The Disobedience of
the Daughter of the Sun by Martin Prechtel
Ecstasy and Time
Yellow Moon Publishers - November 2001
ISBN: 0938756605 - paperback
Adult fiction, Mythology / Legends
Reviewed by Amy
Mehta, MyShelf.com
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a Copy
"Just five fingers
beneath us,
once stood this town of God owned by the family of the
Sun Father
The sun was married to Grandmother Moon, who everyone
knew actually ran the place."
So begins Prechtel's
retelling of the ancient Mayan legend of "the Daughter of the Sun."
It is a deep and richly woven tale; the language is beautiful, but also
quite complex. Do not let the complexity of the writing scare you off;
the ending and explanations that follow are well worth any effort the
reader may put into understanding them. I would encourage the reader to
go through the book in a couple of sittings, as I did. This is definitely
not your everyday beach read, but rather an inspirational and educational
book about the meaning behind the story.
This is the first non-biographical work by Prechtel, who is an experienced
shaman and storyteller. He projects wisdom far beyond his years, and readers
stand to gain much from his discourse. I have a few favorite passages
in the book that I plan to share with family and friends. Prechtel speaks
of the universal truths, and the knowledge he provides is applicable at
any period in time.
This book has a little
something for everyone, large and small. Prechtel is also an accomplished
artist, and the tale is enhanced with his drawings that are scattered
throughout the book. The subject matter might be a little complex for
children and younger adolescents, but his messages are timeless. At the
end of the book, the author encourages the reader to "read it out
loud to the young; read it to the old; read it to the middle-aged; read
it to the sick; read it to the incredulous", and so on. But the basic
premise is quite simple: Read it.
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