Rating: 
Summary: A SAD AND TROUBLED MEMOIR
Review: Wallace's book is the second memoir written by one of Carlos Castaneda's jilted paramours. The first was written by Castaneda's ex-wife Margaret Castaneda who shares with Wallace a tendency towards affectation, pretentiousness and name-dropping. Wallace's writing style however is more engaging than that of the former Mrs. (whose book on Castaneda suffers from a lack of logical thought progression). Unfortunately, Wallace's memoir entices in the manner of a bad reality TV show - you know it's terrible but somehow you can't stop yourself from watching it (or reading it in the case of 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'). Needless to say, a jilted lover hardly serves as an unbiased character reference. The only indisputable conclusion that can be reached with respect to Carlos Castaneda after having read the two books written by his ex's is that he had terrible taste in women. In reading Wallace's memoir about her years as a part of Castaneda's inner circle, it is patently obvious that she suffers from a serious psychiatric disorder. In view of this it is very difficult to discern what is truth, what is half-truth and what is delusional. For example while it is not difficult to believe that she may have had an intimate relationship with Castaneda, it is much more difficult to believe her assertion that he was a serial killer/ assassin possibly under the employ of a governmental agency. There was also the bizarre incident Wallace describes where Castaneda accuses her of being on Prozac after a bottle of the drug was found in her home. Wallace protested her innocence explaining that the pills were merely part of a stash of medicines that she kept handy just in case she decided to commit suicide one day. Keeping a stash such as this does not seem to be consistent with mental stability. Neither is hiring a private detective to track down Castaneda and his cohorts once they told her they wanted no further association with her. There was also the strikingly odd description of her first night of intimacy with Castaneda. She writes that Castaneda, who was in his late sixties at the time, picked her up at around 10:30pm and took her to a cheap motel where they consummated their relationship. She then says she decided to take Castaneda to visit her brother and sister-in-law who had two small children because she thought it would help to dispel an otherwise tense mood permeating the evening. Now, by my calculations I cannot see how Wallace could have arrived at her brother's home any earlier than 11:30pm that night- this allows one hour for travel to the hotel, check-in, getting undressed, peremptory consummation, shower (I hope), getting dressed, check-out and travel to said brother's home. As someone who has small children, just about the last thing I want is someone just dropping by unannounced late at night waking up me and my kids-even if it was someone as famous as Carlos Castaneda. More to the point however, most normal people wouldn't DREAM of making an unannounced late-night visit to the home of people with small children, especially right after having sex with a new, if not elderly, lover. It is hard to imagine that all of that frenzied coupling and rushing around would do much to reduce tension levels. Finally, 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' is a shameless piece of negative propaganda. Like most propaganda, it counts on the audience not having enough background knowledge to see through the half-truths and distortions. Like most propaganda, the text is leading and spoonfeeds the reader opinions and conclusions. In this endeavor, Wallace has enlisted the help of a virulently anti-Castaneda organization called 'Sustained Action' whose members routinely stalked Castaneda and his cohorts and rifled through his garbage prior to Castaneda's death trying to find out personal information. What Ms. Wallace does in 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' is to point out Castaneda's personal foibles and shortcomings as a human being and then use these as proof that he was a hypocrite and a warped guru preying upon vulnerable disciples. Castaneda wrote a series of books in which he described a set of shamanic teachings as they were taught to him. Anyone familiar with these books knows that Castaneda never discussed what he personally did with these teachings and in fact described himself as a rather untalented and dim-witted student. He eschewed publicity and never set himself up as a guru. Castaneda definitely wrote that his teachers recommended that he personally practice celibacy but that this was not necessary for everyone who adhered to the teachings. While Castaneda clearly stated that he found this recommendation to be irksome, he never divulged the details of his sex life or lack thereof. Wallace however writes that Castaneda clearly advised people to be celibate in his books and that his personal lack of celibacy is proof of his hypocrisy. This is just one example of the many distortions to be found throughout this lengthy and sad memoir. It is important to keep in mind when reading books attempting to 'debunk' Castaneda such as this one and those of Richard DeMille, that there is NO TEACHING in Castaneda's books that cannot be corroborated by independent sources (see list below). In addition, these authors fail to consult with anyone in a position to form an objective and educated opinion with respect to the validity of the teachings presented by Castaneda. If you were to read a book on heart surgery, you would no doubt consult a respected cardio-thoracic surgeon if you wanted an expert opinion of this book. In order to obtain a valid opinion with respect to the shamanic teachings presented by Castaneda it would be appropriate to consult a shaman, not an ex-girlfriend. Recommendations: 1) 'The Fire From Within', by Carlos Castaneda- One of Castaneda's best; 2) 'The Path', by Esmeralda Arana- Concise synopsis of the basic premises of Castaneda's works and their practical application in daily life. Contains a list of books that independently corroborate the teachings presented by Castaneda.
