Rating: 
Summary: Hardly Worth the Effort
Review: "Sorcerer's Apprentice" takes its formula from the "quest" genre. It's essentially the myth of the hero, and our interest depends on the novelty of the adventures or trials our hero undertakes. Quest stories also seem to depend on the hero's naiveté, which often borders or crosses the line into all out stupidity. "Sorcerer's Apprentice," is no exception. The problem is the quest doesn't seem all that important, and the outcome is a set-up without the thrill of discovery. We learn a few tricks along the way, get a picture of an India few of us will ever see, but it's hardly worth the trip. "Sorcerer," also seems to be a misnomer implying wonders greater than any revealed. There are better examples of its type, (any of the Carlos Castaneda series,) and you could probably find one set in India. I'd say to skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Hardly Worth the Effort
Review: "Sorcerer's Apprentice" takes its formula from the "quest" genre. It's essentially the myth of the hero, and our interest depends on the novelty of the adventures or trials our hero undertakes. Quest stories also seem to depend on the hero's naiveté, which often borders or crosses the line into all out stupidity. "Sorcerer's Apprentice," is no exception. The problem is the quest doesn't seem all that important, and the outcome is a set-up without the thrill of discovery. We learn a few tricks along the way, get a picture of an India few of us will ever see, but it's hardly worth the trip. "Sorcerer," also seems to be a misnomer implying wonders greater than any revealed. There are better examples of its type, (any of the Carlos Castaneda series,) and you could probably find one set in India. I'd say to skip this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Erich Weiss, King of the Hindus!
Review: A delightful travelogue through miracle ridden modern (?) India in a crazy, dangerous and very funny search for "Insider Information" as ordered by Master Feroze.This supreme artist being an elegant, distinguished older gentleman and somewhat sadistic taskmaster who tolerates nothing short of excellence from his apprentice when it comes to observation, methodical reasoning, (Mycroft and Sherlock could have gotten pointers from Feroze), fencing, cooking--He's a cordon blue chef as well as a mean hand with the foil--poetry, showmanship, or anything else that will serve his art: Sorcery. How on earth did the author get himself in this fix? Well, it all started back in England when an unexpected Pushtan shows up at the doorstep of Tahir Shah's aristocratic and ever so polite parents. The Pushtan has been warned in a dream that the young child is in mortal danger and has come all the way from India, where he guards the tomb of Shah's ancestor--as his father did before him, of course--to save young Tahir from Shaitan's clutches! The author recalls this boyhood misadventure and his discovery of the Pushtan's hobby, magic. A hobby no child could resist. Tahir pleads to be his assistant and together they put on a morning's entertainment for the family. This consisted in the young boy swallowing broken glass before his horrified father and a miscalculated--they should have used less powder--explosion. (Now, don't try this at home, boys and girls.) To the relief of the family, after the Pushtan seriously convinces himself that he's saved Tahir's life he graciously exits back to India. . . Fast forward to Tahir Shah in his 20's having a bull session with his mates. They're all moving away from home, getting their own flats in London and prepping for careers in business. And what profession will you follow, Tahir? In an inspired moment of lunacy he announces a preposterous adventure: He will go to India, track down the Pushtan's legendary teacher, the great Feroze, and become his student! Why settle for a boring job when you can be a master magician? The author gets more than he bargained for and the winner is the reader. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.
----------------------------------------------------------------- BTW it might interest you to know that there are approximately 5,000 "godmen" in India- gurus who claim to be the incarnation of some diety or other but who are really devotees of The High One-- Feroze's hero---the incomperable Erich Weiss. Prominent among the joys of this book are vivid accounts of the 'miracles' the author encounters. The duel between a holy(?) man and woman out miracling each other for the favors of the awestruck crowd. The blooming flowers that 'bow' when another godman makes his entrance among throngs of his faithful. The bank manager who had to quit his job because he wasn't inspiring confidence in depositors when they saw him literally crawl before a clerks's desk, (The lowly clerk being, of course, a living incarnation of God.)---We are truly through the looking glass. Though the reader is unsure whether to laugh or weep for India. Feroze himself appears philosophically resigned towards the 'godmen'. Well, why not? After all, many were former pupils . . . He observes that Indians look to their 'godmen' for medical healings or financial improvement, whereas Westeners look to them for praise in order to enhance their self-esteem.
(Anyone care to stroll on some hot coals?) According to Feroze, the 'godmen' have enormous political power. He comments that outside of India only Uri Geller has come close but his influence is minimal compared to the subcontinent where even Prime Ministers have become devotees to the spiritual grandchildren of Erich Weiss. . . (a.k.a. Harry Houdini)
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and Intoxicating Stuff
Review: Brilliant is a word I'd like to use to describe this book on India and the day in a life of a student of magic under a fabled master.
Dont expect any great magician secrets to be divulged here but be prepared to take a journey into an india that no other travel book can even come close to.
Living in India I too have taken a reality check after reading this book. Its pure fascination how the country operates at ground level and the stories that tahir works into his travelogues are unbelievable at first but when you realise that this is not fiction, you cant help but just keep on devouring the pages hoping theres some magic rubbed off into the book which will never make it end.
Thank you Tahir for this journey, I cant even start to think what you've been through is truly amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Outlandish facts + twisted humor = splendid entertainment
Review: Do baby-renters (people who make a living out of lending out babies to beggars), skeleton-dealers (people who export unclaimed dead bodies to the west for studies in anatomy), ghamelawallas (people who collect gold from city dust), multi-generation executioners (people who inherited their job as an executioner from their parents), acid-drinkers, etc, etc sound intriguing to you? Do you enjoy self-deprecating, and at times self-abusive humor? If (and only if) so this is the book for you. Shah does a splendid job in exploring and writing about his arcane experiences all across India. This was the most entertaining book I read in years.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in a year
Review: Don't even think about not buying this book! It is so good that my husband started reading it after I was halfway through, and he was STEALING it from me by hiding in the bathroom with it.
Rating:
Summary: Should be titled "How'd they do that?"
Review: I happened to glance at the title for Mr. Shah's book as I passed the travel section at the local bookstore, out of curiosity I picked it up. I thought it was in the wrong section. After reading the dust jacket I thought it might be like "The Magicians Wife by Brian Moore or The Illusionist by Dinitia Smith." I did like the personal story and the insites into the society and culture of India. But all I really got was as one reviewer said was a "guy that runs up and jumps on the stage in front of everyone screaming and shouting I know how its done!"
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: I read an average of a book a day and can't remember the last book I thought was "5 star". Sorcerer's Apprentice is worthy of this designation. Interesting, entertaining, read-aloud, tell-your-friends type worthy. Buy, Read, Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have read all year
Review: I read an average of a book a day and can't remember the last book I thought was "5 star". Sorcerer's Apprentice is worthy of this designation. Interesting, entertaining, read-aloud, tell-your-friends type worthy. Buy, Read, Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Sorcerer's Apprentice
Review: I was amused by one of the reviews - how much squalor and grit could you want? This book described the lowest classes in India living in absolute squalor and poverty, scraping a living in the most ingenious ways, you get a picture of how strong the human spirit really is, even in the direst circumstances. This is the background of the story about Tahir Shah's training in magic and the art of illusion. Fascinating story, appeals to the cynic in me who believes that most "spirituality" is smoke and mirrors. anyway, I highly recommend this book - what an adventure. Loved the whole story from his childhood in England to his training in illusion and magic in India, and then his journey through India.
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