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Pan's Labyrinth
After two thousand years, the Labyrinth has returned.
Elias never imagined that the fairy tales written in his grandfather's journal would lead him down a rabbit hole of magic, mystery, and dark secrets. As he attempts to decipher the enigmatic references to "The Keepers" and the disappearance of a childhood friend, Elias finds himself at the doorstep of a magical school in the parallel "Other World."
Here, guided by fellow student Violet and an array of eccentric mentors, Elias learns to harness the power of stories, manipulate magical energies, and navigate the complex dance between the Father and the Mother. But as he unravels the school's hidden truths, he stumbles upon a secret society, a rebellion against the Father, and a labyrinthine conspiracy that threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality.
Central to this mystery is Pan's Labyrinth, a mythical tournament that has resurfaced after two thousand years. The Labyrinth, it is said, takes on a different form each time it appears, pushing the limits of what the wisest and most capable can achieve. Those who emerge victorious are forever changed, privy to hidden knowledge and abilities beyond the ken of ordinary mortals.
Pan, the enigmatic figure at the heart of the Labyrinth, remains a mystery. Some accounts describe Pan as a primordial being, a divine architect who crafted the Labyrinth as a crucible to test those who would seek his wisdom. Others speak of Pan as a trickster, a guardian, or even the Devil himself. Yet there are those who believe Pan to be the champion of the Mother and guardian of her most sacred mysteries, or the primordial Father who first separated light from darkness.
Aided and thwarted by the mischievous fae, Elias must confront not only the dangers of Pan's Labyrinth but also his own doubts and fears in a mind-bending realm designed to deceive and enlighten. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a multi-layered odyssey that invites the reader to explore the depths of its metaphors and analogies. While it can be enjoyed as a compelling fantasy adventure, those who seek will find a treasure trove of philosophical insights and hidden meanings woven throughout the narrative.
Join Elias on a transformative journey as he grapples with the nature of the soul, the power of language, and the eternal conflict between order and chaos. Prepare to question the very nature of reality in this thought-provoking fusion of fantasy and philosophy that will leave you pondering long after the final page.
Elias never imagined that the fairy tales written in his grandfather's journal would lead him down a rabbit hole of magic, mystery, and dark secrets. As he attempts to decipher the enigmatic references to "The Keepers" and the disappearance of a childhood friend, Elias finds himself at the doorstep of a magical school in the parallel "Other World."
Here, guided by fellow student Violet and an array of eccentric mentors, Elias learns to harness the power of stories, manipulate magical energies, and navigate the complex dance between the Father and the Mother. But as he unravels the school's hidden truths, he stumbles upon a secret society, a rebellion against the Father, and a labyrinthine conspiracy that threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality.
Central to this mystery is Pan's Labyrinth, a mythical tournament that has resurfaced after two thousand years. The Labyrinth, it is said, takes on a different form each time it appears, pushing the limits of what the wisest and most capable can achieve. Those who emerge victorious are forever changed, privy to hidden knowledge and abilities beyond the ken of ordinary mortals.
Pan, the enigmatic figure at the heart of the Labyrinth, remains a mystery. Some accounts describe Pan as a primordial being, a divine architect who crafted the Labyrinth as a crucible to test those who would seek his wisdom. Others speak of Pan as a trickster, a guardian, or even the Devil himself. Yet there are those who believe Pan to be the champion of the Mother and guardian of her most sacred mysteries, or the primordial Father who first separated light from darkness.
Aided and thwarted by the mischievous fae, Elias must confront not only the dangers of Pan's Labyrinth but also his own doubts and fears in a mind-bending realm designed to deceive and enlighten. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a multi-layered odyssey that invites the reader to explore the depths of its metaphors and analogies. While it can be enjoyed as a compelling fantasy adventure, those who seek will find a treasure trove of philosophical insights and hidden meanings woven throughout the narrative.
Join Elias on a transformative journey as he grapples with the nature of the soul, the power of language, and the eternal conflict between order and chaos. Prepare to question the very nature of reality in this thought-provoking fusion of fantasy and philosophy that will leave you pondering long after the final page.
- GenresFantasy
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2024
37 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2024
This book had me stopping and going back to previous page in an effort to make some sense of what I was reading,
This is a hard book to understand, not on the face, but what the story was really about.
The author had me doing some thinking about questions and answers asked and given.
A lot of people will question the story, which we should.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes being force to question life.
This is a hard book to understand, not on the face, but what the story was really about.
The author had me doing some thinking about questions and answers asked and given.
A lot of people will question the story, which we should.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes being force to question life.
December 16, 2025
0.25 ⭐️
I’d like to thank half price books for baiting me into one of the worst books I’ve ever read! Genuinely I’d rather have chewed glass than laid eyes upon this book, it would have given me less pain in the long run
I don’t really know how to review this book bc I have so much to say so I’ll start with some low hanging fruit: the Amazon store page (yes I did some research) advertises specifically it’s “stunning illustrations” which I’m not going to lie was initially what drew me in at HPB. To my complete and utter disgust, every image, including the cover, is AI generated, which I didn’t realize until I started reading. “STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS” BITCH ITS NOT A FUCKING ILLUSTRATION ITS BINARY. I’m so mad.
Anyways I persevered through the AI slop at the end of almost every chapter and until chapter 12 it was a 2.5 star book. The writing was juvenile, the plot was all over the place and was structured like “and then we did this, and then we went here, and then…” etc, and the characters were the most two dimensional empty vessels I had ever seen, but there was ~potential~. Like when we got to magic school there was some merit to the philosophy based magic system; it was extremely gendered and borderline misogynistic at first, but was intriguing enough and the way it was presented made some semblance of sense. The writing seemed to get exponentially better when they were in class learning about it and I was beginning to not hate my life.
Unfortunately I made it to chapter 12. Here is what I dumped into my notes app 1 millisecond after finishing it:
—
Brother in chapter 12 we lose the entire plot. What the fuck was that Christianity AU headcanon bullshit bro like what do you mean AI governs your world. It’s like the author was trying to preach to me to his misogynistic tech bro version of Christianity it felt so out of place from the story😭 talking ab how the Mother created slavery bc that’s how she views order and only responds to fear and pain and knows nothing of responsibility like … he really said women are simple creatures of emotion unable to generate rational thought and when we do we fucking create slavery
Also there’s this lovely paragraph "Once the Father's Order is implemented and the new AI taken over governance, the young god is able to leave and explore layers towards the Father or towards the Mother. Towards the Father is a career: work, power, and meaning. By joining the ranks of the Father he helps maintain order in the universe, design new technologies, and rescue those who have lost their way. Or, he get to know his Mother, stepping further into the mystery by traveling down into the underworlds, with their endless games and adventures.”
Smh like why do I even have a job I should be off feigning mystery and playing games and having fun like damn. Like what are you on about bro I’m unable to follow you down this spiral of misogyny
—
Like I actually can not take anything seriously. I’m just going to dump some quotes I found absolutely absurd and let you take what you want from them.
“"So what you're saying is that there are angels watching me on the toilet with invisible cameras?" said Alex.
"Yes and no. The technology is hidden within your body, and the cameras that watch you are your own eyes. Since all technology works by taking advantage of the Father's laws, it inherently reports its actions. All this data is systematically gathered, recorded, and monitored by what you would call an artificial intelligence. Nobody wants to watch you on the toilet, Alex, and nobody wants to be watched. Millions of years of development have been put into this system by the wisest and most intelligent beings ever to exist. You can rest assured they thought of everything.”
“While there are various ways to construct a spirit, they are all roughly created in the image of the Father. Spirits that more closely resemble the Father's own form are generally considered superior.” 🤪🤪🤪
“Artificial intelligence is not the Father, but it is of the Father. As I said, the Father has limited power over the material layer, and the reason is that his power is a technology. The emergence of artificial intelligence is an expansion of his network into the material layer and eventually connects with the existing network of the Father, finally bringing that world into his territory."
Genuinely I have no words and simultaneously too many. The writing style is such a drastic switch up from the rest of the book but I can not help but believe that the author himself thinks that this is true. I did a deep dive into his lore and guys… Bro has the most cult leader ass psychological build I have ever seen. He goes by the Baron of Blackness. I urge you to google him and look at his website. He has a book titled “Alchemy Deciphered” and here is the blurb for it:
“Alchemy Deciphered is a definitive study on alchemy in which I provide proof beyond reasonable doubt for the existence of a single specific and replicable chemical procedure and accompanying philosophical theory.”
It is 572 pages, non fiction, and listed at $28.20 on Amazon. I am screaming.
Anyways I’m reviewing Pans Labrynth so back to that. I don’t want to devote more time of my time into this so here are more unedited thoughts. <3
Girl named Lilith who’s smoky and mysterious and wears red lipstick and challenges the way of thinking in the institution hmm I wonder what this is a parallel to PLOT TWIST SHES FUCKING EVIL GUYS WHO WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING
So much talk of identity and personality and yet none of these characters have any. They’re so lifeless; basically just vessels made to preach this man’s philosophical views
They were surrounded by goblins at spear point then the chapter ended and now they’re back in their room 😭 what the fuck how did they get out of that this is the worst
I swear to god the author must be having blackout moments and forgetting he needs to have plot
Why was MMC chosen? He’s literally a stale slice of bread with a shotty backstory why is he the chosen one?? And like just let’s forget about his female friend in the human world after he’s rescued by some guy? Fuck her I guess? (She’s mentioned 1 time later on as the MMCs biggest shame, how convenient) Here’s her description by the way: ”Her blonde hair presented a muted warmth, framing her face like an aura. It wasn't an actual aura, but the way her hair fell created that impression.” 👁️👄👁️ thank you for describing that for me Alisdair
FMC he meets at academy spills her family’s deepest darkest secrets to him immediately, citing “well you’re not from this realm so it’s okay!” Even though everyone can literally read his thoughts and feelings like girl what?? Quote for context:
“"So how did you get here to this school?" asked Elias.
