable reference materials in the years to come. I do and will recommend them to anyone that I believe would be interested. I also see that his new book and DVD will be released soon. I plan to purchase and study those also ;)
Namaste,
Raine

While many books, DVDs, etc. SAY that they will reveal the secrets of Reiki, the series written by Steve Murray really delivers.

Here you will learn all the Reiki symbols, the attunements for 1st level, second level, and Reiki master, and much, much, more.

Thoughtfully written, you will find everything you want in this series of books and I highly recommend purchasing them. They are a must for any Reiki healer's library.

I have always known that I had healing energy but in 2004 I began to read Steve Murray's books and receiving his attunements by DVD. It works. Beginning with - Reiki The Ultimate Guide, he teaches his students about the Reiki sacred symbols & attunements and becoming a Reiki Healer. I received my attunement for 1st Level Reiki from Steve's DVD. After that I went on and received attunements for the 2nd Level & read his books - Reiki Ultimate Guides 2 & 3. Steve Murray's method of explaining the sacred symbols and attunements makes it easy to understand and he hides nothing from his students. His book Reiki False Beliefs Exposed For All shows how honest he is with his students. I have bought his DVD and received the attunement to become a Reiki Master, but waited until I felt ready. First I bought the DVD's Reiki 1st Aura and Chakra Attunement and Reiki Healing Attunement - Heal Emotional - Mental - Physical - Spiritual Issues and received these attunements. Afterwards I felt ready, and received the Master Attunement by Steve's DVD program. Steve's program is thorough and easy to understand, and his unique way of teaching is effective. The knowledge and attunements have been very helpful for me while on my own spiritual journey. I would recommend Steve Murray's program for anyone that is interested in becoming a Reiki Healer or in expanding their own knowledge and intensifying their own abilities as an energy healer. Steve Murray leaves no stone unturned, and will leave you feeling enlightened, and stronger as an energy healer.

After being attuned to the 3 Reiki DVD's, I tried it out on 1 of my massage clients. He was more than willing to be my Guniea pig. I asked him not to tell me if anything was wrong, I wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. While i was performing the session, i felt tingling going all over my hands & going up my arms. I wasn't sure if it was the Reiki or if my hands were falling asleep from holding them up for so long. They tingled all over his body. When our breif session (maybe about 15 minutes) was over, I asked him if he was sore all over. He responded, "Yes! How did you know?" I told him, "I just knew." Still not sure if it was the Reiki, his wife, who is a dear friend, reinforced it for me. She said, "He said he NEVER felt anything like it in his life. He never felt such heat generated from something that wasn't touching his body." I believe this is proof that the Reiki Steve's teachings and attunements work.

His books are so helpful in answering questions that he didn't have time for on the DVD's. So far, my favorite is the "False Beliefs" book. I started out with that book. The others reiterate it & therefore, I believe make the Reiki stronger because you can understand it better. Steve is a wonderful teacher and is so helpful in answering your questions. There is no doubt in my mind that he is an even better teacher in person. If I had the money to visit him in California, I would. He is a very special person. BDB

This is a great way to learn Reiki. I took a lesson for one and two attunments. But I get more out of Steve Murray's information. I have all of his books, DVD's, CD's. I can go back at anytime to study the information. This way I learn it even better and grow with it. I can't go back to a class unless I pay BIG DOLLARS!!! This is well worth it, it teaches you the same thing a class does. When I did the first attunment I truly felt something, more than I did at a class. It give me more consentration being by myself so I get the real feeling. It's amazing. I now have my Master through this wonderful program.

My wife and I like this author very much. Victoria Taylor Murray writes a good, steamy love story and is great at weaving murder and mystery into the plot. After a long day's work, we enjoy steaming in the hot tub, then relaxing in bed with a VTM book. Yes, we take turns reading to each other, like a couple of newlyweds.

We recommend this book and her Lambert series also. I hear she has a cookbook out, too, and since I'm the best cook in the family, I'll probably get that one next, but I guarantee, I won't be reading it in bed.

Meanwhile, pick this one up. Bob the plumber says!!!

