The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 4 March 1998
by James Redfield
In the tradition of Richard Bach and Carlos Castaneda comes this novel of spiritual search and discovery, in which the author postulates nine magical insights that lead individuals on a path of evolution which emulates the messianic path of Jesus (and the entire culture of the Maya?). The book has a weak plot which couches Redfield's mix of pop philosophy and psychology. Characters encounter our nameless hero and teach him about a mysterious Aramaic manuscript found in various Peruvian ruins. Each character magically knows what the hero is looking for, and each describes the manuscript in technical detail that does not vary in wording from one character to another. These one-dimensional people describe a magical awakening prophesied in this manuscript, made up of human awareness, practice and caring. One can easily imagine this adventure being set in any country at any time, so it must be read more for its philosophy than its story, just as the books of Bach and Castaneda. The philosophy described is a conglomeration of many ideas and predictions brought forth many times before. Humans have the power to carry themselves to a new state of evolution through attention and meditation. Our protagonist adopts and actualizes these methods in what must be a record time for enlightenment. The details are not forthcoming, the depth of this philosophy doesn't seem to exist. The predictions for the future put the technical fantasy of Star Trek into beautifully restored old-growth forests. Redfield touches on a psychological need and capability that humans do have, and tells us of a dream that could be actualized. But, with pop philosophy that will make the reader's eyes roll, he fails in the follow-through. The writing is weak and the leaps of logic incredible. The book is fabulously successful, though, and as such inspires strong emotions from devotion to hatred. Search elsewhere.