Maya

I recently encountered Jostein Gaarder books for the first time and was instantly enchanted. Maya has only increased my respect for the author. Not only is he Philosopher in this volumn, but he is Naturalist and, as always, the superb story teller. I love how he tied in this book with his excellent Solitaire Mystery. This is as good as any book to get acquainted with this phenomenal author.

'Maya' by Jostein Gaarder was an excellent book. I believe it to be well written, and I enjoyed how it tied in the 'deck of cards' motif, which was of course reminiscent of the 'Solitaire Mystery', also by Gaarder. As a philosophical novel, 'Maya' covered many bases that most philosophical/religious novels do not tend to think about. It nicely tied in evolutionary theory to various philosophical and religious viewpoints. Despite my praise, I'd say that the average American most likely would not appreciate 'Maya'. But everyone should read it anyway.

There are few books that leave me puzzled but also thorouhgly satisfied, this is one of them. Gaarder is a masterful author, quickly becomign one of my favorites as I read more of his work. Like several of his other works, this story takes place on several levels and among the fiction he also weaves in a good layer of fact, throwing in some historical facts, but in this case focusing on some evolutionary theory. Like other Gaarder works as well, as soon as you feel that you've gotten the book figured out, it takes a sharp turn and goes down an entirely new path. It was so startling, that I had to flip back and skim through most of the book to make sure I hadn't missed anything that big. However, I hadn't. This is truly a satisfying read, and one that I'll definitely be going back to.

Most of us - as a thinking kind - wonder about life , its origin , its purposes , its perpetual enigmatic journey that flourish among humans and other species ... we do have questions that tangle us , even haunts us when gazing through our timeline , here on earth ... is it all futile ? is it in vain ? or are we really part of a masterplan came out of a real twisted yet brilliant entity that gathered data and arranged it into our so-called common universe .. Gaarder takes all of these puzzles - and i call them puzzles because i believe its something coherent this rise of thinking systems on our planet - and creates this drastic novel about life , destiny , deity , our great concerns ... if you are not satisfied with the descartian definition of being , this book is for you ...

This is what You get if You throw a mistery,a philosopy book,a natural sciences paper and the talking gecko of human condition in the same pot, and then cook it for a while.Excellent combination.However,I don't recommend it for a first timer Gaarder reader, the Joker idea first appears in"The Solitaire Mistery",which is an easier, more playful read,therefore You should start there,(and Sophie's world,if You want to know more about the history of western philosophy.)It's a non stop brain storming that'll require Your full attention and it is so worth it.