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Return of Merlin 1ST Edition
Return of Merlin 1ST Edition (Hardcover) by Deepak Chopra
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
59 people are currently reading
1076 people want to read
About the author
Deepak Chopra
702 books19k followersDeepak Chopra, MD serves as the Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Foundation, and Co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 23, 2011
I really struggled with this book. I even took a "break" from it, hoping that might make a difference. The story is written well enough with mostly interesting characters, in fact I rather liked Melchoir. But it is the absolute butchering of the legend that I couldn't handle. It's a wonder why he bothered with the pretense of king Arthur and Merlin at all... Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a fresh twist on the tale, even modern versions, but at least it's recognizable. Oh and merlin drove me absolutely bonkers in this novel. I HATE it when a character says over and over (in different words) "oh, I can't tell you that" or speaks in riddles. The author loses me right quick. I have no patience for that. So two stars it is...and that's probably generous. I had thought to try his Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet and Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment but I'm done with Deepak...apparently we don't click.
September 24, 2011
I normally love Arthurian fantasy and anything relating to the Celts and the Druids. This was sort of boring. Perhaps the reason behind the boredom was that the author was not focusing on storytelling but was rather using his story as a vehicle to transmit spiritual truths. The truths them self are not bad and it is most likely something we should listen to. According to the wizards way there is no reality and what we see is an illusion. Indeed that is correct but the salt shaker in front of me is still there no matter if it is composed of energy or a bunch of microscopic particle vibrating together at a slow rate. To look at reality is to see your reflection as reality is nothing but a mirror of our expectations. Evil is born from us when we stuff our negative emotions into the subconscious, this is how demons are born. To fight the evil you must realize that the source of evil is yourself. Nice truths!
Another draw back is that the characters Author, Lancelot, Mordred and company do not actually make but small appearances and when they do it is not in full glory. Some manage to come back only in spectral form. Merlin never really makes a formal appearance. Kind of a drag. The ending seems to be big deal do we see people living happily ever after? Well not really and only in the case of Tommy and Sis. What happens after that? a little conclusion about what happens please. Happily ever after.
I realize that Deepak Chopra is a specialist in Indian Spirituality and that many Celtic ideas may originate there, yet there is not enough cultural reference to Welsh and Celtic cultural and spiritual ethos. I would have liked to have seen more of that in the book. By the way this is a short coming of a good many books.
The story starts out with the discovery of a body lying by the side of a road in a ditch. The police arrive on the scene trying to figure out who it belongs to. When the body is placed in the ambulance it disappears. This leads to an investigation and the eventual suspension of Aurthur McCallum from the force. Tommy and Sis two orphans happen upon it as well. When they are sent back to school by Arthur one of the boys finds a dragon fly. The dragon fly is Merlin's apprentice who survive Mordered's take over of Camelot. The old man was not Merlin but rather Merlin using the body of Derek Rhees. The boys and Derek go on an adventure in the forest traveling through time, dodging Mordered and altering the past. Melchior is rescued by crows and then comes into Arthur's aunt's home only to go on an adventure with her to the court of miracles. The story telling is not to bad! but I would expect Merlin to at least return and the Aurthur's return to have more an impact.
Another draw back is that the characters Author, Lancelot, Mordred and company do not actually make but small appearances and when they do it is not in full glory. Some manage to come back only in spectral form. Merlin never really makes a formal appearance. Kind of a drag. The ending seems to be big deal do we see people living happily ever after? Well not really and only in the case of Tommy and Sis. What happens after that? a little conclusion about what happens please. Happily ever after.
I realize that Deepak Chopra is a specialist in Indian Spirituality and that many Celtic ideas may originate there, yet there is not enough cultural reference to Welsh and Celtic cultural and spiritual ethos. I would have liked to have seen more of that in the book. By the way this is a short coming of a good many books.
