Customer Reviews

Castle of Wisdom

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If you are a conservative Christian you will like this book. It affirms everything you already believe.
If you are a thoughtful, educated reader, used to complex writing and who has already done much soul searching and theological and philosophical reading unconstrained by cultural boundaries this book will disappoint you and even anger you.
I found the plot and the thinking of the characters very simplistic. While the allegory and symbolism may be rich for some, I found it shallow and simplistic.
In some ways, this book could be revolutionary for some, if their exposure is very narrow, but for a sophisticated reader, your time can be better spent elsewhere.
I found the stereotyping of homosexual behavior and thereby condemnation of it very disturbing. This author obviously has little actual experience interacting with actual gays and lesbians and unfortunately believes the damanging idea that "if you just change the way you think poor gay person, and stop doing 'bad' things, you will be fine." This is paternalistic and ignorant.
I also found the idea that either all prostitutes are daughters of poor, single-parent, mother-headed households, or that all daughters of poor, mother-headed, single-parent households may end up prostitutes equally disturbing. It ignores a large number of complexities about both about how prostitutes come to what they do and about how young women are socialized to perceive themselves and their relationships with men. Not to mention the idea that a simple infusion of wealth will alleviate all of this.
I found the religious discussions between the protagonist (Elias) and the religious scholar (Loo) far too simplistic. For the head of theology at a university, the simplicity of consideration of both the complexities of science and of the occurrence of evil in society are disappointingly weak.
Overall the book seems to address many of the complex, gripping issues of society (slavery, killing, wealth redistribution, etc.) in simple, naive, black-and-white terms, while ignoring the complexity of real people's struggles and lives. While there is an appeal and desire in all of us for life to be simple and clear, rarely is that so. It is more wishful thinking than reality.
With all of this said, there are some good messages about what is of true importance in life and where the true source of happiness is to be found. The themes of similarties across religions and across races are valuable. It is a shame that these ideas were not the ones that were expanded more fully. And, also a shame that these were tempered by the idea that one form of religion was more evolved and therefore superior to the others. Apparently, religious thinking can evolve, but animals can't! This book symbolizes the dilemna that many thoughtful Christian readers experience today in searching for insightful, challenging, spiritual literature that is free of dogmatic provencial moralism.

I like writing that is direct so Castle of Wisdom was a refreshing book for me. The main character is an intense person-- he loves intensely; he struggles intensely; he searches intensely. I guess I could relate because I'm pretty intense about the things I really care about too. The book held my attention extremely well because the story line is powerful. The experience I had after reading the next to the last chapter was profound and life-changing. I feel like I know a little more about the true meaning of life now. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

The story is about a man called Elias. He's heard a legend about a stranger that passed through his village telling a story about a castle called The Castle of Wisdom. Elias decides to go find the Castle of Wisdom for himself, and oh what a journey he has!! He learns a lot of wisdom in the process, but he find the crown of all wisdom in the Castle-- the true meaning of life, that is. Not everyone will agree with the conclusions of "Castle of Wisdom", but I think that everyone will enjoy the story itself. The key is being able to see the symbolism. If you can see the symbols, you will stand in awe of the story.

Elias journeys forth from his native village to search for the meaning of life, which may be found at "The Castle of Wisdom." He is an innocent young man at the beginning of his adventure, naive to the ways of the world... but he learns the hard truths the hard way. He journeys for eighteen years and meets with romance, heart-break, mystery, danger, pain, defeat, grief and... well, that's as much as I can tell you for now.

"Castle of Wisdom" stands apart from other books. It is a work of genius written with a simple vocabulary. It is profound, but it is also easy to read. It is the kind of book that once you pick it up, you can not put it down until you have reached the end of it.

When I bought "Castle of Wisdom", the editorial reviews would have me believe that I bought a book about an exciting, new adventure through ones life. Instead, I received a book that was so overtly a Christian allegorical tale, written in a simple, repetitive, brainwashing style with the literary skill of an eighth grader.

Don't get me wrong, I don't completely dislike allegories. Most the books I read are on the conflict of good and evil; "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S Lewis is an example of an allegory, nicely done. "The Castle", on the other hand, is extremely predictable and there aren't any plot elements to belay ones predictions and make for a good story.

