Mystical Paths

By: Susan Howatch

Narrated by: Roe Kendall

Nicholas Darrow, a strong-willed and independent young man, has grown up under the shadow of the Church of England and the loving but watchful eye of his father, an Anglican priest. Like his father, he too has both a gift and a burden in the form of psychic abilities. Although his father warns him to nurture his special powers with care, Nicholas can see no harm in the occasional dazzling "psychic flourish" - until one results in a friend's attempted suicide.

Now, staggering under the weight of remorse, horrified by the dangerous edge of his powers, Nicholas moves toward the brink of emotional collapse. When a terrifying vision suggests to him that he might literally be possessed, he must at last begin to face the truth of his past - and, in particular, of his relationship with his father - to find the one path that may lead him out of the seemingly impenetrable darkness.

©1992 Leaftree Limited (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Arguably no one writing today can equal Howatch's ability to write compelling novels that combine theology and psychology in a complex, fast-moving plot offering beautifully delineated characters and the suspense of a mystery/thriller....the denouement will leave readers breathless." ( Publishers Weekly)

Fascinating twists in Mystical Path

I discovered the rationale and the mystical make good story telling companions and kept me enthralled.

Suspenseful and excellent

My favorite of the series. Nicholas comes to maturity, Father Hall reappears, and Father Darrow reaches contentment.

Not the Best of Howatch

Story: In my opinion, this is the weakest of the "Church of England" books, because of the large paranormal element, and the somewhat unbelievable plot, but with her usual skill, Howatch carries it off. There's no doubt she is a very talented writer, and I recommend this if you've read any of the others and like the genre. It may be too "churchy" for some, and too static for others [none of the novels are action adventures, really]. The summing up at the end sounds a lot like a sermon, and I'm not fondest of Nicholas Darrow when he's preaching. For Howatch, it is an unusually clumsy ending.

Narrator: Why, oh why, when the story is told in the first person by a MAN, and most of the characters are male, is the book read by a WOMAN? Nicholas, who is 25, sounds like a 12 year old whose voice hasn't yet broken. At times different characters all have the same accent, making dialogue confusing. The narrator is a competent reader, but a man who has a range of accents would have been much better.

Wrong Reader

What a shame that this segment of the Starbridge novels is being read by a female. I'm about 2 hours into the book which follows Nicholas Darrow. 90% of the dialog so far is male, it would be so much better if read by a man.

Susan Howatch is one of my favorites

and I particularly love the Starbridge Series. They are wonderful works on dealing with personal/spiritual crises. You can read the books on their own but it is more enjoyable to start with the first, Glittering Images, and continue from there. I have reread the books and listened to the ones Audible has available and I wish Audible had Ultimate Prizes, my favorite in the series.