Reading The Shadow of Her Smile was like slurping a long, cold lemonade on a sultry, summer day--I couldn't devour it fast enough!

The story started off with a bang, growing increasingly suspenseful as Victoria Taylor Murray drew me into her exciting plot with the ease that only the best writers can achieve. From Trump Towers to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to Little Italy to NYPD and a grandmother's run-down mansion, she painted a New York seldom seen by outsiders. I especially relished the historical vignettes of The Big Apple woven in at appropriate places in the story.

Although many of the supporting characters were ultra-worldly--obviously shallow, greedy, and lustful--each one was unique and thoroughly fleshed out. Through them, Murray captures the true essence of the city's diversity of cultures and life-styles.

And the hero and heroine are to die for! The excitement was nonstop as handsome Corbin Douglas searched for beautiful, red-haired Nikki Rourke--a "woman in a photograph" with an unforgettable smile--overcoming death-defying, breath-stealing obstacles to help her.

This well-written, fast-paced book has everything: believable characters, realistic dialogue, suspense, romance, and "original" humor. For example, when Corbin, a cop-turned-private-investegator, told his former partner, "I have a headache the size of Stephen King's Buick 8," I laughed out loud... a welcome relief from the tension of the book's drama.

I join this talented author's legions of fans in applauding her on penning another winner. My one regret is that I didn't discover her from her very first book." -- Betty Dravis, author of "The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley," "1106 Grand Boulevard," and "Millennium Babe: The Prophecy"

I have been an avid Victoria Taylor Fan every since the Lambert series hit the bookshelves. I enjoy the writing style of this writer very much. Her stories are unique, exciting, sexy, and entertaining. I can hardly wait until her next novel hits the bookshelves!

I've always been a romance reader, but my general fare is Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts, so when my sister told me all about this author and how good her romantic suspense stories are, I was skeptical at first.

I decided to buy her stand-alone book ... just in case I didn't enjoy VTM's style as much as my sister did. But that turned out NOT to be a problem. I adored this book and its glitzy characters, as you can tell by my name title. LOL ...

And that cop is to die for!

So now it's back to the shopping cart to toss in her Lambert series. Thanks, Victoria, for a wonderful reading adventure. Keep up the good work.

Love this author; love all her books ... even her new cookbook.

I had the pleasure of meeting VTM at one of her booksignings and she's a very sweet, knowledgable women. I meet a lot of celebrities in my line of work (even doubling for the stars routinely), but never met an author before ... so that's an occasion I'll long remember.

I look forward to her next book. Hurry up, Victoria!

I would love to detail all of the specifics of what I found interesting and helpful from the books and DVDs in this system, but that would surely take up more time and room than this space allows, lol. Suffice it to say that those Reiki recipients whom I have been working with for some time have commented that they notice an increase in Reiki power -- and they didn't know that I had been doing further study with Steve Murray's Usui Reiki system products; they simply knew something was different. As a newly-signed author myself, I love his writing style; Steve is straight to the point without unnecessary wording --- I like and appreciate that.
Steve Murray's books and DVDs are absolutely priceless and will remain in my personal library as invaluable reference materials in the years to come. I do and will recommend them to anyone that I believe would be interested. I also see that his new book and DVD will be released soon. I plan to purchase and study those also ;)
Namaste,
Raine

While many books, DVDs, etc. SAY that they will reveal the secrets of Reiki, the series written by Steve Murray really delivers.

Here you will learn all the Reiki symbols, the attunements for 1st level, second level, and Reiki master, and much, much, more.

Thoughtfully written, you will find everything you want in this series of books and I highly recommend purchasing them. They are a must for any Reiki healer's library.

After being attuned to the 3 Reiki DVD's, I tried it out on 1 of my massage clients. He was more than willing to be my Guniea pig. I asked him not to tell me if anything was wrong, I wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. While i was performing the session, i felt tingling going all over my hands & going up my arms. I wasn't sure if it was the Reiki or if my hands were falling asleep from holding them up for so long. They tingled all over his body. When our breif session (maybe about 15 minutes) was over, I asked him if he was sore all over. He responded, "Yes! How did you know?" I told him, "I just knew." Still not sure if it was the Reiki, his wife, who is a dear friend, reinforced it for me. She said, "He said he NEVER felt anything like it in his life. He never felt such heat generated from something that wasn't touching his body." I believe this is proof that the Reiki Steve's teachings and attunements work.