The story starts out with the discovery of a body lying by the side of a road in a ditch. The police arrive on the scene trying to figure out who it belongs to. When the body is placed in the ambulance it disappears. This leads to an investigation and the eventual suspension of Aurthur McCallum from the force. Tommy and Sis two orphans happen upon it as well. When they are sent back to school by Arthur one of the boys finds a dragon fly. The dragon fly is Merlin's apprentice who survive Mordered's take over of Camelot. The old man was not Merlin but rather Merlin using the body of Derek Rhees. The boys and Derek go on an adventure in the forest traveling through time, dodging Mordered and altering the past. Melchior is rescued by crows and then comes into Arthur's aunt's home only to go on an adventure with her to the court of miracles. The story telling is not to bad! but I would expect Merlin to at least return and the Aurthur's return to have more an impact.
December 22, 2012
This is an incredible book. I haven't been much into reading fantasy in years, although I have always been a fan of Merlin, King Arthur, and Camelot, Fantasy books failed to hold my attention for every story has been told and retold in one way or another. I have to be honest, it was Deepak Chopra's name that drew me to this book, and then seeing Merlin's name on the same cover, I had to check it out. And I am so glad I did. What a truly wonderful book for fantasy lovers, and spiritual seekers alike. Don't miss out on this great read, books like this come far and few between!! This book and the characters in it will stay with you for a long, long time.
August 19, 2018
I'm so glad the book is over. I like Arthurian stories, but this was just a lot of religious psychobabbling pretending (badly) to be a story. There were interesting bits, but mostly it was just plain weird. The first half of the book, the story just kept jumping all over the place, then it picked up a bit. I did consider giving up on the book a few times.
Why the heck was one of the boys called Sisley? It's a girl's name.
The book would do with some editing, too - one of the characters, Edgerton "stumbled over to the basin" and a second later he "jumped out of bed". Maybe he was the best wizard?
Or "You never knew what was going on in Mum's head sometimes." So is it never or sometimes? Or is it some time concept I don't get? Speaking of time concepts - you learn that time is the "mortals' concept" and wizards don't follow it, they live in past, present and future all at once (and also in all possible realities). And then you are told that wizards live backwards - they start in the future (young) and then go on into the past. But if there is no time, how could that be? And wasn't it said before they are present all the time? It just doesn't make any sense.
"When he had witnessed this little drama, at age eight, Arthur had thought the trainer was a master of psychology." - Yeah, because this is a common thing for eigth-year-olds to consider... at 8, you most likely don't even know what psychology mean...
Why the heck was one of the boys called Sisley? It's a girl's name.
The book would do with some editing, too - one of the characters, Edgerton "stumbled over to the basin" and a second later he "jumped out of bed". Maybe he was the best wizard?
Or "You never knew what was going on in Mum's head sometimes." So is it never or sometimes? Or is it some time concept I don't get? Speaking of time concepts - you learn that time is the "mortals' concept" and wizards don't follow it, they live in past, present and future all at once (and also in all possible realities). And then you are told that wizards live backwards - they start in the future (young) and then go on into the past. But if there is no time, how could that be? And wasn't it said before they are present all the time? It just doesn't make any sense.
"When he had witnessed this little drama, at age eight, Arthur had thought the trainer was a master of psychology." - Yeah, because this is a common thing for eigth-year-olds to consider... at 8, you most likely don't even know what psychology mean...
September 12, 2008
This was one of the books on my shelf that I had to read to decide whether to keep or give away before we move. This is definitely a keeper.
This novel follows events across centuries and retells the Arthurian legend in a way that all of us can relate to. Sure there are wizards and magic and time-travel, but at the very heart, this book is about the battle between good and evil that has always raged and continues in our world today. It's a book about remembering who we are and honoring the goodness within ourselves to conquer that evil. The characters are engaging and the plot is wonderful. I always love a good time-travel story but this one has a new spin on it because the wizards, who are not considered human, have an advantage others don't. The end is sufficiently satisfying without being too cheesy or too final, which is something you don't always find in a fantasy novel.
I would recommend this to anyone because it is just a good book. I really appreciate that there was limited language and the scenes were clean despite a little violence. Even if you're not a big fantasy reader, I think you will like this because the focus isn't on all the magic and wizardry.
This novel follows events across centuries and retells the Arthurian legend in a way that all of us can relate to. Sure there are wizards and magic and time-travel, but at the very heart, this book is about the battle between good and evil that has always raged and continues in our world today. It's a book about remembering who we are and honoring the goodness within ourselves to conquer that evil. The characters are engaging and the plot is wonderful. I always love a good time-travel story but this one has a new spin on it because the wizards, who are not considered human, have an advantage others don't. The end is sufficiently satisfying without being too cheesy or too final, which is something you don't always find in a fantasy novel.
