Hello from the other side, pornies (pun intended). Today I come with a book I wanted to read for a while, one filled with stories, legends, myths, and article that deal with the marvelous topics of death and ancestors. I'm speaking about A Bridge to the Other Side, by Michael P. Berman. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!
- Print Length: 177 pages.
- Publisher: John Hunt Publishing (April 16, 2012)
- Publication Date: April 16, 2012.
- Genres: Fiction, Folklore, Legends, Myths.
- Rating: 3 / 5 stars.
A Bridge to the Other Side is a collection of articles and traditional folk tales that deal with our feelings about and attitudes towards Death, both our own death and that of those nearest and dearest to us. A bridge between earth and heaven, this world and the next, features in the mythology of many different peoples. For example, in Norse legends, Bifröst or Bilröst is a burning rainbow bridge between Midgard, the world, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The bridge is known as Bilröst in the Poetic Edda; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and as Bifröst in the Prose Edda; written in the 13th century by Snorri Stureuson. Both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda alternately refer to the bridge as Asbrú (Old Norse Æsirs means bridge). The Persians believed in a bridge between earth and paradise too. In his prayers the penitent in his confession would say: I am wholly without doubt in the existence of the Mazdayaçnian faith; in the coming of the resurrection of the latter body; in the stepping over the bridge Chinvat; as well as in the continuance of paradise.
As the synopsis explains, you can expect a lot of myths and legends taken from different cultures that deal with death and the afterlife. They're so different and diverse that there's actually a little bit of everything for everyone. They all have different styles that go from the tragic to the comic, and I'm not kidding about it because there were a few chapters with which Michael P. Berman made me smile and even laugh!
What I liked the most is that I didn't know about these stories before reading A Bridge to the Other Side. It would have been so easy to take the most well-known legends that these unknown beauties were surprising gifts. It kept me interested at all times, immersing me in worlds of monsters, heroes, adventures, and the endless quest for immortality.
However, as with all anthologies, it's impossible to like all of the stories, and there a few I didn't enjoy that much. This is just a matter of personal taste and I know it will happen to any reader, so it's not a big deal. What I found a bit problematic was that the format of some stories was a little disorganized: text before the titles, references and quotes in different formats, and similar things, that took me out of the reading.
All in all, Michael P. Berman has done an interesting book that will keep you thinking about death for a while. Whether you're a death enthusiast, a folklore lover, or just someone who wants a different book, A Bridge to the Other Side is the right choice. It made me smile, fear, laugh, and smile again, because no matter what it was a really positive reading that makes you feel the afterlife as the peaceful place we all want it to be.
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