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Castle of Wisdom (平装)
by Rhett Ellis
| Category:
Inspiration, Fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 118.00
MSL price:
¥ 108.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A story about man's search for the meaning of life, full of suspense and symbolism, Castle of Wisdom is bound to go down as a classic. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
First, let me say that I do not believe that Castle of Wisdom is a book for every reader. It is a strange book, and it is controversial too.
Castle of Wisdom's point of view is that of conservative Christianity, which means that those who accept the "morality of the moment" and "political correctness" might take offense from some of its implications.
Castle of Wisdom is the story of a man who ventures out of his native village to search for the meaning of life. According to legend, the meaning of life is written in stone at the "Castle of Wisdom" so the young man spends something like eighteen years searching for it.
The story held my attention very well, and I think I understood at least the first level of symbolism. I enjoyed the book, but again, I say that it is not for all readers. Just be prepared to think and to be challenged if you decide to read it. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
My favorite part of Castle of Wisdom was when the main character lost his sanity. In a fictional biography that is a rare occurrence, and not one that is easily written, but I have to say, the author of "Castle of Wisdom" did a masterful job at pulling it off. I felt like I was sinking down into the depths of insanity with the main character, but I also felt like I was rising back to the surface when he recovered his mind and went on to find the meaning of life. "Castle of Wisdom" is such a great book. It is so refreshing to read something that is so out of the ordinary but so good. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
The interesting thing about Castle of Wisdom is the symbolism. At once the story is action packed, full of romance, mysterious, etc., but the story reveals its true depths in its symbolism.
The story begins with a young man sitting beside a stream, looking at a blade of grass. The grass is sharp on the edges but soft in the middle - so already from the outset we know the main character is contemplating his own person (sharp on the edges, soft in the middle). The young man thinks that he would like to know the meaning of all existence - not just the meaning of life, but the meaning of absolutely everything. He wants to know WHY!
At the urging of a village elder, the young man leaves his village to search for the Castle of Wisdom, where he believes he will learn the final and most important truth of all.
What a journey he has - it makes for a great read. But again, the true meaning of the story is found in the beautiful symbolism. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
More than anything else, I liked the characters in Castle of Wisdom, especially the main character. I could identify with his search for meaning in life. I thought the writing could have been better, but I did not think the story could have been. It held my attention all the way through, and for me that is the mark of a good story. |
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Jan Dennis (editor of books by Frank Perreti, Stephen Lawhead, and many others) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
In Castle of Wisdom, Rhett Ellis has done something quite remarkable. He has taken those most difficult literary form, the allegory, and made it sing with a voice uniquely his own, giving us a beautiful picture of the soul's journey home. |
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The Monroe Journal (Newspaper of Alabama's Official Literary Capital) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Rhett Ellis's book Castle of Wisdom takes its readers on a fantastic journey in search for the meaning of life. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Castle of Wisdom is full of instruction, but the author never beats the reader over the head with his ideals. Instead, the reader is allowed to make up his or her mind about the subjects at hand.
In all fairness, I must mention that the book contains some violence. In chapter 3, the protagonist is attacked, and he has to fight his way out of the danger. The symbolism behind that part of the book relates to the way the world attempts to rape the innocent soul, but that from innocence, one gathers a strength to fight back - this is clearly what the author had in mind by having the protagonist use primitive weapons.
So much about the content of Castle of Wisdom has been said in previous reviews, and you can read them to make up your mind about whether or not you will like the content. I would simply like to add that the book made me smile several times.
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An American reader (MSL quote) , USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
This is rather difficult to explain because it is much more than it seems at first. The most difficult challenge for the writer of an allegory is to balance the "point of the story" with the story itself. I would say that Castle of Wisdom leans more toward the points of the story, that is to say, some of the story's believability is sacrificed to "the message." Still, the story is pretty darned good. It is set in a dreamscape, and that's always cool - anything, absolutely anything can happen. The story feels both ancient and futuristic at the same time. It is definitely one that you can not stop reading after you have begun. It is more suspenseful than a Grisham novel.
As for the story and the message - a "pilgrim" sort of character embarks on a journey to the other side of the world to find the meaning of life. He learns most of the meaning on his way to the "Castle of Wisdom," which is a very mysterious place, but he learns some wisdom in the castle too.
As for the meaning of the story, it is pretty straightforward - there is one mind behind existence, meaning there is a God. Man may only find meaning for his existence in the mind of God. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Wow, I feel refreshed after reading this book. I swore that I would never again read anything other than what I wanted to read after I graduated from nursing school this past December. I saw "Castle of Wisdom" here on Amazon.com. It came very highly recommended so I ordered a copy. ... I read it in something like two nights, and I loved it. Castle of Wisdom is a perfectly unique story, a fresh breath of air in the world of books. It is a book about feeling, about thought, about love, and about adventure-- the greatest adventure of all, that is. I won't guarantee that you will like it, but you probably will. |
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A Canadian reader (MSL quote), Canada
<2006-12-27 00:00>
First of all, let me tell you that this book is not for everyone. If you are the sort of reader who only sees the surface story, forget about it. Move on to something that will require less thought. However, if you are the sort of reader who catches onto symbolism and if you are a real thinker, this may very well be the book for you.
Through the symbolism that underlies the story (not the obvious symbolism, the symbolism that forms the structure of the plot), the author presents a picture of the migration of the soul from curiosity to knowledge with a Christian perspective. The external journey that the protagonist makes and the stages of his growth picture the growth of the human soul in knowledge of the meaning of life as given from God.
The book is pretty conservative so if you are offended by conservative religious views, you probably will not like the book. If you are an open minded reader, you probably will like it.
Anyway, if you think Castle of Wisdom is right for you, you may love it by the time you finish it. I did.
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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