Dream Maker: A Mystical Tale

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Summary: An invigorating story and a gift that opens one's mind
Review: Dream Maker: A Mystical Tale is a historical novel, following the journey of a troubled man in the modern day who revisits his past life in 464 AD Britain. His ancient journey and struggle against violent invaders and lawlessness leads him through chaos in search of the cause of his dejection and a quest for meaning and dedication. Written with a sharp eye for historical accuracy as well as a detailed recounting of useful meditation techniques, Dream Maker is both an invigorating story and a gift that opens one's mind to new ways of thinking about both little problems and the world around one.


Rating:
Summary: Dream Maker
Review: I'm a King Arthur's fan, and also a fair student of history.
I was impressed by Dream Maker's accurate historical content and interesting facts and thesis I'd never heard before; It's obvious that Ambrosious is King Arthur, the year, circumstances and geography is all there; The legendary elements are enticing...the sword in the stone, Maria Lerna's magic (Marli= Merlin) put it in believable context.... a word of mystical powers.
What's unique is the Roman setting but it makes sense since the Romans had hust left after 400 years.
Also now I see King Arthur as a sort of savior, a mythical figure whose role is far more critical than I thought.
If anything the novel is too short; Grigor Fedan seems to know his history; I wish he had gone deeper into it.
Frankly I am not much of a fan of the new agey things like reincarnation, meditation, astral travel.

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Summary: A new age historical novel in old Brittainia
Review: This book is one of a growing number in a relatively new genre that I call the "New Age historical novel." Unlike the usual historical novel, this genre also includes such esoteric elements as ESP, spiritual healing, astral travel, reincarnation, etc.

As the story opens in the 21st century, Martin's life is in crisis. Business deals are falling through, his marriage is on the rocks, and he is deeply depressed. Through a series of "concidental" events, he meets a Hawaiian kahuna, who teaches him how to meditate and get in touch with a past life in fifth-century Brittania. The kahuna tells Martin to remain detached and simply observe the events, without getting involved in this past world. Presumably, this was so he would not change history, but it made the early part of the book rather boring, because all he did was watch events and then go back to the kahuna for a lecture on what it all meant. Fortunately, as the story progress, Martin finds that he cannot simply stand by and do nothing. He becomes an active part of the timeline, and the plot gets more interesting.

Whether or not he changes history is unclear, but he does grow personally from the experience. We do not learn until the end of the book which of the past-life characters has reincarnated as Martin in this life -- and was I surprised!

I found this to be a good read, although I strongly disagree with the New Age "you create your own reality" philosophy. I actually groaned when the kahuna told Martin that he had "manifested" the thugs on the beach because of his own energy or whatever. Sorry, folks, I just don't buy it. At that point, I decided that the only way for me to relate to this book without getting annoyed with the philosophy was to see it as a sort of "alternate universe" science fiction. I could then allow myself to enter its worldview for the duration, even if it was alien to my own way of thinking. Viewed in that light, it was an interesting tale.

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Summary: Dreams, past lives, and a powerful healing technique.....
Review: This is a deceptive book, it reads like a historical fantasy but it's actually a study of ancient Greek and Roman mysticism. Its pages describe "communion", a meditation practice that includes Agape, a powerful healing technique.

The novel starts innocently enough with a depressed man in modern-day Berkeley, looking for answers. He has a series of dreams that show him another dimension. In his wakeful life, Martin's life is falling apart, but he also finds a stranger, Mojo, who is what he's not: peaceful and whole. Mojo seems to be working in conjunction with Martin's dreams to point him to a pilgrimage, of all places, Hawaii.

Guided by his dream Images, Martin makes his way to a hidden beach where he meets a Kahuna. This man takes Martin on an astral trip to ancient Britain, a world in chaos with the Roman Empire collapsing and invaders and bandits taking over. In the middle of all this Martin encounters a powerful mystic, Maria Lerna, whose job seems to heal the world so that it may survive. Martin soon learns that he is witnessing a past life, and he learns what he neglected to get that time: the true meaning of life.

It's a fun read that makes you think. I learned a lot and am grateful for this book. It also has that feeling of truth to it. I wonder if it really happened?