His books are so helpful in answering questions that he didn't have time for on the DVD's. So far, my favorite is the "False Beliefs" book. I started out with that book. The others reiterate it & therefore, I believe make the Reiki stronger because you can understand it better. Steve is a wonderful teacher and is so helpful in answering your questions. There is no doubt in my mind that he is an even better teacher in person. If I had the money to visit him in California, I would. He is a very special person. BDB

This is a great way to learn Reiki. I took a lesson for one and two attunments. But I get more out of Steve Murray's information. I have all of his books, DVD's, CD's. I can go back at anytime to study the information. This way I learn it even better and grow with it. I can't go back to a class unless I pay BIG DOLLARS!!! This is well worth it, it teaches you the same thing a class does. When I did the first attunment I truly felt something, more than I did at a class. It give me more consentration being by myself so I get the real feeling. It's amazing. I now have my Master through this wonderful program.

Ten years ago, one of the worst things that can happen to a man happened to me. And that would be a devastatingly painful condition of the testicle that lasted twenty four hours a day, accompanied by equally terrible rectal pain. I was twenty seven, just bought my first house, just married, just promoted to managing the largest drug store in town, and life was supposed to be grand. And except for working seventy hours a week, things were ok. I felt like I needed something new and exciting in my life, something thrilling. So this translated to buying a Racing-type street bike. I had a bike as a kid, a Suzuki, so I already knew how to ride, and I had really enjoyed it, and missed the thrill of the wind and the speed.
This desire for the exotic would be my ruin. After riding only a couple of months, I think the strain of working so many hours, plus all the heavy lifting I did in the stockroom, plus the notorious strain put on the groin area by the nick named "crotch rocket", it was just all too much. I developed not only pain but down on your knees pain, and had to continue working seventy hour weeks, it was retail, merciless. I kept going back to my urologist and he just could not figure it out, dragging out the damage and pain further over time. Finally after it had got to the point of me having to take a sauna bath Before and after work, I was able to diagnose my self. After about twenty minutes in the hot water I realized that my right testicle could spin completely backwards like a face turning all the way around to face the back. That is not physically posible, and that is called a Tortion of the testicle. A tortion of the testicle which spins more than a 360 on it self can kill a testicle in a matter of minutes, completely cutting all blood supply to the testicle. I think mine had only gotten to 340, so I just had the pain, and the nerve damage and all the strange effects of letting that continue unchecked for six months.
So, after I diagnosed myself to my doctor, I made perhaps a fatal flaw. I allowed him to do the surgery. He needed to basically sew it in place, that was it. But perhaps by that time so much damage was done to the nerves, I was beyond true surgical solution. I had the surgery and my allotted one week recovery time, yeah, one week. And went back to a downward spiral of blinding pain, emotions way out of control, so many different prescription drugs I know they have taken years off my life, divorce, bankruptcy- for medical costs, foreclosure, fighting the state system for disability, fighting my insurance company for my disability long term insurance, monthly prescription costs that look like a New York penthouse rental, to having to move back in with my folks, God bless them.
Now that sums up the past eleven years and I tell you, I have really not had any good news since, I even developed a skin type condition on the scrotum area, probably from nerve damage, that required steroids a couple years ago that probably was going to cut my life span in half. But Reiki has completely healed that skin condition, in just a matter of a couple months, and I no longer have to use steroids and just that alone is a miracle to me!
For the first time in over a decade I can cut back on the meds enough to keep my head clear enough to read and learn again, and that is a miracle to me! I am not stupid by a long shot, I have a Bachelor of Business Management from a major University, an IQ of 160, carried mostly A's and B's, but I am on so many different prescriptions for pain, at such high levels, I have trouble seeing the text on the page, much less concentrating!
Reiki seems to really be helping me in every way, I am using it in every way I can to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually, because I have been bitter. I have experienced positive rebounds in each of these areas in just three months, if you put faith in the system and just let it work, you can literally cure yourself. Anyone who has read the "Secret" knows that healing with the power of the mind has been discussed as a real mental phenomenon, this is more like the "Secret" on Steroids! Reiki connects you to a sacred source that I can only compare to God, and promotes strong fast healing on all levels. And Reiki is also a system that allows you to direct the type of healing you most need and where you need it, it is hard to explain to those hearing about it for the first time. Usually you get the look. But you have to accept that this system works, there are forces in the Universe greater than humans and no, they don't have to answer to us. My dream would be to completely heal myself 100 percent, and then find employment using this wonderful system, I will keep using Reiki to try and make this a reality. By making this amazing system available to the average to more than average down trodden Joe, Mr. Murray has taken a self-less path of spreading this powerful knowledge to the masses, instead of those who would keep it a secret and sell it for a fortune to a fortunate few. This is a spiritually enlightened man who recognizes that salvation of a generation is worth more than salvation of a federation.
Without Steve Murray's Reiki Program, I would still be declining in health, barely holding on to life, just barely.
I can not honestly say I would be alive right now, had I not found Steve Murray's Reiki Books and Attunement Dvd's.
Steve, Thank you does not seem like enough.

