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Tao of Life and Death
The story, set in ancient and modern China, is a supernatural tale of mythological, historical, and fictional characters and the lessons they learn.
Characters include: Zhong Kui; Gnarled Pine; Happy Willow; Quiet Buffalo; Damo; Gentle Cloud; Fruit Fruit; and Nine Fingers.
The tale is told through a combination of verse, visual, and narrative styles. Follow interwoven narrators as they cross paths at different points in time. Lose yourself within the words and take from it what you will...
Characters include: Zhong Kui; Gnarled Pine; Happy Willow; Quiet Buffalo; Damo; Gentle Cloud; Fruit Fruit; and Nine Fingers.
The tale is told through a combination of verse, visual, and narrative styles. Follow interwoven narrators as they cross paths at different points in time. Lose yourself within the words and take from it what you will...
- GenresPhilosophy
96 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2012
1 person is currently reading
809 people want to read
About the author
Stephen McDonough
6 books43 followersStephen holds a BA Degree in History from The Ohio State University. Also, he served as an Infantry Soldier in the US Army.
His main interests include reading, writing, painting, history, art, literature, Zen Buddhism, poetry, and yoga.
Finally, Stephen's artwork of Chinese style paintings and oil paintings are displayed throughout his book: Tao of Life and Death A Tale, (including the book's cover).
His main interests include reading, writing, painting, history, art, literature, Zen Buddhism, poetry, and yoga.
Finally, Stephen's artwork of Chinese style paintings and oil paintings are displayed throughout his book: Tao of Life and Death A Tale, (including the book's cover).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 2, 2013
Tao of Life and Death is a stunning work. Not only is the tale an absolutely beautiful one, but in some parts of the story there are magnificent paintings by the author, Stephen McDonough, which accompany the text and add so much to this tale.
It's a 96 page book which is packed with Taoist and Buddhist wisdom, wonderfully colorful characters, gorgeous paintings, interesting historical information, and so many important lessons. As the story is being told, McDonough's narrators (five of them, including McDonough) tell the tale in literary prose and in verse, shifting from one form to the other in a very creative way. Both prose and verse are extremely well-written and the shifting formats make the story even more magical.
I started reading Tao of Life and Death around a week ago, but due to my schedule I was only able to read a few chapters each evening. But once I finished the book I wanted to read the entire tale all at once, so I started from the beginning and read it all at once. Then I read it again, and then a fourth time. And this is a book that I will read many more times because it has so much meaning for me due to the Eastern philosophy, the lessons and wisdom of the tale, the poetry, the art, the explanation of the cycle of life and death, the lovely descriptions of mountains, caves, wildlife, dragons, tigers, toads, turtles, lotus leaves, and so much more.
I also loved the historical information that was included in the story. I learned more about certain things that I only had some very basic knowledge on, such as the White Lotus Society, certain events in the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, the philosophy of Lao Tzu, the Yellow River Temple, and Guan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion.
Throughout the 1990's I read very few novels. My reading was focused mainly on Buddhism, Taoism, Kabbalah, A Course in Miracles, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, and various aspects of Eastern and Western philosophy. Although I gained so much from all of these fantastic books, my taste shifted and I switched to reading mostly novels. But over the past few months I've been feeling a need to get back onto a spiritual and/or philosophical path, and I can not imagine a better book to help get me on that path than Stephen McDonough's Tao of Life and Death.
However, one does not have to be searching for a spiritual path to enjoy Tao of Life and Death. While the book is filled with fantastic knowledge and wisdom, it is also an extremely fun, entertaining, and interesting story. There are many events in this tale that are shocking, amusing, and fascinating. It's a great read for a variety of reasons.
Thank you to Stephen McDonough for creating a marvelous tale!
It's a 96 page book which is packed with Taoist and Buddhist wisdom, wonderfully colorful characters, gorgeous paintings, interesting historical information, and so many important lessons. As the story is being told, McDonough's narrators (five of them, including McDonough) tell the tale in literary prose and in verse, shifting from one form to the other in a very creative way. Both prose and verse are extremely well-written and the shifting formats make the story even more magical.
I started reading Tao of Life and Death around a week ago, but due to my schedule I was only able to read a few chapters each evening. But once I finished the book I wanted to read the entire tale all at once, so I started from the beginning and read it all at once. Then I read it again, and then a fourth time. And this is a book that I will read many more times because it has so much meaning for me due to the Eastern philosophy, the lessons and wisdom of the tale, the poetry, the art, the explanation of the cycle of life and death, the lovely descriptions of mountains, caves, wildlife, dragons, tigers, toads, turtles, lotus leaves, and so much more.
I also loved the historical information that was included in the story. I learned more about certain things that I only had some very basic knowledge on, such as the White Lotus Society, certain events in the Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, the philosophy of Lao Tzu, the Yellow River Temple, and Guan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion.
