Matrix Warrior: Being the One (Paperback)

~ Jake Horsley (Author) "2003. The millennium has come and gone, leaving Y2K just another failed prophecy, and the end of civilization, postponed again..." (more)
Key Phrases: matrix program, matrix world, red pill, Agent Smith, Great Unplugging, Native American (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When it hit the screen in 1999, The Matrix captured the imaginations of people living in a world becoming dependent on increasingly sophisticated technology. Much has been made of the film's computer-generated world, known as the matrix, and the few who escape it, including Neo, the movie's (and its sequels') hero, who transcends the matrix and sees its programming. Horsley draws connections between the world of the movie and our own world and shows how the characters in the movie transcend the false reality the matrix imposes on humanity. The matrix program focuses on humanity's most superficial, exterior desires, but once someone has "seen through the matrix, there is absolutely nothing they could ever want from it." In the conclusion to the movie trilogy, Matrix Revolutions (opening this month), moviegoers will find out whether Neo and company can defeat the matrix, and this accessible, entertaining book will be an enjoyable companion for those who want to dig deeper into the movies' rich universe. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This accessible, entertaining book will be an enjoyable companion for those who want to dig deeper into the movies' rich universe."
- Booklist
-- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031232264X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312322649
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #335,945 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars theoretical look at reality through the Matrix movies, November 6, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is more than simple sugar candies for die hard fans of the movie though obviously MATRIX WARRIOR provides a reference tool for the film's cult lovers. However, there is a more powerful philosophical bent to this book that takes readers to the deeper meaning of what is reality. Jake Horsley makes a case that the movie could be real (are we someone else's dream/nightmare?) yet even more brilliantly interprets a metaphysical meaning of realistic pragmatism. Like The Matrix, he pleads with his audience to unplug themselves in search of the real inner person by discarding the masks of society and to stop being the source of energy for someone else.

MATRIX WARRIOR is a one sitting easy to read work that is also a thought-provoking analysis of the movie yet is more at least in the reality of this reviewer. Mr. Horsley provides an interesting strongly supported theory that the underlying theme to The Matrix is to unplug oneself from the machines of society. There is no doubt that Mr. Horsley has done just that with this intriguing look at society through the spectrum of The Matrix movies. Editorial asides: (1) reality to this sixties lost soul of going unplugged is if this is all I received by being plugged I was cheated; (2) the middle picture was filler that needed more confrontation/debate between the Architect and the hero; and (3) Mr. Horsley owes a follow-up guide book once the third movie is unplugged. Readers who appreciate a theoretical look at reality (interesting phrasing) through a microcosmic analysis of The Matrix will enjoy this well written cerebral work.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take the Red Pill, if you dare..., August 7, 2005

By	Nicq MacDonald (Sioux Falls, SD United States) - See all my reviews

What is the Matrix?

You've asked yourself this, time and time again. You know there's something wrong with the world that you're living in- something doesn't work. You feel like an alien. You know there has to be something more than this.

In this daring little book, Jake Horsley suggests that your intuitions might just be correct. "Matrix Warrior" is a manual for living the life of a seeker- someone not looking for little spiritual thrills, but radical liberation. Disguised as a pop culture tome, Horsley uses analogies from The Matrix and the literary works of Phillip K. Dick (a significant influence on the mythology of The Matrix) and the metaphysical storytelling of Carlos Castaneda to spin a battle plan for those who would wage war against the apparent world. The author suggests that people can be divided into four categories- "humatons", or those who are asleep, "matrix warriors", those who know that there is more to life than they've been offered, "matrix sorcerers", those who are no longer under the control of the matrix and able to manipulate it to some extent, and "lucids"- people, like Neo, who are totally liberated from the matrix. This book is about the first step- becoming a "matrix warrior", and preparing to take advantage of opportunities to "unplug"- those rare events in life when we are offered a way to radically change our circumstances and embrace a more authentic mode of being. Along the way, there are digressions on ethics, metaphysics, futurism, and many other topics. While the Castanedan influence is apparent, one uncredited (though obvious) influence is the work of Aleister Crowley, especially regarding the way of the will.

There are some slight deficiencies- the author didn't seem to entirely "get" the later Matrix films- in fact, he doesn't seem to understand them at all (for a better grasp, listen to the commentary tracks on the DVDs themselves, where Cornel West and Ken Wilber spin an interesting glimpse at the deeper implications of the movies). But other than that quibble, "Matrix Warrior" is an excellent little book, and well worth your time... if you want to take the red pill, and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reading for everyone, not just Matrix fans, October 20, 2004

By	Martin G. Tobias (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(...)

Finished this book about two months ago, but just now catching up on reviews. Since I loved the basic thesis behind The Matrix that what we know as reality is just a computer program, I wanted to understand about the history behind this thesis. The Matrix Warrior does a good job at that. Horsley draws connections between the world of the movie and our own world and shows how the characters in the movie transcend the false reality the matrix imposes on humanity. Combining an in-depth examination of the film with philosophical inquiry and the teachings of Castandeda, Jake Horsley has produced in Matrix Warrior a profound yet witty analysis-and all readers need to get "unplugged." It is a VERY entertaining read if you are at all interested in the idea that there may be alternate realities.

Horsley shows how "the One" is a concept in many faiths around the world. Anyone can be "the One" with enough enlightenment. The more important thing though, is to take the path of the matrix warrior. To search for reality. To be conscious of what you are "plugged" into and consciously "unplug" from the things you don't like. Too many of coast through life taking what comes. Being "the One" in large part involves asking the right questions, seeking answers, and deciding for yourself what your reality should be. Good advice for all of us, not just fanatics of the movie series.