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Traveling Light
An eye for an eye...
Ian McCandless is a hospice nurse, training to become a shaman. When his mentor orders him to make peace with his estranged family, Ian reluctantly agrees, anticipating just another conflict-filled visit. On their way from the airport Ian's older brother Will interrupts a convenience store robbery and is shot, dying in Ian's arms and calling to him for vengeance.
Ian uses his shamanic abilities to track down the killer, but his quest soon turns into a hunt for revenge---forbidden to any shaman. Ian's pursuit jeopardizes his relationship with the spirit world, endangers the lives of those he loves and threatens to banish him from the only path that gives his life meaning.
Ian McCandless is a hospice nurse, training to become a shaman. When his mentor orders him to make peace with his estranged family, Ian reluctantly agrees, anticipating just another conflict-filled visit. On their way from the airport Ian's older brother Will interrupts a convenience store robbery and is shot, dying in Ian's arms and calling to him for vengeance.
Ian uses his shamanic abilities to track down the killer, but his quest soon turns into a hunt for revenge---forbidden to any shaman. Ian's pursuit jeopardizes his relationship with the spirit world, endangers the lives of those he loves and threatens to banish him from the only path that gives his life meaning.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd A. Meeker
15 books57 followersHaving led what can only be described as an irregular life, Lloyd A. Meeker can honestly say he’s grateful for all of it, and he’s got stories to tell.
Born and raised in an intentional community in rural Colorado, he’s been a minister, a light aircraft pilot, an office worker, a janitor, a drinker, and a software developer on his way to writing novels. A Dodgers fan and three-time cancer survivor, he’s practiced and taught subtle energy healing all his adult life. He’s sung in church and rainbow choirs, and currently channels his passion for music into learning the octave mandolin. He and his husband met in 2002, and live in Montpellier, France.
His titles include Traveling Light, Russ Morgan, PI, and Stone and Shell. His novel The Companion was a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Literary Awards.
Meeker's novel The Companion was named a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Literary Awards.
He is also the author of the titles Blood and Dirt, Traveling Light, Enigma, Blood Royal, and A Cape of Good Hope Christmas.
Born and raised in an intentional community in rural Colorado, he’s been a minister, a light aircraft pilot, an office worker, a janitor, a drinker, and a software developer on his way to writing novels. A Dodgers fan and three-time cancer survivor, he’s practiced and taught subtle energy healing all his adult life. He’s sung in church and rainbow choirs, and currently channels his passion for music into learning the octave mandolin. He and his husband met in 2002, and live in Montpellier, France.
His titles include Traveling Light, Russ Morgan, PI, and Stone and Shell. His novel The Companion was a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Literary Awards.
Meeker's novel The Companion was named a finalist in the 2015 Lambda Literary Awards.
He is also the author of the titles Blood and Dirt, Traveling Light, Enigma, Blood Royal, and A Cape of Good Hope Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 20, 2016
Traveling Light
By Lloyd A. Meeker
Dreamspinner Press, 2016
Cover by Temple Dragon
ISBN: 978-1-63476-653-1
Five stars
I have to love a book that starts with a quotation from Heraclitus: “A man’s character is his destiny.” It lets you know right away that this is not a romance novel—although it is a romance in the original meaning of the world for novel—roman in Medieval French. It is a fairly small story, although there are epic implications for its main character, a red-headed twenty-something living in Vancouver.
Ian McCandless is a hospice nurse. His job is to care for terminally ill people in their homes, to make their deaths more comfortable. But Ian is also training to be a shaman, embracing an ancient path of spirituality that ties him into the unseen world, referred to throughout the narrative as the Great Web. It’s no surprise that his developing skills help him in his real-world work. He has a great heart and a loving nature.
Ta-Kuat is an Anasazi shaman. He is sent into the Great Web by his teacher and mentor to find a magical object that will bring rain to his people and end the drought that threatens their future.
These two very different young men, born many centuries apart, will meet in the unseen world. Each of them has a journey; each of them has a destiny. The story of Ian and Ta-Kuat’s meeting is at the core of this novel, but the author’s real purpose is to take us along on that journey, and to open up to the reader an understanding of something startlingly profound.
