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5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a Pretty Decent Book, November 29, 2002
This review is from: Dreamspeakers: Walkers in the Spirit World (Tradition Book Seven for Mage: The Ascension) (Paperback)
Okay, so this book was written for second edition instead of revised. Nonetheless, it still is a pretty good source of information if you intend to run a Dreamspeaker, regardless of whether your game is second edition or revised.
The main story is of a Mohawk steelworker, Michael Skyhawk, who discovers he is a Shaman and is led through his Awakening. Throughout the book, his Awakening serves as an example of how Shamanism works. The first chapter gives us a rough idea of the historical traditions of various cultures within the Dreamspeaker Tradition: Australian Aborigines, African natives, followers of Voudon and Santeria, Native Americans (from North and South America), Pacific Islanders, Siberians, Mongols, Lapps and so forth. We then get to see the Dreamspeakers form as a Tradition during the Grand Convocation, and the exploitation of the Dreamspeakers homelands (by both Technocracy and Traditionalists alike) up into the modern era.
Following this is a really nice juicy section covering Shamanism in general. It gives the Shaman's journey, from his calling by the spirits onward. Great depth is given to how Dreamspeakers view (and respect) the Spirits, and there is a lot of useful metaphysical stuff here. There also are details on Dreamspeaker factions, such as the Contraries (sacred clowns), Red Spears (Native rights militants), Baruti (wandering storytellers), Keepers of the Sacred Fire (traditionalists who want to preserve their homelands) and Ghost Wheel Society (techno-shamans). We also get to see some areas of Dreamspeaker influence in the spirit worlds, including a couple Native American realms and a city that recreates Great Zimbabwe.
The next chapter continues by giving insight into the Dreamspeakers relations with others. Aside from mixed relations with the Traditions, Technocracy, Crafts (Bata'a and Kopa Loei), Nephandi and Maruaders, the Dreamspeakers also have relations (sometimes even alliances) with spirits, Shape-shifters and even the fae (Eshu, Nunnehi and Menehune anyway). The section on relationships with spirits (going down to detail the differences between spirits) is very interesting.
The closing section follows tradition by offering up some sample characters (a Voudon priestess, techno-shaman and psychologist who adopts Aboriginal healing techniques), some NPCs (including a Contrary who may be Coyote himself), different takes on the Spheres, common foci and some sample rotes. There is also some information here specific to Shamans, such as acquiring a Totem (owning a copy of Werewolf: the Apocalypse helps here), the special bond between a Shaman and a familar or animal companion and how to enter Maya. Finally it closes out with a final word on Shamanism and some sample reading and listening. I recommend you check most, if not all, of the recommended reading and listening, especially if you want to learn about RL Shamanism and indigenous traditions.
Over all, this is an excellent book for running Dreamspeakers (especially native or indigenous Dreamspeakers) or even animistic mages in general. Even if it needs to be re-worked a little, it provides a wealth of information for anyone who is willing to look at it. Certainly it was one of the best books written for second edition.
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