The Valkyries

Book Description

A Magical Tale About Forgiving Our Past and Believing in Our Future

The enchanting, true story of The Valkyries begins in Rio de Janeiro when author Paulo Coelho gives his mysterious master J., the only manuscript for his book The Alchemist. Haunted by a devastating curse, Coelho confesses to J., "I've seen my dreams fall apart just when I seemed about to achieve them." In response, J. gives Coelho a daunting task: He must find and speak with his guardian angel. "The curse can be broken," he replies, "if you complete the task."

Rising to the challenge, Paulo and his wife, Cristina, drop everything, pack their bags, and take off on a forty day adventure into the starkly beautiful and sometimes dangerous Mojave Desert 執here they encounter more than they bargained for. A masterful blend of the exotic locales, dramatic adventure, and magical storytelling, for which Coelho's fictional works are renowned, this true–life account is at once a modern–day adventure and a metaphysical odyssey.

Customer Reviews:

What you get outta this depends on where you are in your life and spirituality........2007-07-28

There's a lot of wisdom and truth presented here in this book. The question is, will you or can you understand it? I admit that several places in the book, I would go back and have to reread something, and still not totally get it. But a little further and BAM! -This beautiful piece of writing would pop out and be clear as can be. I am thinking that what you get out of this book most likely depends on several things, like how open minded you are, where you are in your life and where you are spiritually. It's a metaphor people! (to those reviewers who didn't get it so they wrote negative things about it, which makes me think of how a lot of times we [some/most?] are quick to condemn that which we do not understand?) The things that you don't conciously understand, you most likely (hopefully anyway) sub-conciously get. Get it? - Course that may not be the case for all.

Book club choice? This book would make for interesting group discussion between the right people, -an open minded group who's not so quick to judge by skimming the surface. I think open discussions about this could bring a lot of hidden meanings out in the open because for example, one part that I didn't get could be clear as a bell to somebody else.

I loved this and am planning to read it again. And I feel sure that I'll probably read it several times throughout my life. That's the kind of book this is.

So, if you read it and don't understand, maybe it's not the right time for you? So many times, I have been drawn to exactly the books I needed for what I was going thru at that time. This proved that to me, once again.

Not so much.......2007-07-25

Who knew Valkyries were such bores? I was expecting another great story with a great message such as "The Alchemist" but I think that book may have been Coelho's one hit wonder. This one was rambling, whiney, self-absorbed and way too full of itself.

Deeply moving and intrinsically rewarding.......2007-05-17

Very few books I read were as deeply moving and as insightful as this one. It really changed me; it was intrinsically rewarding. The story may not be for everyone, but for me, I was transformed. I've read it years ago, and looking back it's one of the books of most personal impact I've read. The story is beautiful, the message is beautiful, affecting, moving. It will give you a wonderfully new and exhilirating perspective on the meaningfulness of living. I highly recommend it.

A GREAT read!.......2007-03-21

This just may be my favorite book ever, and I read A LOT. I have read this book several times, and have given away at least 5 copies. I sold it from the shelves of my 'Angel Store' and my customers loved it too. Coelho writes with such a presence. He weaves the spritual story as the reader rides on the back of the words of the story. After writing this review, I think I will go and read it again. I think I just may be a Valkyrie. How about you?

Inspirational.......2007-03-18

Coelho did it again, the book kept my interest from begining to end. He is a Master.

Average customer rating:

Correction
Manga at its finest
Wizard needs food badly...
THIS IS NOT THOR
Norse myth manga rocks!

Ragnarok #1
Myung Jin Lee , and Myung Jin Lee
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Ragnarok # 2
Ragnarok: Night of Blood, Vol. 3
Dawn of Destruction (Ragnarok, Book 4)
Ragnarok #9
Twilight of Terror (Ragnarok, Vol. 5)

ASIN: 1931514739

Book Description

The winds of change are blowing in Midgard. After a 1000-year slumber the Wolf Goddess, Fenris, has been reincarnated in the body of a beautiful warlock. As she searches the land for the reincarnation of the god Balder, she is hunted by the arrogant young Valkyrie, Sara Irine. Her quest will take her to the far corners of Midgard where she will meet and be joined the magical princess Iris, the air headed thief Lidia, and Chaos, a powerful warrior with no memory of his past.

Customer Reviews:

Correction.......2007-01-16

I think most of what has been said is already pretty relevant. But to correct one flaw, someone mistakenly cited this Manwha (It's Korean made, manga is for Japanese) as being based on the Ragnarok Online MMORPG. This is incorrect, the manga is adapted from the original story.