I would recommend this to anyone because it is just a good book. I really appreciate that there was limited language and the scenes were clean despite a little violence. Even if you're not a big fantasy reader, I think you will like this because the focus isn't on all the magic and wizardry.
August 23, 2008
Very boring.
December 28, 2009
Though I enjoyed the prologue of the story, I just couldn't get involved in anything beyond it.
September 25, 2018
Chopra’s first “Merlin book” was outstanding with insights woven perfectly into the story. This one? A story of characters living in parallel universes, outside of time, but two-thirds of the way into the book, the pieces just weren’t coming together for me. I would have preferred to read Chopra’s thoughts in a genre that wasn’t fiction. Neither the topic nor the characters engaged me which makes for a pretty solid two-star book.
February 19, 2019
Arthurian legend meets Buddhism. Interesting although too many philosophical dumps disguised as dialogue. But some really cool moments. I'm glad I read it. Parts were really engrossing.
May 6, 2021
Wasn't sure what to expect but I have trouble turning down any opportunity to engage the Arthurian corpus--from whatever perspective. This was a highly interesting treatment of the "once and future king" theme--asking what does that question about the future mean and how might Arthur still be engaged in the eternal struggle between good and evil. I think a pretty well-developed narrative, interesting treatments of each of the major Arthurian character (I especially liked his treatment of Lancelot), and an imaginative treatment of the continuing "presence" of Camelot.
September 2, 2018
I love genuine Arthurian fiction (and non-), and I almost always like Chopra when he's writing non-fiction. This is the first time I've read his fiction, and the book seemed ... strained, forced. This one was a slog, and though I'll give it two stars for vision and intent, I honestly can't say I enjoyed it. It was rough going, too much like a series of life lessons, or fables, "message stories," little parables from which the reader is intended to learn.
Deepak, old mate: you don't have to dress it up this way. You want to give a life tutorial, come right out and give it! People *are* listening. Conversely, if you want to tell a story -- don't sermonize, just tell a real, cracking story. Come on, I know you've got it in you! Give me something based on the Mahabharata, maybe with archaeologists and a hint of spirituality, I'll buy!
Deepak, old mate: you don't have to dress it up this way. You want to give a life tutorial, come right out and give it! People *are* listening. Conversely, if you want to tell a story -- don't sermonize, just tell a real, cracking story. Come on, I know you've got it in you! Give me something based on the Mahabharata, maybe with archaeologists and a hint of spirituality, I'll buy!
March 22, 2015
I was unable to connect with this story on any level. I was put off by the over use (and frequently jarring odd use) of adjectives, adverbs, and clichés, the abrupt point of view transitions, and the pointless long descriptions of scenes that neither enhanced character development nor moved the plot forward nor supported the underlying themes.
The long Camelot prologue was not helpful. Instead, I found his attempt to use “archaic” language ridiculous, especially when the 5th century peasants were clearly Cockney!
I didn’t understand why the characters were overly dramatic and emotional. Was that to show how they are spiritually un-evolved? I don’t know because I only could stand to read about one-third of the book.
The most egregious errors were when he began to describe tarot cards – clearly using the Rider-Waite deck, and then made up a version of the Hanged Man card which was completely inconsistent with the meaning of the card and changed how it looked from how it usually appears in most decks.
What really irritated me is the poor description of an expert on British folklore, who’s supposed to know all about Celtic magic and Druid sacrifices. Most of the Druid sacrifices were negative propaganda by the Romans (especially the burning, wicker man thing) and any expert on British folklore would know that.
I gave up after that.
The long Camelot prologue was not helpful. Instead, I found his attempt to use “archaic” language ridiculous, especially when the 5th century peasants were clearly Cockney!
I didn’t understand why the characters were overly dramatic and emotional. Was that to show how they are spiritually un-evolved? I don’t know because I only could stand to read about one-third of the book.
