Epic Paranormal Science Fiction!
Valley of the Shaman chronicles the quest of a world traveler and spiritual researcher to internalize epic truths about human origin and transcendence.
Through a gauntlet of desert valley in New Mexico, the unnamed protagonist undertakes a seemingly Quixotic mission to return a heavy, apparently prehistoric tablet to its rightful place without understanding who beckoned him to do so, where he is supposed to go, or exactly how he is going to accomplish the cryptic task.
Readers of Carlos Castaneda books will relish the exchanges between the narrator and the Don Juan Matus figure of El Viejo throughout this enchanting odyssey. The narrator’s interaction with both allies and enemies throughout his journey furthers the Castaneda comparison of a landscape that teeters between hardscrabble reality and otherworldly immersion.
Likewise, Valley of the Shaman resonates with the transfiguring tones of a New Age opus like The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. The hope for a more harmonic humanity emerges from both ecstatic mystical experiences and the very real physical threats bearing down upon the narrator.
Perhaps most technically intriguing in Valley of the Shaman is the presentation of paraphysical possibilities - such as how to “apport”. This scope of paranormal science fiction is rendered with a competency and skill that rivals John Uri Lloyd in his late 19th-century tome, ETIDORHPA.
Overall, Arlan Andrews, Sr. has bequeathed us with a riveting read that is as thrilling as it is ultimately uplifting. He also provides an amazing twist at the conclusion of the book that opens a whole other portal to the reading experience just completed.
I highly recommend this book to readers of fiction and nonfiction alike across all levels and interests!