This happened to be my first manga and I can't reccomend it enough. It blends Norse Mythology nicely with anime themes and takes some traditional Character Concepts and works to break the molds they're set in.

Unfortunately, after the 10 Graphic Novel release Lee has since been on a hiatus to help use his notes and information to develop on the MMORPG, the anime series adapted from said RPG and even a sequel MMORPG. If Lee ever gets back to working on this series, it will truly become something great.

Manga at its finest.......2005-09-07

This is an action packed anime which also had a very strong background story which deals with Norse Mythology. Anyone interested in Norse Mythology and seeing such a mythology play out in the Japanese anime style should definitely check this book out.

An avid manga reader and anime fan I've been deeply disappointed lately by animes and mangas which were ridden with senseless violence and poor character creation - this anime is something truly special though, I assure you and one thing is for sure: I'm hooked on Ragnarok! For those of you who like Japanese animation, Ragnarok features some of the prettiest artwork for the fantasy/action manga genre I've seen yet.

Fun stuff, give it a read!

Wizard needs food badly..........2004-05-11

Ragnarok is kinda-sorta based on the Korean MMORPG of the same name. This would certainly explain why the cast sounds just like the character line-up for a FF game... The magic user who is a princess, the capricious thief, the steely-eyed assassin, and of course the rugged hero who has the power to save the world from the ENCROACHING DARKNESS (tm)...

To put it mildly, the story is pretty fluffy (Berserk this aint...) But it's still a fun read with some really slick art. If you're looking for a light RPG-esque comic fix then give Ragnarok a spin.

THIS IS NOT THOR.......2004-05-07

1000 years ago, the God Balder was killed fighting against the goddess Freya. Now he has been resurrected as the mortal named Chaos, living in the city of Fayon. He is suffering from amnesia and is therefore ignorant of his past and of the forces that are hunting him. He is spending his time being the mentor of the princess of the city, a reckless but potentially powerful cleric named Iris Irine. Freya is seeking the lands with her valkyries in order to destroy him. The valkyrie in charge of the hunt is Sara Irine, who just happens to have a personal grievance against Fayon. Chaos' only hope is if Fenris Fenrir, the reincarnated wolf god can find him before Freya and jog his memory. Chaos and Iris are also befriended by a Lara Croft treasure hunter type named Lidia who is really just a common thief who tags along with them looking for opportunities to steal any magic item she can. There is also the mysterious Skurai, an cursed outlaw whose living sword promises to free him from his bondage if he kills a certain someone in Fayon.

This is a great manga. All of the characters are well drawn and the story smacks of an epic. It's a great setup for volume 2 in which this panorama of characters are going to come into conflict once they all reach the city.

Norse myth manga rocks!.......2004-04-26

Ragnarok is one of the greatest mangas I ever have read! In Norse mythology, Ragnarok is the end of the world. This series is a great insight on Norse mythology. In it, Fenris (like Fenrir, an offspring of Loki in wolf form, that helped cause Ragnarok) is trying to find Baldur's sword. You also meet Chaos and Iris. Chaos is teaching Iris to be more powerful. Eventually (but not in vol. 1), Iris and Chaos meet Fenris, and try to prevent Ragnarok.

Some Through the Fire (Valkyries Series)

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Glowing comments from readers
good
A gripping coming-of-age story with profound spiritual truth
Couldn't put it down
An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction

Some Through the Fire (Valkyries Series)
Jeri Massi
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series)

ASIN: 080241513X

Book Description

Valkyries tells the story of a teenage girl in the '70s who commits herself to Jesus at a tent meeting and is then immediately plunged into her family's traumatic breakup, which results in violent abuse from her father and neglect from her mother. Finally sent away to a Catholic boarding school for girls, Tracey recognizes some hard truths about her own anger and her inability to possess inner goodness - in spite of being a Christian. She also discovers, in the course of things, an unexpected talent for basketball.Some Through the Fire follows Tracey's story from her commitment to Christ to her exile at a Catholic boarding school. About the title: The Valkyrie, a female warrior from Norse mythology, is the basketball team's mascot - but this mythological figure takes on much deeper significance for Tracey as she struggles for spiritual victory.

Customer Reviews:

Glowing comments from readers.......2003-12-06

"I am blessed and encouraged after reading this story. I feel - I remember why I believed in Jesus when I first did. Thank you for reminding me of what is good and true in the Lord."

"I'm speechless. I just finished it, and I know I have to write to you, but I truly have no idea what to say. What an amazing story! The way you wrote it made me feel as if I was there watching it.

"I have just finished reading your Valkyrie series. It was a work of the very highest standard. Rarely have I read at story that has engendered such a range of emotions in me or moved me in such a spiritual way."