The most egregious errors were when he began to describe tarot cards – clearly using the Rider-Waite deck, and then made up a version of the Hanged Man card which was completely inconsistent with the meaning of the card and changed how it looked from how it usually appears in most decks.
What really irritated me is the poor description of an expert on British folklore, who’s supposed to know all about Celtic magic and Druid sacrifices. Most of the Druid sacrifices were negative propaganda by the Romans (especially the burning, wicker man thing) and any expert on British folklore would know that.
I gave up after that.
May 27, 2020
The foreword by Chopra should have really been more of a red flag to me. If an author feels the need to explain to you how you should read and experience their artwork, it’s a bad sign.
There were some really good scenes and tense moments in this book that makes it that much more upsetting that Chopra couldn’t just write the narrative and allow us to come to our own conclusions. The good bits are swallowed up by giant chunks of exposition or by Chopra interjecting explanations so that we “get it”.
The story is also hard to follow. I’ve read nonlinear storylines before and Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite films, so the out of sync timeline was certainly not a problem for me. What was a problem was the jumping around and use of plot devices to force the story along.
There’s a moment where they find a character dead, someone resurrects them, they go ape shit and try to attack the group, the group runs away, pauses so Arthur can have a flashback to Merlin telling him about dragons being the evil inside people or some shit, and the group inexplicably goes back to find the ape shit character calmly doing chores again and ready to deliver another exposition dump. I’ve never had to reread so many sentences or even whole paragraphs SO MUCH in one book.
If you’re looking for a unique take on the Arthurian legends, look anywhere but here!
There were some really good scenes and tense moments in this book that makes it that much more upsetting that Chopra couldn’t just write the narrative and allow us to come to our own conclusions. The good bits are swallowed up by giant chunks of exposition or by Chopra interjecting explanations so that we “get it”.
The story is also hard to follow. I’ve read nonlinear storylines before and Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite films, so the out of sync timeline was certainly not a problem for me. What was a problem was the jumping around and use of plot devices to force the story along.
There’s a moment where they find a character dead, someone resurrects them, they go ape shit and try to attack the group, the group runs away, pauses so Arthur can have a flashback to Merlin telling him about dragons being the evil inside people or some shit, and the group inexplicably goes back to find the ape shit character calmly doing chores again and ready to deliver another exposition dump. I’ve never had to reread so many sentences or even whole paragraphs SO MUCH in one book.
If you’re looking for a unique take on the Arthurian legends, look anywhere but here!
December 3, 2008
Guh. I read this against my better judgement on the recommendation of my very cool, but rather New-Agey uncle. Deepak Chopra's made himself very rich off the backs of gullible New Age types, though, so great for him.
January 18, 2021
I love the book itself but I'm so disappointed the audio was abridged; it lost too much.
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March 15, 2025Eis alguns trechos: Todos nós mudamos os acontecimentos, mas na maior parte inconscientemente. Não é apenas o passado que determina o futuro...
O presente é aquela abertura no tempo buscada por muita gente. Os acontecimentos emanam da gente segundo linhas invisíveis, e nenhum acontecimento foi fixado. Pelo contrário, cada pessoa vive testando linhas possíveis. É por isso que encaramos o tempo como uma teia, um conjunto frágil de fios tecidos de minuto a minuto. Quando você aprende a tecer conscientemente os acontecimentos, está pronta a entrar na teia e alterá-la. Mas não antes...
Você não é responsável pela criação das almas das outras pessoas, porém o modo como elas se relacionam com você é fruto de sua criação. Se você tem um inimigo, ele é criado dentro de seu coração; as pessoas que a atemorizam dão felicidade a outras, as que você odeia são amadas por outras...
O mago olha a sua volta e encontra o eterno em todas as direções. Sua única opção é o que fazer com ele. A luz é algo com que se brinca e modela, é a alegria de nossa existência. Também constitui uma alegria passar pela ilusão e encontrar a fonte do trabalho criador...
A ilusão foi criada por eles e agora acreditam nela em demasia. Utilizam seu poder para criar uma encenação de nascimento e morte, de alegria e dor. Não os culpe, é a dança deles. Na realidade, as sombras não têm mais poder do que eles lhes emprestam...
O desejo é pai da realidade...