This is a phenomenal once-in-a lifetime read that will positively impact your life's trajectory, lending you the tools, resources, and tips you need to become a mega-successful entrepreneur.

This is not only a very good read, it is also a excellent source of helpful guidance. A modern day combination of The Power of Positive Thinking, and so many other self help books of the past, this one adds a few new wrinkles that will make the purchase price a mere pitance when compared to the benefits derived from reading this book.

I have been in the personal development field for over forty years. This is THE best book I have ever read in the field. It is life-transforming.The authors guide us with clear information and tools that anyone can use to guarantee success.
It's an instant classic on the level of Think and Grow Rich, the all-time best-selling self-help book.

Bruce Tredinnick

The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life A well balanced and crafted book. I have read books now by most the participants of the Secret and I believe that this one is the best. I say this becasue it carries you all the way through without dropping you. It is clear practical and spiritual but not in a flaky way. Buy and enjoy, it has the ingredients to 'do what it says on the tin'. Good information from and by guys who have succeeded and continue to succceed.

Dublin Ireland

Before I get into discussing this book I would like to tell a bit of a personal story relating to this book. It is a story that hopefully might even make the book even more interesting to prospective readers. To relate this story to you will make my review a good bit longer than normal, but please bear with me because this story really does have to do with what's in this book...

Last year I watched the international phenomenon, The Secret, which has swept the globe with its message: "Everything that you have, make or do happens because of your thoughts. Everything that happens to you, whether you wanted it to happen or not, was attracted to you by your subconscious mind. This is known as the Law of Attraction. If you want to have a better life, use the Law of Attraction to your benefit."

What The Secret was putting out there was that we are responsible for our own conditions but we need to align what we want in life with our subconscious before we can truly change.

I took this in as positive thinking, as a "philosophy", so to speak but I decided to give the Law of Attraction a try. But after putting a small amount of effort into its practice by trying to manifest some small things - a second trip to Egypt in the same year, an interview in a newspaper, etc., I found the Law of Attraction to be rather true in my life. Thus with no more guidance than the information in that film I started experimenting with one of my businesses last year, a business that hadn't been faring too well in the recent past. To my joy this business turned around and doubled in size within ten months. I then used the same principles to find my sweetheart and in a matter of weeks I found a wonderful girl, just as I had imagined her to be even before I knew her. And after that I turned my attention to a second business I had in December of 2007 and now it is double the size that it was when I started using these principles.

In the course of all of this I moved to Bangkok, Thailand, from Saigon, Vietnam. In Bangkok I have met many new and very interesting people. One day I was called out of the blue by a friend I hadn't seen in a while. She asked me to come to a showing of The Secret which was being held by a Belgian man named Guy, who was interested in the Law of Attraction. I dropped everything I was doing that Sunday and came to the showing. I came not so much to see the movie again, although that was a side benefit, but I really was interested to meet people who were using these principles in their lives so that I could compare notes and see how this was working in their lives. I was there to offer my experiences and to gain from others. Guy and I with another Belgian, Chris, formed our own monthly meeting group.

