Rating: 
Summary: for everyone who is still looking for that crack in reality
Review: Its sad to see that a reviewer writes that Amy Wallace just knew Castaneda for two years and then goes on to immaturley dismiss the book. This is an important document and should be read by all wannabee sorcerers who are still out there looking for that crack in reality.Wake up and smell the coffee people, real life awaits and this Amy Wallace bravely shows us by writing this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A STORY OF A STRANGLEHOLD OF CONTROL
Review: The books written by Castaneda were wonderful and appreciated by the millions. However, those that took their content to heart has their story revealed here. Carlos lived his stories 24 hours a day as did his many followers. He controlled many many lives pervasively and this is Amy Wallace's story of the results of that control. 'Tis amazing and something I will never understand....allowing someone else to take over my life including the disavowing of family and acquaintences because Carlos says so. Even after his death from cancer, he is missed terribly by his followers. I do think the story was a little long and could have been pared down about 50 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Excuse me?
Review: The previous reviewer claims that Amy Wallace knew Carlos Castaneda for only two years.Wallace actually knew him for more than 25 years, from the time she was a teenager, and was his girlfriend for the last nine years of his life. Castaneda's culties shouldn't come here and trash this book without bothering to actually read it first. This is a harrowing book that every cultie should read, and whose dire warning they should all heed.
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Summary: A View from the Inside
Review: For all those like me that read and re-read the books by Carlos Castaneda, Amy Wallace's new book, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" provides a insider's perspective on the man that brought Don Juan and Don Genaro to life in his wonderful books. Amy's experiences with Carlos take place after Don Juan "burned from within" and left Carlos behind to continue on his "path" alone. Did he succeed? Who knows? But the book clearly depicts a man who appears to stumble and succumb to his ego; a man that failed to obtain the ultimate goal and navigate the "black sea of awareness." "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is beautifully written and will leave the reader to wonder about the man that captured the hearts and minds of a generation, including me.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down, pure gold, unflaggingly honest
Review: Having been an avid reader of Castaneda's for thirty years I was naturally fascinated. Having been involved in several "cults" I resonated with every page. Having been involved in sorcery I puzzled at the dearth of it in her courageous account. However depressed I got while reading it, I came away feeling clear and ultimately refreshed. At its core is the endless mystery of the human heart and its contradictions. Kudos to the author for her impeccable honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Could not put it down
Review: Although this book does not provide an inner look or analysis of the source or inspiration of Castaneda's work or the true existence of Don Juan, I don't think this was the author's intention, it is a candid and staggeringly honest personal account, of the beauty and profound suffering that Amy Wallace experienced under this complex, charismatic person, and his female companions. A man that in most of his lectures preached that what differentiated him from most other spiritual leaders was that "he walked his talk;" claiming repeatedly in his public workshops that he was celibate. Ms Wallace clearly uncovered these lies. And if Mr Castaneda lied so repeatedly in this area, how can one believe the reality of anything else he said? I admire Castaneda's brilliance as a storyteller and want to think that he started out as a sincere seeker of truth. The beauty and lyricism of his writings reveal that, but in the end he fell pray to the seduction of power and his unresolved emotional problems, from which his warrior's path could not save him. His relentless struggle to overcome the last traces of his humanity, the "human form" as he called it, transformed him not into an explorer of infinity but into a contradictory, controlling and often cruel "human" being, that made the warrior's path a terrifying and lonely undertaking. As much as he extolled the importance of the warrior's solitariness, encouraging disciples to send their families to hell; at the end of his life he demanded constant companionship, unable to die alone. It is sad that the current "nagual woman," Carol Tiggs, lacks the integrity and honesty of Ms Wallace. Hiding behind an organization, she is unable to expose the truth and lead us to believe that she is another power hungry individual.
Rating:
Summary: You Won't be Able To Put It Down
Review: This book is very well written and rings of absolute truthfulness. The Castaneda groupies posting here at Amazon.com. I see all give it one star so don't be put off by their reviews. But be forewarned this book is not for the faint of heart. If your looking for a feel good spiritual book look elsewhere. Amy Wallace shows us the dirty reality of what happens when one turns over a life to a guru and it's not pretty. But if your looking for information about Carlos Castaneda and his "Family" this book takes you behind the scenes and helps the reader understand how cults can cloud the most intellegent of minds. Bravo Ms. Wallace your honesty will help many people you will never know avoid your fate.
Rating:
Summary: Anatomy of an abuse
Review: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" My Life with Carlos Castaneda by Amy Wallace is a must read! For every one interested in knowing Carlos Castaneda's other side, this book takes you right away there. By applying the "Castanedian" warrior's qualities to herself, Amy Wallace has dared to go far beyond Carlos Castaneda's myth. Her bold journey has fortunately been successful and she brings the unique treasure of her first hand testimony back to the readers. Indeed, Amy Wallace provides an entertaining and accurate anatomy of the complexity of an abusive system such as Carlos Castaneda's cult. She remarkably describes the different steps of the "brain-washing" mechanisms. First, the seduction phase, second, the price of entry, third, the control, forth, the threat and finally, the exclusion. She also gives a remarkable portrait of Carlos Castaneda, the man. In a non-judgmental way, she shows how, despite his genius (or maybe because of his genius), he did not resist to abuse of his absolute power gained by the enormous success of his writings. Clearly, the man was a great writer and story teller but never recovered from his boyish size and his childhood inferiority complexes. Ironically, he became a gigantic paradoxical being from which he could not save himself. Amy Wallace's book helps to understand --and therefore to prevent and fight-- the abusive behaviors iconolatry provokes. Written in a magnificent vivid style, her memoir much overcomes Carlos Castaneda's own tales by the power of her sincerity. Once you open it, you cannot drop it till you have read the last line.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible
Review: Terrible. A book about a great man, written by a bitter ex lover.
Rating:
Summary: Sad for the wrong reasons
Review: This book is definitely worth reading if you're into tabloid journalism. For anybody who's more interested in exploring the boundless possibilities of our existence... sorry, no. Throughout the book, the author seems to be crying out to the reader to pity her for her own choices... I don't see the logic here. Plus, Wallace's deluded narcissism shines through every page. The great mystery is why Castaneda would even have bothered with her in the first place. As well as what she might have thought she'd get out of the world of sorcery...
I'm sorry I can't be more positive about this book.
I just can't.
It's not even wellwritten, and it reeks of ego, Hollywood style.
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