The Mantra [Paperback]

Dmitry Radyshevsky (Author), David Gurevich (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

The music is intoxicating, pumping every drumbeat into the blood. No wonder it's become the most popular music in the world. Now, listen very closely. Can you hear what it's saying? Can you feel it? Can you resist its divinely terrifying powers? It's not a song. It's a mantra. It's not bliss. It's hell.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Jove (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515134333
• ISBN-13: 978-0515134339
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,877,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars novel soars, then flames out quickly, April 23, 2004

By 

David Group (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mantra (Paperback)

This novel starts off well, if a bit absurdly, when a theological student discovers that a famous rap star is using an obscure Tibetan death chant in his hit song, a chant that causes people to commit suicide. Using theological and philosophical arguments, the author makes this sound almost plausible (though he appears to be unaware of the old song "Gloomy Sunday" or the silly controversy about subliminal messages in music a few decades ago). At this point, I was ready to give this novel a four or five star rating.

The theological student's quest to discover the reason for the rap star's motives and countermeasures to stop the madness take him to Moscow, where the science gets even shakier. After that, his quest takes him to Lhasa and Tibet, and it is here where the problems start. The plot grinds to a halt as the student and other assorted characters run around and spout eastern mystical nonsense for 270 GODDAMN PAGES WHILE THE FATE OF THE WORLD TICKS AWAY!!! I won't even mention the various absurdities in the plot in which characters miraculously encounter each other, are healed, or escape certain death with remarkable ease using occult powers.

A decent ending could have partly redeemed this novel, but the resolution to this apocalyptic problem is one of the lamest, most ridiculous, most infuriating endings I have ever-- EVER!-- read in some three and a half decades of reading fiction. If you must, read the first two sections, then toss the book aside and make up your own ending.

1.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your time or money, December 12, 2005

By 

Hilary (ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mantra (Paperback)

Luckily I only borrowed it from the library. This 480 page book could have been written in 10 pages. It makes no since and goes on endlessly. I wouldn't even recomind it to someone reading to fall asleep it is just an aweful book.

1.0 out of 5 stars Agreement with David Group, June 24, 2005

By 

Adrie (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mantra (Paperback)

I bought this book in the ramsj for €1.25 (=$1) and it is hopeless. In the second half scenes and time switch every five sentences and the misery, in the writing and in the plot, is almost unbearable. Curing by mantra's and a lot of esoteric nonsense. I think I've paid too much.