But something had always bothered me about The Secret: It wasn't enough. I felt like the information in The Secret was more of an advertisement than a practical way of doing things. I decided to focus on finding a guide, a teacher who could take me further into the nitty gritty of how we should use these principles to improve our lives on a day-to-day basis. I decided to "intend" a teacher to come into my life - a teacher who could show me both a much deeper understanding of what I was doing as well as how to use these principles in a practical way.

Two days after I made the intention of finding my teacher came the e-mail from Norm Goldman of BookPleasures.com. The public relations firm representing John Assaraf and Murray Smith was requesting a review of their new book, The Answer.

Recognizing John Assaraf's name from The Secret immediately, I jumped at the chance to review this book.

Coincidence? Stay with me. My story about this book doesn't end there.

I remembered John Assaraf's name especially for two reasons: First, one of the most poignant scenes in The Secret is when his six year old son finds a five year old vision board in a corrugated moving carton. In explaining to his son the purpose of this vision board John realized that the perfect home he'd wished for five years earlier was exactly the home he was living in at that time! (This amazing and thought provoking story is well covered in both the film and book versions of The Secret as well as in John's book The Answer, so I won't go into great detail about the matter).

The second reason I remembered John Assaraf's name is because it reminded me of a friend who I was trying to reach and had decided some time ago to find out about. At university I had a friend named Marc Assaraf. So the day the advance reading copy of The Answer arrived in my office in Bangkok I checked John and Murray's website for their One Coach business and I e-mailed John asking him whether he would be interested in helping me with any questions I had about the book (he responded that he would). But at the end of the e-mail I asked whether, just by chance, he had ever heard of someone named Marc Assaraf. It turned out that Marc Assaraf was John's own brother!

From my point of view, I could take this situation for a very, very wild coincidence, or I could take it that my receiving John's and Murray's book was a convergence of two intentions that I had clearly stated and wanted the manifestation of. Both answer could not be true.

To make matters even more "coincidental", the very day that I finished reading The Answer I received an e-mail from Chet Holmes inviting me to a conference call with none other than John Assaraf. I opened this e-mail less than one hour after finishing the last page of this amazing book!

Needless to say, this was a conference call that I participated in and gained much from.

The Answer is a well written book that explains exactly how such a "coincidence" occurs. At least in the first half of the book it does.

In the first chapters John Assaraf explains scientifically how your mind and mine are connected to the world through our subconscious and how we can change the poor results we have been getting, whether it be relationships, financial, professional, etc. I really have to admit that when I first opened the book I felt a bit strange reading all about the science behind this. What I was looking for was the quick, practical tips that would help me to better use the principles of the Law of Attraction. (John Assaraf prefers to use "Law of Resonance"). By the middle of the book all of John's painstaking research that he shared made sense - John put all of his findings in so that we'd know exactly the whys of the how to make the changes in our lives. Don't get me wrong, I was not saying that the first part of the book was not interesting. Just the contrary, it was extremely interesting. I didn't see its necessity until later in the book when it all came together and then it all came clear.

John's long-time friend and business partner Murray Smith took the latter part of the book where he gave advice on how to determine where you might be in your business and where you want to go (some of this was covered in John's section of the book, though the two authors were coming from slightly different angles). Murray then gave some excellent tools for both entrepreneurs as well as people who worked for others to be able to use in order to turn their businesses around and to guide the reader on how reach their goals. Both Murray Smith and John Assaraf gave many examples of how their clients had discovered where they had been going wrong and turned their businesses and organizations around. There are also plenty of practical resources in this book for the reader to use immediately.

Trust me. If you want to enrich your life or change something in your business in any meaningful way then read this book. Devour it. Digest it. Once you have read The Answer of course you can draw your own conclusions on what these guys are saying. But I am willing to bet that if you follow their advice you will feel like magic has come into the way you do things. Planning becomes fun and effortless. You will see doors opening for you that before were not just only closed - some of the doors weren't even there! Take it from me: You have nothing to lose and so much to gain by using Murray's and John's advice. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how to get more out of their life.