I won’t delve too much into the various plot arcs, and I’d actually urge readers to skip the author’s blurb about the book at the very beginning. It gives away too much of the set-up, I think. The best way to read this gentle, eloquent novel is to simply relax and open your mind and heart to a different way of seeing things. Embrace Ian and his journey. The rest will be easy.
By Lloyd A. Meeker
Dreamspinner Press, 2016
Cover by Temple Dragon
ISBN: 978-1-63476-653-1
Five stars
I have to love a book that starts with a quotation from Heraclitus: “A man’s character is his destiny.” It lets you know right away that this is not a romance novel—although it is a romance in the original meaning of the world for novel—roman in Medieval French. It is a fairly small story, although there are epic implications for its main character, a red-headed twenty-something living in Vancouver.
Ian McCandless is a hospice nurse. His job is to care for terminally ill people in their homes, to make their deaths more comfortable. But Ian is also training to be a shaman, embracing an ancient path of spirituality that ties him into the unseen world, referred to throughout the narrative as the Great Web. It’s no surprise that his developing skills help him in his real-world work. He has a great heart and a loving nature.
Ta-Kuat is an Anasazi shaman. He is sent into the Great Web by his teacher and mentor to find a magical object that will bring rain to his people and end the drought that threatens their future.
These two very different young men, born many centuries apart, will meet in the unseen world. Each of them has a journey; each of them has a destiny. The story of Ian and Ta-Kuat’s meeting is at the core of this novel, but the author’s real purpose is to take us along on that journey, and to open up to the reader an understanding of something startlingly profound.
I won’t delve too much into the various plot arcs, and I’d actually urge readers to skip the author’s blurb about the book at the very beginning. It gives away too much of the set-up, I think. The best way to read this gentle, eloquent novel is to simply relax and open your mind and heart to a different way of seeing things. Embrace Ian and his journey. The rest will be easy.
November 30, 2016
3.5 STARS
This kind of story is right up my ally. I didn't know what to expect and I loved the main storyline but had a few issues with the internal clashing nature of the MC. It's too hard to review this book as it's too personal in nature. Great read though for people who actually want to know how some Sharman's really do work on different planes of existence. I've known a few people over the years who have done similar work and no, they were not fake, but there are so many out there. They also never placed a single advertisement during their time woking in these fields either, all work was word of mouth.
If you ever want to find someone that does this for real then if they're in costume run. If you're taken into a room of silk multi-coloured cushions, run. The bigger the Ad in the paper, the larger the neon sign or crystal ball, RUN RUN AWAY! :)
This kind of story is right up my ally. I didn't know what to expect and I loved the main storyline but had a few issues with the internal clashing nature of the MC. It's too hard to review this book as it's too personal in nature. Great read though for people who actually want to know how some Sharman's really do work on different planes of existence. I've known a few people over the years who have done similar work and no, they were not fake, but there are so many out there. They also never placed a single advertisement during their time woking in these fields either, all work was word of mouth.
If you ever want to find someone that does this for real then if they're in costume run. If you're taken into a room of silk multi-coloured cushions, run. The bigger the Ad in the paper, the larger the neon sign or crystal ball, RUN RUN AWAY! :)
July 2, 2023
Enjoyable contemporary romance with a paranormal twist and likable characters.
March 16, 2016
Ian McCandless is a hospice nurse. He not only cares for individuals who are terminally ill, but he shares his knowledge and gives them encouragement as it comes close to their time to move on. With his experience as a practicing shaman, his patients have requested him to be there to guide them in their final moments.
Ian finds himself in a dilemma when his brother, Will, is murdered during a robbery. Ian wants to use his shamanic experience to find the murderer and seek revenge, but revenge and hate are not the types of emotions a shaman can succeed with. As a shaman, he also has to control the urge not to choose a person’s path for them. Each person has a thread, and when a shaman holds that thread, he can see the future of that person. Whether good or bad, a shaman cannot interfere with anyone’s ending. Ang, who is Ian’s mentor, fears for Ian if he cannot let go of his anger.
