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Rating: 
Summary: A journey into loonyland
Review: A monk is sent to England as a scount for the future process of evangelization. Eventhough their belief system is aimed toward collision, a local shaman decides to help him in his process of discovery of religious rituals and information gathering. However, the monk is surprised by how theorical are the foundations of his faith when he is shown by the shaman that he knows little of nothing about himself, so if he wants to conquer others, the monk must seek within his true nature. It is here were the novel becomes really boring, lacking any type of tension and becoming a bunch of fairy tale stories of ghosts, waking trees, ogers, and other stuff which must surely do not come from the Bristish Museum documents but from the imagination of the author.So if you want to read fairy tale stories, the ones that offered in the children's section of the bookstore are much more fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent historical fiction
Review: A terrific story based on historical facts and geography producing a believable fantasia. Giving an in depth insight into pre-christian religions and practices through the eyes of a christian monk. Great reading especially for the clergy, hedonists, those interested in the occult or anyone with an imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and educational
Review: Dr. Bates took an ancient text from the British Museum and turned it into a delightful adventure novel, evidencing the history of Anglo-Saxon shamanism. Those interested in the spiritual will find it an especially exciting read, but even those just looking for a good historical novel will enjoy it very much.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and educational
Review: Dr. Bates took an ancient text from the British Museum and turned it into a delightful adventure novel, evidencing the history of Anglo-Saxon shamanism. Those interested in the spiritual will find it an especially exciting read, but even those just looking for a good historical novel will enjoy it very much.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT AS GREAT AS THE HYPE
Review: I paid a lot of money for this book because all the reviews raved about it. As an eclectic witch with Celtic shamanistic leanings, I was intrigued about this mysterious "manuscript" and what information Brian Bates would glean from it. Sorry to say that the book is not a great piece of writing, first off. The author writes like someone who is not really an author; the finesse and talent of a writer is not there. There are a lot of historical novels out there; this is just another one. There's nothing special about it.
Secondly, the author does not go into enough detail in the introduction to make me believe that he ever even read this manuscript that the book is supposededly based on. He lists an impressive bibliography but to me it's more of a suggested reading list. He doesn't seem to know very much about this manuscript and that makes the whole thing suspect.
All in all, not worth the money that I paid for it. I wouldn't suggest that's it's worth is anymore than a typical paperback novel.
Rating:
Summary: A stunning spiritual adventure
Review: This excellently written manuscript by Brian Bates, opens the self to the nature of mankind's human intuition and influence, now so forgotten in our busy modern times. It is well written from many perspectives, from unbeliever to faithful master, and those so intertwined within the influence of Wyrd. Each of us, as the faithful master of Wyrd says, are a part of Wyrd, and after reading this manuscript, you will begin to understand that more each day. For once Wyrd is revealed, forever will it be present, as it was then, within your own life of today.
Rating:
Summary: The Way of Wyrd
Review: This excellently written manuscript by Brian Bates, opens the self to the nature of mankind's human intuition and influence, now so forgotten in our busy modern times. It is well written from many perspectives, from unbeliever to faithful master, and those so intertwined within the influence of Wyrd. Each of us, as the faithful master of Wyrd says, are a part of Wyrd, and after reading this manuscript, you will begin to understand that more each day. For once Wyrd is revealed, forever will it be present, as it was then, within your own life of today.
