Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Monumental Metaphysical Marvel, January 29, 2004
This review is from: Imajica (The Fifth Dominion, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
It is hard to believe that it has been over ten years since I first read this mammoth novel- and some thirteen since it was first published. I think "mammoth" is not exaggerating, for how else do you describe on novel that exists as two separate volumes, each of over 500 pages? This isn't a casual read. It represents a considerable investment in time. There are also so many characters, settings, plot lines, specialized vocabulary and underlying principles to keep straight.... Yet, it is worth the investment in time and effort. The basic framework, like so many of Barker's other novels, is that of a hidden world behind the superficial façade of our mundane world. Barker is such a master at interweaving mundane, and profane, details into the greater fabric of his realities that you find yourself totally drawn in. I found myself totally immersed in this hidden reality. For this is a story of five worlds, or dimensions, or Dominions. These make up the whole of Imajica. That is, they should. Two hundred years ago there was an attempt to reconcile our own fifth Dominion with the other four. This ended in a metaphysical catastrophe so great that that nearly all of the Dominions great theurgists, shamans, and theologians were killed. The result was that almost all magical knowledge passed from our world and for two centuries science and materialism held grim sway. Now, conditions are once again ripe for an attempt to reconcile the Dominions. The great magus', or Maestros, know that this may very well be the last attempt to heal the rift in creation. To fail this time will undoubtedly mean two more centuries of isolation- plenty of time for the Fifth Dominion to destroy itself in nuclear or ecological suicide. Yet, to heal the rift will require a Master of such power and confidence that he will try to succeed where all those that have gone before him (even the Christos) has failed....
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most amazing book I've ever had the PLEASURE of reading!, May 27, 2002
This review is from: Imajica (The Fifth Dominion, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm an avid reader, but very rarely does a book capture me the way this one did. It has become a comfort book for me, something I return to to make my life a little more magical. And it has become my teacher. The following line from Imajica has taken on a great importance in my life: "...everything you learn is already part of you, even to the Godhead Itself. Study nothing except in the knowledge that you already knew it. Worship nothing except in adoration of your true self. And fear nothing except in the certainty that you are your enemy's begetter and its only hope of healing. For everything that does evil is in pain." This is more than a book, it is a philosophy, a mentor. I've read it more time that I can count, it's traveled with me through the most important times in my life, and I treasure it. It is the greatest testament to Barker's talent. It's only downside, I can't help but compare all other books to it. And so far, the only books to come CLOSE to the perfection of this story were the LOTR epic and the Dune epic. And even they fall short, not following the most basic rules of Pluthero Quexos, refusing to end with the empty stage.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, May 21, 2005
This review is from: Imajica (The Fifth Dominion, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
The story focuses on Gentle and his mystif companion, Pie'oh'pah's quest to find an answer for the souls of the world, and leads to Gentle discovering that his part in the Imajica, a place of reconciled dominions, is greater than he could ever imagine. Meanwhile, his ex, Judith also finds out she is no mere bystander and the gaping holes in their memories are explained.
The pace doesn't slow. Once in a while though, I wished it did, just to emphasise more on the differences between each dominion because I had the feeling that I was still on Earth, going the distance of France to Germany. The scale of Gentle and Pie's travels seemed almost minimal to me - not as if they were crossing entire worlds. The only difference between the dominions that stuck with me is that the 4th dominion has green-gold sky and the 5th has blue. And I already knew half of this fact. Having said that, too much lingering on the little details can be tiring and confusing, so this wasn't much of a problem.
Why Judith is obsessed over is beyond me. She is the object of a bloodline of lust. Yes, she's supposed to be pretty, but so are a lot of women. Her character does not seem as intriguing as the others. Even the God of the Imajica whose appearance hardly makes a scratch in the book was more captivating. Also, sometimes there is the impression that the characters know more than what they're letting on, but by the time the book ends, what exactly it is that they know isn't made clear.
One thing I wasn't expecting is the romance - or at least the scale of it. It's beautiful, touching and cruel. Who would have thought a womaniser such as Gentle could be tamed by a creature with no fixed gender? The plot is intricate, woven with skill and mesmerising in its imaginative scope.
Whoever describes this book as epic isn't joking. You won't even care for its flaws when you're done. It's stunning and it's one of those books you'll never forget.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
