OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Shaman Cycle" by George Moore.]

Think Paulo Coelho with even a little more mysticism and ancient history. This story focuses less on reality than (some) Coelho works do, but it is a similar spiritual experience. I am pleased to admit that though this work is reminiscent of Paulo Coelho, it is not copycat at all. It is, however, a story that alludes to the belief that there is more to human beings than bodies with complex systems of neurons.

The Shaman Cycle by George Moore is the tale of Sakhal-tun, who is member of an ancient Siberian tribe, and his soul mate, Kawtehek-lun. Kawtehek-lun, or Kawt, is a shaman as well as an upay, or a ghost in a body. Sakhal-tun spends many lifetimes journeying through physical and spiritual realms trying to help Kawt and her family to escape a kind of limbo for trapped souls and resume what is known as the shaman cycle. However, there is one who hunts Sakhal-tun. Philippe Milieu wants answers for Sakhal-tun's secret to immortality. Believing that Sakhal-tun has found a drug that can promote physical regeneration, Milieu is unwittingly repeating past events with his continued pursuit of Sakhal-tun. I cannot go into anymore details here because it would be much too easy to spoil the story.

This book, while captivating, is rather hard to follow. I think that is because there are theories that I do not completely understand, and it is kind of written in a way that assumes the reader already understands the ideas. This was a drawback because it left me feeling uninvolved — like listening to a conversation between friends and feeling left out but longing to understand. There are, however, some lines that are stunning in their beauty such as this: “For the soul, time is not the same as what we perceive while in the body. Time is simply the sequence of events that we experience. We are nothing more than events ourselves, in the final analysis.” One of the book’s greatest weaknesses — the theories — is also its greatest strength.

There were not an overwhelming amount of errors, but there were enough, especially regarding punctuation, to give me the impression that this book has not been professionally edited. I do not think it would take much work to clean up the mistakes. Given the content of the story, there could have been more about the lives of Kawt and her family and more about the role of a shaman. This book explained what the shaman cycle is, but there was not too much explanation of what a shaman actually does, and I would have liked to seen this because it is what initially drew me to the book. The aforementioned negatives are why I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

Cons aside, The Shaman Cycle has the potential to be a literary masterpiece. Given the mysticism and spirituality that is present in this book, those who like to deal more in concrete worlds than abstract worlds might want to pass on this story. There are a couple slightly intimate scenes, and for that reason this book is not suitable for younger readers, but I think it would be appropriate for the intellect and maturity of readers from sixteen years and up. Readers will probably find themselves wanting to read more from this author.

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The Shaman Cycle
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Like JuliaKay's review? Post a comment saying so!

Thank you for the amazing review! I like books which have elements of mysticism, which make it more fascinating for me. It is a pity about the errors though.

gen_g wrote: ↑29 Jun 2018, 01:59 Thank you for the amazing review! I like books which have elements of mysticism, which make it more fascinating for me. It is a pity about the errors though.

I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

It happens so often that authors have clear ideas on the topics that they are writing about, but then fail to convey their thoughts well enought to the reader. It then becomes a bit of an assumption that the reader should just know what they are talking about!
Either way, I'm glad you ended up enjoying it
Thanks for the great review.

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑29 Jun 2018, 06:16 It happens so often that authors have clear ideas on the topics that they are writing about, but then fail to convey their thoughts well enought to the reader. It then becomes a bit of an assumption that the reader should just know what they are talking about!
Either way, I'm glad you ended up enjoying it
Thanks for the great review.

Thank you for commenting.

I am intrigued by the concept of time presented. Great review!!

teacherjh wrote: ↑02 Jul 2018, 13:34 I am intrigued by the concept of time presented. Great review!!

It was certainly interesting.

I would love to examine some of the spiritual theores in this book.I think it would be exciting.

Very neat and detial review. You have esplained the plot of the storyline beautifully. I loved reading your review. It creats an intrest within me to read the book. Thanks for the review.

The concept of shaman cycle is truly intriguing. Also, the quote you included is beautifully written.

Thank you for the great review.

It actually sounds very promising! I enjoy stories about spirituality and mysticism, and it would have been great if the theories were better explained. Sometimes the authors assume we just know as much as they do about a topic.
I hope the author takes your comments into account and, perhaps, edit it to create the masterpiece that could have been.
Thank you for your insightful review.

This book, while captivating, is rather hard to follow.

Like gems that are unearthed and often so rarely found, meaningful books may indeed need to be sought and looked into more deeply to be fully savoured. Thank you for your objective subjectivity in reviewing this piece.

This book explained what the shaman cycle is, but there was not too much explanation of what a shaman actually does, and I would have liked to seen this because it is what initially drew me to the book.

This has left me on the fence. It's a pity the author expects all readers to already know the concepts he is discussing. Great review though!