Rating: Summary: MERLIN RETURNS!!!!! Review: Actually, strictly he doesn't, but let's not ruin the story!!! This is a seriously intertwined book, about the return of many of the characters of the Arthurian Legends. Arthur is a present day policeman who finds an old man dead on the side of the road. He is nicknamed Merlin, for his long flowing beard, but things get interesting when Merlin does a disappearing act on the police force. It emerges that Melchior, his understudy, has also appeared in this time, and he befriends an aptly named Pen (Arthur's full name was Pendragon). Other "coincidental" characters begin to show their faces, including the reincarnation of Mordred, who originally defeated Arthur. It takes some concentration to understand the events occurring, and some knowledge of the Arthurian story helps no end!!!! The finale is so fantastic that any effort on the part of the reader is well worth it!!!!!
Rating: Summary: A magnificent return ! Review: Deepak Chopra is a Pandora's box! You'll never guess how good a storyteller he is. He tells us a wonderful story full of magic and enchantment without forgeting to teach us the deep spiritual lessons he's taught us in his other books. Being faithfull to Merlin's character and lore, he's able to transform him into a master not only of magic but of deep spiritual wisdom as well. Couldn't put it down !
Rating: Summary: A great continuation Review: I found myself truly enjoying and wrapped up in this continuation and interpretation of the Arthurian legend in modern time--I found myself reading at every available minute of my day. I also enjoyed the subtle lessons hidden in the story and the characters, although I found myself forgetting to look for the lessons many times as I became involved in the story. The characters are intriguing and quite worthy of following on their journeys--particularily Sis and Tommy. I was a little sad it ended--although Deepak has left it open to another story(?). I liked every word of it, the words themselves were well chosen and painted an amazing picture.All in all a very fun read--try it on for size yourself.
Rating: Summary: Something New with every Read Review: I have only shared this information with other people who I know, Love to read so I guess you qualify?This is Chopra's best book as far as I'm concerned it is his only book.I have lost count on the number of times I have read it but each time is like the first.The way he treats time,you almost believe that he has a handle on the fabric of time.The new twist, in the way he looks at the Arthurian legend is a joy.The last thing I can say is that I will read it again,again and again.
Rating: Summary: an interesting read Review: I picked up this book some years back when I was looking for a good Arthurian saga and was a little surprised at the way Chopra introduced the Arthurian characters. This was a strangely written tale in that it stepped apart from the traditional re-telling of the Arthurian legend. Chopra weaves the present and the past together to present a story that is interesting but at the same time a little bit hard to follow. It is quite obvious that the author intended to draw upon many symbols within his story but being unfamiliar with his works I have to admit that I didn't quite follow amidst all the stop and gos of the story. I didn't find that THE RETURN OF MERLIN flowed quite so nicely, in some places it appeared choppy and uneven. Chopra seems to place a good deal on the traditional beliefs of reincarnation and the repetition of events throughout time, and his attempts to parallel the modern day events surrounding the young policeman Arthur McCallum and the fabled King Arthur are commendable. I am a bit disappointed simply because the modern day portrayal of Arthur takes away from the mythic essence of the legend and the Age of Chivalry... however Chopra manages to bring across the message that nobility and all that was once revered and honorable back in the day can still be attainable today. Chopra appears to note that we can never be sure which paths we previously trod will return and help pave the ways we walk in the future. THE RETURN OF MERLIN is an interesting and challenging read, but I would prefer to give it three and a half stars- however since that option isn't available, four stars it is!
Rating: Summary: Magical Reading for Adults Review: I've read this book every year since its debut ten years ago. I've just read it again and I still believe it's one of the must-reads for anyone on a spiritual/mystical path. And aren't we all? Dr. Chopra continues to teach me to find my magical self, to walk backward in time and call my ageless, timeless soul forward. I'm a big fan of all his books but this one, and the Way of the Wizard inspire me to really think beyond my normal boundaries. I've always dreamed that Merlin was my mentor. I certainly think Deepak Chopra is. Return of Merlin encourages my magical thinking and that's the best evolutationary step for me. Maybe it is for you too.
Elaine Maginn Sonne, PhD, author of Legends of the Stones
Rating: Summary: Imaginative & Mystical Review: Imaginative, mystical and very original, though somehow it bogs down near the end. A book not out of a mold, but very creative, unique and thought provoking.
Rating: Summary: sound and fury Review: The strength of the book is the clear distinct characters. There are dozens of them. They seem caught in an Alice In Wonderland universe bent on sadistically tormenting them. You care about them. It is a depressing book, despite the sudden happy ending on the last page. It comes across a bit like the Victorious Messenger in Mack the Knife -- not really believable after all that mayhem. The book drives you mad leading you up to something momentous then pulling back with nothing happening over and over like some tantric sex exercise. It reads as like a set of notes for a book typeset in random order -- all kinds of intriguing ideas that lead nowhere and have no ultimate significance. At times it purports to be a detective novel with 1,000 clues. You wonder how the author will ever be able to stitch it together. He never does. The "clues", it turns out, are just madness -- red herrings.
Rating: Summary: One for Fantasy Lovers and Spiritual seekers alike! Review: This is an incredible book. I haven't been much into reading fantasy in years, although I have always been a fan of Merlin, King Arthur, and Camelot, Fantasy books failed to hold my attention for every story has been told and retold in one way or another. I have to be honest, it was Deepak Chopra's name that drew me to this book, and then seeing Merlins name on the same cover, I had to check it out. And I am so glad I did. What a truly wonderful book for fantasy lovers, and spiritual seekers alike. Don't miss out on this great read, books like this come far and few between!! This book and the characters in it will stay with you for a long, long time.
Rating: Summary: Chopra transcends the legend! Review: When Deepak Chopra publishes, readers take note. And when he writes about the Arthurian Tales, what can one say? Intertwining his sense of mysticism, his intellectual scope, and a fast-paced, very moving, novel in one is a bit much to hope for! But in “The Return of Merlin,” Chopra has accomplished this feat. Not an “easy read” generally, Chopra’s magical touch with the printed word maintains his reputation in this tale from Arthur. In his introduction, Chopra writes that “The Return of Merlin” is about waking up the wizard that sleeps within all of us, so that we can reclaim the field of pure knowledge and dream anew world into reality, from the purity of our hearts.” “Merlin” is another odyssey of life, a story of the traditional good vs. evil and the struggles therein. It is a story that erases the confines of time. “To be alive now,” he writes, “is to be dead to the past. To be alive now is to have life-centered, present-moment awareness...(and) you will discover the dance of the divine in every leaf, in every petal...in every rainbow...in every breath of every living being.” A momumental undertaking, to be sure. Taking the Arthurian characters, from Merlin to Arthur to Mordred with a cast of many others, and mixing in a complete disregard for any logical historical time frame, Chopra explores this struggle, this “to be or not to be” of Camelot. Despite its frenzy, its whirlwind of action and activity, “The Return of Merlin” is at once captivating, suspenseful, mesmerizing, combining elements of spectacular hope and goodness and the depravitiy--nay, the power-- of penultimate evil, Chopra shatters the pastoral hillsides of our psyche with this very-readable narrative. Scholarly--yet quite readable!, the book is a page-turner. Chopra’s magic comes alive in a work that is satisfactory and fulfilling.
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