O tarô é o maior dos mistérios ocultos, um dom do próprio Hermes. Ele magnetiza a energia de acordo com as vibrações anímicas de quem o toca. Jogadores já foram levados à beira do inferno, os puros de coração às portas do paraíso. Exaltação, destruição, desejo, capricho. O tarô nada mais é que o mundo do destino.
O presente é aquela abertura no tempo buscada por muita gente. Os acontecimentos emanam da gente segundo linhas invisíveis, e nenhum acontecimento foi fixado. Pelo contrário, cada pessoa vive testando linhas possíveis. É por isso que encaramos o tempo como uma teia, um conjunto frágil de fios tecidos de minuto a minuto. Quando você aprende a tecer conscientemente os acontecimentos, está pronta a entrar na teia e alterá-la. Mas não antes...
Você não é responsável pela criação das almas das outras pessoas, porém o modo como elas se relacionam com você é fruto de sua criação. Se você tem um inimigo, ele é criado dentro de seu coração; as pessoas que a atemorizam dão felicidade a outras, as que você odeia são amadas por outras...
O mago olha a sua volta e encontra o eterno em todas as direções. Sua única opção é o que fazer com ele. A luz é algo com que se brinca e modela, é a alegria de nossa existência. Também constitui uma alegria passar pela ilusão e encontrar a fonte do trabalho criador...
A ilusão foi criada por eles e agora acreditam nela em demasia. Utilizam seu poder para criar uma encenação de nascimento e morte, de alegria e dor. Não os culpe, é a dança deles. Na realidade, as sombras não têm mais poder do que eles lhes emprestam...
O desejo é pai da realidade...
O tarô é o maior dos mistérios ocultos, um dom do próprio Hermes. Ele magnetiza a energia de acordo com as vibrações anímicas de quem o toca. Jogadores já foram levados à beira do inferno, os puros de coração às portas do paraíso. Exaltação, destruição, desejo, capricho. O tarô nada mais é que o mundo do destino.
October 28, 2018
I actually enjoyed this book at a 4-star level (I hold 5 stars for what I consider truly outstanding prose) for 2/3 of the book. Author Deepak Chopra, well known mainly for his uplifting how-to-have-a-better-life books, ventured into fiction with The Return of Merlin. Being a fangirl of all things Camelot, I was intrigued. The premise of the story is quite good: Merlin is at the center of the events leading to the death of King Arthur and, through time, continues to try to help defeat Arthur's wicked son, Mordred. Spinning through time between the days of King Arthur and modern day, the mystery slowly unfolds. I loved it. Unfortunately for me, it felt like Chopra remembered partway through the story that he writes mystical self-enlightenment books, and from that point on the story was dragged down by long, drawn out monologues trying to explain how time is an illusion and how everyone can take control of time and choose the outcomes they desire, until the story nearly got lost in all the "teaching." In fact, the author's prologue was a whole chapter on how the reader should garner larger interpretations for life lessons from various characters and events in the story. This may have been his intent from the start, but it almost seemed, again, as if Chopra felt the need to justify his truly entertaining work of fiction with his self-enlightenment devotees. I'm all for self-help, "life journey" books, but this attempt to change a great fictional tale into some kind of hybrid did service to neither.
June 11, 2021
Chopra loves the sound of his own voice. Which I can usually tolerate if I vibe with the author but a lot of the descriptions sound pretentious and weren’t substantive. Sooo much telling and not showing!! Leave some interpretation for me bruh. I felt like the depth of each character was extremely shallow so it was hard for me to be invested in any of them.
I also knew nothing about the original King Arthur/Merlin story so maybe I wasn’t able to appreciate Chopra’s take enough. However, I figured since this was a relatively modern take, there’d be a decent amount of representation. LOL. Almost every character was a white dude, the women were damsels in distress or succubuses, and the POC lacked any substance. And worse, the author uses soo many stereotypes whenever mentioning Joey.
The only reason this has more than one star is that I enjoyed Chopra’s ability to seemlessly insert philosophical quanderies/remarks into the dialogue. I liked the way he described time and also the part about trees suffering differently from humans because they can’t run away. This book also appeared in my life really serendipitously (like actually just showed up on my bookshelf) so it gets some brownie points for that.
I also knew nothing about the original King Arthur/Merlin story so maybe I wasn’t able to appreciate Chopra’s take enough. However, I figured since this was a relatively modern take, there’d be a decent amount of representation. LOL. Almost every character was a white dude, the women were damsels in distress or succubuses, and the POC lacked any substance. And worse, the author uses soo many stereotypes whenever mentioning Joey.
The only reason this has more than one star is that I enjoyed Chopra’s ability to seemlessly insert philosophical quanderies/remarks into the dialogue. I liked the way he described time and also the part about trees suffering differently from humans because they can’t run away. This book also appeared in my life really serendipitously (like actually just showed up on my bookshelf) so it gets some brownie points for that.
July 3, 2020
Le doy 2.5 estrellas. Ley una traducción de este libro a español y tal vez esa fue una de las razones por la cual no me gustó tanto el libro. Me dieron muy duro las primeras 200 páginas. No estaba conectada emocionalmente con los personajes o lo que les estaba pasando. La historia honestamente no me pareció muy buena (obviamente no original) y solo me encontraba medió interesada cuando Chopra recontaba un relato sobre la historia arturiana original.
Sin embargo después de las 200 páginas las sabidurías del escritor empezaron a salir a la luz. Como me dijo mi abuela, “es que Deepak es enrredadito.” Me gusto la historia del cuervo, la idea de la red del tiempo, y como describe que el ser es luz y más allá del bien o del mal. La sabiduría que transcurrió a lo largo de la historia me pareció valiosa. También me gusto que no dejo nada desatado, todas las historia llegaron a un final satisfactorio. Por esas ultimas razones subí mis estrellas de 2 a 2.5
Sin embargo después de las 200 páginas las sabidurías del escritor empezaron a salir a la luz. Como me dijo mi abuela, “es que Deepak es enrredadito.” Me gusto la historia del cuervo, la idea de la red del tiempo, y como describe que el ser es luz y más allá del bien o del mal. La sabiduría que transcurrió a lo largo de la historia me pareció valiosa. También me gusto que no dejo nada desatado, todas las historia llegaron a un final satisfactorio. Por esas ultimas razones subí mis estrellas de 2 a 2.5
March 23, 2018
As I read this book, I worried that I would have an aneurysm because of how abhorrently STUPID this book was. The plot involves is every trope about King Arthur in a modern age. Most of it is utterly predictable but then there are bits that they totally just pulled out of someone's ass. The characters are, quite frankly, not really characters at all. I cannot give you any differentiating traits between them other than age and occupation. Merlin says some bigger words and apparently is fucking omimiciant and Mordred is EEEEEEVVVVIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL. As for everyone else, you might as well have replaced them with bags of sand because they have ABSOLUTELY NOT AUTONOMY. At first, I was going to give this 2 stars because the writing is easy to consume, much like a boiled potato But there are far better ways to consume a potato and there are far better schlocky fantasy books out there.
November 21, 2019
I could not put this book down once I started it. It has all the elements of a great story: love, hate, revenge, passion, mystery, and magic.
Deepak infuses his characters and plot with a thick layer of spiritual teachings that he outlines at the beginning of the story. I was gripped by this work of fiction until the story's resolution, which left me feeling slightly unsatisfied. However I would definitely still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Chopra's other works or who likes reading books that tell a mysterious story but have a spiritual infusion that underlies them (such as the Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield).
Deepak infuses his characters and plot with a thick layer of spiritual teachings that he outlines at the beginning of the story. I was gripped by this work of fiction until the story's resolution, which left me feeling slightly unsatisfied. However I would definitely still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Chopra's other works or who likes reading books that tell a mysterious story but have a spiritual infusion that underlies them (such as the Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield).
March 10, 2020
I had to read this book very slowly because of the many layers and interactions between the past and the present. Of all the books I have read from Deepak Chopra, ‘The return of Merlin’ stand in a league of its own with its parallelism of the past and the present. Interesting and different perspective of Camelot and Arthur and the knights of the round table, fascinating projection into people of our modern age, it was a challenging book with multiple layers that will be food for thoughts for a while to come for me. I highly recommended it to readers who have an affinity for time parallels and a love of medieval adventures.
