The Kingdom of Shivas Irons | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Murphy
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $2.22
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 158997
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0767900197
Dewey Decimal Number: 158
EAN: 9780767900195
ASIN: 0767900197
Publication Date: October 13, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
The long-awaited sequel to Golf in the Kingdom takes Murphy back to Scotland in search of another encounter with the mystically enchanting Shivas Irons, a man--if that's indeed what he is--who's part golf professional, part shaman, completely wise, and thoroughly fascinating. Filled with myth, mysticism, metaphysics, advanced string theory (courtesy of fellow searcher and friend, physicist Buck Hannigan), and at times other-worldly golf sequences from Scotland, to Russia, to a climactic round at Pebble Beach, Kingdom resolves its quest in the most unlikely and hard-to-find place of all. "Keep coming," Irons implores his seeker. "Imagine. Practice. Start again. I'm not so far away." Indeed, more than fairways that glow in the dark and drives that can fly 450 yards, it's Irons's ultimate whereabouts that infuses Kingdom with its magic and its mystery.
Product Description
Michael Murphy's Golf in the Kingdom is one of the bestselling golf books of all time and has been hailed as "a golf classic if any exists in our day" (John Updike) and "a masterpiece on the mysticism of golf" (San Francisco Chronicle).Golf in the Kingdom introduced Shivas Irons, the mysterious golf pro and philosopher with whom Murphy played a mythic round of golf on Scotland's Burningbush links, a round that profoundly altered his game--and his vision.
The Kingdom of Shivas Irons is the enchanting story of Murphy's return to Scotland in search of Shivas Irons and his wisdom about golf and human potential.Murphy's quest takes him from the mystical golf courses of Scotland, across the world to the first Russian Open Golf Championship, and finally to Pebble Beach on the California Coast.The result is a delightful exploration of the inner game of golf and a provocative inquiry into our remarkable possibilities for growth and transformation.
Download Description
Thirty year, after the publication of Golf in the Kingdom, the bestselling classic that defined the inner game of golf, Michael Murphy returns to investigate further visitations by the mythic golf pro and philosopher Shivas Irons and his elusive mentor Seamus MacDuff. Confronting questions about Shivas Irons and MacDuff that have haunted readers for decades, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons takes us on a mystical tour from revered Scottish links, to Moscow for the first Russian Open Golf Championship, and finally to Pebble Beach on the California coast. This marvelous exploration is a provocative inquiry into the deep truths about the game of golf and the possibilities for personal transformation.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Waste of Time and Money July 15, 2008
Spent your money elsewhere if you are looking for a book to improve your game. You will not find it here.
 A journey to... July 19, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read the Kingdom of Shivas Irons just after finishing Golf in the Kingdom. Perhaps it was because I still had so much in my head from the older work that the impression Shivas Irons left on me was mediocre at best. So much of what was built up in the original was either expanded along a side-path or seemingly dumped for one reason or another. Much of this is completely new information, with very little connected with the original.
I don't want to give many explicit examples for those still trying to decide whether to read the two books, but virtually everything regarding Seamus Macduff seems to have been turned upside-down. Pythagoris and other philosophers seem to take a holiday as well.
On the good side, however, we get the involvement of a whole new host of characters, including Ziparelli, the anti-Shivas. Mechanics (which he can't keep in his head) and technology (that breaks down on him) are his tools, and he serves as a farsicle figure, something absent from the original tale. There is a more intense mixing of mysticism as well, which will appeal to some.
If you truly enjoyed Golf in the Kingdom, it might be best to pass this by. Your image of the whole thing may be turned on its head. If you thought it mediocre, this may be more appealing to you. If you hated the original, I doubt there is anything here for you.
 As sequals go---- A pretty damned good one! January 1, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
While it's always difficult to follow-up a blockbuster novel, movie etc Michael Murphy has done so with remarkable style and panache. Although written almost 30 years after 'Golf in the Kingdom' first debuted, 'The Kingdom of Shivas Irons' is definitely worth the read. Murphy goes back to Scotland to try to track down the elusive and enlightened Shivas with mixed results. Several adventures along the way make the reader think about the true meanings of golf and life as metaphysical happenings deeper than what's on the surface. If you liked G.I.T.K, you will not be disappointed with this sequal. This book, like the first one is similar to an onion--- peeling off several layers of meaning only reveals to you several more. Digging into this book and it's liquid smooth plot make you feel like you're out on the course 170 yards from the hole with a five-iron in hand ready to go for broke over a pond. It draws you in slowly and very subtley, but the effect is still the same--- you come away shaking your head in amazement!
The Emperor Has No Clothes December 13, 2002
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Michael Murphy's 1972 novel "Golf In The Kingdom" deservedly became a cult classic in spite of some fairly dodgy attempts at portraying Scots dialect and culture. This was because he got it right with the golf while the mystical, metaphysical elements of the story added an extra angle of interest despite being a wee bit hokey in places.This time out, with the sequel "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons", the golf seems to take a back seat to the metaphysical, New Age stuff, while his portrayal of the Scots comes across as patronising and ridiculous. Indeed, by halfway through the novel one begins to wonder whether Murphy has ever even been to Scotland and experienced anything of the people and culture besides spending time on the country's spectacular golf links. Buy "Golf In The Kingdom" and enjoy. But beware of the sequel, "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons", which is unfortunately second-rate and adds nothing worthwhile to Murphy's original vision.
A mixed bag June 9, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This follow-up to 1972's "Golf In the Kingdom" is, to say the least, a mixed bag.On the positive side, Murphy's use of language to describe and evoke physical landscapes and the natural environment is, as in its predecessor, breathtaking. The novel's structure and pace are also sound. On the negative side, some of the characters in "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons" ring false from the outset, to the point of being laughable. For example, the Scots physicist Buck Hannigan, one of the major characters: I would be surprised if there was a single person in Scotland named "Buck". Sure, this kind of Americanism is a minor detail, but it calls into question how much Murphy really knows about the land where golf was born and the nation of people who established it. Because of this, the storyteller's credibility is somewhat devalued. Murphy's novel explores golf not as a mere game but as a sort of grand metaphysical experiment, dipping into a hodge-podge of New Age beliefs towards which the sceptical reader may sometimes wince. This aspect of the book reminded me that while open-mindedness is generally a virtue, there's also a saying that "An open mind may let in falsehoods as well as truths". "The Kingdom of Shivas Irons" contains some interesting ideas but a lot of utter nonsense and psychobabble as well. Worthwhile reading, but only when taken with a pinch of salt beforehand.
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