"I VERY much enjoyed reading that book. I think it's Christian fiction at its finest."

"I just wanted to thank you for your work in writing it and making it available.... The message of God's grace in light of our own failures was not lost on this reader, and I hope it reaches many more people in the years to come."

"I genuinely feel...that apart from the undisputed classics like NARNIA and the CURDIE books, VALKYRIES is the best Christian novel for young people that I have *ever* read."

good.......2003-12-05

it took me a while to get into this one as its written in a unique style but once it grips you, you can't put it down. you come to care deeply about the main character as she struggles to overcome a painful past and face the daily trials head-on

A gripping coming-of-age story with profound spiritual truth.......2003-11-10

The Valkyries books (Moody Press) are really parts one and two of one story: a rare blend of a coming-of-age tale set in the 1970's, an exciting athletic narrative, and the story of a young girl's poignant and gripping spiritual journey.

Just after her 8th-grade year, Tracey Jacamuzzi goes against her Italian-Catholic upbringing by attending a Baptist tent meeting and "getting saved"--a term that baffles her friends and family. Tracey's conversion is too much for her parents--a father who is already violent toward her, and a mother who is too preoccupied with an extramarital affair to give her eldest daughter much thought.

A violent showdown with her father results in Tracey being banished to the Sanctuary of Mary and Joseph, an all-girls' Catholic boarding school. Here she endures cruel hazing before realizing that basketball is the school's all-consuming passion, and she must become skillful at the sport in order to survive. An older girl takes Tracey under her wing as a basketball coach and mentor, and becomes her best friend in the process, making life more bearable at the school.

The team's mascot, the Valkyries--valiant female warriors in Norse mythology--become symbols of Tracey's quest for strength and truth.

But Tracey must still deal with questions in her growing faith, and the fact that what she is reading in the Bible is often at odds with the doctrines taught at the school. In addition, the fact that she is outspoken and often headstrong makes for some severe confrontations with Sister Mary, the rigid and coldhearted acting principal.

Along the way, God brings people into Tracey's life that give her love and acceptance and help her answer the spiritual questions that haunt her. School volunteer Maddie Murdoch imparts wise counsel and the promise of a motherly love Tracey craves.

Jeri Massi brings the story grippingly to life. You feel outrage when Tracey is abused, share her pain when she is treated unkindly and unfairly, and are moved when she learns new spiritual truths. (The fact that I, a 40-something, non-athletic woman from a conservative Baptist background, could so empathize with this Italian-Catholic teen-aged girl, is a credit to Massi's ability to make this story so real.) Massi's descriptive pen makes you actually see the mist shimmering on the serene campus, and vividly described dream sequences hint at her background in writing science fiction. And the basketball scenes are fastpaced and exciting, and could only be written by someone intimately acquainted with the sport.

If you are a Catholic, you may not appreciate Massi's unflinching criticism of the church's doctrinal conflicts with Bible teaching. But she doesn't vilify Catholics themselves--one of Tracey's "good angels" in the book is the elderly Sister James Anne, who gives her unfailing love and acceptance; Father "Bing," the school's Bing Crosby-look-alike headmaster, shows her kindness; and she develops good relationships with some of the nuns who teach and coach her.

Ultimately, I was captivated by Tracey's story (I scarcely put the books down while reading them!), and enriched by the lessons she learned about God's grace, His Sovereignty and His loving plan for one girl's life. Although these books would be ideal for a teenaged girl--especially one who is interested in sports--the common themes and the page-turning narrative make them a terrific fit for anyone who enjoys top-notch fiction.

Couldn't put it down.......2003-01-16

This story rings with honesty. It's a transparent account of coming to Christ from outside an Evangelical background. In the unlikely but believable environment of the Sanctuary of Mary and Joseph, Tracey Jacamuzzi comes to grips with the precious cornerstone of Protestant doctrine: the Grace of God is all that we have. Fast paced with the pounding rhythm of a basketball game, filled with grief, tragedy, hilarity, and an amazing, quick-fire dialogue that one seldom sees in Christian fiction, this book is a keeper. You won't be able to put it down! Be sure to get both VALKYRIES: Some Through the Fire, and volume 2, VALKYRIES, All Through the Blood. You need to read both to get the complete story!

An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction.......2003-01-15

The two-volume story VALKYRIES has been billed as "a hard-hitting novel about the grace of God". The description is indeed apt, because this story pulls no punches. It is by far the most honest, compelling, non-stereotypical, and thought-provoking Christian novel for young adults that I have ever read.

