It’s kind of a new age adventure and not an action-adventure, (not that I like television), so it’s a little slow, but you (or I, lol) have to love a novel where the author hints at what the symbolism means for at least some of the chapters (in the prologue).

The world is as you see it, as Deepak says. In a way that’s true; for example I myself was para-alcoholic angry at someone the other day for doing something that was only marginally disruptive, but it triggered associations for me; eventually the anger attack passed (no one knew, except me and my priest, lol), and then ironically she did something really fucking dumb to me (although legal), and I was just able to react practically instead of reenacting World War III, you know, since I’d done that already and it’s not something I like. There’s nothing objectively offensive or praise-worthy; the world is as you see it.

Re: Merlin, I’m not quite as committed to pacifism as I am to other things—the fights you can get into, in this war against war!—but it’s nice to have children and magic and older people and ancient lore and cops & kingsmen & kingswomen and old stories & themes and drawing the past into the present and all that, without so much the technology and technical aspects of driving swords through chain mail, although there is a sword. (There is a troubled child as well as the more idealistic children, and the troubled child with troubled parents gets the sword. There’s this great passage about unearned grace where this kid who hasn’t done anything right feels the love and acceptance of the universe just because he exists and is there to love and accept.) Also, although he de-demonizes the magic man and reconciles him with heaven, he also recognizes that there is this shadow man, who is also very much this magical man.

But the best part for me was the Jamaican character (it’s set in late 20th century England, so there’s a woman cop and a working-class Jamaican man and so on), the Black mythology, which becomes critical to the plot events at the time of the climax crisis. You have to decide if hatred is part of the objective world, or part of how you see it.

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). ( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Chopra-Le-retour-de-Merlin/86151

meant to be an uplifting, spiritual novel

Not too bad, as a novel. Too much "meaningful symbolism", but actually an OK story. ( )