Throughout the 1990's I read very few novels. My reading was focused mainly on Buddhism, Taoism, Kabbalah, A Course in Miracles, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, and various aspects of Eastern and Western philosophy. Although I gained so much from all of these fantastic books, my taste shifted and I switched to reading mostly novels. But over the past few months I've been feeling a need to get back onto a spiritual and/or philosophical path, and I can not imagine a better book to help get me on that path than Stephen McDonough's Tao of Life and Death.
However, one does not have to be searching for a spiritual path to enjoy Tao of Life and Death. While the book is filled with fantastic knowledge and wisdom, it is also an extremely fun, entertaining, and interesting story. There are many events in this tale that are shocking, amusing, and fascinating. It's a great read for a variety of reasons.
Thank you to Stephen McDonough for creating a marvelous tale!
August 21, 2015
The story is interesting, but it's McDonough's illustrations that really shine in this work. It's been a while since I've enjoyed an illustrated book and so Tao of Life and Death was a refreshing read. McDonough is clearly a talented artist and I hope he continues to work in this style and medium.
May 3, 2015
I've won this book from a giveaway, but I've always been interested in Asian culture, so I was especially happy about it! I really liked McDonough's tale, it's exactly what it seems to be from the description.
Rather short (95 pages) and including some full-page illustrations, it's written in an alternation of literary prose and poetry. It got me searching on two levels. First on Chinese mythology (which I didn't know much of), and then on some uncommon English words ;) The story however is easy to follow, so I didn't find it to be a burden at all. Reading just naturally made me want to learn more!
The illustrations (made by the author) go very well with the story and they even complement it. For example, at some point, one of the protagonist needs to find four animals (Lotus Toad, Hermit Toad, Tiger Cicada and Red snail) and in the next pages, they are all beautifully illustrated. This makes it all in all a pleasing reading experience albeit the rather elevated language. About that, I'd say it's my only slight negative point: although it does fit the "tale" format well, it occasionally felt forced with almost always one "exotic" word or formulation per sentence. In a way, it's probably what it feels like to read Confucius though, so I guess it might have been intently so devised.
I'm giving it five stars for all the points above, but I would especially recommend it to people interested in China and poetry (as the whole book including illustrations is kind of a poem in a way!)
Rather short (95 pages) and including some full-page illustrations, it's written in an alternation of literary prose and poetry. It got me searching on two levels. First on Chinese mythology (which I didn't know much of), and then on some uncommon English words ;) The story however is easy to follow, so I didn't find it to be a burden at all. Reading just naturally made me want to learn more!
The illustrations (made by the author) go very well with the story and they even complement it. For example, at some point, one of the protagonist needs to find four animals (Lotus Toad, Hermit Toad, Tiger Cicada and Red snail) and in the next pages, they are all beautifully illustrated. This makes it all in all a pleasing reading experience albeit the rather elevated language. About that, I'd say it's my only slight negative point: although it does fit the "tale" format well, it occasionally felt forced with almost always one "exotic" word or formulation per sentence. In a way, it's probably what it feels like to read Confucius though, so I guess it might have been intently so devised.
I'm giving it five stars for all the points above, but I would especially recommend it to people interested in China and poetry (as the whole book including illustrations is kind of a poem in a way!)
October 14, 2012
This is a multi-layered short story with what start out as seemingly disconnected threads that are woven closer together as the story progresses to ultimately a surprising conclusion. The rhyming couplet verse structure some of the characters use won't be to everyone's taste, but it does lend the narrative a distinct folklore flavor that suites it well. The textual style the author uses is relatively stripped-down, but that's all right because the real ornament to the words are the evocative Chinese inspired illustrations. If you enjoy graphic novellas like Marjane Satrapi's 'The Sigh,' you'll probably like this too, with the added bonus of potentially learning some basic Chinese history and philosophy along the way.
October 17, 2012
I won this book through the giveaways and thoroughly enjoyed the read. It is a short story with great characters and great story telling. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction and Asian culture.
July 3, 2014
The author was kind enough to send me a copy of his book, to which I am grateful.
This story entails varying storylines that end up connecting to the present. Some of the themes tackled are enlightenment, demons, forgiveness, life and death. I enjoyed the occasional rhyming parts that gave it a mystical feel, as well as the ending that blurred the line between reality and creativity. Moreover, the book is illustrated by the author’s skilled paintings. One of my favorite quotes to reflect upon: “From whence existence came, we will return, but from there we never left.” (p. 89)
This story entails varying storylines that end up connecting to the present. Some of the themes tackled are enlightenment, demons, forgiveness, life and death. I enjoyed the occasional rhyming parts that gave it a mystical feel, as well as the ending that blurred the line between reality and creativity. Moreover, the book is illustrated by the author’s skilled paintings. One of my favorite quotes to reflect upon: “From whence existence came, we will return, but from there we never left.” (p. 89)
September 14, 2013
Very beautiful story, and very beautiful artwork. A nice treasure in all.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews