The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I
343365
The characters are easy to relate to n become one with all of them. They are well written n their back plots are all their. When I was down with one I couldn't want to pick up the next book. I loved them both very much.
3023445
This book was my first by this author. I had read a review that recommended this as a good initiation to Wolinsky's writing. I thought it was very interesting, but it seemed to me it was a bit difficult to digest. I ordered another book by this author called "Quantum Conciousness" and found it to be a better introductory work. After reading that book, I am on my second read of this writing and have a better handle on the material. It's very interesting and I don't regret the purchase.
3844378
Chosen by Nina Croft is Part One of a series called The Laws of Segregation. This first part introduces the main characters and the premise of the series. The background of Tallon and Shayla is developed with only hints at the battle to come. Their relationship becomes one of reluctant comrades then turning to lovers. Tallon is a compassionate warlock hunter who also possesses a brain. Fine hero material, indeed.  Shayla is very young, there is much still needs to learn. Together they make a great combination; youth plus wise strength.

This part is really setting up the story for the fight they will have on their hands to change the laws of Arroway. Some of the supporting characters past is given but is not fully explained, nor is the rational for the warlocks (males) laws destroying or making slaves of witches (females). I had trouble buying into it is all one witchs fault.

While Chosen may be read as a stand-alone, since the relationship between Tallon and Shayla is cemented by the end, it does not have the feel of a complete story. From the description it is not intended to be as such but is to be read in installments. Cost wise all four installments are reasonable compensation for the author in my humble reader opinion, so I will not hesitate to purchase next installment, The Calling.

Copy provided by the author for an honest review.
2829554
Informative, intriguing, and quite illuminating!  The two authors successfully takes the reader back in time, shedding light upon Americas first successful (and never infiltrated), spy ring.

The 'Culper Spy Ring' consisted of six individuals who supplied General George Washington with crucial information throughout the Revolutionary War.  The very first page starts off with Patriot Nathan Hale's execution, (for spying), on September 22, 1776.  Because of his untimely demise, Washington put into motion, and activated what would later be known as the Culper Spy Ring.

The spy ring consisted of 5 known men and 1 unknown lady.  Their intelligence gathering was second to none, and quite instrumental at winning the Revolutionary War.  As one of the British officers put it, "Washington did not really outfight the British, he simply out spied us".

It was through these espionage efforts that the infamous traitor, Major General Benedict Arnold, and his attempt at handing over Fort West Point were foiled.  Also of significant note, the French Fleet, allied with the Patriots, was not annihilated when it docked in Newport, RI.  Washington's counterintelligence and ruse forced the British General and his Red Coats back to Manhattan... thinking that his exposed flank was about to be attacked by the Continental Army.  Of course that attack never happened and the French subsequently lost no ships or personnel during their docking.  Also a British counterfeiting operation was exposed before it could disrupt the economic engine of its time.

The trade craft employed by the Culper Ring consisted of: dead drops, alias names, invisible ink, cipher techniques, and utmost secrecy.  The unsung hero's never wanted fame or fortune and operated behind enemy lines throughout the war.  They knew if they were caught spying that their fate would be the same as their com padre Captain Nathan Hale.  It was Nathan that had the famous quote before he was hung, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country".  Also, interestingly enough, the six involved to include General Washington, never knew who all of the active players were within the Culper Ring.

We find out at the end of the book that the Central Intelligence Agency teaches their students about the Culper Ring and their proven tactics. This was quite the exceptional read, and should be taught in high school.  Great job Kilmeade and Yaeger!
1871484
Take a journey back in time to a period where man is beginning to become civilized, albeit, to varying degrees.  Superstition and mysticism abound among these primitive people whose tribal enclaves are scattered throughout the vast primeval landscape.  The bloody battles within and between these tribes are ultimate competitions for survival where only the strongest and cleverest prevail.  A boy, born of the leader of one such tribe and a mother captured from another, has grown into a man.  As his long dead mother foretold, Aton was born to be "a man among men, a beginning."  Aton feels this to be true in the depths of his very soul, but struggles to understand what it means.  And thus, Aton's brutal and fateful journey begins.  He will seek to understand the meaning of his mother's words and along the way discover how strength, knowledge, love and faith shape us into who we are.
2078319
Highly recommended for all fans of the Secret Circle.  I would buy it again, except I already have it.  Didn't wan to put it sown once I started it.  Cassie dives deeper into black magic to save her circle.  many surprises in this book.
1976759
This slim book (35 pages) is a brief symbolic ancient book of magic from the 4th Century. Tarl Warwick provides a much needed introduction. The book will be familiar to those who have read about The Golden Dawn.

It presents sacred numbers and astronomical (as it was then known) knowledge as well as astrological signs and their configurations. It is highly symbolic and somewhat technical. Definitely not for beginners as they will not get much out of it.
613958
Centuries ago, a series of ramrobot probes had been launched from Earth.  One happened to land on a world that would soon become known as Mount Lookitthat.  By sheer luck, the probe touched down on the Plateau, a mountain that loomed above the toxic gases that permeate the entire planet.  After receiving the probe's telemetry,  two slowboats arrived carrying colonists.  To their dismay, the Plateau was the only habitable landmass on the planet.  Worse, it was smaller than anticipated, roughly half the size of California, but the slowboats had been designed for a one-way trip.  Thus, the humans had little choice but to settle there.

At the time, it had been agreed upon that the crews of the Planck and Arthur Clarke would become the rulers of the colony.  The Plateau was then divided into territories with the crew residing on Alpha Plateau and the colonists on Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Iota.  Both slowboats had been refitted as additional space for the enormous Hospital constructed on Alpha Plateau.  It was from the Hospital that the crew governed Mount Lookitthat.  The slowboats had also been converted for use as power plants for the entire colony.

Over the course of three centuries, a caste system evolved.  Descendants of the crew (the upper-class) looked at the colonists with disdain.  Few colonists ever stepped foot on Alpha Plateau unless they required medical treatment--or were sentenced to death.  Capital punishment on Mount Lookitthat entailed the harvesting the accused's vital organs.  The rest of the body was cremated.  There was simply no space for burials on Mount Lookitthat.

The organ banks quickly became an instrument of fear and allowed a dictatorship to form, as well as a resistance group called the Sons of Earth led by Harry Kane and Jayhawk Hood.  For years, they had tried and failed to form a revolution against the government...until Matthew Keller entered the scene.  A miner from Delta Plateau, Keller never quite understood the usual psychic ability he possessed that made people suddenly forget he was right in front of them.

When Keller is invited to a party at Jay Hood's house, he finds himself thrust into the middle of chaos when the home is raided by the special police force known as Implementation under the leadership of the ruthless Jesus Pietro Castro.  Several members of the Sons of Earth are captured and taken to the Hospital to be executed.  With fear triggering his mental ability, Keller manages to escape unnoticed, but finds himself hunted by Castro.  Will Keller be able to rescue his friends from the Hospital and assist them in a revolution against Castro and the crew?

I found A Gift from Earth to be a fun read in a unique milieu, but awkward sentence structures and occasional clumsy wording made it seem like an early draft rather than a final, polished work.  Matthew Keller's character arc was strong, and Castro was refreshingly well-developed as the antagonist with internal monologues, foibles, and fears.  The supporting characters of Kane, Hood, and others were mostly two-dimensional and changed little from beginning to end.
542123
The Essence of Aptitude by Esha Bajaj

The story begins on the day when the sixteen year olds of Center Heart receive their rankings and follows two sisters through separate journeys, one of privilege and the other of danger. Juliet finds herself with a ranking of First, which comes with power and wealth. Can she handle so much bounty so quickly after a life-time of lack? Her sister, Gwendolyn also rises in rank but only by one rung. The bond of their shared childhood is strained beyond measure as each navigates her lonely path. Juliet is surrounded by conspiracy and knows not who to trust. Gwendolyn becomes embroiled in a resistance group intent on changing the status quo. Both are being used for the hidden motives of others.

This first in the Corpus Chronicles series lays down an intriguing premise. What happens in a world too tightly controlled and segregated by rank? Is human nature always destined to be a victim of those in the shadows? The Essence of Aptitude leads us through a journey that explores these questions and keeps us guessing.
3047403
This is a remarkable book by any standard. The author brings unusual wisdom and personal experience that allows this work to stand out from the crowd of more general surveys of secret societies.

Daniel Pineda begins by examining the key concepts of esotericism, focusing on the transformative nature of the Great Work itself, the process by which human consciousness is elevated to the divine -- in the body, here and now. He then applies this viewpoint to the various disciplines by which the Western Tradition achieves such states of mind: Qabalah, Astrology, Alchemy, Magick, etc.

Part two is a survey of the many symbols that make up occultism. Here the reader begins a journey into aspects of symbols often overlooked by other writers. The large number of symbols presented includes animals, vegetables, geometric figures, ceremonial instruments, Tarot images, magical formulas, and more.

In Part three, Pineda examines various secret societies, including Afro-Caribbean and shamanistic traditions along with more familiar groups such as the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians, the Martinist Order, and the O.T.O. Each entry is filled with rare perceptual understanding and insight.

Finally, in Part four, the author makes a historical sweep of those Lightbearers of the Wisdom Tradition whose radiance extends from the mythological birth of our race to the present -- from Horus and Isis, to the Renaissance masters, extending to such modern luminaries as Aleister Crowley, Franz Bardon, Manly Palmer Hall, and Idries Shah.

This is Daniel Pineda's first book. We hope, more will follow.
2959287
A hero is born and unbeknownst to her, she a hafling, part Fae and part human. The downside - her job is to hunt and kill them for the Order.  After working with the Elite she discovers she can open the doorway for other Fae to enter earth. Working and hiding her identity creates many problems and chaos in her life. This is a fast paced, hero captive versus evil Prince.
2985125
Willow and her friends live in an ancient world where the authorities keep everything in check everything in control. Where the people have had their own growth and being stunted. The authorities have condemned the reading of books, restricted the knowledge and learning of what they were, what they are and what they can do. There is a definite line between privilege, wealth and sense of self worth. But as they get older, as they come of age they begin to discover and learn things about themselves and that of the world around them. Of things that they never thought was real or possible. The one thing they do have is a trust of themselves and of those closest to them.

The Authorities have kept the secret of prophecies and what it may mean for their world. They believe  that the barriers to the portals to other worlds that ancient guardians put up is enough to keep them safe from the dangers those other worlds may pose. But they couldn't be more wrong as evil has found ways to tear holes in the barriers and travel between worlds destroying everything and everyone in their path.

As Willow and a small group prepare to flee their world before the evil who just invaded can destroy them, they find a book of prophecies. What they find is a world full of wonder and things they never could have dreamed. A world full of creatures and beings that they thought were only in stories.  They find a world where holes appear randomly and only a few are left as protectors of the portals.

Will they learn to live on this new world? Can they learn to trust in the new world and more importantly in themselves. Will they be able decode the prophecies and the mysteries surrounding them? Will they be able stop their enemies and stop the evil from invading? Will they make unlikely friends?

This is one book for anyone who enjoys reading fantasy stories. It is full of different worlds and magical creatures and beings. Full of the unknown, of evil versus good. The characters are full of belief, hope and wonder.
3918834
As anyone would, upon hearing that the Law Offices of X, Y and Z were calling, philosophy professor Andy Wrangles suspects he's the recipient of a prank call.  He soon learns that not only is the law firm real, but that he is a beneficiary in the will of a long-time friend.

Still determined that there is some mistake, he arrives at the office to receive the news that he's been left not so much a bequest, as a choice.  Andy may choose to receive ten million dollars, or a sealed envelope, the contents of which the lawyer, Mr. X, affirms is unknown even to him.  If Andy chooses the sealed envelope, the money will be shared among charities specified by the deceased.  If he chooses the money, the sealed envelope will be destroyed.  Whatever his choice, there are also three large boxes of paper that now belong to Andy.

Andy's relationship with Stanley Riordan, known as Sothum, dates back to college.  With a third friend, Buddy Johnston, they formed the Three Wise Fools philosophy club.  Buddy, an author both famous and infamous for his two books, and long missing, is presumed to have committed suicide.  Now Sothum is suddenly gone, never having shared with Andy the knowledge of his own imminent death from brain cancer.

To the puzzlement of his wife, Cheryl, Andy is unable to make what she sees as the only logical choice.  She has observed the dynamics of the relationship between the three friends for years, and now feels free to reveal her thoughts.  She agrees to allow him time to process what he has begun to discover about his friend.

At first, he can make no sense of the death of this larger than life man whose brilliant mind Andy not so secretly envied.  Dazzled from the very first word he read in a philosophical dialogue pseudonymously penned by the man who would become his closest friend, Andy believes Sothum wasted his philosophical genius on a career in finance.  He's never felt truly equal to the brilliant mind of Sothum, or to the patronizing Buddy, handsome and privileged in his position as heir to a family fortune.

Sorting through the jumbled mess in the boxes, Andy is convinced Sothum has left a clue to the contents of the mysterious envelope.  When he becomes frustrated with his lack of success in discovering some hidden cipher or key, Cheryl digs into Sothum's finances, discovering the first real clue to his secrets.

Coming face to face with the consequences of Sothums' secret obsession, Andy realizes the true extent of how little he knew his friend.  Presented with the last words of Sothum, Andy is forced to admit he might not have loved Sothum so well had he been aware of the layers of secrets woven by the friend he believed he understood better than anyone did.

Reflecting on their years of friendship, Andy realizes that in a life of choices, he has been the chosen, rather than the chooser.  Sothum and Buddy chose to invite him to join their sophomore society.  Cheryl chose him, seeking his company after observing his fascination with an overheard conversation.  Buddy chose Andy's company as a refuge from detractors as his life appeared to fall apart.  Finally, his trusted friend Sothum chose him to unravel the puzzle concealed within his uncommon bequest.

In the end, Andy makes the only decision he can live with, the only decision that makes sense of his own life.  He chooses to make a choice.

Readers who enjoy stretching their minds are sure to enjoy this first novel.  It's as engrossing on the second read as it was on the first.  I hold very few books to be worthy of five stars, but this makes the cut.

A copy of this book was provided to me by the author.  A version of this review appeared on my blog at Transformational Editor.
3662537
This delightful book introduces the reader into the world of "consciousness" where synchronicity is recognized as valid form of communication and intuition is given its rightful place in the hierarchy of intellectualism;  a world that recognizes that what passes for REAL (ie Newtonian physical materialism) is but a hologram, a reflection.

I have often wondered what happened to the "Cultural Revolution" and its promise of a new story that humanity could live into.  What would it be like to live in a world that is not afraid to "Imagine" or to "Give Peace a Chance" ---- a world that is the creation of a new cultural mythology based upon cooperation as opposed to competition?

William Hammett's magical mystical journey is a tale of hope that suggests the beginning of these possibilities.  Well written and intriguing, it was a tale that captured my attention so completely that I was unable to put it down.
3021868
A very enjoyable and absorbing book which touches on the conspiracy theory of the influence of the Freemasons on the formation of the United States of America. The book is well written, suspenseful and has that element that makes you want to move onto the next page see what's next. A recommended read
2737185
Whitley Strieber's iconic 1987 book "Communion" is important mainly in that it introduced millions of people around the world to the reality of alien abduction: people who might otherwise have no acquaintance with this bizarre and obviously (at some level) very real phenomenon. It's extremely well written, as Strieber was already a successful writer when the experiences began to intrude through his consciousness in the mid-1980s. The publisher did an excellent promotional job and got the author interviewed on top-line mainstream media across the world; the book was very well promoted and distributed, and the striking cover image painted by artist Ted Jacobs - though not quite accurate in some details according to Strieber and other abductees who saw it - became an iconic and deeply disturbing image to many with suppressed memories.

The book is written in novelistic style with great skill, as the author tells his own story of the trigger-events in late 1985 which shockingly alerted him to the intrusion of the "visitors", as he terms them, into his life and the lives of his wife and son (whose ID is protected as his name is never mentioned in print). It's a real page-turner and highly readable, as the narrative builds and fills in the complex emerging picture of the interactions which are always on the visitors' terms and never (by them) explained.

Back in 1987, this reviewer first came across the name of Budd Hopkins through the pages of Strieber's book, but did not come to personally know and respect this intelligent, humanitarian and first-class investigator until many years later. New-York based Strieber was lucky to find Hopkins, who helped him unravel the complex tangle of memories and introduced him to others with similar experiences.

Strieber's book is by and large a pretty realistic picture of the abduction phenomenon and one experiencer's attempts to understand and come to terms with the suppressed memories as they emerge. It's downright scary in places, and those of a nervous disposition might be well advised not to read it alone in a quiet house at night. However it's also intelligent and thoughtful as the author explores exactly who or what these visitors might be, through his personal searching and meetings with psychiatrists, hypnotherapists and support groups made up of others going through the same trauma - always anxious to keep their IDs secret, such is the social stigma surrounding The Great Denial of this widespread phenomenon. Conclusions, however, are thin on the ground as Strieber seems to have failed, like many others, to really understand what might be going on and goes a bit "new-agey" in his musings about the meaning of the experience. He's not the only one to go this route, of course, as the visitors don't tell us what they are doing, or why.

One caution to the reader: many people who know Whitley Strieber point to his frequently unstable and odd social behaviour, and it has been said that he "has a difficult time telling fact from fiction." With this in mind, you are still recommended to read "Communion" because of its historical importance, because it is so well written, and its narrative is supported by many accounts from other abductees.

It was in "Communion" that the infamous "anal probe" procedure was reported, rarely if ever described by anyone else as it does not seem to be part of the visitors' normal investigative processes. Because of the book's notoriety and sales success, this possibly-imaginary detail stuck and became associated with the visitors in popular consciousness: ironic, as it seems in reality they don't do this.

BTW don't bother with the abysmal "Communion" film starring Christopher Walken playing the part of Strieber: it's overly melodramatic, uninvolving and doesn't work as drama. Instead see either the feature film or longer original mini-series version of "Intruders" starring Richard Crenna, Mare Winningham et al. It's much, much better - gripping, intelligent, superbly written and edited, and a more accurate dramatization of the phenomenon.
4179724
Leading Numenon, the largest and most powerful corporation on the Earth, Will Duane carries a secret.  Haunted for years by the memory of his demanding and verbally abusive father, Will compensates by driving for ever greater success at all costs.  Ethics, faithfulness, relationships, all take a back seat to his overriding lust for power.  But the success he achieves leaves him empty.  Forever stalked by a dark presence creating a pall over everything in his life, Will finds solace by retreating within himself by physically punishing his body through excessive exercise.  Nearing exhaustion, something special happens.  A heightened state of awareness occurs through a glowing column of light beginning at the base of his spine.  Will achieves what mystics call - Kundalini - here he is safe; here is where he finds peace; here is where he finds answers.

From his lean-to in remote New Mexico, a Native American shaman-known by many names but by his followers as "grandfather"-senses the gathering of evil.  It will be at the annual gathering of his spirit warriors, simply called "the meeting",  where this darkness will descend and collide with grandfather's spiritual forces and the corporate power of Numenon.

In Numenon, national award winning author Sandy Nathan takes the reader through the parallel journeys of two very different worlds - that of corporate deals and greed juxtaposed with that of Native American Indians on the reservation.  Alternating between these two realities, Nathan explores each of the characters histories - their lives, choices, and experiences which have led them to the present conditions.  Nearing the spiritually charged ground where the meeting is to occur, each of the characters feel the intensity of what they are about to experience and each must choose their path forward.

This is the first book in the Bloodsong series by Nathan.  Those expecting a tidy closure to all of the plot's elements will instead find a continuously building pressure cooker leading to a climatic meeting of forces to be resolved in future volumes.  This is a very enjoyable read and those interested in mysticism and Native American Culture will thoroughly enjoy Numenon.