The heroine, Tracey, is not some paper saint -- she is a fully believable character whose struggles and doubts are very real. Nor are the challenges that she faces as a young believer downplayed or oversimplified. As Tracey seeks to grow in her newfound faith and take a stand for Christ in a hostile environment, the errors she makes and the failures and disappointments she experiences teach important truths about God's mercy, grace, and love. Yet the story is far from preachy, and the lessons are never glib.

One of the most remarkable things about this story is the richness and depth of the characterization. Although Tracey's conversion from Catholicism and her subsequent opposition to Catholic doctrines and practices are central to the book, the Catholic characters are not demonized, nor the evangelicals glorified. Neither can any one of the characters be reduced to a mere stereotype -- not even the apparent villains of the piece, like Tracey's abusive father or the harshly dictatorial principal of her Catholic school. Each person Tracey meets, regardless of their beliefs, is portrayed as a real human being, with virtues as well as faults. As such, the story rings true to life.

The dialogue in the book flows easily and naturally from the characters, without any of the golly-gee hokiness or wooden diction that infects many Christian novels. It also shows real wit -- some of the quips made by Tracey's schoolmates are laugh-out-loud funny -- yet the humour is never forced or contrived. The narrative style of the novel is highly readable, clear and straightforward, providing just enough detail to create a picture in the reader's mind while spare enough to keep the action moving right along.

Although Tracey's story unfolds slowly, each scene advances the plot, adds interest and depth to the characters, and none of it feels superfluous or wasted. I am a non-athlete and have no interest in team sports as a rule, but Tracey's high school basketball career -- an element which is crucial to the book, and not presented merely to add excitement or to glorify sport for its own sake -- is so skilfully described that I was captivated by it.

Customer Reviews:

Rare Opportunity.......2007-10-03

It isn't often that an author is given the opportunity to review her own book. So I thought I would seize it! I actually hadn't re-read my book since the publication almost ten years ago. In the re-reading, I find I wouldn't really change a thing. And since the publication, I have finally felt vindicated in the writing of it by the fact that no other has been written on the subject, and that it is used as a reference in any book on Jung or the women, written since that time. I often wonder what the folks who tried to discourage me from writing it, and even went so far as to make it impossible for me to talk to some of the Jungian women surviving at the time of the writing, are feeling about it now. Of course, because of the age of many I talked to, most are now deceased.
Anyway, for those interested in Jung's dynamic with women, and the lives of the women in his circle during that era, this still seems to be the only reference. I hope readers continue to enjoy it, and writers continue to find it a source of information .

Valkyries / Fifth Mountain / Veronika Decides to Die

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Valkyries / Fifth Mountain / Veronika Decides to Die

Manufacturer: One Spirit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0965073629

Product Description

Three Novels by Paulo Coelho published by arrangement with HarperCollins Publishers

All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series)

Average customer rating:

An amazing story and the triumph of Grace!
An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction

All Through the Blood (Valkyries Series)
Jeri Massi
Manufacturer: Moody Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Some Through the Fire (Valkyries Series)
The Bridge (Bracken Trilogy, Book 1) (Braken Trilogy)
Crown and Jewel (Bracken Trilogy, Book 2) (Braken Trilogy)
Two Collars (Bracken Trilogy, Book 3)

ASIN: 0802415148

Book Description

Valkyries tells the story of a teenage girl in the '70s who commits herself to Jesus at a tent meeting and is then immediately plunged into her family's traumatic breakup, which results in violent abuse from her father and neglect from her mother. Finally sent away to a Catholic boarding school for girls, Tracey recognizes some hard truths about her own anger and her inability to possess inner goodness - in spite of being a Christian. She also discovers, in the course of things, an unexpected talent for basketball.All Through the Blood follows Tracey's story as she continues her schooling and her quest for spiritual purity, despite tragic events that threaten to leave her in despair.About the title: The Valkyrie, a female warrior from Norse mythology, is the basketball team's mascot - but this mythological figure takes on much deeper significance for Tracey as she struggles for spiritual victory.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing story and the triumph of Grace!.......2003-01-18

At last I've found a Christian book that's really about Christ in us. This is the second half of a two-part story that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Told in a rapid, rat-a-tat style with quickfire dialog that is often hilarious, VALKYRIES shows every aspect of being a Christian: faith, doubt, tragedy, warmth, and the constant seeking and learning of Christ. On one level, it's a story about a girls' basketball team, but you don't have to be sports enthusiast to get drawn into the action. The amazing array of characters, from the cruel and grasping Scooter to the lively and irrepressible Dibbles, provide plenty of interest.