February 6, 2024
This book took me ages to finish, and by the last 100 or so pages I was just ready for it to be over. Don’t get me wrong, I by no means regret reading this book. It was whimsical and surprising, and any enjoyer of Arthurian legend will appreciate it in some aspects. However at times I felt the best moments in the book were cut short, and the cataclysmic events were simultaneously too fast yet too slow. Very strange with this one, though it’s possible the writing style just threw me off.
Im glad this book is finally over, but I’m also glad I read it all the same. Solid OK. I liked Melchior the most.
Im glad this book is finally over, but I’m also glad I read it all the same. Solid OK. I liked Melchior the most.
December 16, 2024
---ENGLISH REVIEW BELOW---
Dit was een leuk boek om te lezen, met een heel interessante opzet. Jammer genoeg vond ik het wat te verwarrend, waardoor ik het minder leuk vond. Ik neem aan dat dat altijd een dingetje is met tijdreis verhalen... Het was niettemin leuk genoeg om uit te lezen, met genoeg spanning om te willen weten hoe het verder gaat.
---ENGLISH REVIEW---
This was a fun book to read, with a very interesting premise. Sadly, I felt it was a bit too confusing at times, which detracted from my enjoyment. I suppose that's always a thing with time travel stories... Still, it was interesting enough to finish it, with enough excitement to want to know how it's going to end.
Dit was een leuk boek om te lezen, met een heel interessante opzet. Jammer genoeg vond ik het wat te verwarrend, waardoor ik het minder leuk vond. Ik neem aan dat dat altijd een dingetje is met tijdreis verhalen... Het was niettemin leuk genoeg om uit te lezen, met genoeg spanning om te willen weten hoe het verder gaat.
---ENGLISH REVIEW---
This was a fun book to read, with a very interesting premise. Sadly, I felt it was a bit too confusing at times, which detracted from my enjoyment. I suppose that's always a thing with time travel stories... Still, it was interesting enough to finish it, with enough excitement to want to know how it's going to end.
January 6, 2019
Strangely compelling book that creates an incredible world of good and evil wizards travelling through time to save the modern world from imploding, and imaginatively adds to the legend of Arthur. Often disorienting, the reader is never sure about what is real and what is not real. But this is very deliberate. The book tries to teach lessons about life and dealing with one's inner demons. But this is done is a very mystical way that at times is a little frustrating. Perhaps the reader is meant to find their own truth? I've never read anything quite like this before!
August 13, 2024
This book was well written and kind of interesting. But, I had no idea where it was going and the ending seemed pointless. The characters were hard to get a feel for because sometimes they were possessed and sometimes they were not. There were also some reincarnated people who were sometimes their older selves and sometimes their new. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why anybody did anything. 3 stars may be being too generous, but I kept having hope throughouot the whole book which kept me from hating it whilst reading it.
October 29, 2024
This book was a bit difficult for me to get through. It has all the things I usually like in a story but it just fell a bit flat for me. For starters I felt like it was a little bit all over the place. Then it felt like some things weren’t explained and others were explained by “magic”. Which works but still maybe a little clarity would have helped. I don’t like giving spoilers in my reviews but there seems to be a thing with necks and then most of the broken necks miraculously heal? That’s all I’ll say on that. This just wasn’t the book for me.
March 22, 2019
This is a very interesting, fresh look at a classic tale that has captured the imagination of readers and fantasy lovers for generations. Chopra adds several layers to the tale which requires a lot of concentration and careful reading to avoid getting lost. The freshness of the tale keeps one going and there is always a new twist and revelation. The ending for me was a little anticlimactic but as a whole the book is still a great read for fantasy lovers.
June 16, 2017
This is a book that I keep coming back to and have read probably 3 or 4 times. The idea of King Arthur and members of Camelot coming back but not knowing who they were is intriguing. The intriguing part is that I see it as remembering who I am. As I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life it's good to remember who I am in my core.
December 18, 2018
I did like it, I did finish it easily, just a lot of jumping about. Why do authors give two characters such similar names when we are just getting acquainted? I had to break my following the plot to remember who was who. Thought about giving it another read through to enjoy it this time, and then I remembered I am sixty and have millions of books to read and too few years to do it.
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