Before Ian can be a true shaman he has to clear up his own issues. He needs to make peace with his family. I felt that he had guilt over his brother’s death—since they had been arguing at the time, there was no closure between them. Then Ian has to face a situation with his boyfriend, Sam, who tells Ian he’s afraid of him and can’t accept him as a shaman. When Sam’s sister is hurt, he seeks Ian out for help, but still denies Ian’s shamanic abilities.
On one of Ian’s shamanic journeys, he crosses paths with Ta-Kuat. From my point of view, this is where the story turned into a mystery about the existence of the “Door-Stone.” Ta-Kuat is from the Anasazi Village, in the year 1250. He is on a journey to find the “Door-Stone” for his mentor, which has the ability to help Ta-Kuat’s village survive. This meeting of Ian and Ta-Kuat also begins a unique relationship.
Traveling Light is a deep and thought provoking story. There’s a bit of a unique romance in the book as well, but the focus of the story is really on Ian and his endeavors to become a shaman. Mr. Meeker takes us on a mystical journey through different realms within the “Great Web”: All-Times-In-This-Place, All-Places-In-This-Time and All-That-Is. We meet a variety of spirit-guides: Raven, Joreb, Shining Women, Wolf-Lady and more. The author made these characters and places come alive with a colorful writing style and descriptions. Traveling Light is a story about faith, love and hope and being pure of heart and spirit, and the decisions Ian will make which will help him gain peace of mind. I highly suggest reading Traveling Light if you enjoy mysticism and spiritual journeys.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
Ian finds himself in a dilemma when his brother, Will, is murdered during a robbery. Ian wants to use his shamanic experience to find the murderer and seek revenge, but revenge and hate are not the types of emotions a shaman can succeed with. As a shaman, he also has to control the urge not to choose a person’s path for them. Each person has a thread, and when a shaman holds that thread, he can see the future of that person. Whether good or bad, a shaman cannot interfere with anyone’s ending. Ang, who is Ian’s mentor, fears for Ian if he cannot let go of his anger.
Before Ian can be a true shaman he has to clear up his own issues. He needs to make peace with his family. I felt that he had guilt over his brother’s death—since they had been arguing at the time, there was no closure between them. Then Ian has to face a situation with his boyfriend, Sam, who tells Ian he’s afraid of him and can’t accept him as a shaman. When Sam’s sister is hurt, he seeks Ian out for help, but still denies Ian’s shamanic abilities.
On one of Ian’s shamanic journeys, he crosses paths with Ta-Kuat. From my point of view, this is where the story turned into a mystery about the existence of the “Door-Stone.” Ta-Kuat is from the Anasazi Village, in the year 1250. He is on a journey to find the “Door-Stone” for his mentor, which has the ability to help Ta-Kuat’s village survive. This meeting of Ian and Ta-Kuat also begins a unique relationship.
Traveling Light is a deep and thought provoking story. There’s a bit of a unique romance in the book as well, but the focus of the story is really on Ian and his endeavors to become a shaman. Mr. Meeker takes us on a mystical journey through different realms within the “Great Web”: All-Times-In-This-Place, All-Places-In-This-Time and All-That-Is. We meet a variety of spirit-guides: Raven, Joreb, Shining Women, Wolf-Lady and more. The author made these characters and places come alive with a colorful writing style and descriptions. Traveling Light is a story about faith, love and hope and being pure of heart and spirit, and the decisions Ian will make which will help him gain peace of mind. I highly suggest reading Traveling Light if you enjoy mysticism and spiritual journeys.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...
May 6, 2011
4.5 stars.
Really enjoyed this - unique, fresh, interesting, uplifting, hopeful, unusually well written. I wouldn't call it a traditional romance, though it certainly has romantic aspects and its promising ending made it feel even more so. In fact, it really kind of defies categorization. But it was completely engrossing and captivating, with elements of mysticism and eroticism and an absorbing and complex emotional and spiritual journey that kept me captivated throughout. Highly recommended, and I'll look forward to more from this author.
Really enjoyed this - unique, fresh, interesting, uplifting, hopeful, unusually well written. I wouldn't call it a traditional romance, though it certainly has romantic aspects and its promising ending made it feel even more so. In fact, it really kind of defies categorization. But it was completely engrossing and captivating, with elements of mysticism and eroticism and an absorbing and complex emotional and spiritual journey that kept me captivated throughout. Highly recommended, and I'll look forward to more from this author.