I purchased an older version of this book and now plan to get the updated version. I am really impressed. The book is easy to read, has lots of great information, and answers many questions. It is easy to follow and I think a PLUS for any one who is interested in natural medicine. Too bad more conventional doctors don't have a copy of this book.

I've owned the earlier edition of this book for over 10 years and have used it exclusively for all ailments. It has always provided the most sensible advice. My father frequently called me for medical advice from my book so I bought him this latest edition. He says it has helped him in talking to his doctor by providing good information on the disease, cause, treatment options. It takes the naturopathic approach to treating illness, avoiding pharmaceuticals, and focusing on natural remedies. I would not be without it.

As a former skeptic of naturopathic medicine, I would like to tell people that are considering purchasing this book that it is a balanced, well-written resource.

I appreciate the fact that it cites what we know from mainstream medicine and then illustrates how alternative natural therapies can be applied to various conditions. I also pleased that for each condition, multiple therapies are recommended instead of just one. This allows the reader the ability to tailor their treatment plan to their needs and available materials.

Very educational and well written. Would highly recommend.

An Excellent book with great info. A must to have book at an unbeatable price makes it an excellent value for money. The info are up to date and usefull.

This book is the single most amazing book I have read on medicine and medical conditions. I have many medical books, and although they are quite definitive with regard to illnesses and mostly orthodox medication as a remedy, this book will open your eyes to a whole new world. The medical community does not treat the body holistically, and i do not mean that in a hippyish, spiritual way, but genuinely. There are so many specialists in the world, each being specifically trained as a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, etc,. but only clinical diagnosticians seem to view the body as a whole. Mr. Michael Murray has extensive knowledge on psysiology and anatomy, and it is clearly evident that he has insight into the genuine reasons for so many illnesses, as he is not under the thumb of pharmaceutical companies that doctors rely on so much. He has covered all the areas of the body, trying to be understandable and as succinct as possible, (this is an encyclopedia, not a text book per se), while not undermining the integrity of the medical information he dispenses. EVERY SINGLE home that can get their hands on this book will benefit for their lifetime. All I can say is there is no other book on medicine that for the lay person, will help them, inform them, and possibly cure them, like this book!

would love to detail all of the specifics of what I found interesting and helpful from the books and DVDs in this system, but that would surely take up more time and room than this space allows, lol. Suffice it to say that those Reiki recipients whom I have been working with for some time have commented that they notice an increase in Reiki power -- and they didn't know that I had been doing further study with Steve Murray's Usui Reiki system products; they simply knew something was different. As a newly-signed author myself, I love his writing style; Steve is straight to the point without unnecessary wording --- I like and appreciate that.
Steve Murray's books and DVDs and absolutely priceless and will remain in my personal library as invaluable reference materials in the years to come. I do and will recommend them to anyone that I believe would be interested. I also see that his new book and DVD will be released soon. I plan to purchase and study those also ;)
Namaste,
Raine

After being attuned to the 3 Reiki DVD's, I tried it out on 1 of my massage clients. He was more than willing to be my Guniea pig. I asked him not to tell me if anything was wrong, I wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own. While i was performing the session, i felt tingling going all over my hands & going up my arms. I wasn't sure if it was the Reiki or if my hands were falling asleep from holding them up for so long. They tingled all over his body. When our breif session (maybe about 15 minutes) was over, I asked him if he was sore all over. He responded, "Yes! How did you know?" I told him, "I just knew." Still not sure if it was the Reiki, his wife, who is a dear friend, reinforced it for me. She said, "He said he NEVER felt anything like it in his life. He never felt such heat generated from something that wasn't touching his body." I believe this is proof that the Reiki Steve's teachings and attunements work.

