Land Without Evil: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ Matthew J. Pallamary (Author) "Ava-Tape gazed up at the crescent moon looming high above..." (more)
Key Phrases: Father Antonio, Land Without Evil, Father Lorenzo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Land Without Evil is a great read for anyone looking for insight and inspiration on their own spiritual journey..." -- Harold Bloomfield, author of Hypericum and Depression

"A triumphant blending of creative imagination and deep scholarly research, both driven by Pallamary's philosophical idealism, Land Without Evil proves that a suspenseful novel can sizzle with conflict--with no villains on either side, only good souls who differ." -- Charles Champlin, critic, and author of Back There Where the Past Was

"Pallamary plunges into the heart with a moving tale about people caught between worlds--the past, the future, and the possible..." -- David Brin, author of The Postman

"Read, trust, expand, and know that once we, too, were all there...EMPOWERED!" -- Victor Villasenor, author of Rain of Gold

Product Description

A timeless message to our universal soul, Land Without Evil is the story of the Guarani people of South America and their quest to maintain their culture during the European onslaught of the 1700s. Shamanism, historical conflict, coming of age, and a touching love story drive this impeccably researched novel.

"Bravo...More!" Ray Bradbury,author of Fahrenheit 451

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 358 pages
• Publisher: Charles Publishing Company; 1st edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912880090
• ISBN-13: 978-0912880099
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,435,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical Realism with a Scholar's Eye, November 17, 1999

By	Toni Michael (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

In his new novel, Land Without Evil, Matt Pallamary has transcended his years of writing horror fiction. He has gathered together his years of learning the craft of writing, and his years of devotion to the shamanic path, to spin out a yarn of silken fibers of highest quality, weaving a universal hero story.

The Land without Evil is the mythical paradise of the Guarani people of Amazonia, the place they hope to be led in a dance by a great shaman at the end times. The novel, Land Without Evil, is the story of Ava-Tape, as he undergoes shamanic training and initiation, led by his father, Ava-Nembiara. Ava-Tape has been educated by Jesuit missionaries, and has learned their ways of worshipping their God. But he cannot understand a god who does not speak directly to him in a voice he can hear.

In the Guarani world, the gods sing in the voices of the forest. Ava-Tape's task is to learn the song of Tupa, the son of gods, and to learn to dance in perfect expression of the song, to lead his people on the path to the Land without Evil.

This book does for Guarani culture what The Celestine Prophecy did for Mayan culture. It explores a culture and a way of life with deep spiritual teachings of an ancient tribal people. However, Pallamary does it in a style that is both utterly Realistic, while at the same time Magical.

Pallamary's scholarly eye informs every line of the novel. The story is steeped in knowledge of plants and herbs, birds, animals, and tribal people. The knowledge is delivered seamlessly within the line of the story. If you like Jean Auel's world of prehistoric people, you'll love Pallamary's tribal world. The hero is a real man, with the fears and longings and struggles of Everyman, and some superhuman struggles, for good measure.

Pallamary has not forgotten his roots in horror fiction. More than one scene is equal to Steven King. I won't give any of it away and spoil the frisson.

And yet, Pallamary's horror scenes are utterly Realistic. Nothing is supernatural. At the same time, they are enfolded in the Magical world Ava-Tape inhabits.

The conflicts are conflicts of cultures, embodied in men. The Spanish conquistadores, with their weapons of steel and gunpowder, and their religion of writing and reading, were deaf and blind to the songs and dances of the forest. The Guarani, encountering the Spaniards, could do nothing but die or flee to their promised land.

Pallamary's work is as Realistic and as Magical as Castaneda's Yaqui Way of Knowledge. To quote Ray Bradbury's blurb on the cover, "Bravo... More!"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't be disappointed . . . an exciting read, January 6, 2000

By	Lorenzo Hagerty "Lorenzo" (Del Mar, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the finest novels about the extinction of species I have ever read. What distinguishes "Land Without Evil" from other ecological tales is that the species facing extinction is the human species, embodied in the Guarani people. Pallamary's fluid writing style makes this book a real page-turner, and his grasp of the social and historical processes which shaped the Americas during their early colonial period is unsurpassed. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystical roller coaster ride in the jungle!, January 25, 2000

By	Robert Duane Gubala "RobG" (San Diego) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A powerfully tragic yet hopeful story that takes the reader deep into the jungle and then gives a mystical roller coaster ride through the eyes of this books hero. The character becomes you because of this wonderful writers skills... your reality and his blurs together seamlessly. A must read, gotta have it kind of book that becomes glued to your hands until you finish it in a sweat. WOW!