Read
January 24, 2013This story was not my cup of tea. I don't like the ghost, spirits, shaman things. I've read this book as part of a challenge. Otherwise I would have never chosen it for a read. Too much esotericism for my taste.
I can appreciate the language, story telling and world building. But I couldn't enjoy the story.
So I won't rate this book.
If you are more open minded when it comes to the spirit and shaman storyline you will enjoy this book. It's a very different kind of MM romance story.
I can appreciate the language, story telling and world building. But I couldn't enjoy the story.
So I won't rate this book.
If you are more open minded when it comes to the spirit and shaman storyline you will enjoy this book. It's a very different kind of MM romance story.
March 25, 2014
Intriguing story, excellent world-building
May 22, 2019
Took a while to really get going but man it was worth it! It was so refreshing to read a book set in Canada using Canadian terms like toque and First Nations especially since this was written by an American author.
Ian's struggle really resonated with me. I think that regardless of spirituality we can all relate to the feelings of powerlessness Ian experiences in the face of tragedy. It was very rewarding for him to come to terms with the events of the book while also having the reader come to terms with the ending coming without the justice to tie up loose ends found in so many novels but often unfound in reality.
Ian's struggle really resonated with me. I think that regardless of spirituality we can all relate to the feelings of powerlessness Ian experiences in the face of tragedy. It was very rewarding for him to come to terms with the events of the book while also having the reader come to terms with the ending coming without the justice to tie up loose ends found in so many novels but often unfound in reality.
December 9, 2011
Review Originally Posted by C. Zampa on Miz Love and Crew Loves Books:
This will be the most unusual book sharing I’ve ever done. I tumbled thoughts over and over in my head, trying to compose the right words to review it. And…I could not do it.
Than I finally realized—this was not a book. It was a journey, a fabulous trip. The only way I can do the work justice is to simply show you the post cards of this excursion as I would any travels and warn that my humble words, like any post card or snap shot, cannot begin to compare with its real-life beauty.
Traveling Light begins in an Anasazi Village in the year 1250, where the reader joins a beautiful young Shaman named Tu-Kuat. I immediately got wonderful chills just from the ancient setting, but Mr. Meeker’s prose lent the already-scenic vision rich color and authenticity to a world I find incredibly fascinating but can only imagine. Through the author’s eyes, I am there. I’m transported.
The story (no plot—this IS C. Zampa, after all), but I will tell you that the tale alternates between Tu-Kuat’s ancient world and the world of the hero of the story, Ian MCandless. It just so happens Ian is also a soon-to-be-shaman in the present time in Vancouver.
Driven by separate missions, Ian’s path crosses with Tu-Kuat’s in the spirit world. And this realm, which is a good portion of the book—and, to me, the most magnificent, stunning factor of the journey—was as vivid and spectacularly painted as any film I’ve ever seen.
Ian’ personal life as a hospice nurse brings a handful of wonderful characters who are his patients—Edna Halliday, an elderly cancer patient; Michael Gillis, a young man dying of aids. The entire supporting cast is a wonderful menagerie of real-to-life people, folks you’d know anywhere and whose lives I found myself caring for.
Without revealing plot, I will tell you that a tragedy strikes close to Ian’s life, tearing him apart in a tug-of-war between his very human need for revenge and his loyalty to his ‘new tribe’ as a shaman. As the blurb said, the quest for revenge is forbidden as a shaman.
And his hell-bent mission to seek revenge turns out to present a most profound ‘proverb’ in the book—a recurring theme that what is justice in our eyes truly may not be, but just the opposite. There is none capable of greater evil than the self-righteous. The greatest wrongs spring from those most certain they are justified in their acts.
And another powerful message: A man’s character is his fate ---Hercalitus. A man’s character, his own destiny, IS his life and no one has the right to tamper with that, no matter what the reason.
Now to the part I find so difficult to describe, the heart of the book that captivated me, nearly broke me into tears because it was so beautiful, so breathtaking and so…real…I didn’t want to leave. The Spirit World.