His books are so helpful in answering questions that he didn't have time for on the DVD's. So far, my favorite is the "False Beliefs" book. I started out with that book. The others reiterate it & therefore, I believe make the Reiki stronger because you can understand it better. Steve is a wonderful teacher and is so helpful in answering your questions. There is no doubt in my mind that he is an even better teacher in person. If I had the money to visit him in California, I would. He is a very special person. BDB

Ten years ago, one of the worst things that can happen to a man happened to me. And that would be a devastatingly painful condition of the testicle that lasted twenty four hours a day, accompanied by equally terrible rectal pain. I was twenty seven, just bought my first house, just married, just promoted to managing the largest drug store in town, and life was supposed to be grand. And except for working seventy hours a week, things were ok. I felt like I needed something new and exciting in my life, something thrilling. So this translated to buying a Racing-type street bike. I had a bike as a kid, a Suzuki, so I already knew how to ride, and I had really enjoyed it, and missed the thrill of the wind and the speed.
This desire for the exotic would be my ruin. After riding only a couple of months, I think the strain of working so many hours, plus all the heavy lifting I did in the stockroom, plus the notorious strain put on the groin area by the nick named "crotch rocket", it was just all too much. I developed not only pain but down on your knees pain, and had to continue working seventy hour weeks, it was retail, merciless. I kept going back to my urologist and he just could not figure it out, dragging out the damage and pain further over time. Finally after it had got to the point of me having to take a sauna bath Before and after work, I was able to diagnose my self. After about twenty minutes in the hot water I realized that my right testicle could spin completely backwards like a face turning all the way around to face the back. That is not physically posible, and that is called a Tortion of the testicle. A tortion of the testicle which spins more than a 360 on it self can kill a testicle in a matter of minutes, completely cutting all blood supply to the testicle. I think mine had only gotten to 340, so I just had the pain, and the nerve damage and all the strange effects of letting that continue unchecked for six months.
So, after I diagnosed myself to my doctor, I made perhaps a fatal flaw. I allowed him to do the surgery. He needed to basically sew it in place, that was it. But perhaps by that time so much damage was done to the nerves, I was beyond true surgical solution. I had the surgery and my allotted one week recovery time, yeah, one week. And went back to a downward spiral of blinding pain, emotions way out of control, so many different prescription drugs I know they have taken years off my life, divorce, bankruptcy- for medical costs, foreclosure, fighting the state system for disability, fighting my insurance company for my disability long term insurance, monthly prescription costs that look like a New York penthouse rental, to having to move back in with my folks, God bless them.
Now that sums up the past eleven years and I tell you, I have really not had any good news since, I even developed a skin type condition on the scrotum area, probably from nerve damage, that required steroids a couple years ago that probably was going to cut my life span in half. But Reiki has completely healed that skin condition, in just a matter of a couple months, and I no longer have to use steroids and just that alone is a miracle to me!
For the first time in over a decade I can cut back on the meds enough to keep my head clear enough to read and learn again, and that is a miracle to me! I am not stupid by a long shot, I have a Bachelor of Business Management from a major University, an IQ of 160, carried mostly A's and B's, but I am on so many different prescriptions for pain, at such high levels, I have trouble seeing the text on the page, much less concentrating!
Reiki seems to really be helping me in every way, I am using it in every way I can to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually, because I have been bitter. I have experienced positive rebounds in each of these areas in just three months, if you put faith in the system and just let it work, you can literally cure yourself. Anyone who has read the "Secret" knows that healing with the power of the mind has been discussed as a real mental phenomenon, this is more like the "Secret" on Steroids! Reiki connects you to a sacred source that I can only compare to God, and promotes strong fast healing on all levels. And Reiki is also a system that allows you to direct the type of healing you most need and where you need it, it is hard to explain to those hearing about it for the first time. Usually you get the look. But you have to accept that this system works, there are forces in the Universe greater than humans and no, they don't have to answer to us. My dream would be to completely heal myself 100 percent, and then find employment using this wonderful system, I will keep using Reiki to try and make this a reality. By making this amazing system available to the average to more than average down trodden Joe, Mr. Murray has taken a self-less path of spreading this powerful knowledge to the masses, instead of those who would keep it a secret and sell it for a fortune to a fortunate few. This is a spiritually enlightened man who recognizes that salvation of a generation is worth more than salvation of a federation.
Without Steve Murray's Reiki Program, I would still be declining in health, barely holding on to life, just barely.
I can not honestly say I would be alive right now, had I not found Steve Murray's Reiki Books and Attunement Dvd's.
Steve, Thank you does not seem like enough.

