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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"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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