Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful work in progress
Review: Although he is not the best in articulating his vision in a convincing way, I have to say that this book is evidence that Zukav is on his way to something wonderful. Though his commercial success may serve as a impediment in his own path, I think that he has made a positive and significant contribution to public consciousness through this book. All I can hope for is that he continues developing his understanding and uses his fame in a responsible and positive way. If you are looking for this type of vision that is explained in a much more articulate manner, read "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. If you read Sato's book, you will see how it all comes together and also feel incredibly inspired!
Rating:
Summary: Take what you need
Review: What Gary offers in the Seat of the Soul is a way of looking at the world that has helped him in his own life. He isn't offering a dogma or a set of beliefs that he thinks you should accept. If you don't believe in reincarnation or his theory on animal souls, that doesn't mean that you can't get something meaningful out of this book. For example, I have not read any other author that explores the messages behind emotions with the depth that he has. That beneath all compulsions and addictions are feelings of inadequacy. He compares the discovery of anger in oneself to that of uncovering the top of a pyramid, and that the further down you go the more you will find. His writing will help you understand yourself better, that is- your own energy field. You learn to recognize your own reactions and how to avoid traps. He isn't the inventor of such ideas, but he is one of the few to have shed so much light on them in recent years. So I say....if you don't agree with something he writes about.....thats ok. I don't know if I believe in reincarnation. I don't know if I accept his theory on animal souls. But I know that there are great things in his books, so don't let what you don't understand interfere with a chance to gain wisdom. You don't need to get everything to get something.
Rating: 
Summary: On Soul, Spirituality, Leadership, and Personal Growth
Review: As author of Psychology of the Hero Soul, (an inspirational book on promoting heroes and responsible leaders in the workplace and everyday life), I used Dr. Zukav's work in "The Seat of the Soul" to research more about the meaning of soul and the noble values of the soul. I found Dr. Zukav's book to be an educational and informative
read in the field of spiritual and personal growth and found his academic disertation on the higher values of the soul to be quite enlightening. I would recommend this book to people on the hero's journey of spiritual awakening.
Rating: 
Summary: IS THIS A JOKE???
Review: This book came highly recommended to me by a metaphysically-inclined associate who opined, much like the typical self-serving book cover, that this book was "A remarkable treatment of thought, evolution, and reincarnation." I would not be surprised if that plug was penned by Zukav himself, since it is as sanctimonious and self-congratulatory as the pages between the covers. As I was attempting to wade through this rehashed drivel, I realized that there were really only two shortcomings to this book: one, the style, and two, the substance. Everything else was just fine. Granted, book jacket endorsements from fellow con artists are to be examined with some incredulity since they are often fabricated to sell books, and although I realize they can't be trusted, I find myself irritated when a trusted associate recommends something as groundbreaking, when in fact it turns out to be, at best, a primer for elementary-school children, and, at worst, a lazy series of plagairized chapters packaged shamelessly as "original" to take advantage of the current interest in metaphysical ideas for the mere sake of selling books. Only the most neophyte reader could consider this book "Filled with wisdom," as co-conspirator Brian Weiss gushes in support of this book. How could anyone who has read the Upanishads, Freud, Jung, William James, Swedenborg, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, etc, ad nauseum, find this trite piece of garbage "wise"????? Here is another "contemporary" piece of schlock that propounds such "new" and thought-provoking ideas as KARMA, INTUITION, and SOUL. If you are looking for substance, look elsewhere. For example, Chapter 1: Evolution, rambles on for over 25 pages, only to conclude that there is a soul, and that there's more to the world than what you perceive with the five senses. BRILLIANT!!! Hasn't this guy ever heard of the 6th sense? He puts forth his own coined phrase "five-sensory" as if he is the progenitor of a new school of thought! Move over, Thousands of Years of History, Theology, and Philosophy, Gary Zukav is here to enlighten us all!!! And who the hell edited this garbage? This is truly one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. Is it in fact designed for school children? Or those with severe organic brain damage? In Chapter 10: Addiction, Zukav blesses us with the revelation that you cannot work on an addiction unless you admit you have an addiction. I suppose the same is true for auto repair: you can't work on your car unless you have a car. Wow, I feel more enlightened already! In the same chapter, the first two sentences are: "You cannot begin the work of releasing an addiction until you can acknowledge that you are addicted. Until you realize that you have an addiction, it is not possible to diminish its power." Any semi-sophisticated reader can tell that these two sentences are simply redundant, and that any English 101 professor would have red-lined at least one of these sentences as a repetition of the other one. We are all allowed some imperfections, especially in a task as arduous as composing a book, but this malady of poor writing and even sloppier editing runs throughout the book. This "National Best-Seller" is a real head-scratcher. I realize the general reading public is more prone to ooh and ahh at a grand slam homerun or a slam dunk by some 8-foot illiterate jock than a perfectly composed sonnet, or an elegant discourse on the human condition. But the fact that this book sold so many copies, and was received by so many as a work of quality, only reminds me that all the masters and guides are gone. Even in the early days of US history, we had Melville, Poe, London, and Twain, and for philosophy, we had Santayana and William James. There is not a single contemporary author who has carried on the great literary and intellectual traditions of past. History has these names, and Kierkegaard and Wilde and Homer and Somerset Maugham and Shakespeare and Ovid and Herodotus. Who do we have today as our "masters?" We have Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Gary Zukav. ...Whatever you do, begin or continue your spiritual seeking with some real and credible author. It is not likely you will find much value in anything enthusiastically endorsed on daytime television!