Common sense...versus misconceptions...pretty much sums it up in this latest book. After reading many, many books on Reiki, this one is totally refreshing as Steve Murray uncovers and exposes many of the myths. beliefs and legends that we have heard or learned from other Reiki practioners and Murray does so in a gentle, non-judgmental way. Included in the volume are over 100 Reiki symbols..both traditional and non traditional and a Reiki mandala which is something I've never seen before. Murray's books and DVD's are well worth the investment if Reiki is an important part of your life. The attunements are powerful and life changing. The Reiki information in the books is invaluable. Become a Reiki healer and change your life and assist others in changing theirs in a very positive way.

Namaste,
Marilyn Brenneman, RN

I have many of Steve Murray Reiki DVDs, and they are the best. The Reiki DVDs do pass the Reiki Attunements very well. And the Reiki Books are very informative and easy to understand. I love the photos and drawings in the books because it makes what he explains very easy to comprehend.

From reading the reviews of the few people who do not like him because of his books and DVDs, it looks like to me these are the Reiki people he writes about in his Reiki False Beliefs Exposed for all. LOL no wonder they dislike him and his work. He has exposed them and they are angry. It is this small group of people who only want you to learn Reiki their way, because they think their way is the only way, and they are always right. And by coincidence it's usually the most expensive way to learn Reiki, and with them giving classes.

The big difference between Mr. Murray and his detractors is that he teaches you can learn Reiki many ways and his teachings are one option; just make your own decision with learning Reiki with what works the best for you. Every person has Reiki naturally. What books, DVDs and classes show you is how to use it for yourself and others. In fact some people use Reiki successfully without any guidance or teachings. Most of Mr. Murray's critics do not want you to know this either.

From reading a few of Mr. Murray's reviews it seems he has changed people's lives around the world, so he is doing a good thing. Mr. Murray's Reiki teachings are not for all, but at least he is open minded to know this, and would never tell you his Reiki path is the only correct one.

Light to All

wm

This coffin box Set Is a great addition to a collection of vampire Memorabilia . Open the lid (flap) to see who is inside. you can pick who is in the coffin, One is the child vampire and the other a dark haired male vampire.

Anne Rice is the best modern writer on vampires. I have read them all and she rocks. The coolest scenarios and she reads like an intelligent airport paperback book writer. Her writing goes down easy like a comic book. I have written a book on vampires too if you are interested. It's called Seamus and Emer. It's available on Amazon so take a look. Good Luck! Bye Bye!

... a fine set of Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. What a refreshing point of view and burning light to see vampires in. Rice gives us vampires with feelings - why shouldn't a vampire feel joy, pain and regret? Yes, bottom line is they are merciless killers, but this is the all-too often typecast image of vampires that Hollywood likes to betray. These immortals don't just sweep in with a dramatic flare of their capes (most of the time they don't even wear one), kill then leave - we experience their agony, hunger, happiness and turmoil before and after each kill. Anne Rice gives us so much more - imagine YOUR fears, regrets and hopes from your lifetime spread over an eternity. Would you really want immortality? What is right and what is wrong? Good and evil? The devil and God? Leave your humdrum life behind for a while and bury yourself (literally) in a world of fascinating, real characters in sumtuous, historic or sordid surroundings. Enjoy, but remember to put the lid back across when you're finished...

I would have preferred to have been able to buy these audio books on cd; however, they were unavailable. Since I had read them all so long ago, it was time to delve back into them. Buying audio books to bring on vacation, was the perfect idea! (I didn't have to worry about getting any suntan lotion on the pages!)

I knew about Anne Rice, but I had never read any of her books before. I read Interview With The Vampire, and I couldn't put it down! It's one of the best books I've ever read. Now I'm reading the whole set. It was great!