When I purchased this book (some years ago) it had a different cover. Had I seen this new "Motivational-poster" like cover I would have steered clear. I have hundreds of books, even some that I don't care a lot for, but this is the only book that I literally threw away.

Castle of Wisdom is written in simple and direct language, and I think that is what makes it so powerful. The story is so engaging, so overwhelmingly emotional and suspenseful, I literally could not put it down once I started reading it. So I read the entire book in one sitting. Elias is a unique character. Reading about his heart-breaks and triumphs was quite inspiring. Castle of Wisdom is a spiritual novel about the meaning of life, but more than that, it's just a fun read. I Highly recommend it to all!

Hmmm... "Castle of Wisdom" is rather difficult to explain because it is much more than it seems at first. The most difficult challenge for the writer of an allegory is to balance the "point of the story" with the story itself. I would say that "Castle of Wisdom" leans more toward the points of the story, that is to say, some of the story's believability is sacrificed to "the message." Still, the story is pretty darned good. It is set in a dreamscape, and that's always cool-- anything, absolutely anything can happen. The story feels both ancient and futuristic at the same time. It is definitely one that you can not stop reading after you have begun. It is more suspenseful than a Grisham novel.

As for the story and the message-- a "pilgrim" sort of character embarks on a journey to the other side of the world to find the meaning of life. He learns most of the meaning on his way to the "Castle of Wisdom," which is a very mysterious place, but he learns some wisdom in the castle too.

As for the meaning of the story, it is pretty straightforward--there is one mind behind existence, meaning there is a God. Man may only find meaning for his existence in the mind of God.

I have suggested this book to several of my intellectual friends. It's a neat story with some deep meaning thrown in. Happy reading.

Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this book. I laughed, cried, hoped, dreamed and discovered a deeper part of myself while reading the "Castle of Wisdom." Rhett Ellis has an unbelievable amount of talent. I found myself captivated by the mystery, excitement, romance and spiritual applications of this novel. I will forever cherish the priceless treasure which Ellis unveiled in the "Castle of Wisdom." This is a book I will read again and again!

Castle of Wisdom is one of my all time favorite books. It will make you cry great tears of joy. If you really take time to understand it, it will reveal the meaning of life to you. I know that sounds like a far fetched claim, but as thousands of readers have discovered, it really is true.

The main character is a young man named Elias who goes out into the world to find the Castle of Wisdom. He goes through a lot of hardship in the process of finding the castle. Nothing ever seems to come easy for him, and that was something I could relate to. In the end, he learns what the writer calls the "Master Truth." Once you learn the "Master Truth" for yourself, it changes your perspective on everything else in life.

Castle of Wisdom is a short book (something like 150 pages) that no reader should miss. It's a once in a lifetime story that will stay with you always.

"Castle of Wisdom" is a wonderful story of a fantastic journey. Mr. Ellis's ability with words is beautiful. I enjoyed the book more than words can say, and like several other reviewers, I read it in one sitting. In a time like this, when so many of us are haunted by questions about the meaning of life, "Castle of Wisdom" is a book that offers much hope and peace. I highly recommend "Castle of Wisdom" to everyone who is a deep thinker.

"Castle of Wisdom" is that powerful book that comes along once every ten years or so and knocks your socks off!! Who could ask for more? The main character decides he will learn the meaning of life, if such a thing exists, so he attempts to find a crumbling old building in a mysterious mountain range. It is called The Castle of Wisdom (and by some it is called The King's House in the Mountains). At the urging of a village elder, the young man begins his journey, and he returns many years later as a not so young man.

On his path to find the Castle, the young man tries a little bit of everything (women, money, booze, religion, battle, etc.,) and all of it leaves his soul a bit dry. In the end, he learns the "Master Truth of All Truths" that set his soul on fire, relieves the thirst of his spirit, and reveals the true meaning of life.

Now I must warn you that the book is Christian in nature. While I heartily recommend it to people of all faiths, you must be aware of what you will read.

I love this short but wonderful book, and I believe you will too. Peace.