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Summary: Deep and inspiring
Review: I'm an astrologer and I noticed that the descriptions of the celestial parts of Magic Circle are reminiscent of that classic Hamlet's Mill or some of Dane Rudhyar's famous work. I find the depth of this book truly inspiring.
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Summary: Dig and ye shall find
Review: While reading The Magic Circle I was reminded that Neville's writings are a virtual metaphor for an excavation site. We dig thru layers of history, she writes thru layers of time.
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Summary: The story of the Ghost Dance
Review: I especially appreciated the fact that the hero of The Magic Circle is a Nez Perce Indian. Too few understand the beauty of these people, their culture, and their special brand of humor of which Sam, the heroine's cousin, is a wonderful representative. Thank you also, Ms Neville, for reminding us all of the terrible story of the Ghost Dance.
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Summary: Profound book
Review: After reading The Eight many years ago, I have corresponded in writing with Katherine Neville, to try to learn how she knew some things, she was able to put together some connections that very few people know. I also looked in here a year or two ago to see about the commentaries for The Magic Circle when it first came out. I was not surprized to see how very few people understood what she was doing with this book. It is a very complex work that follows the path of some extremely deep esoteric disciplines. It is really a very profound book, not simple at all, it operates at many levels and maybe she had too much of a high expectation from all of her readers. It is an amazing book. I would recommend it highly for people who are not afraid to take a new path.
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Summary: A Huge Disappointment & A Great Waste of Time
Review: I realize that there are a large number of negative reviews of this book already posted, but if I can stop one more person from wasting the time to read this book, it's worth one more review. I loved Katherine Neville's previous two novels and was looking forward to reading The Magic Circle on my vacation. The Magic Circle is riddled with numerous personal stories involving a vaguely defined collection of objects that may or may not have cosmic value. The main characters balance their time between researching their family's incestuous behavior and pursuit of the manuscripts that may or may not have a connection to the cosmic objects. After you dragging yourself through hundreds of pages of this confusing fog, you are left with no more than what you started with. The main character manages to sleep with her half brother/cousin and the manuscripts they risked their lives over are still a unconnected mess. They spectulate over what they could mean, but no conclusion is ever drawn. I don't know what's worse: the amount of time wasted by Katherine in writing it or the time wasted by all of us that bothered to read it.
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Summary: I'm impressed
Review: After reading Magic Circle I didn't want to delay in writing to think of the superlatives that would best describe my feelings about Neville's style, her content, her "extensive" research and very diverse way in presenting her story. I hope she keeps on doing "her thing" her way. She is so young to offer so much in her storytelling. Being over 39 and the mother of one son, I'm impressed.
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Summary: True insights into the nuclear field
Review: Living in New Mexico and working in the nuclear field myself, I couldn't help but notice strangely that in all these reviews of The Magic Circle no one has mentioned the fact that the book tells the story of nuclear energy or that most of the major characters in the book are working in the nuclear field. It almost seems as if nobody noticed it at all. The thing I appreciated the most about the book is that its portrayal of work in the nuclear field is so accurate and at the same time it shows the day to day humor and also the integrity necessary for most people working in the field. And Neville doesn't flinch at digging out the problems and talking directly about them so the average person unacquainted with this work can really understand what goes on behind the scenes. I would have to say myself that anyone who thinks her characters are simplistic or her situations are unbelievable certainly knows nothing about the nuclear field. I appreciate her writings tremendously.
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Summary: Looking forward to reading Ms Neville's other books
Review: This book, The Magic Circle, is one of the best books I have ever read. The mixture of history and fiction is fantastic. The story was so engaging that I had a hard time putting it down but it can't be read and enjoyed in one sitting. I have talked about this book so much that my husband is now reading it, an unusual event because he almost never reads fiction. He reads history text books for enjoyment, as well as books about shamanism, physics and human physiology. I look forward to reading Neville's other books, this was such an enjoyable book to read.
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Summary: Coincidence? Fate? Destiny?
Review: Sometimes it seems that coincidence is a loosely used term, perhaps better replaced by fate or destiny. I have just experienced a rather odd occurrence. I have been reading The Magic Circle and coincidentally I picked up my copy of The Spear of Destiny by Trevor Ravenscroft. In my particular case,that one book seemed to be the impetus for some new and interesting directions in my life. Imagine my great surprise that when I resumed reading Magic Circle...within the half-hour I came to the part where the same Spear was introduced. It just seemed strange beyond strange...but after many years of learning how spiritual things work not strange in retrospect. I am enjoying Magic Circle very much!!
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Summary: A unique message is not easy to hear....
Review: As a physician who uses diagnostic methods considered unorthodox by many of my colleagues, I am very familiar with the plight of Ms. Neville, as so very well described by Dr. Pribram in an earlier review.I would like to share what I think is particularly valuable about this book, as I think a key point is escaping the notice of the many readers who are taking all the family connections and references to new-age mysteries so seriously. In our era, we are always looking for solutions outside of our "self." Most of my patients want magic bullet pills to cure everything so they can continue to lead alarming and debilitating life styles. I think Ms. Neville has achieved something special in writing a rich, sprawling allegory about the search for "self", and what better genre than a mystery/international thriller? The problem is not confined to one gender, race, or nation. It has become universal. Everyone looks for something they can steal or buy to make them whole. Some people think it might be a kind of lost inheritance. Others think it might consist of magical articles or manuscripts buried by mysterious people at the beginning of history. While we pursue these frantic searches and treasure hunts, we ignore the basic truth of time and space, which is in our own bodies. We wake up and go back to sleep with the greatest of mysteries, the human body, which we take for granted while we cast real wealth aside, looking for fool's gold. Katherine Neville has spent years, obviously, crafting a story with great care, deep thought, able art, admirable scholarship. What is she trying to tell us? It is a secret that can be given away without spoiling the story: the "power points" of legend, the spears and tables and powers of the ancients, are all reborn with each of us when we leave our mother's womb. If we ignore that basic truth, all the other wisdom and secret lore is wasted on us. That is what the other reviewers of Neville's book seem to miss. She has restored mystery to its proper place, which is the space between the knees and the skull where true creativity, true treasure, can be found. The ancient symbol of skull and crossbones marks the the treasure. But it is your skull, and your own thigh bones, that are the markers, and your own wisdom gained through sacrafice and devotion, that is the treasure. It is that simple, that elusive, and Neville is profligate with her talent in teasing it out of a richly patterned narrative. It doesn't take a genius to enjoy the fantastic trip. Just an open mind, and a love of "good stories, well told...."
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