'Maya' by Jostein Gaarder was an excellent book. I believe it to be well written, and I enjoyed how it tied in the 'deck of cards' motif, which was of course reminiscent of the 'Solitaire Mystery', also by Gaarder.As a philosophical novel, 'Maya' covered many bases that most philosophical/religious novels do not tend to think about. It nicely tied in evolutionary theory to various philosophical and religious viewpoints.Despite my praise, I'd say that the average American most likely would not appreciate 'Maya'. But everyone should read it anyway.