Meeker’s prose was unbelievably crystal-clear in the painting of this realm. For instance, when Ian sees a loved one’s life thread in this Great Web, the telling of it was one of the most remarkable, chilling glimpses into the ‘other side’, this mystical eternity where souls just…are. They’re floating in a universe bigger than our imaginations can conceive, fragile, and then…well, see for yourself….
Then Ian floated into The Great Web again, standing at the end of Will’s life thread, watching all its shimmering potentials wink out one by one, and all the potentials of those potentials, reaching into infinity: the boisterous children never conceived, and their children’s children, the lives not touched, the sincerity, and labor and hope, the decades of love and effort—all, all faded, then, into nothing.
I’ve always been transfixed by the ancient beliefs of spirit animals, and Mr. Meeker introduces the reader to some of the most, reach-out-and-touch-them creatures I’d ever encountered. Through his telling, I understood more clearly their purpose and could readily believe that ethereal world where animal and human are one. Damn, how very, very beautiful this was.
I don’t know much else to tell without revealing plot, which in itself was absorbing and high emotion.
The scene in which Ian and Tu-Kuat connect in spirit love making is one of the most sensual, erotic, beautiful (without being graphic) I’ve read and I still smile upon recalling it. (Tu-Kuat and Ian, by the way, I found extremely sexy).
I’m not pulling your leg in saying this universe Lloyd Meeker created was so exquisite—full of pastel beauty one moment followed by the raw, red and brown roughness of the ancient Anasazi village—that I felt a heavy heart when I had to walk away and back into the real world. And I’m not joking when I say it’s just one of those books that I’d give my eye teeth to see it adapted to a screen play for a film. It is that beautiful.
This will be the most unusual book sharing I’ve ever done. I tumbled thoughts over and over in my head, trying to compose the right words to review it. And…I could not do it.
Than I finally realized—this was not a book. It was a journey, a fabulous trip. The only way I can do the work justice is to simply show you the post cards of this excursion as I would any travels and warn that my humble words, like any post card or snap shot, cannot begin to compare with its real-life beauty.
Traveling Light begins in an Anasazi Village in the year 1250, where the reader joins a beautiful young Shaman named Tu-Kuat. I immediately got wonderful chills just from the ancient setting, but Mr. Meeker’s prose lent the already-scenic vision rich color and authenticity to a world I find incredibly fascinating but can only imagine. Through the author’s eyes, I am there. I’m transported.
The story (no plot—this IS C. Zampa, after all), but I will tell you that the tale alternates between Tu-Kuat’s ancient world and the world of the hero of the story, Ian MCandless. It just so happens Ian is also a soon-to-be-shaman in the present time in Vancouver.
Driven by separate missions, Ian’s path crosses with Tu-Kuat’s in the spirit world. And this realm, which is a good portion of the book—and, to me, the most magnificent, stunning factor of the journey—was as vivid and spectacularly painted as any film I’ve ever seen.
Ian’ personal life as a hospice nurse brings a handful of wonderful characters who are his patients—Edna Halliday, an elderly cancer patient; Michael Gillis, a young man dying of aids. The entire supporting cast is a wonderful menagerie of real-to-life people, folks you’d know anywhere and whose lives I found myself caring for.
Without revealing plot, I will tell you that a tragedy strikes close to Ian’s life, tearing him apart in a tug-of-war between his very human need for revenge and his loyalty to his ‘new tribe’ as a shaman. As the blurb said, the quest for revenge is forbidden as a shaman.
And his hell-bent mission to seek revenge turns out to present a most profound ‘proverb’ in the book—a recurring theme that what is justice in our eyes truly may not be, but just the opposite. There is none capable of greater evil than the self-righteous. The greatest wrongs spring from those most certain they are justified in their acts.
And another powerful message: A man’s character is his fate ---Hercalitus. A man’s character, his own destiny, IS his life and no one has the right to tamper with that, no matter what the reason.
Now to the part I find so difficult to describe, the heart of the book that captivated me, nearly broke me into tears because it was so beautiful, so breathtaking and so…real…I didn’t want to leave. The Spirit World.
Meeker’s prose was unbelievably crystal-clear in the painting of this realm. For instance, when Ian sees a loved one’s life thread in this Great Web, the telling of it was one of the most remarkable, chilling glimpses into the ‘other side’, this mystical eternity where souls just…are. They’re floating in a universe bigger than our imaginations can conceive, fragile, and then…well, see for yourself….
