http://www.ringingcedars.com/

Anyone read these books? I had never heard of them until my mother came by and was talking about them earlier..they look interesting to read. They also look kinda new agy but I dont really judge based on that anymore becasue some stuff is good anyway and other stuff is crap..hard to tell.

Isn't that so annoying? Can be so frustrating taking the effort to try and discern that. Haven't read those books though.

Sounds a lot like Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan.

That was my first thought... which of course set off alarm bells on account of Castaneda being such a fraud. Then again, I'm sure people have derived value from Castaneda's work (along with bad advice about eating datura); fiction can still carry good value.

Haven't read the books myself. The whole thing does sound too new-agey for my taste, but I'm curious if anyone has read them and can comment on them.

I liked Journey to Ixtlan. It's the only book in the Castaneda series that I read, and I quite liked it.
From the shamans hiding Carlos's car and other things I knew it was a work of fiction, but still with fantastic psychological messages. I gained alot from it without believing it at fact. And I learned about my drugs so I have no desire to do datura.

So I got the first book in the ringing cedars series and am nearly half way through..

I must say this book really sucks! Are most new agers really THIS shallow? I mean the whole book is filled with moralizing-sex equates to sinful if the goal is not to have children..all the animals and plants on earth are here for the benifit of man..god constantly referred to as HIM..man in HIS divine image etc..oh and native americans only wear clothing because their thoughts are not pure enough to endure the winter naked lol..save yourself the moralizing and read something else. Despite the new age fad that has actaully reached the level of a cult around the ringing cedars series, at least the first book so far is just incredibly shallow.

..I wont even get into the fact that the book is based around an(apparent) real life woman named Anastasia who lives in the Siberian taiga forests(where it is cold) all year with no clothing at all and never lights fires, has squirls who will line up and fight over who gets to run over to her and feed her pine nuts and mushrooms(who she apparently never even trained)...who can command bears to do acrobatics with her at will and sleeps in a small cave when cold with these same untamed bears.

..not to mention her psychic brain ray that allows her to connect with all people in all places and times..well, okay that part I kinda did get into

I appreciate the fact that so many people read these books and then got into the environment and living clean and healthy, started eco villages etc..but I mean, come on....IMO these books are just hyped up based on what I read of the first one.

ah ah same, at some point in the book I got my teeth grinding... I took what I had to take though from it and anastasia will be the only one from this serie I'll read!
Nice poetic story that takes place in an exotic part of the world where we meet a super-being isolated from society... kind of familiar...

Although I agree with you, I gotta say the series has had a positive effect on the few people I know who've read it (that is besides me, I only read the first book... and meh). A very positive effect. Not one I can relate to, but still, gave a couple of people at least a new take on food, nature, and plants.

I really loved how horrible the narrator is... like when he's boating away, realizes that it's his chance to escape from Anastasia, and hits the boat throttle. Or the time (or two?) where he randomly abuses her... weird, but horribly ironic in a way I appreciated. He gets angry a lot. Generally seemed like an unpleasant person to be around.