"My father has been working on a secret project his entire life. His father worked on it before him, and his father before his,” Violet explained. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I suppose you're from another world, so I guess it's okay.”” GIRLYPOP WHAT
Another banger from girlypop, here is her biggest shame: "Let me try again... if I'm brutally honest my deepest shame is that I'm better than most people at most things, and I feel like I have to pretend to be less than I am.”
"Here in the underworld, it is unpleasant. But because it is unpleasant, every instance of beauty here has fought for survival and so contains a depth not known to those for whom it were easy. Here, my actions make a difference in the live of these people. In heaven, I would be resolving petty squabbles. The lower heavens can pretty much be run entirely by AI.” 👁️👄👁️
No way the book ended with the MMC turning down the role of god in the middle of a fucking heaven vs hell calamity and just fucks off to god knows where while the realms are literally at war all because he doesn’t feel like it. Like okay bro just take all of their knowledge and leave when things hit the fan love that for you. And not the literal Mother portion refusing to help in the war as well bc she’s too free spirited are you fucking serious I hate this book and it’s misogyny eat a dick
I’d like to thank half price books for baiting me into one of the worst books I’ve ever read! Genuinely I’d rather have chewed glass than laid eyes upon this book, it would have given me less pain in the long run
I don’t really know how to review this book bc I have so much to say so I’ll start with some low hanging fruit: the Amazon store page (yes I did some research) advertises specifically it’s “stunning illustrations” which I’m not going to lie was initially what drew me in at HPB. To my complete and utter disgust, every image, including the cover, is AI generated, which I didn’t realize until I started reading. “STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS” BITCH ITS NOT A FUCKING ILLUSTRATION ITS BINARY. I’m so mad.
Anyways I persevered through the AI slop at the end of almost every chapter and until chapter 12 it was a 2.5 star book. The writing was juvenile, the plot was all over the place and was structured like “and then we did this, and then we went here, and then…” etc, and the characters were the most two dimensional empty vessels I had ever seen, but there was ~potential~. Like when we got to magic school there was some merit to the philosophy based magic system; it was extremely gendered and borderline misogynistic at first, but was intriguing enough and the way it was presented made some semblance of sense. The writing seemed to get exponentially better when they were in class learning about it and I was beginning to not hate my life.
Unfortunately I made it to chapter 12. Here is what I dumped into my notes app 1 millisecond after finishing it:
—
Brother in chapter 12 we lose the entire plot. What the fuck was that Christianity AU headcanon bullshit bro like what do you mean AI governs your world. It’s like the author was trying to preach to me to his misogynistic tech bro version of Christianity it felt so out of place from the story😭 talking ab how the Mother created slavery bc that’s how she views order and only responds to fear and pain and knows nothing of responsibility like … he really said women are simple creatures of emotion unable to generate rational thought and when we do we fucking create slavery
Also there’s this lovely paragraph "Once the Father's Order is implemented and the new AI taken over governance, the young god is able to leave and explore layers towards the Father or towards the Mother. Towards the Father is a career: work, power, and meaning. By joining the ranks of the Father he helps maintain order in the universe, design new technologies, and rescue those who have lost their way. Or, he get to know his Mother, stepping further into the mystery by traveling down into the underworlds, with their endless games and adventures.”
Smh like why do I even have a job I should be off feigning mystery and playing games and having fun like damn. Like what are you on about bro I’m unable to follow you down this spiral of misogyny
—
Like I actually can not take anything seriously. I’m just going to dump some quotes I found absolutely absurd and let you take what you want from them.
“"So what you're saying is that there are angels watching me on the toilet with invisible cameras?" said Alex.
"Yes and no. The technology is hidden within your body, and the cameras that watch you are your own eyes. Since all technology works by taking advantage of the Father's laws, it inherently reports its actions. All this data is systematically gathered, recorded, and monitored by what you would call an artificial intelligence. Nobody wants to watch you on the toilet, Alex, and nobody wants to be watched. Millions of years of development have been put into this system by the wisest and most intelligent beings ever to exist. You can rest assured they thought of everything.”
