limited by the feebleness of a soldier's mind set - Rated 
From the narrow mind of a first world war soldier, the creation of his astral existence is a mirror image of "middle England" with the attainment of quaint country cottages, the occasional pets and regular Sunday morning Church service.
Curiously enough when his mother died, she went straigh to the next level, which Jim Legget took many years of hard work to quilify to enter.
Such inconsistencies have really spoilt it for me. What could have been a valuable contribution to the debate about the shape and form of the existence after death has once more left me with a hollow feeling.
My reaction is, that we will create the astral existence, once we move on based on the limiting forms and concepts which govern the level of our awarenss during this lifetime.
The telling of the afterlife as for instance in the "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda is the astral creation of a totally different continuation, much richer and deeper. As experienced by a more advanced, enlightened mind.
I dont want to make myself out as some kind of authority on the subject, but I am a healer and shaman and travel to some of these realms frequently on behalf of my clients, and just like to say, that the astral level is only the beginning, there is much, much more to come.
Perhaps this ties in nicely with the levels of consciousness as discussed by David R. Hawkins in Power vs Force?
But then I still like to thank Stephen Turoff for his contribution to the debate on the continuation of consciousness. Everything has its rightful place, and I am sure some people will find this book a revelation. Just this one is not the one for me.
Informative, interesting, uplifting and thought provoking - Rated 
This book, in my opinion, is a must have.
I do a lot of research on near death and afterlife true stories and this book, i would say, holds a lot of similarities to things i have researched.
Such as the silver cord and as to what goes on in the afterlife. Not to mention the different states the spiritual body goes through, the different planes, the higher and lower entities, the harmony of colours, architecture and plants ect over there. The work that goes on, the lectures held in buildings, the learning process, the communication via thought and the way in which they travel using thought.
Although it is healthy to keep an open mind, the way i personally "get" my beliefs is to do just that, research and to see a developing pattern emerge and go from there and go by your own experiences too.
This book leaves you wanting more and i think it is sad that it ends so abruptly but over all it is iteresting, informative and thought provoking and is a must have to your book collection if like me you study a lot on this subject.
Disappointing - Rated 
This book is something of an oddity. Though a fairly enjoyable read, it leaves you with the impression of a missed opportunity.
The spirit of the physically deceased First World War soldier, James Legett, comes across as a simple, decent, yet rather accepting fellow. He has a tendency, as you might expect of a soldier conditioned by war, to accept what he is told and asked to do, no questions asked. Although this may be beneficial to Legett's spiritual development it's of debatable value to the reader searching for answers.
For example, on one occasion Legett asks his spiritual guide, Chan, about the nature of reincarnation. He is then whisked off to a very brief and extremely unintelligible lecture on the subject. Emerging afterwards, Legett, (rather like this reader) says that most of it went `over his head', but instead of asking more questions, simply lets the matter lie.
Elsewhere, there are aspects of the spiritual existence described that are very hard to swallow. Are we really to believe, for example, that Shakespeare is still writing plays for public entertainment, some 400 years after his death?! (This prompts the questions as to whether actors continue their vocation in the afterlife and more worryingly whether we will have to endure the eternal curse of celebrity?!)
Also, that existence on the fifth astral plane is, for at least some inhabitants, so thoroughly bland - little detached cottages in a quaint English-style countryside, where people potter around in their gardens and occasionally `spoil themselves' with a cup of tea!
I was also disappointed that very little information was provided to explain how the book was written. We are told that Legett sent Turoff information in the form of symbolic imagery. One then wonders how much artistic license did Turoff exhibit through his interpretation. Though I found myself willing to give Turoff the benefit of the doubt (perhaps due to the `innocent', natural, prose style), I still felt much of the book simply didn't `ring true'.
As there seems to be no independent verification of the factual information or the process by which the information was conveyed, the book (as it stands) cannot be said to be representative of evidence, (to be fair, it was probably not intended as such). This is in no way a criticism of the integrity of Stephen Turoff as a `psychic surgeon' of which I am ignorant.
The book is rather short and ends very abruptly. There is no coverage of how and why Legett contacted Turoff, nor does there seem to be enough of a story to cover the 90 or so years of Legett's after death existence. Huge chunks of time, comparative to the physical plane, seem to be missed or lack any interesting developments; (the events given would seem to fill a couple of `earth' years experience at most).
Not unlike the majority of material on this subject, this book prompts far more questions than it provides answers - who knows -maybe that's the way it's meant to be?
Optimistic, Informative, Sane - Rated
This is the story of the spirit of a 20 year old British soldier (James Legget) who died in the battle of the Somme. Legget - faced with insurmountable technical difficulties - contacts Turoff, a psychic surgeon living in the UK, to ask his help in communicating the story to us. At first Legget is not aware that he has died, merely that his pain - and his wound - have gone.
He finds that he is tethered by a cord-like structure attached to a dark lump on the ground. It's not until two of his comrades appear and, ignoring his entreaties for help, carry off the lump - dragging him with them - that he begins to suspect that something is wrong. To his surprise, he finds that death has not severed his connection with the military. There are astral officers, and astral barracks where he and many others are taken to recover from the trauma of their recent decease. Soon his spirit guide - an oriental called Chan - makes his appearance and introduces him to the wonders of astral living, including battles with dark entities who are (were) instrumental in encouraging the inhumanities inflicted in two world wars upon so many on the physical plane. Legget learns that commuting is easier on the astral plane - "where man thinketh so is he" you might say. He's also shown two ways of cleansing the Aura . At one point he attends a lecture, given by an astral philosopher, which throws new light on the subject of reincarnation and which he, Legget, remembers verbatim. This book is the best expose of life on the astral plane I've read - in that it paints an optimistic picture of what one can reasonably expect to experience after death, and shows that work, leisure and learning can be enjoyed on other planes than the physical. My thanks to Steven Turoff for making time in his busy schedule to bring this remarkable and important story before the general public. PS Apparently, there are seven astral planes (ref Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce), the Steps of the review title being sub planes of one of these, the clue to which one - the Ray of his astral body - may be found in the colour of Legget's new suit. I wonder if all good books of this genre have a Ray clue within them.
The Mystery Unlocked - Rated
This incredibly insightful book unlocks many of the secrets that so many seek. Stephen Turoff once again demonstrates his abilities as he navigates the progression of life after death. A touching, realistic book of great importance. A must read!
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