Official Review: A Gathering of warriors by George Vigileos

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Official Review: A Gathering of warriors by George Vigileos

Post by amybo82 »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Gathering of warriors" by George Vigileos.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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A Gathering of Warriors by George Vigileos combines philosophy, spirituality, magical realism, and ancient beliefs into a powerful novel. Categorized as a religious and inspirational genre fiction novel, the book goes far beyond typical spirituality-themed works. The author focuses on beliefs from different ancient groups and religions to emphasize the themes of journeying toward peace and transcendence. The book moves from place to place, allowing many different settings, including North America, China, Egypt, and even the sea.

As I was reading, I was reminded of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Each protagonist in A Gathering of Warriors is on a soul journey. There are a large number of characters introduced in the book, but the focus is on five main people. First, there is Sparrow Hawk. She is Native American, and we meet her as she is wandering in a place that she finds both new and vaguely familiar. She is at a large meeting with many others who seem to be experiencing the same things she is. She joins them in a medicine wheel to hear the tales of “Grandfather,” an elder in the group. In one of his stories, Grandfather introduces Xi He-Ping, a Chinese monk. When his monastery is attacked, he finds out how devastating war can be, and he decides to go on a quest to find himself and his peace.

Woven into the story are also Siminee and Seneca. Seneca is both a teacher and a student. He is a Snake Medicine Man--old, wise, and respected in his community. Siminee is Seneca’s student. She was a baby in a war-torn village, on the verge of losing her life, when she was rescued by a jaguar. Seneca ensures she is taken care of, and they later journey together in search of purity, wisdom, and truth.

The author utilizes powerful symbolism throughout the book. One of the symbols he relies on most heavily is the circle. The book itself comes full circle, beginning and ending in a medicine wheel. Each character’s path is filled with circles, from physical medicine wheels to more abstract thoughts that loop back onto themselves. Vigileos also imparts wisdom through his characters’ words, reminding both the characters in the book and the readers to pay attention to their hearts, be mindful of forgiving others, and have open minds.

The characters describe how there are “places within places, and layers upon layers of reality.” The author explores this concept through the book, constantly introducing new people, places, and things, but also relating them back to others that have already been presented. The reader has to pay detailed attention to the novel. There is a lot going on, there are many characters to follow, and the story moves quickly between scenes. I found myself having to go back and re-read passages to make sure I was keeping up. When I finished reading, I also went back and re-skimmed the entire book to help me put the whole story together. I could see this being a book that people would want to read multiple times because they would get something new out of it each time.

There are a few grammatical errors, but I did not find that they distracted me from the story. For example, there are occasional apostrophes left out of contractions (“its” instead of “it’s”), and some quotations have punctuation outside of the quotation marks. These minor errors are negligible in the full context of the book, but a detailed proofread would bring this book to the next level.

The descriptions in the book are widely varied. In the beginning, the author spends time describing scenery to a fault. The reader begins to feel overwhelmed and distracted from the main storyline. However, as the book moves on, the descriptions become more succinct, giving the reader enough information but not being burdensome.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I feel a deep connection with the characters as they journey to fill their hearts, minds, and souls. The book could benefit from another thorough edit, focusing on grammar and consistency. Overall, the story is compelling, and the messages presented throughout the book are moving and though-provoking. I would recommend this book to fans of mystical fiction, ancient spirituality, and fans of authors like Wayne Dyer and Ram Dass.

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Post by littlefrog »

Very nice review...so good I just added this book to my bookshelves...sounds wonderful.
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Post by kimmyschemy06 »

Sounds like a very interesting read. I love The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and I think I'm going to like this book. I'm also fascinated with symbols, I find them intriguing. Good job on the review.
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Post by Kdonegan91 »

Amazing review! Too bad the book needs edited because it sounds great.
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Post by Insightsintobooks »

Great review. I think this book sound wonderful especially with all the layers.
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Post by nissim ovadias »

This book is a gem . The insights , reflections and subtle morals are invaluable . Intertwining stories relevant to contemporary events . Looking forward to this guys next book . The review does it justice but the grammar issues are unnoticeable by me at least .
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Wow - philosophy, spirituality, magical realism, and ancient beliefs all rolled in one makes this sound like a read that will make you think! Too bad about the errors, but I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the book!
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Post by gali »

Mystical fiction, ancient spirituality, and a soul journey? Sounds good. Not sure it is for me, but I am glad you enjoyed the book despite the errors. Good job on the review!
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Post by LivreAmour217 »

Great job on this review! The book sounds very insightful.
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Post by Rebecca82 »

Great job on the review with all the various characters and their spiritual journeys while tying in their heritage sounds like it would be a fairly decent read, bummer about the errors. I am glad you were still able to enjoy the book.
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Post by Rachaelamb1 »

You did a good job describing the book. I could not figure out what it was about from the Amazon description! I read the first few pages and agree that there is too much description. I'm happy to see that it gets better as you go along, but it's not the type of book I like.
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Post by jamesabr »

The symbolism and mentioning of “places within places, and layers upon layers of reality” definitely sounds reminiscent of The Alchemist. Good call.

I don't read too many magical realism stories, but I may consider reading this one after sampling the first ten pages. Thanks for the review. :D
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Post by bluegreenmarina »

Wow, what an intriguing concept! Sounds like a great book for travelers and people just looking to expand their knowledge of belief systems from around the world. Also sounds like one of those books that would reveal new meanings with each subsequent reading. Great review!
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Post by sprakasarao »

The title suggests that it is a book about warriors, not literally. They are mentally strong and the whole plot revolves around them. Set against the backdrop of ancient times, seems it'll be interesting.

-- 24 Feb 2017, 11:17 --

The title suggests that it is a book about warriors, not literally. They are mentally strong and the whole plot revolves around them. Set against the backdrop of ancient times, seems it'll be interesting.
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Post by Sparkletime »

Your review has left me intrigued. I wouldn't have expected Native American spiritualism to be combined with China and Egypt. I also like the idea of circles in many forms. I'll definitely be considering this book.
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