“While there are various ways to construct a spirit, they are all roughly created in the image of the Father. Spirits that more closely resemble the Father's own form are generally considered superior.” 🤪🤪🤪
“Artificial intelligence is not the Father, but it is of the Father. As I said, the Father has limited power over the material layer, and the reason is that his power is a technology. The emergence of artificial intelligence is an expansion of his network into the material layer and eventually connects with the existing network of the Father, finally bringing that world into his territory."
Genuinely I have no words and simultaneously too many. The writing style is such a drastic switch up from the rest of the book but I can not help but believe that the author himself thinks that this is true. I did a deep dive into his lore and guys… Bro has the most cult leader ass psychological build I have ever seen. He goes by the Baron of Blackness. I urge you to google him and look at his website. He has a book titled “Alchemy Deciphered” and here is the blurb for it:
“Alchemy Deciphered is a definitive study on alchemy in which I provide proof beyond reasonable doubt for the existence of a single specific and replicable chemical procedure and accompanying philosophical theory.”
It is 572 pages, non fiction, and listed at $28.20 on Amazon. I am screaming.
Anyways I’m reviewing Pans Labrynth so back to that. I don’t want to devote more time of my time into this so here are more unedited thoughts. <3
Girl named Lilith who’s smoky and mysterious and wears red lipstick and challenges the way of thinking in the institution hmm I wonder what this is a parallel to PLOT TWIST SHES FUCKING EVIL GUYS WHO WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING
So much talk of identity and personality and yet none of these characters have any. They’re so lifeless; basically just vessels made to preach this man’s philosophical views
They were surrounded by goblins at spear point then the chapter ended and now they’re back in their room 😭 what the fuck how did they get out of that this is the worst
I swear to god the author must be having blackout moments and forgetting he needs to have plot
Why was MMC chosen? He’s literally a stale slice of bread with a shotty backstory why is he the chosen one?? And like just let’s forget about his female friend in the human world after he’s rescued by some guy? Fuck her I guess? (She’s mentioned 1 time later on as the MMCs biggest shame, how convenient) Here’s her description by the way: ”Her blonde hair presented a muted warmth, framing her face like an aura. It wasn't an actual aura, but the way her hair fell created that impression.” 👁️👄👁️ thank you for describing that for me Alisdair
FMC he meets at academy spills her family’s deepest darkest secrets to him immediately, citing “well you’re not from this realm so it’s okay!” Even though everyone can literally read his thoughts and feelings like girl what?? Quote for context:
“"So how did you get here to this school?" asked Elias.
"My father has been working on a secret project his entire life. His father worked on it before him, and his father before his,” Violet explained. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I suppose you're from another world, so I guess it's okay.”” GIRLYPOP WHAT
Another banger from girlypop, here is her biggest shame: "Let me try again... if I'm brutally honest my deepest shame is that I'm better than most people at most things, and I feel like I have to pretend to be less than I am.”
"Here in the underworld, it is unpleasant. But because it is unpleasant, every instance of beauty here has fought for survival and so contains a depth not known to those for whom it were easy. Here, my actions make a difference in the live of these people. In heaven, I would be resolving petty squabbles. The lower heavens can pretty much be run entirely by AI.” 👁️👄👁️
No way the book ended with the MMC turning down the role of god in the middle of a fucking heaven vs hell calamity and just fucks off to god knows where while the realms are literally at war all because he doesn’t feel like it. Like okay bro just take all of their knowledge and leave when things hit the fan love that for you. And not the literal Mother portion refusing to help in the war as well bc she’s too free spirited are you fucking serious I hate this book and it’s misogyny eat a dick
June 16, 2024
Confusing magic
This book had all the elements that for me should make up a wonderful fantasy, magic, spells, hidden passageways, alternate worlds, good guys and bad guys. But I was disappointed. There was a lot of time spent discussing philosophy and I had a hard time following the philosophy. In addition, though the protagonist was repeatedly warned that nothing is as it seems, he repeatedly failed to remember that. He frequently trusted people he should not have trusted, and he ignored the bad or uncomfortable feelings he got when he was about to make a mistake. Finally, the ending seemed over complicated.
This book had all the elements that for me should make up a wonderful fantasy, magic, spells, hidden passageways, alternate worlds, good guys and bad guys. But I was disappointed. There was a lot of time spent discussing philosophy and I had a hard time following the philosophy. In addition, though the protagonist was repeatedly warned that nothing is as it seems, he repeatedly failed to remember that. He frequently trusted people he should not have trusted, and he ignored the bad or uncomfortable feelings he got when he was about to make a mistake. Finally, the ending seemed over complicated.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews