Turner, a rock promoter and Vietnam vet, is improbably chosen by a sect of Buddhist monks as the "Hope" -- a spiritual warrior picked to battle the forces of darkness and evil in times of millenial world crisis. And the conflagration will come in his native Alabama. The skeptical Turneris sent home with six monks whose special talents he will need. While waiting for the Armageddon, he sets off on a new concert tour, the monks performing traditional Buddhist music and dance in colleges and community centers across the South. Turner and his charges meet outrageous characters fated to help or hinder their mission -- from news reporters and small-town sheriffs to a hyperactive black mathematical genius who uses quantum physics to manipulate reality. This road-trip odyssey is hilarious, heartbreaking, and fraught with perils, including a landscape peopled with ghosts from Turner's turbulent past. A triumphant blend of magical realism and spiritual adventure, The Shining Shining Path examines the power of love, forgiveness, and redemption.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
As this boldly imaginative metaphysical adventure opens, Turner, a rock concert promoter from Alabama, is touring the South with a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks who, gifted with paranormal powers, are performing sacred music and dance while awaiting the final, imminent showdown between the forces of good and evil. Turner, who befriended the monks 20 years earlier while convalescing from wounds received in Vietnam, has been chosen by them as ``the Hope,'' the only person who can tilt the apocalyptic showdown in favor of morality, tolerance and right living over greed and inner blindness. Through flashbacks we learn of Turner's searing combat experience and of his guilt-ridden obsession with former girlfriend Cassie McNamara, who, two decades earlier, drove her car off a road while on drugs--an accident that crippled her and for which Turner feels responsible. Joining the odd road show is an African American mathematician who uses quantum physics to manipulate reality. Through a global monitoring device, the monks show Turner that the face-off will take place on his grandparents' Alabama farm, where he grew up. Though the plot is contrived and the story sometimes drags, readers may find this spiritual odyssey provocative in its synthesis of Judeo-Christian messianic traditions and Eastern cyclical concepts of history. Short, who won a Redbook prize for young authors a few years back, takes risks in a single sentence or paragraph that many authors never attempt in an entire novel.
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
... a spiritual odyssey provocative in its synthesis of Judeo-Christian messianic traditions and Eastern cyclical concepts of history... -- Publisher's Weekly
...there’s a message here about the nature of evil and the sometimes seemingly good people who further its cause... -- The Birmingham News
A wise and compassionate book by a major Southern writer. -- Dennis Convington --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
...there’s a message here about the nature of evil and the sometimes seemingly good people who further its cause... -- The Birmingham News
A wise and compassionate book by a major Southern writer. -- Dennis Convington --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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More About the Author
I once interviewed an elderly blues musician who told me, "Some people play the blues for love. Some play for money. I play because I can't help myself." Same goes for me and writing. Been doing it since I was 15, and hope to do it for a long time yet. You can see a list of some of my books on the left side of this page. Best way to reach me, or to stay updated about new books, is my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=554033139&ref=name
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Age apocalyptic comedy-adventure?,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Shining, Shining Path (Hardcover)
_The Shining, Shining Path_ is a fabulous book that defies categorization. As an adventure story with spiritual overtones, it reminds me a little of _The Celestine Prophecy_, but _Shining Path_ is *much* better written and far more enjoyable.What happens when a Vietnam vet meets a traveling tour of Tibetan monks, a former sweetheart in a wheelchair, and a black mathematical genius? You get an indescribable mix of mysticism, romance, and slapstick comedy. Check it out - it's well worth a read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable ride!,
By
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This review is from: The Shining Shining Path (Paperback)
An urban fantasy that plops endearing Tibetan monks in northern Alabama, USA with an unlikely hero (The Hope); throws in some wonderful, earth-wise southern grandparents, a wheelchair-bound woman on a mission, and a savant whiz who can manipulate reality (if he gets the math right). Then there's the Realm working hard to tip the scales to their side and havoc the world. What emerges from this soup is a delightful journey that will make you laugh and sit on the edge of your seat and leave you wiser than you were when you began. I recommend!
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