The Disappearance of the Universe

Opened my eyes to ACIM

I had tried to read A Course in Miracles years ago but simply could not understand the text and always put it down. This audio program helped open my eyes to what the book was trying to say and got me interested in reading it again.

The audio is well done, and while Gary doesn't have the professional public speaker type voice he does a good job of narrating.

If you were curious of a course in miracles or had tried to study the course and found it difficult to follow I recommend this audio as a good primer.

Thanks Gary, it got me started back on that path.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Disappearance of the Universe

I love this book because it is inspirational and life-altering. I must have listened to it 20 times, each time understanding and applying the principles set forth to a greater degree. It a good read and a tool for transformation.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Hmmm. It will get you to think

I enjoyed this. I'm still a little confused as far as the ending is concerned and not 100% sure I buy into the whole story (and I have a very open mind), but it will definetely get you thinking. Either Gary Renard is one of the great New Age con men of our time, or a great messenger. You decide.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Solid Content With Bad Form

I already read the text prior to purchasing the audio book, so my expectations as to the content were already set. The book reads quickly (took me about a day) and its message is solid. In contrast, the audio book (in my opinion) is rather loathsome to listen to. Something was certainly lost in the translation from print to audio.

As another reviewer mentioned, the person who plays the part of Arten has a radio announcer voice; while Pursah is played by Doreen Virtue, a familiar voice (if one listens to Hay House Radio). I think those two factors diminished the content considerably. They took away from the message more than they gave.

The only believable person in the audio book is Gary Renard himself. Then again, it was he who had the actual experience; not the other two.

However, as I considered it, I realized that this was one of those situations where I would be called upon to forgive. Could it have been done better? Without question it could have. Yet how many of us could have done it perfectly? Probably none.

Let this be a lesson to us all who seek the Truth: We screw up even the purest of messages with our own hands, try as we might to do otherwise. It is almost inevitable. Best to forgive it and take the content of what we're given; leaving the form behind.

If you're averse to reading a 150,000 word book, this audio format is just fine. The content is all there, just as it is in the book, and the audio quality is high and well recorded. But if you've heard Doreen and the other guy before, one can't help but be distracted by them.

I think the author should seriously consider redoing this book using real actors; perhaps ones with a heavy spiritual inclination, in order to capture the essence of not only the message, but of his overall experience.

24 of 27 people found this review helpful

Content vs. Form

The content of "The Disappearance of the Universe" includes some eye-opening and worthwhile concepts for students of New Age spirituality. It frankly acts as a sort of advertisement for and clarification of "A Course in Miracles," but its ideas are certainly available to anyone, regardless of their exposure , to the earlier work.

The audiobook, however, is a perfect example of What Not To Do. The author, whose voice is so nasal and sinusy as to border on the loathesome, has insisted on reading his own work. Another spiritual author, Doreen Virtue, reads the part of Persa, the female spiritual guide, while an obviously professional reader, with a slick, radio-type announcer voice, reads the words of Arten, the male spiritual guide, and makes them sound like an infomercial.

The mix is so bizarre as to make the content difficult to approach. Fortunately, the sections the author reads are very brief, and the more listenable voices of the other two readers constitute the majority of te work.

Don't listen with good earphones unless you want to know all about the sinus condition of the author. Sorry, Audible: this is one I wish I'd bought on paper and read with my eyes, 'cause my ears are annoyed.

18 of 21 people found this review helpful

great book

I was entertained. acting was terrible. story is not really believable but it has a great purpose. so with that in mind, di with it what you will!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

very questionable

Has The Disappearance of the Universe turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

no the narration was HORRIBLE!! all three of them are horrible. one sounds like Christopher Walken as a computer that breathes heavily, the other guy sounds like a movie announcer and then there is Doreen Virtue. LOL

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

the story and the attempt at being funny was a bit disappointing. the way it is presented makes it very hard to believe. he conveniently asks questions to try to convince the reader/listener that what is happening is real. the way the 2 "teachers" talk to him seem quite unbelievable. just seems like a big plug to buy the book Course in Miracles. he must have some connection to the original author.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Some interesting ideas; narrators are awful

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no. Although many if the ideas were thought provoking, the narrators, especially Gary, were so bad it detracted from the listening experience.

Has The Disappearance of the Universe turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, but I would never buy another audible in which Gary was one of the narrators.

What aspect of the narrators’s performance would you have changed?

I would have had someone other than the author narrate the author's part. Gene sounded like a bad parody of a radio DJ. Doreen was pretty good.

Was The Disappearance of the Universe worth the listening time?

Barely. The content was somewhat interesting, but the narration was so bad, I didn't really enjoy the book.

Any additional comments?

I looked through other offerings authored by Gary Renard but found that he was also the narrator in all of them so I didn't purchase any.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Life Changing

Gary Renard's book "The Disappearance of the Universe" set me on a path that has been life changing in only a few short months. It is an increditable ride that takes you from disbelief to Truth. My outlook on life and God has changed forever.
Carla

15 of 18 people found this review helpful

Basically an Infomercial for A Course in Miracles

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Poorly read. The subject was interesting, but the Readers were horrible. I might recommend the Hardcopy Book.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The 'Universe' concept was interesting.
Wisecracking Ascended Masters?

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The Author's voice was uninspiring.
The female Reader started out bad, you could hear her stumbling over commas, though she grew more proficient by the end of the book.
The male Reader didn't start out too bad, but was emoting like the announcer in a commercial by the end of the book.

Did The Disappearance of the Universe inspire you to do anything?

I'll probably listen to A Course in Miracles, so I guess this book did its job.
I wonder if I can return this Book to get the money to buy the one it was advertising.

Any additional comments?

If those two clowns are Ascended Masters, I think I'll take up Buddhism.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful