BOOK REVIEW - REVELATIONS PART II

Revelations - Part II by Zachary Valtschanoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Revelations Part II is a real cornucopia of elemental imagery. Eastern spiritual thought meets Norse mythology, great archetypes collide, and in the midst of it all stands the writer, somehow weaving these elements together as part of a personal journey.

I found this second instalment more artistic than the first, the vision and the writing more mature. The figurative language and symbolism are also stronger (the kindling of spinal flames, the mind growing new teeth) and I really got the sense of an ongoing inner battle, particularly between the pull of the annihilating, comforting mother and the steely, unknowable father.

Zachary presents ideas I’m familiar with in the sort of poetic language missing from more academic works (the Cosmic Egg and Great Mother stuff makes more sense here than it does coming from Erich Neumann, for instance). I really enjoy this as it gives more room for interpretation.

And that’s about all I can say for now: this isn’t a one-and-done kind of read, and I will be coming back to it after the final instalment for second and third reads.

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