Rating:
Summary: Carlos Castaneda's Love Slave
Review: What an incredible mess of a book! The only thing I liked about this book was the dust-jacket cover. The book is so full of bizarre gossip and contradictions it is laughable. For instance, she writes that "she wasn't much of a drinker" a couple pages after graphically describing how she regularly got drunk on champagne with one of "the witches". After claiming to have been a close disciple of Carlos Castaneda for many years she provides no insight into what this "spiritual path" entailed. All she seems to have done was attend a bunch of seminars in Los Angeles and around the country and hop in the sack with "the nagual". A far cry from Carlos' sorcery training with Don Juan I'd say. She paints such a depressing picture of an incredibly disfunctional group of people including herself that's it's pathetic.
Rating: 
Summary: must read
Review: Amy Wallace takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through the ever shifitng world of Carlos Castenada. It is heart breaking and touching. It is tough minded and honest. But more than anything, Wallace brings her incomparable writer's eye and ear to this story. It may become part of a library of books on Castanada but will always stand alone as the ultimate insider's tale.
Rating:
Summary: Sorcerer's Apprentice
Review: Amy's book is a wonderful account of what can happen when we get taken away by the power of other people, and forgetting our own. It was a wonderful book, and I wasn't able to put it down. It help put everything in order, Seems she's able to seal up the box and close the lineage herself. I hope her success and happiness.
Tony East Coast
Rating:
Summary: Sorcerer's Apprentice, My Life With Carlos Castaneda
Review: Wow! I can't say it any better than best-selling author George R.R. Martin: on the back cover he is quoted: "Truth hurts . . . and so does Sorcerer's Apprentice. Amy Wallace's harrowing account of her years as Carlos Castaneda's lover and disciple is a cautionary tale for our times, the story of a woman whose search for meaning took her to the brink, and damned near cost her everything. In this painfully honest memoir, she takes us deep inside the Castaneda cult . . . 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!' the Wizard once tried to tell Dorothy. Amy Wallace has ripped the curtain down, and laid the wizard bare for all to see." Touche.
Rating:
Summary: Sorcerer's Apprentice by Amy Wallace
Review: Un-put-down-able! Wish it were longer. The Wizard of Oz -- Castaneda --is horrifying, but fascinating when the curtain is lifted. Kudos to the author for her riveting and brutally honest memoir. More books like this one, please.
Rating:
Summary: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Review: This book answered all my questions about Castaneda, after years of searching. I read it in a single sitting, staying up till 5:00 a.m. Don't miss a chance to read one of the bravest memoirs imaginable.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Readable Sad story but....
Review: This book reveals that Castaneda, whatever his merits, degenerated into, or already was, a totally immoral, cruel man.
It was just another notch of disillusionment for me concerning so many 'spiritual teachers'. This book is easy to read and addictive because of it's gossipy format. However, it is lacking in sophistication in terms of it's Analysis. All it tells us is that Castaneda was an massive S.O.B., liar and his coven were a bunch of deluded sickos, INCLUDING the author. It tells us nothing about his body of work, possible influences, and the literary hoax aspect that is more relevant to us all than insular, inbred backstabbing, orgies, and black magic with human urine ( I was appalled and totally disgusted at the author for this episode with the urine, even more so for disclosing the so called logic behind it so that other troubled people might take up this nasty practice.). Overall this is a small, petty minded survey of credulity, jealosy and some of the most disturbing hysterical, vindictive, dark sides to the human psyche, especially the feminine side of the psyche. The author is to be commended for showing the sham behind it all. This kind of truth telling is badly needed, but it's hard to empathize with her daddy complex, and her dense masochism and amazing, astonishing, credulity! Quite a expose of human desperation and depravity! The designation "witches" is apropos in this not so riveting story. These women fit the worst sterotype of witchery and witchcraft. Still, I highly recomend this book for it's revelations. It might save a few people from wasting there lives pursing FAKE gurus who are masters of manipulation and the production of pschopathological subjectivity. Hopefully, some day we will get a book that shows how ethnomethodology contributed to this cult and an overall more sophistaced look at the strange, amazing story of Castaneda from someone equipped to do the job.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth Revealed...
Review: FABULOUS book! Amy has tremendous courage to write about her life with Carlos and reveal the truth about the so-called Nagual. I suspected after reading Carlos' series of books that he may have made up the whole thing and Amy confirmed it. This is another eye-opening account of what a misguided guru can do to his disciples. For those who are easily addicted to the spiritual explorations of our time, this is an excellent warning to stay as far away from those who would disempower you as possible. Carlos was a man, not a God and as a man...he had feet of clay like anyone else. Shows you how stupid people are to always look for a spiritual leader when really they should be looking within for their own guidance.
Rating:
Summary: Fine for gossip
Review: The last time I read Taisha's book, which was about six months ago, I remember breaking down in tears at the end of it. Just weeping for the tragedy of it all. Now you may or may not understand why. I have read this book, and I guess it's fine for gossip, but nothing else. And the fact that Amy doesn't seem to want to reply to a lot of relevant questions, don't reflect too well on her.
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