"Not all who those wander are lost," does not describe the main character of Jacob Nordby's tale at the start. Our story begins in the last place you'd go to find personal transformation: an upscale real estate office. The main character, one of the partners, is a well-to-do, successful and admired member of the community faced with a problem: whether to take the afternoon off to go to his mountain cabin. He is not wandering or lost.
That's what he would tell you.
His little vacation to the cabin is the beginning of a life-change that is the story of the book. He meets a strange man who will become one of the guides on a journey of personal truth and purpose.
That's all I'm going to say about the story of it. If you want to know more, read some of the other nearly 200 reviews here. (Or, don't. There's haters in there.)
The Divine Arsonist is a classic Hero's Journey as described by Joseph Campbell. In that, comparisons to everything from Homer's Odyssey to Star Wars can be drawn; however, don't expect swordplay, dragons and buxom princesses in need of rescue. (There is some nudity and bodily fluids, if that's your 'thing.') This is one man's inward journey from one place in life to a new, broader truth. It's a lot more Carlos Castaneda than George Lucas.
From a purely technical standpoint. Mr. Nordby uses words, sentences, description and all kinds of trippy metaphor brilliantly. It's very succinct, not too flowery.
The style is raw and honest and the story moves at a good pace, only threatening to drag at a couple of points. I never found myself bored with the story itself.
Being a writer myself, I found a few instances where the main character said, "I had no idea what was to come," hilarious, I kept yelling at the book: "Come on, dude, they're going to ____________." (I wasn't disappointed.) Those scenes are a part of all such stories, so this isn't a fault of the author's. It's just obvious that the main character has never done much reading!
The book doesn't require a degree in literature or comparative religion to understand. It both shows and talks about the themes and ideas, often doing both of these for each step of the journey to reinforce the point.
Also, the story is simple, straightforward. There's no clutter or side-trips along the way. Some will see this simplicity and label it naive, trite or cliche. In my opinion, it is no such thing. It is a focused narrative, all in service to the book's theme.
That theme is also simple. The Divine Arsonist is designed to show (or remind) the reader, through the vehicle of the main character, that there is another way to define and live your life. Simple.
If that idea resonates with you, then read the book.
Will it change your life? Only if you let it.
"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
a light from the shadows shall spring;
renewed shall be blade that was broken,
the crownless again shall be king." - J. R. R. Tolkien
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2012
Top reviews from other countries
- A.D.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2012
A really good read, not too long and not too short!
- Barbara Anne LenardReviewed in Canada on March 23, 2017
simply a lover of a good read and I totally enjoyed this book
- Katherine OwenReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2012
A Spiritual Adventure Story - Inspiring
