The Kingdom of Shivas Irons [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio Cassette)

by Michael Murphy (Author), John Hannah (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The long-awaited sequel to Golf in the Kingdom takes Murphy back to Scotland in search of another encounter with the mystically enchanting Shivas Irons, a man--if that's indeed what he is--who's part golf professional, part shaman, completely wise, and thoroughly fascinating. Filled with myth, mysticism, metaphysics, advanced string theory (courtesy of fellow searcher and friend, physicist Buck Hannigan), and at times other-worldly golf sequences from Scotland, to Russia, to a climactic round at Pebble Beach, Kingdom resolves its quest in the most unlikely and hard-to-find place of all. "Keep coming," Irons implores his seeker. "Imagine. Practice. Start again. I'm not so far away." Indeed, more than fairways that glow in the dark and drives that can fly 450 yards, it's Irons's ultimate whereabouts that infuses Kingdom with its magic and its mystery. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In this sequel to Murphy's mystical Golf in the Kingdom (1972), the author returns to Scotland to find out more about his mentor, golfer Shivas Irons, who spouts philosophy in between swings.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553478648
• ISBN-13: 978-0553478648
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,497,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another compelling novel for undertstanding golf's mystery, March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kingdom of Shivas Irons (Paperback)

Michael Murphy has reinvented Golf in the Kingdom and Shivas Irons in 1997, 25 years later, with another compelling novel, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons, that has provided greater understsnding of the mysteries of golf. While Golf in the Kingdom offered an alternativbe for enjoying and performing the game, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons tells us, within a story line that searches for Shivas Irons across Scottish and Russian geopgrapy, how we can practice what we have learned. About practice, Murphy in his enviable style, describes practice regimens reflecting upon his experiences with Shivas Irons at Seamus McDuff's exploratory performance laboratory somewhere in Scotland. He stated, " No matter how hard it tries, by spotlighting equipment technology and swings, the golf industry will not kill the inner game." Murphy continues, that golf as a sub-culture preoccupied with quick fixes and immediate gratification, golfers are suscceptable to constant equipmnet and swing changes as the path for improved play. Murphy suggested to explore the inner game, to develop the unconscious, imaginatve mind, is essential for performace of swing execustion. During practice sessions, Murphy recommended; The shot I'd just hit demands time for enjoyment......that simple resotorative attention develops with practice......or when we practice any skill, we store something away for times when our thought and feelings wander.......let go of ordinary feeling and thought and you are at once more self sufficient. It is must read for Kingdom lovers, golf teachers and all golfers who seek joy in thier rounds and consistent improvement. Buck, Nadia and Ziparelli are unforgetable characters who weave a tale of human potantial experiences in pursuit of self-disclosures and quality living while allowing an exploration of golf's mysteries its rightful place in the novel. The final chapters describe in detail for students of the inner game, an extraordinary 18 hole match between Murphy and John Stuart (have fun guessing who he is) at Pebble Beach. It is great fun.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, June 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kingdom of Shivas Irons (Paperback)

This follow-up to 1972's "Golf In the Kingdom" is, to say the least, a mixed bag.

On the positive side, Murphy's use of language to describe and evoke physical landscapes and the natural environment is, as in its predecessor, breathtaking. The novel's structure and pace are also sound.

On the negative side, some of the characters in "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons" ring false from the outset, to the point of being laughable. For example, the Scots physicist Buck Hannigan, one of the major characters: I would be surprised if there was a single person in Scotland named "Buck". Sure, this kind of Americanism is a minor detail, but it calls into question how much Murphy really knows about the land where golf was born and the nation of people who established it. Because of this, the storyteller's credibility is somewhat devalued.

Murphy's novel explores golf not as a mere game but as a sort of grand metaphysical experiment, dipping into a hodge-podge of New Age beliefs towards which the sceptical reader may sometimes wince. This aspect of the book reminded me that while open-mindedness is generally a virtue, there's also a saying that "An open mind may let in falsehoods as well as truths". "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons" contains some interesting ideas but a lot of utter nonsense and psychobabble as well.

Worthwhile reading, but only when taken with a pinch of salt beforehand.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As sequals go---- A pretty damned good one!, January 1, 2003

By	M.B. (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom of Shivas Irons (Paperback)

While it's always difficult to follow-up a blockbuster novel, movie etc Michael Murphy has done so with remarkable style and panache. Although written almost 30 years after 'Golf in the Kingdom' first debuted, 'The Kingdom of Shivas Irons' is definitely worth the read. Murphy goes back to Scotland to try to track down the elusive and enlightened Shivas with mixed results. Several adventures along the way make the reader think about the true meanings of golf and life as metaphysical happenings deeper than what's on the surface. If you liked G.I.T.K, you will not be disappointed with this sequal. This book, like the first one is similar to an onion--- peeling off several layers of meaning only reveals to you several more. Digging into this book and it's liquid smooth plot make you feel like you're out on the course 170 yards from the hole with a five-iron in hand ready to go for broke over a pond. It draws you in slowly and very subtley, but the effect is still the same--- you come away shaking your head in amazement!