An Unlikely Prophet: A Metaphysical Memoir by the Legendary Writer of Superman and Batman Paperback – April 21, 2006

All I can say is, best book to-date, and I've read hundreds in my 70+ years.THANK You, Mr. Schwartz. I believe that : "When the Reader is ready,the book will appear"!Malou Zeitlin

Move over Dan Millman (Way of the Peaceful Warrior), Carlos Castaneda- put yourself in the reject bin. This book is far beyond the ego-centric idea of changing lives; it is like watching a ti-chi grandmaster effortlessly flow in the heart of a hurricane, or a crippled old Aikido Grandmaster cause a strong black belt to cower and retreat crawling across the floor by waving his hand a meter in front of them; whereas most books in the inspirational metaphysical category are more like watching a couple of drunks argue and fight. This book just tells one man's story, feelings and memory without the need to prove a point. Those who have a point to prove are not wise, sand those who strive to change lives pave the road to chaos. This here book is genuine and heartfelt.---aloha

I read about 75-100 books a year, and first read this one about ten years ago. If making a list of my top five favorite books this one would be on it. Schwartz talks about Tibetan mysticism, the nature of reality (and many related subjects), and comic books in a fun and interesting narrative. Great book!

Boring. If you're an avid reader, like me, boring is as much as you need to really know.

Every now and again there comes a book which is genre-defying in the truest sense. Comics great Alvin Schwartz was likely aware that his last work,  An Unlikely Prophet , would prove difficult for his audience to categorize – and so the original 1997 edition was subtitled "Revelations on the Path Without Form," setting it well outside the realm of conventional fiction and into that of esoterica. The 2006 reprint used a different subtitle, likely a new publisher’s sales-pitch: "A Metaphysical Memoir by the Legendary Writer of Superman and Batman."Mercantile logic notwithstanding, that latter subtitle is perhaps more revealing as far as genre is concerned; as a first-person narrative,  An Unlikely Prophet  is very much a memoir, though one that is largely fictionalized – allegorized, even – to tackle metaphysical notions. The novel is reminiscent of Richard Bach’s  Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah , Herman Hesse’s  Siddhartha , and the best documents of the New Thought movement in that it blurs the ordinary distinction between thinking and reality. Mr.Thongden, the character whom Schwartz uses as a mouthpiece for his esoteric views, is masterfully introduced and developed, being revealed early on to be a "tulpa" (a kind of thought-golem). Schwartz’ prose is mature and researched, seamlessly integrating references to the Fine Arts, Hawaiian and Tibetan ethnography, neurology, and new physics. An Unlikely Prophet ’s pacing might have benefited from the use of more diverse situations in which to explore the ideas being presented; be that as it may, this is a small complaint considering the novel’s short length. As the book lends itself to many levels of interpretation, readers uninterested in the author’s metaphysical persuasion may still find it an interesting exercise in the style of magical realism. An Unlikely ProphetAn Unlikely ProphetIllusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant MessiahSiddharthaAn Unlikely Prophet

A great real-life tale of Tulsas - ie. thought forms brought into physical being. Entertaining and good for anyone exploring the metaphysical aspects of reality, who accepts that physical manifestation is only the tip of the iceberg ;)