I notice some questions here from reviewers about whether this book is a true story or not. Since I actually (ghost)-wrote most of it for Buxton, allow me to answer the question and advise potential purchasers categorically that if you choose to buy this book, you will purchasing a work of dramatic fiction which, furthermore, was largely unwritten by Buxton himself.

Buxton's major contributions to the book as I recall them, in fact, were his accounts of how to keep bees and if that is what interests you then you should enjoy this book. Not being a bee-keeper myself, I cannot say how accurate his information is on bees, but allowing that the facts he presents on them are accurate (Buxton does keep bees because I have visited his home and his hives), in fairness, this makes the book semi- rather than total fiction.

Other parts of the story, however - the leap into the absyss on the back of a bee, for example, and the descriptions of his childhood illness (from the first line which, as I wrote it, read "No clear sounds, just the distant white-noise hum of blood in my ears...", through every chapter, to his concluding remarks about his supposed initiator: "he was my friend") - came directly from my imagination (or, to be fair, occasionally from Buxton's imagination, embellished by my words). Some of these events, furthermore, plainly could not possibly have happened in reality - how does a human being transform himself into a bee (a human bee-ing?), for instance? How does an island "rise twice" from the waves and disappear between times?

I am disappointed, therefore, to see Buxton presenting this book as a work of his own and, moreover, describing it as a non-fiction book of his personal shamanic experiences.

Shaman's Drum magazine reviewed the book a few months ago and devoted 10 pages to it, describing it as a `fairy story', fanciful, and, with its standing as a non-fiction (i.e. supposedly true) book, warning readers that the practices it describes may actually be dangerous and should not be attempted.

The 'path of pollen', by the way, which Buxton claims as the name for the `hidden' lineage of European shamanism at the heart of these bee-related practices is, in fact a line from a Native American Beauty Way song often quoted by Buxton on workshops and, as such, has nothing at all to do with European shamanism or with the lineage Buxton claims. And as far as this supposed lineage goes, no-one but Buxton seems able to find a shred of evidence for it - and this includes anthropologists, archaeologists, academics, European shamans themselves, and the editorial staff of Shamans Drum.

Had Buxton pitched this as a fantasy novel or a work of shamanic fiction, it wouldn't have made a bad read. Had he presented it as a semi-fictional account which included the dramatic embellishments of a ghost-writer or even a `collaborator', it would be accurate. But he did neither. He accepted a magazine award instead as the author (sic) of the `best non-fiction spiritual book of 2005' - which is quite misleading and far from the truth

In the hardback edition of `Buxton's' book, I receive a word of thanks from him for my "golden heart and poet's quill". It seems he had a different use for my poet's quill following this review, however. He had Amazon remove it, which should raise some questions about what he feels he has to hide and why censorship of a fair and accurate review has suddenly become so important to him. Let's see if this review stays. If not, maybe it'll be third time lucky.

Ross Heaven

PS Third time lucky it is, as it seems Mr Buxton had my review removed AGAIN! Censorship certainly does seem high on his agenda. i wonder why.

This isn't a review of the book, but a brief defense of all of us who don't have the time to type self-indulgent nonsense in book reviews on a regular basis. There are many folks who have found perhaps one book or whatever that truly moves them and have carved out the time to give a single 5-star review. We aren't shills or fakes. We're people. And I am incredibly offended that the review below could dismiss and defame us all in such an ignorant fashion.