Rating:
Summary: Weaving a web of socio-politco-religious wyrdness
Review: This is a story that is supposedly based on ancient manuscripts. If you're interested in this book from a historical perspective, forget it. It's not for you. For those that are looking for something that combines history, sci-fi and adventure with socio-politico-religious overtones, it will be right up your alley. That is, IF you have an open mind, can separate fact from fiction and understand that one can still respect various points of view even if they don't agree with them. Brian Bates tells the tale of a young Anglican scribe that is sent into the Norse countries to act as a spy for the Anglican church. His mission is to learn and record as much as he can about those living in the area. With this information and a better understanding of local traditions and their ritual beliefs, the Anglican church hopes to send in missionaries to convert the locals to a more righteous path i.e. that of the Anglican church. The only problem is that the young scribe that is sent ends up with a travelling Shaman as a guide of the region. Needless to say, the clash in beliefs and cultures makes for an interesting journey as the pair travel into different villages and encounter different situations. Most of these are situations that the sheltered monk would have never even dreamed real, let alone possible. The end result is an interesting look at how organized religion and pagan beliefs & rituals compare as seen through the eyes of the Anglican monk. There's enough input from the part of the Shaman to understand where he's coming from too, which gives the book a certain balance between "traditional church-going values" and those of a "world-loving pagan". If you've ever wondered how two people can look at the same situation and walk away with different observations, that's what this book is all about. It teaches us to not only look at each situation in a different light from multiple points of view, but to try and see how / why the situation is as it is and what the signs were that led up to it happening. While doing all of this, the story line and writing are also good enough to make you want to keep reading. That makes this book worth seeking out and reading for yourself. In the end, the book doesn't tell us that "religion is wrong" or that "pagans worship the devil", but leaves it up to the monk in the story and you as the reader to decide for yourself which beliefs, attitudes and ways of life are usable and / or detrimental to living a balanced life. I'm not saying that this book will change your outlook on life, but i think that it is far more powerful than being just a "story loosely based on historical facts". I would recommend it to those that seek guidance, yet are intelligent enough to think for themselves. Sean
> PS... How many other pieces of written text do you know of that have inspired a rock band to write a whole album's worth of material dedicated just to that book? The disc entitled "Dreamweaver" as recorded by a band called Sabbat is a song by song version of this book set to the pounding, pulsating and twisted beat of heavy metal. The lyrics of this disc were so good and enrapturing, that i sought out this book to see just what could have influenced this band so highly. Now i know what they were excited about : )
Rating:
Summary: Weaving a web of socio-politco-religious wyrdness
Review: This is a story that is supposedly based on ancient manuscripts. If you're interested in this book from a historical perspective, forget it. It's not for you. For those that are looking for something that combines history, sci-fi and adventure with socio-politico-religious overtones, it will be right up your alley. That is, IF you have an open mind, can separate fact from fiction and understand that one can still respect various points of view even if they don't agree with them. Brian Bates tells the tale of a young Anglican scribe that is sent into the Norse countries to act as a spy for the Anglican church. His mission is to learn and record as much as he can about those living in the area. With this information and a better understanding of local traditions and their ritual beliefs, the Anglican church hopes to send in missionaries to convert the locals to a more righteous path i.e. that of the Anglican church. The only problem is that the young scribe that is sent ends up with a travelling Shaman as a guide of the region. Needless to say, the clash in beliefs and cultures makes for an interesting journey as the pair travel into different villages and encounter different situations. Most of these are situations that the sheltered monk would have never even dreamed real, let alone possible. The end result is an interesting look at how organized religion and pagan beliefs & rituals compare as seen through the eyes of the Anglican monk. There's enough input from the part of the Shaman to understand where he's coming from too, which gives the book a certain balance between "traditional church-going values" and those of a "world-loving pagan". If you've ever wondered how two people can look at the same situation and walk away with different observations, that's what this book is all about. It teaches us to not only look at each situation in a different light from multiple points of view, but to try and see how / why the situation is as it is and what the signs were that led up to it happening. While doing all of this, the story line and writing are also good enough to make you want to keep reading. That makes this book worth seeking out and reading for yourself. In the end, the book doesn't tell us that "religion is wrong" or that "pagans worship the devil", but leaves it up to the monk in the story and you as the reader to decide for yourself which beliefs, attitudes and ways of life are usable and / or detrimental to living a balanced life. I'm not saying that this book will change your outlook on life, but i think that it is far more powerful than being just a "story loosely based on historical facts". I would recommend it to those that seek guidance, yet are intelligent enough to think for themselves. Sean
> PS... How many other pieces of written text do you know of that have inspired a rock band to write a whole album's worth of material dedicated just to that book? The disc entitled "Dreamweaver" as recorded by a band called Sabbat is a song by song version of this book set to the pounding, pulsating and twisted beat of heavy metal. The lyrics of this disc were so good and enrapturing, that i sought out this book to see just what could have influenced this band so highly. Now i know what they were excited about : )
Rating:
Summary: A stunning spiritual adventure
Review: This is an amazing book. It changed my way of thinking about myself, and my life - and it gets over its message in a story that I found compelling and moving. Based on factual documents in the British Museum, the book takes the reader on a journey into the spiritual and shamanic world of Anglo-Saxon England. It tells the story of a young man names Brand, who journeys with a sorcerer in the pre-Christian forests of the seventh century. There he learns a quite remarkable path to wisdom, called Wyrd. This is like a western version of Tao, in that every event affects everything else, and the forces of nature are pre-emenent. The story includes vivid encounters with the spirits, and a gripping conclusion where he is helped by his guardian - a hawk. Ancient wisdom for today. Deserves to be the best-seller that it is.
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