Rating: 
Summary: A different side of Castaneda
Review: As a longtime reader of Castaneda's books I was delighted with this new one. This book offers more details about Castaneda's personal life than any previous one. That in itself may only interest afficionados. What makes this book worthwhile is the way Castaneda humanizes the magic he's been discussing in countless volumes. This book, rather than being about "moving one's assemblage point" or "making contact with inorganic beings" is about personal growth. And the stories are placed in the context of ordinary life, not in the unreachable mesa. A gift for his fans -- but not only for them.
Rating: 
Summary: Carlos used too many halucinogens IMHO
Review: Both "The Teachings of don Juan" and this book relate a story of Carlos meeting don Juan in a bus station. but the two versions are radicaly different.In "The Active Side of Infinity" don Juan accepted Carlos as a student because of what he saw in Carlos' energy field. In "The Teachings of Don Juan" don Juan did not accept Carlos as a student until after Carlos used peyoye (Mescalito) for the first time. Please avoid halucinogens if you wish to practise Shamanism. There are many safer ways to open the doorways (drumming, fasts, meditation, and thirsts, etc).
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Summary: Memorable events
Review: Carlos amazes again. I have read all his books and this one is my favourite along with The Power of Silence. This is his most personal writing. He lets us see the hidden beauty and deeper meanings that lie within what may appear as mundane event. I loved it. Many people ask me if I believe Carlos writes fact or fiction. His books are great either way. This book can also be read by people who haven't read Castaneda before. When you have read it you find yourself inevitably wondering what it would be like to live that way.
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Summary: One of Carlos's BEST
Review: Carlos Castaneda was one of the best story tellers of our day. His last book, The Active Side of Infinity (or Carlos's title ... Memorable Events) demonstrates a world most of us will only read about, whether you "buy" what he has, to share or not. After 30 years of reading Carlos, I found the short story format "new" to me, but in no way took away from the wonderful stories only Carlos could share. Cherish this last deed Carlos had to perform, and we are lucky enough to read part of it, anyway. Paul/Glide
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Summary: Sealed with a golden clasp
Review: For consistant Castaneda readers, this book is a great last one. I gained clarity on certain abstract concepts. I believe he did a good job ending his era although I was left wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Creative artistic work of a masterful surrealist author
Review: For many years now I have been following Carlos Castaneda in his literary journey into the supernatural world of sorcery. Taking a comprehensive look at all of his books, Castaneda's narrative "feels" like a cleverly-crafted tales of ambiguous meanings that captivate the imagination; the creative artistic work of a masterful surrealist author. What Castaneda does for his readers is the same as what a Van Gogh or a Dali does for their admirers but on a different level. Castaneda is the protagonist of his subjectivism, making of himself a mysterious and legendary character. He ventures forth from the world of commonsense into the regions of the supernatural. There, with the aid of don Juan, he encounters tremendous forces. After a fierce battle he comes out triumphant, returning from his subjective adventure with the knowledge which he bestows to his readers. With every new book, Castaneda introduces a new concept that supersede others. For example, if the use of psychotropic hallucinogens was so important in don Juan's method of teaching, why did he stop writing about them in later books? On the other hand, if "Dreaming" was also such an important practice, why he did not talk about it from the very beginning? Why he did not mention the assemblage point in any of his first five books? Why did he wait until the end to introduce us to the practice of the "Magical Passes"? The reason is because over the years Castaneda appears to have borrowed from other sources, reformulating old concepts into new ones and accommodating his narratives to the spiritual undercurrents of the times. In the '60s it was spirituality through hallucinogenic substances, in the '70s and '80s there was a renewed interest in the esoteric (Seeing) and altered states of consciousness (Dreaming), and now in the '90s the spiritual awareness is being redefined in terms of bioenergy and its manipulations (Tensegrity). All these ideas have been built upon the preceding ones in a very intelligent manner. Don't get me wrong, I am a Castaneda "aficionado" and always will be . The essential meaning of his journey is that he united spiritual adventure with the modern-day search for meaning. Castaneda's merit lies in that he was able to link the ordinary waking consciousness with knowledge of the vast mystery and wonder that is our existence.
Rating:
Summary: Creative artistic work of a masterful surrealist author
Review: For many years now I have been following Carlos Castaneda in his literary journey into the supernatural world of sorcery. Taking a comprehensive look at all of his books, Castaneda's narrative "feels" like a cleverly-crafted tales of ambiguous meanings that captivate the imagination; the creative artistic work of a masterful surrealist author. What Castaneda does for his readers is the same as what a Van Gogh or a Dali does for their admirers but on a different level. Castaneda is the protagonist of his subjectivism, making of himself a mysterious and legendary character. He ventures forth from the world of commonsense into the regions of the supernatural. There, with the aid of don Juan, he encounters tremendous forces. After a fierce battle he comes out triumphant, returning from his subjective adventure with the knowledge which he bestows to his readers. With every new book, Castaneda introduces a new concept that supersede others. For example, if the use of psychotropic hallucinogens was so important in don Juan's method of teaching, why did he stop writing about them in later books? On the other hand, if "Dreaming" was also such an important practice, why he did not talk about it from the very beginning? Why he did not mention the assemblage point in any of his first five books? Why did he wait until the end to introduce us to the practice of the "Magical Passes"? The reason is because over the years Castaneda appears to have borrowed from other sources, reformulating old concepts into new ones and accommodating his narratives to the spiritual undercurrents of the times. In the '60s it was spirituality through hallucinogenic substances, in the '70s and '80s there was a renewed interest in the esoteric (Seeing) and altered states of consciousness (Dreaming), and now in the '90s the spiritual awareness is being redefined in terms of bioenergy and its manipulations (Tensegrity). All these ideas have been built upon the preceding ones in a very intelligent manner. Don't get me wrong, I am a Castaneda "aficionado" and always will be . The essential meaning of his journey is that he united spiritual adventure with the modern-day search for meaning. Castaneda's merit lies in that he was able to link the ordinary waking consciousness with knowledge of the vast mystery and wonder that is our existence.
Rating:
Summary: Very Powerful
Review: I am at a loss to explain the review given to this book by Kirkus Reviews. The reviewer completely misses the point, and seems to be almost angry, for some unknown reason. On the other hand, I found this to be one of Castaneda's best books, if not his best. It is touching, clear, and packs a punch. It is brutally honest about the human condition, and comes direct from the heart. I had a difficult time putting this book down!
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Summary: The whole purpose is to erase your ego.
Review: I became acquainted with the Active Side of Infinity during a workshop at UCLA in 1996 where excerpts from this book were read. I would say after reading this book that it isn't going to be understood very easily unless you are interested in the idea of erasing your personal history. At first it seems odd to read about every sort of personalistic nuance from Mr. Castaneda's life. Why would he do it? The most disturbing idea is that there is something within all of us that will one day fail totally, the question is are you intersted in heading off the inevitable and ridding yourself of the terrible truth of your ego or are you oblivious to such a quest. Mr. Castaneda failed. This is quite obvious. The question for his readers is do you find the tools in this book to aid you in the removal of the real problems we face. Where Mr. Castaneda failed perhaps the Nagual was successful.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I was extremely disappointed by this book. I was hoping for something as tight, solid, and intense as Carlos's earlier works. The style of writing, the subject matter, and the voice of this book are different than those of the previous texts. This book is more lose, more narcissistic. And while it doesn't have the structure of the older books, I find it soullessly formulaic in its execution. I was willing to believe in the extraordinary characters like Don Genaro, Don Juan, Dona Solidad, and the rest. With this book, I find myself becoming bored and not willing to take that leap.
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