Rating: 
Summary: Intense,Amazing,Fascinating.
Review: Castaneda writes in brilliant & vivid detail his experiences with an Indian sage,guru & sorcerer on the otherworldly realities induced by hallucinogenic intake.He is a talented writer with the skill of depicting scenes that put you there,giving it a realistic feel that transforms the book into one of the landmarks of world literature & human thought.I would describe it as coming close to a "Non-Fiction Novel'.The only question I have on the entire experience is whether these "altered states of thought' had any relevance in magic or were just merely the products of a stoned mind.Closer reading inches to the former.
Rating:
Summary: There need to be more books like this!
Review: Carlos Castaneda shows us that there is an entire world right before our eyes, yet we have mastered the art of looking only at what is easily tangible, and easy to accept. However, he shows anyone who reads it that whatever one doesn't have to squint to see, is indeed meaningless compared to the deeper truths that we must dig for. All in all, a fascinating, great book, which has whetted my appetite for his books. Currently I am reading The Fire from Within.
Rating:
Summary: A guide to smart tripping
Review: By understanding that the purpose of entering the extraordinary realities is not the extraordinary realities themselves but rather a tool to gaining insight about the reality itself the reader gains valuable inspiration to live the life to its fullest extent.Having visited the extraordinary realities probably makes understanding this book much easier and could reduce or remove the sence of confusion - but the single most important characteristics the reader should posses is open-mindness. If you are ready for it, the book will positively improve you and give you material for further improvements and better understanding of yourself. Otherwise it won't affect you at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Enlightening
Review: In this book it seems that sometimes Don Juan is more of a father than a teacher. It is also a great look into the Yaqui way of life and knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. Focusing on the Yaqui Native American magick and the journey on the path to become man of knowledge. Unlike books of Scott Cunningham and Raymond Buckland this book unfolds and reveals the knowledge and the teachings of don Juan through a first person narrative. A definite plus.
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Myth
Review: Anyone who's familiar with the process of writing knows that Castaneda fabricated Don Juan. I'm not going to argue that was the reason why Castaneda shunned media since his thesis was based on a fictional and/or composite character named Don Juan. Nevertheless this book provides an important account of ancient trance rituals and drugs that enhance hallucination BUT it totally misses the point that one does not need magic mushrooms to be drunk spiritually. I recommend this book. It is far superior to Celestine Prophecy and most New Age books.
Rating:
Summary: This world is just a description guided by dreams...
Review: Are these going to be your dreams? Yeah but only if you read this book... Learn how to stop the confusion in your mind, induced by the shamans of mass culture. With Castaneda's help you are going to become the shaman of your own life. Highly practical book, and a start of a wonderful journey. If you seek wisdom this book will give you a lot. If you seek something else your mileage may vary...
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest books on Mexican Shamanism
Review: I read this book when I was quite young, and I still cherish it today. Unfortunatly, I recently found out that Castaneda died this year due to liver complications. He never let anyone take his picture or record his voice, making him as enigmatic as his characters. In this book, you will find many things that bring you to ponder over life's mysteries. This opens the box to the rest of Castaneda's books. A must read for dark, contemplative nights.
Rating:
Summary: A book which inspires fascination--and fear
Review: This book is by turns fascinating, tedious, disturbing, and disorienting. In short, all the things that accompany an expansion of one's model of the world. Castenada bravely submits as a complete novice to another order of reality, under the guidance only of an eccentric and whimsical old shaman. What is also interesting is the dismissal by some reviewers of Castenada's books as hoaxes. Strident denunciation, of anything, seems to me always to mask a great amount of underlying fear. Too, technocratic, orthodox science is very jealous of its position as arbiter of reality. I can't prove that Castenada's accounts are not fabricated. But the plants and substances he describes DO exist, as surely as any other scientific fact. How much denouncing of his work has been done "from the inside", i.e., from the basis of having had personal experiences with those same substances? So typical of human beings, and especially of "skeptics" and "critical thinkers", is judging something through the filters of one's own reality system, from a non-involved, safe, detached, intellectual perspective. Bottom line: roll up your sleeves, involve yourself in personal experience with something, then consider yourself qualified to assess its validity.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent piece, whether fact or fiction.
Review: I have read widely on psychology and philosophy and see so many elements of different academics, writers, religious groups etc reflected by Castaneda's writing. His work encourages strengthening of elements of the self including discipline and will. It also gives insight into a culture so unlike ours. His work certainly has the potential to broaden one's mind, as it has mine. Tales of Power should not be missed.
| 