Rating: 
Summary: Wow,now we're onto something!
Review: This book is dead bang on, if you are seeking answers to some of lifes questions, you are on a spiritual journey of self, do not miss this one.I highly recommend this one for the spiritual novice seeking to know why we are here, and what our purpose is. Gary is right on with answers to your questions. I am still reading this and his other books as well, as I feel this is a book well worth buying. However, if you disagree, then you are looking for a quick fix, you will not find in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Spiritual Twinkie
Review: I have to agree with the others who have panned this book. The only reason I give it more than one star is that it at least "explores" an area that every soul should eventually consider. Someone who finds Mr. Zukav profound or original may know how to read, but, in this area at least, has yet to read much worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Preaching to the choir...
Review: First impressions: Full of generalities, cliches, & concepts that feel contrived rather than natural or authentically powerful. Often, he makes statements seemingly out of the blue, with no explanation or any attempt at "proof." For example, despite the fact that he is writing for a Western audience, he says: "Souls...have, in general, incarnated their energies many times into many psychological and physical forms..." as if this were common knowledge amongst the audience (mostly North Americans) for whom he is writing! This happens often throughout the book. (Perhaps Zukav was treating this book as a sort of sequel to his famous "Dancing Wu Li Masters"?) I simply take the unverified ideas as interesting thoughts to consider (such as "the release of negativity that occurs in one of the soul's incarnations benefits...all of its other incarnations also") such that in my continuing quest for Truth I might find other sources which do a better job of backing up these ideas...being open-minded means not discarding an interesting concept just because there is currently no clear explanation of it. I much prefer writings of M. Scott Peck ("The Road Less Traveled"), Ken Wilber ("No Boundary"), and "Awareness" by Anthony De Mello. I also recommend checking out books on the "near death experience", particularly "The Journey Home: What Near-Death Experiences and Mysticism Teach Us About the Gift of Life" by Phillip L. Berman. I would recommend those books instead. Nevertheless, "The Seat of the Soul" is valuable for the fact that it is one of the most influential books of our times. It will be useful for understanding the "new age phenomenon" which is growing throughout the West. Rather than buying the book, I recommend checking it out at a library... This book preaches to the choir, deepening the choir's faith, but will likely be frustrating for everyone else. ~ George Kao
Rating:
Summary: Very Inspiring!
Review: This book was very inspiring! Books like these give our lives meaning and help us develop a common undertanding in order to develop a more peaceful and compassionate world. Although I really loved this book, I wished it were a bit less vague and general and a bit more practical. I wish he wrote a little bit more like Toru Sato. I like the balance of practicality and theory in Sato's "Rhythm, Relationships, and Transcendence" even though it carries a similar message.
Rating:
Summary: Dont like it...
Review: I dont like it the way it was written, it's too far from reality. You can say it's like introducing a new religion.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Take on Nothing New
Review: I had to read this book twice. That's not to say I was forced to, rather I had to read it a second time in an attempt to see what all the rave was about. Frankly, I didn't find it, even the second time around. To anyone who hass taken any time to explore their own spirituality either through reading, meditation, or direct experience through nature, church or coven this book said nothing you didn't figure out alread. It seems more like a short cut to spirituality for the lazy. Although I don't feel books should be burned, I don't find this one of any value seeing that it attempts to cram into your head what you should have to work to figure out, causing some really strange side effects like bibling this book. If you have the will power, I'd advise you avoid it.
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