Then Ian floated into The Great Web again, standing at the end of Will’s life thread, watching all its shimmering potentials wink out one by one, and all the potentials of those potentials, reaching into infinity: the boisterous children never conceived, and their children’s children, the lives not touched, the sincerity, and labor and hope, the decades of love and effort—all, all faded, then, into nothing.
I’ve always been transfixed by the ancient beliefs of spirit animals, and Mr. Meeker introduces the reader to some of the most, reach-out-and-touch-them creatures I’d ever encountered. Through his telling, I understood more clearly their purpose and could readily believe that ethereal world where animal and human are one. Damn, how very, very beautiful this was.
I don’t know much else to tell without revealing plot, which in itself was absorbing and high emotion.
The scene in which Ian and Tu-Kuat connect in spirit love making is one of the most sensual, erotic, beautiful (without being graphic) I’ve read and I still smile upon recalling it. (Tu-Kuat and Ian, by the way, I found extremely sexy).
I’m not pulling your leg in saying this universe Lloyd Meeker created was so exquisite—full of pastel beauty one moment followed by the raw, red and brown roughness of the ancient Anasazi village—that I felt a heavy heart when I had to walk away and back into the real world. And I’m not joking when I say it’s just one of those books that I’d give my eye teeth to see it adapted to a screen play for a film. It is that beautiful.
Read
December 22, 2011From my point of view, Traveling Light is more a romance than what other reviewers let imply, but it’s not an ordinary romance. The love story between Ta-Kuat and Ian arrives also to a physical level, but it’s not really the focus of everything. I found Ian to be very “physical”, someone who needed to express his feelings also through his body, and Ta-Kuat found a way to allow that.
Ta-Kuat is a shaman of the XIII century, Ian an hospice nurse and wanna-be shaman of the XXI century; almost 800 years divide them, and it’s really impossible to hope they will find a way to be together forever, but as I said, that is not their main reason to be. From my perspective, Ian needs to find a center, to be able to first understand himself to then being able to understand and help other people. It’s an hard test what destiny put him through, hurting him deeply with the death of his own brother, tempting him with the idea of vengeance, and basically depriving him of security, even arriving to break the bond with his own boyfriend, Sam.
I follow Ian through his path, in a way with the wrong expectation: I found myself in the middle between Sam and Ta-Kuat, at time hoping Ian would choose one or the other, and then when Gerard entered the scene, I sometime was half-hoping he would be the answer. But I was wrong, since my expectations were wrong. The ultimate target of Ian’s quest was not to find love, but to find balance. His ultimate scope is to become the right man to help other, and if that means to be alone, at least for a bit, so it will be. Of course the author is not so bad to not let Ian with a little hope of happily ever after also for him, but that maybe will be the object of another tale.
It was difficult for me to soak up all the notions this novel put in motion, basically since you can’t face them with a clinical mind, but you have to have blind faith, something I sincerely am missing; Ian is not at all Christian, but some of his attitude is a bit like that, blind faith religion, believing that everything, even the most threating evil can be “cured” by faith. That is something I sincerely am not able to accept, probably since I was burned more than once. On the other side, I believe in some sort of fate, of helping/healing power from something you don’t see or understand, and of that this novel is plenty.
I will not arrive to suggest this book to everyone, especially not if you are searching something light (despite the title); but if you are ready to read something that will test your beliefs, that will question your faith, and will leave you with some answers to understand, well, Traveling Light is your choice.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608203174/?...
Ta-Kuat is a shaman of the XIII century, Ian an hospice nurse and wanna-be shaman of the XXI century; almost 800 years divide them, and it’s really impossible to hope they will find a way to be together forever, but as I said, that is not their main reason to be. From my perspective, Ian needs to find a center, to be able to first understand himself to then being able to understand and help other people. It’s an hard test what destiny put him through, hurting him deeply with the death of his own brother, tempting him with the idea of vengeance, and basically depriving him of security, even arriving to break the bond with his own boyfriend, Sam.
