Rating: 
Summary: Stone's one of our best
Review: I'm not sure if I'm surprised or appalled by how many negative reactions to this book I see on this site. I listened to this book unabridged (all fourteen cassettes), and while I confess it wasn't always easy listening and required some rewinding, I never for a second thought about giving up. In fact, I'll probably get the book and read it through again. It's that worth it in my view. It does what the best novels do: gives us something to think about that's historical, political, cross-cultural, philosophical, spiritual, and emotional. It balances exposition, dialogue, multiple narrative threads, and ultimately narrative tension. It tries to put its finger on the pulse of our complex, tense, fractious world. It draws us in. (At least it drew THIS reader in.) I wish I could write like this. And it doesn't bother me that it makes me want to look up words and phrases, learn more about various religions: in fact, I like that it makes me want to know more and that such knowledge isn't simply acquired. It doesn't bother me that it demanded concentration. I don't read to lull my brain but to charge it. I'm also mystified by those who found so many of the characters flat caricatures. I was genuinely moved by Chris Lucas's attempt to be more than the outsider - to find spiritual belief, emotional connection, and political understanding - and can identify with his American cycnicism balanced by his conflicting needs to KNOW the other and yet ultimately want to come home. Be safe. Isn't that the American/European way - traveling elsewhere to 'find' ourselves, at our best aware that our pretensions in doing so are not always attractive? (The Heart of Darkness syndrome.) And I loved Sonia for her compassion, her kindness, her spiritual longings, her moral center. I wouldn't use the word love to talk about Raziell and De Kuff or Nula - but I certainly found them interesting, and found it intriguing that so many of the characters come from the US or Europe, converging on Jerusalem, not necessarily as the real city where Israelis of various types live, but as the symbolic place where seekers of various sorts - charlatans and otherwise - converge. I agree with the Times reviewer who called this book an American fantasy. It is. Brilliantly conceived. Well executed. I've been a Stone fan for a long time and will continue to be one. It's nice to know there are a few of us around. He deserves more.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine view
Review: The Israel between the lines... This isn't the Israel you see in the papers or on a quick visit, but it exists. Stone did his homework on this one, and found a fine setting for his themes.
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly worthless
Review: As one reader put it, it's a "tower of babble." Reading this book I found myself asking where the plot was going, what was happening, and what the hell a lot of the words in this book meant. If an author is going to write a book, he should at least write it in ENGLISH. Robert Stone should get the award for Wosrt Written Book!
Rating:
Summary: Book about nothing
Review: It is about nothing. The reviews on the cover are totally misleading, which makes me wonder how people could write such nice things about this junk, which fails to explore all the interesting topics it is supposed to be about. Overall, it is a big failure on rather interesting subject or the array of subjects. Maybe someone should try to come out with something more worthy?
Rating:
Summary: Mysticism and cynicism interwoven in adventure
Review: "There are more outside than in" It is in Jerusalem that this adage comes to life.Stone's character Christopher Lucas part Jewish part Catholic(sort of lapsed) a journalist is an observer and recorder of the ultimate heights and depths of religious experience-think about his name.One is presented with religion in all its variations from divine to man-made inspiration.Each character however slimly defined leaps like Athena fully armed into an immediate whole presence. I have traveled many times to the Holy Land and have often pondered of the primaeval perceived relatationship of insanity with divine enlightenment. This matter is examined with a fine and light touch and delicate humour .The weightiness of the matter : the reason /meaning of human existence and its relationship with, depending on a myriad of views, with an withdrawn or all- present divinity or merely chance and politics makes this book alone in my view worthy of use as an introductory text book on the literature of comparative religion.It is also a great story with mysteries enfolded into many layers and much derring do. Afterthought: other than Lucas the only sane presence is that of the politicians surely a contradiction wrapped in an enigma.
Rating:
Summary: Bizzare Tower of "Babble"
Review: I was a Religion Major in college, and I lived in Israel for a year and a half, and I STILL don't get this book, so if I don't, I have no idea who does. Mr. Stone's portrait of Israel was bizarre, and while I understand everyone has a different experience there, his was completely unrealistic- I question how much time he has actually spent there, as he seems to have no grasp on daily life in Israel or Israelis in general. As another reader indicated, he seems to have gotten most of his information from a travel guide. As for the religion aspect, I could barely follow it, and I studied religion. And the characters? I could have cared less. In fact, I did- I couldn't even finish the book. The professional reviewers were obviously too embarassed to admit that they didn't get it either. Don't waste your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Spare yourself!
Review: What has happened to Mr. Stone? This heap of jumbled rambling is not worthy of him. I'm pleased to read a recommendation below for the novel THE LAST DAY, which is a far better example of a tight, well-scripted and plotted suspense novel in this genre. The author is Glen Kleier and THE LAST DAY delivers the kind of excitement and thrills DAMASCUS GATE lacks. Please try harder next time, Mr. Stone! In the meantime, Stone fans, I suggest you try Mr. Kleier to satisfy your craving for heart-pounding fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Pretentious junk with incomprehensible character repartee.
Review: This is, perhaps, the most pretentious bit of junk writing I've experienced since my college days. Continued reference to obscure religions, and Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and on words, always in italics, but never with definition or explanation. The repartee between and among characters is effectively incomprehensible because of the language as well as the context. And the plot line is about as muddled as could be, nearly impossible to follow because of the continued introduction of new characters whose presence in the story is never really explained. This is a book I've had trouble finishing and would recommend to no one.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the same author who wrote 'Outerbridge Reach'?
Review: 'Outerbridge Reach' was a work of genius (as was 'Children of light'). We peered into charcters' souls and learned lessons through magnificent writing. this is the most pretentious, awful book I've ever read. On page 290, when I still couldn't even visualize a chacter, let alone feel who they are, I quit. I also had no idea of a plot at this point. Here is a sentence that explains how this book is written: "To hear Sonia, Lucas thought, was to be close to Shekhinah." What the heck is 'Shekhinah'? Stone name-drops obscure religious terms as if we should kow them. Hey Bob--you may have researched this stuff; we haven't. This his first novel, 'A Hall of Mirrors'. All the spectacular growth and realism of his last 20 years is gone. And it sucks.
Rating:
Summary: A Major Disapointment
Review: How could such a promising subject be turned into such a disappointing book? By my calculation it takes the reader 178 pages to get into the plot of the story. Once there we're treated to a weak story line that seems to be headed somewhere only to veer off course into one of our hero Chris Lucas's childhood flashbacks. Few of the characters, if any, are developed to their fullest, including Lucas. The only character I cared about was Sonia Barnes, although had she met a tragic end I wouldn't have shed a tear. Long, tedious, and a waste of time.
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