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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a patchwork of understanding that grows piece by piece, 13 Jun 2006
The Tenth Insight finds James Redfield taking a slightly different approach to The Celestine Prophecy - it's not 'more of the same', but an equally interesting and imaginative story in its own right. The Tenth Insight of the title isn't like the previous nine, but is instead more of a patchwork of understanding that grows, piece by piece, as the story develops. And the framework here, too, is very different, focusing on a group of people coming together to meet a particular challenge, each bringing their unique strengths - as well as, of course, the doubts and failings they need to overcome.
While most of the insights in The Celestine Prophecy dealt with the nature and use of 'energy', the Tenth Insight is more concerned with what Redfield calls the 'Afterlife'. Indeed, the events of the story alternate between that dimension and this as it unfolds. And Redfield has some very interesting things to say about what this means for the living - about how a greater awareness of what comes before birth, and after death, can inform our understanding of what we are in the world to do. As before, though, he treats these subjects in a way that can be enjoyed simply as a work of dramatic imagination - as a sort of 'New Age' science fiction, if you like - just as it can be appreciated as a serious discussion of human spirituality. And, again as before, Redfield reveals himself as someone who has really grasped something quite profound about the nature of our existence here in the world.
Both books, The Celestine Prophecy and The Tenth Insight, project a refreshingly positive and optimistic vision for humanity. They also 'energising' - able to fuel the desire for growth and change, for readers who identify with them. What's less clear, however, is how they might feed into this process - there are companions to these books that offer thoughts on how to live the insights, but nonetheless these books are still only stories. In reality, there is no Celestine manuscript - it is a useful and enjoyable fiction, but readers who are so motivated will ultimately have to find another, real outlet for their spiritual impulses. And whilst many would love to have an adventure of the kind described here, this is still as much of a fantasy as a paperback romance. But if these books resonate for us, it's because they are based on themes that are rooted in the world's great mystical and spiritual traditions - and connect with some of the ways these are being projected in the world of today.
Readers of the Celestine Prophecy will undoubtedly enjoy the Tenth Insight - it's definitely its equal, although I doubt it will mean much to those who haven't already read the first book. But if you've read both and are wondering where to go next, you might like to try Juan Sgolastra's 'The Way' or Marco Santello's 'Between Heaven and Earth', which I've also reviewed here on Amazon.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but not as good as previous books, 15 Jan 2001
Having read the celestine prophecy first, I didn't find this book as interesting and at times actually found it to be quite hard-going.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More advanced and challenging ideas - will polarise opinion., 4 Oct 2000
By A Customer
If you hated the Celestine Prophecy, don't touch this book - it will make you even more militant. If, however, you felt the Celestine Prophecy had some good ideas, then this one is a must. It's written in the same rather clumsy style of the first book, but with more detailed and challenging principles about reincarnation, what happens to your soul, that kind of stuff. It reconciles some of the loose ends of the Celestine Prophecy very nicely.
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