I follow Ian through his path, in a way with the wrong expectation: I found myself in the middle between Sam and Ta-Kuat, at time hoping Ian would choose one or the other, and then when Gerard entered the scene, I sometime was half-hoping he would be the answer. But I was wrong, since my expectations were wrong. The ultimate target of Ian’s quest was not to find love, but to find balance. His ultimate scope is to become the right man to help other, and if that means to be alone, at least for a bit, so it will be. Of course the author is not so bad to not let Ian with a little hope of happily ever after also for him, but that maybe will be the object of another tale.
It was difficult for me to soak up all the notions this novel put in motion, basically since you can’t face them with a clinical mind, but you have to have blind faith, something I sincerely am missing; Ian is not at all Christian, but some of his attitude is a bit like that, blind faith religion, believing that everything, even the most threating evil can be “cured” by faith. That is something I sincerely am not able to accept, probably since I was burned more than once. On the other side, I believe in some sort of fate, of helping/healing power from something you don’t see or understand, and of that this novel is plenty.
I will not arrive to suggest this book to everyone, especially not if you are searching something light (despite the title); but if you are ready to read something that will test your beliefs, that will question your faith, and will leave you with some answers to understand, well, Traveling Light is your choice.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1608203174/?...
April 20, 2016
Did I enjoy Traveling Light? Not sure, it definitely intrigued me and that motivated me to finish it. I'm not sure why but I just couldn't seem to relate to the MC character of Ian enough to find myself truly engaged with the story. At times I was extremely irritated with him and really wanted nothing more than to smack him in the back of the head and tell him to get a clue. However, in the end I think a lot of this was my personal viewpoint more so than the story or the way it was presented.
I did find the book seemed to be a bit repetitive with it's symbolisms, euphemisms or whatever life lessons were being imparted to Ian at the time. Also on occasion the jumping back and forth between the real world and the spirit world became a bit disconcerting and had me backtracking for a paragraph or two feeling like I'd missed something.
However, at the end of it all Travelling Light was a well written book and unusual story that left me with some food for thought and new viewpoints on life to consider. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read.
I did find the book seemed to be a bit repetitive with it's symbolisms, euphemisms or whatever life lessons were being imparted to Ian at the time. Also on occasion the jumping back and forth between the real world and the spirit world became a bit disconcerting and had me backtracking for a paragraph or two feeling like I'd missed something.
However, at the end of it all Travelling Light was a well written book and unusual story that left me with some food for thought and new viewpoints on life to consider. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read.
April 22, 2019
After the first chapter I slowly got immersed in this story about Ian who wants to become a spiritual guide. He helps his clients and friends by traveling in a spirit world and helping them to make there own choices. Before he can be accepted as a shaman and be truly of help to other people, he has to deal with his own issues. I loved Ian and felt for him while he struggled to deal with the loss of his brother. I didn't like all the characters in his life, I found Ang very distant and cold and I never got to know Sam very well. I didn't like the lack of comfort Ian received about his loss and that no one tried to help him deal with his need for revenge. I could feel Ian's hurt when Sam couldn't accept Ian's choice to be a shaman. I loved Michael and Ta-Kuat.
There was a moral in the story that I felt sometimes was too dominant. I think there was nothing wrong with the message itself but it was too explicit for my taste.
I like the concept of a world in which everything and everybody is connected, it's vaguely comforting to me.
There was a moral in the story that I felt sometimes was too dominant. I think there was nothing wrong with the message itself but it was too explicit for my taste.
I like the concept of a world in which everything and everybody is connected, it's vaguely comforting to me.
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April 10, 2013Don't categorize it as a romance. Sure there's some romance/relationship stuff in it, but this book is beyond formulaic tropes. It had some slow times, but otherwise was and interesting exploration of one's place in the world and the choices we make.
April 23, 2017
A compelling story about a man's (spiritual) journey to become a shaman. It's a powerful and moral story without being preachy. There's a bit of romance in it, but this was not a romance story. Actually, I kind of pitied Sam because it seemed he's just an afterthought to Ian.
May 12, 2011
Good, although Ian is a bit of an idiot and a CHEATER
September 1, 2011
Really enjoyed the unique, unusual about a "Shaman-in-Training", torn between his spirituality and his thirst for revenge. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
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