On another level, it's a story about Sanctification. There are no perfect Christians in this book, just very real people with very real struggles and a very real Saviour who keeps them and gives them His grace. This book is funny, heartbreaking, breath taking, and insightful. At the end of it all, the reader sees all over again that salvation is all of Christ.

An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction.......2003-01-15

Book Description

Splendid excerpts include "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" from Das Rheingold; "The Ride of the Valkyries" and "Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music" from Die Walküre; "Forest Murmurs" from Siegfried; and "Siegfried’s Rhine Journey" and "Siegfried’s Funeral Music" from Götterdämmerung. Reprinted from authoritative editions.

Customer Reviews:

and the "other highlights" are..........1999-03-31

Besides "The Ride of the Valkyries," (from Die Walkuere, 1856) this volume contains these other orchestral highlights from Wagner's Ring: Entry of the Gods into Valhalla (from Das Rheingold, 1854); Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music (from Die Walkuere, 1856); Forest Murmers (from Siegfried, 1869); Siegfried's Rhine Journey (from Goetterdaemmerung, 1874); Siegfried's Funeral Music (from Goetterdaemmerung, 1874). From Dover's Bibliographical Note: "This Dover edition, first published in 1996, is a new compilation of six scores originally published separately. B. Schott's Soehne, Mainz, originally published Der Ritt der Walkueren aus dem Musik-Drama Die Walkuere von R. Wagner/fuer Orchester zum Conzertvortrag eingerichtet, edition No. 22139, n.d.; and Trauermarsch beim Tode Siegfried's aus dem Musik-Drama Goetterdaemmerung/fuer grosses Orchester von Richard Wagner, edition No. 21998, n.d. The other scores in this compilation were originally published in early authoritative editions, n.d., including: Einzug der Goetter in Walhall (from Das Rheingold); Wotans Abschied und Feuerzauber (from Die Walkuere); Waldweben (from Siegfried); and Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt (from Goetterdaemmerung), transcribed by Engelbert Humperdinck. The Dover edition adds lists of contents and instrumentation, a glossary of German terms and English translations of four footnotes. A few errors in the scores have been corrected, including incorrect pitches in "Wotan's Farewell," p. 123, and missing accidentals throughout the timpani part of that work. We are grateful to the Duke University Music Library for the loan of several scores."

The Valkyries Take the Warriors to Valhalla

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A GREAT NOVEL

The Valkyries Take the Warriors to Valhalla
Virgilio Campos
Manufacturer: Athena Press Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Intimate Memories of Flavius Marcellus Aetius

ASIN: 1844014983

Customer Reviews:

A GREAT NOVEL.......2007-01-24

This is one of the most creative and thrilling historical novels I have ever read.
The author takes the 5º Century's big picture and produces a personal and remarkable version of facts that nowadays are in the legend's domain.
His thesis that the Roman legions only left Britain in 451, when Aetius scraped the bottom of the military pot and assembled all the last imperial troops still available to face Attila in the most decisive battle ever faced by the western world, has plenty of good reasons and is more consistent then the generally accepted date of 407.
Another important thesis, correct In my view, is the author's denial of a "fall of the Roman Empire" in 476 AD, as stated by the historians of our time.
In fact, this idea of "a fall" is modern and was completely strange to the contemporaries and to the people of the subsequent "Middle Ages".
What really happened was that the Church replaced the "Empire", the Pope replaced the "Emperor", and the Bishops replaced the "Proconsuls". Even one thousand years later, the Pope was still the authority to whom the kings of Spain and Portugal resorted to decide on the "ownership" of the recently discovered "New World". What better evidence that "Rome" had continued to rule Europe in the intervening time"?
Also, the author's theories that the historical Briton-Roman general Riotimus and the legendary King Arthur are the same person, and that Saint George was a devout Briton-Roman legionary who made his last stand against Attila in front of the besieged cathedral of Aquileia, are, to say the least, the most seductive and enchanting I have ever seen.
The "biographies" of some legendary characters, like Aurelianus, Uther and Merlin, are amazing, and the profiles of some fictional characters, like Friar Gildasius and the pirate Corsarius, are extremely well constructed and catching.
The great general Flavius Aetius receives a just treatment, better than the one made in a recent film about Attila, and his profile in the book is much more according to the logic of the historical facts than the biased one made by some of his envious sanctimonious contemporaries, who considered him a pagan due to his close links with the Huns.
However, among all the good things I could say about this splendid novel, there is a caveat: many grammar mistakes putting a shadow on the excellent narrative and tainting an otherwise irreproachable book!
But as the blame falls on the editor and the publisher, and not on the author, I won't take stars from my assessment and will give the book all the five stars it deserves.

Lenny Alexander - Chicago Ill.

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