Illusions II: The Adventures of a Reluctant Student

Never think it will never happen to you. If it does happen and you awake never think no one cares. Even those who you grew to love in fiction stand by you.A real life and death story that inspires one to go on living. Even those material things that brought you comfort return to do the same.A quick, enjoyable and inspirational read

I love books like Illusions II, and I do admit to loving Jonathan Livingston Seagull, maybe because they make me think, or maybe it's because they're short. Regardless, Richard Bach writes in such a warm, and inviting way that his wisdom soaks in like butter on a warm biscuit.I'd heard about Bach's accident while I was in the San Juan's where it happened. I couldn't believe it. Then I heard Bach speak on the radio show Coast to Coast AM, and heard that he'd written about his accident and coma. After hearing Bach talk about his experience, I couldn't wait read his book. It was much more than I'd expected.Richard Bach seems to have the ability to see the world from a spiritual perspective. He writes his conversations with characters from his books, where they thank him for giving them a history. He talks of conversations with his float plane Puff, and how she saved his life by taking the blunt of the fall on her right wing. It's like Bach is some sort of modern shaman, with the ability to go between the worlds, bringing back the wisdom from the higher-spiritual world.Here is an example of one of the nuggets of wisdom that Bach give his reader: 'There's no blessing that can't be a disaster, and no disaster that can't be a blessing.' loc. 22'God doesn't protect anyone. Everyone's already indestructible.' loc. 43 Bach or his guide, explain that we create these illusions of separation from our creator to play out dramas which teach us valuable lessons, and help us grow as souls. I guess that means we all need to stop being victims in a play we've written ourselves.During his coma and subsequent Near Death Experience, Bach was given three choices, to die, go back to Earth, or go back to his Earth. Now that's something interesting. Are there other Earths, or dimension that parallel ours, just as the quantum physics states? Does every choice we make continue on without us? Do we divide ourselves up and live out those lives? Was Bach given a choice to join another life in progress where he made different choices?Illusions II is one short, easy to understand, and very interesting book, written by a warm and wonderful author.

This is a difficult book to review. I believe the value of this book, much more than others I have read, depends greatly on the expectations of the reader. Knowing this may help you if you have read many of the other reviews and are confused by the wide range of comments. I can think of three different kinds of readers who will have totally different reactions to this book; those who have not read any of Mr. Bach's previous books; those who have read his other books and found them entertaining; and, those who have read previous books and found them enlightening.First, if you have not read any of Mr. Bach's previous books, I don't think you will find this book either entertaining or enlightening. At a minimum, you should read Illusions first. And, you should probably read Jonathan Livingston Seagull also, but that would not be critical. Having read one or both of those books, you then need to understand that over 40 years after writing them, Mr. Bach had a near death experience following a horrific aircraft accident that happened while he was the pilot of his homemade plane which he endearingly calls Puff. Illusions II is the story of the 'resurrection' of both the pilot and the plane. It has a strong relation to some events that were detailed in Illusions. Hence, the title.For those readers who are fans of Mr. Bach and found his previous books entertaining, you may be disappointed in this one. I would consider Illusions II to be a reflective autobiographical sketch of a very short span of Mr. Bach's life. The focus is on the last two years. I would not consider it an entertaining story. I would consider it a sketchy recollection of events following a terrible accident.For those readers who are fans of Mr. Bach and found his previous books enlightening, and I am one, you may find many things in this book. At a minimum, it is informative in that it explains the near death experience of the author. Some parts are a little puzzling. To me, it did not reflect the writing style of his previous works. There were some flashes of that style, however brief. I think that is to be expected given the man was in a coma, given only a small chance of living, and then rehabilitated to the point he could write another book. I not expect him to be the same person, either physically or mentally, that he was before the crash. The crash was a life altering event. That seems to be a point that is lost on those who wrote some of the harsher reviews.So, if you have never read Richard Bach's previous books, this will be a 3-star, at best. If you read his works for entertainment value, maybe a 4-star. If you are a true fan and you have managed expectations, you will find a glimpse into the next chapter of the author's life and might consider this a 5-star.