The Valkyries

Paulo Coelho

1992

114pp.

People Destroy What they Love

Reviewed by: Rohan Manzoor

Paulo Coelho’s “The Valkyries” is an autobiography told in third person. Paulo, accompanied by

his wife, Chris, sets out on a 40-day journey to Mojave Desert to find his Guardian Angel

resulting in an adventure involving love, hope, struggle and courage. The book, even though is

about magic has its inspirations form Christianity.

“One way or another, I have wound up destroying what I’ve loved.” Coelho’s inner demons, his

inner weakness forces him to destroy everything he has and the only way to get rid of his demons

is by confronting them. Coelho fears that one day, he might end up leaving his beloved wife out

of boredom or simply because he can’t have anything good for more than 2 years. “I have won

important things for myself, but I’m going to destroy them, because I tell myself they have lost

their meaning. I know that is not true. I know they are important, and that if I destroy them, I’ll

be destroying myself, as well.”

He visits his master J who tells him to find his guardian angel as the angel will help him break

the curse. He embarks a journey from Brazil to Mojave Desert with his wife, Chris. There they

meet young master, Gene. He indirectly teaches him how to talk with their angel. It involves

destruction of second mind and then channeling. When Coelho realizes that the process so easy,

he is disappointed and now plans to meet his angel. Gene tells him that the Valkyries might help

him.

He finally meets them at a truck shop. They are a bunch of female warriors on motorbikes. After

some verification Coelho and Chris are invited by the eldest Valkyrie, Valhalla. Valhalla agrees

to help but Coelho must do three things to see his angel, break a pact, accept forgiveness, and

make a bet to see his angel. Meanwhile Chris (who’s new to magic) has learned a lot. Her ‘soul’

has expanded and she has started communication with her angel. Coelho and Chris have to stay

with the Valkyries as long as Coelho does not see his angel. His first challenge involves

confronting his horrors from the past. His next task is to face the ritual that demolishes all rituals.

During their stay with the Valkyries, Coelho falls in love with Valhalla, but that does not last for

long. He later thinks of his love for Valhalla as an in infatuation. After completing his first two

challenges, the Valkyries leave him as their work is done. Now he has to place a bet, and after

winning the bet, he gets to see his angel.

The author tries to tell us several things. For example, if you don’t let your past go it can have a

very negative effect on your present, or that we should pursue our dreams but at the same time

one should realistic. “Well, meet your obligations. But obligations never prevented anyone from

following their dreams. Remember that you are a manifestation of the absolute, and do only

those things in your lives that are worth the effort” It also tells us that things are not always as

they seem. Initially Chris found Coelho’s magic quite boring but after experiencing his world,

her thoughts changed dramatically.

Paulo Coelho tries to give a blend of religion(Christianity) and magic. “Sorcery” is condemned

in Christianity. So it goes in direct contradiction with what the author is trying to portray. The

other thing I found really hard to grasp were the traditions of Valkyries. They are shown as

warrior bikers who spread the word of the Christianity but at the same time they make love with

any man they see. Valhalla, Valkyrie leader, was able to gather money by becoming a lover of a

wealthy man. She left her family to embark on a holy journey and now she along with other

Valkyries choose who’ll make love with whom. I mean really? Is the author trying to say that the

moment you set out on a holy journey, prostitution and adultery is legalized and justified?

Coelho’s struggle to avoid self-destruction is engaging. He’s shown as the guy who knows a lot,

a powerful magus but at the same time he has fears and this aspect gives the book a human

touch. At times things can be a bit difficult to understand and that’s why I often found myself in

Chris’s shoe I found Chris to be the most enjoyable character, unlike her husband who’s on a

spiritual journey to end self-destruction, her objectives are simple and driven by the love she has

for her husband. Chris is shown to have a very soft but a strong character. It’s such a shame that

the same can’t be said about any other character. The other characters discussed in details aren’t

catchy. Interesting characters like Gene and J are not discussed as much as they should be.

The story is vague and after sometime it can get really slow. Most important thing is that I didn’t

find the book to be engaging, the story is not catchy nor interesting. The other big problem with

the book is that it’s extremely difficult to understand and interpret. At time the plot changes

quickly and it can get bit difficult to visualize the scene. All these issues combined make it

difficult to comprehend what the author is actually trying to portray. This book might be pleasing

for die hard Paulo Coelho fans or people who like fantasy with religious touches but for most,

the experience won’t be quite pleasing.