fact or fiction?October 29, 2008 This book is not to be seen as a historical collectiion of incontrovertable facts. it began as a contest that R.A. Wilson heald on his website where people would submit random concpiracy theories to be published in this anthology. some of the theories may be complete invetions and some of them may be actual stories with supporting facts. at the very least it is great fun for casual conspirisists and paranoid maniacs who want more reasons to look over their shoulders.
Superficial, uneven, and dated -- but still worth a lookAugust 3, 2007 Much as I love Robert Anton Wilson, I have to be fairly critical of this offering, especially with 10 years passing since its publication.
"Everything is Under Control" is set up like an encyclopedia, but given the brevity of each entry works better as a bathroom reader. The material included is somewhat uneven: I'm not sure why there are all the references to Discordianism and the Church of Subgenius -- neither of which counts as a conspiracy. There is also considerable space devoted to Recovered Memory Sydrome, which again doesn't really count.
Most entries have web sites listed at the end if the reader is interested in more information, but alas many of them are no longer valid. Likewise, several of the conspiracies that have entries have been debunked since the book's publication, notably the Priory of Sion. Admittedly, RAW did give lip service to suggesting that the Priory may be "...nothing but an elaborate hoax by some witty French aristocrats" [p.348] but I got the impression he actually bought into it.
Despite these flaws, the book does offer up some interesting information on various topics, many of which I was not previously aware of. And, as always, Wilson's sardonic wit shines through.
If you're after a "serious" or "academic" compendium of conspiracies, cults, and cover-ups, this book will quite likely frustrate you, but if you're after something more generalized and light-hearted, give it a go.
Fun, but needs updatingMarch 27, 2006 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is great for browsing through occasionally - would probably be good bathroom reading - as long as you don't take it too seriously. The "conspiracies" range from satirical to loopy to almost believable. My favorite is the unbelievably convoluted "plot" surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Since I've just finished another book about conspiracy theories, I was disappointed not to find anything on the "reptilian" aliens, which seem to be quite popular on the late-night fringe - or at least they were a few years ago when I worked the third shift across from an Art Bell fan.
I would love to see a new edition - a lot has happened since 1998.
The book THEY don't want you to readSeptember 26, 2005 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
`Everything is Under Control' is an A to Z listing of hundreds of conspiracy theories and cover-ups that pervade the minds of paranoids. The main issue I had with the book is how quickly the author cruises through topics. Some items are touched on so lightly that I'm not even sure what Mr. Wilson is talking about. It's disappointing not because the subject matter is boring but because it's so interesting that the short descriptions left me wanting more.
Although the author is clearly a skeptic concerning many of the classic conspiracy theories not all conspiracies are equal and his lack of commentary may leave some readers confused. The Church of the Sub-Genius is fairly self evident as parody while others like the Discordian Society may be less so and the author doesn't discern between parody and sincere conspiracy theories. The other problem is that he doesn't differentiate between the absurd and the likely, for instance when Noam Chomsky claims that the media is owned by a handful of billionaires it's not really a conspiracy theory since it's pretty much true. On the other hand the Illuminati's relationship with extra-terrestrials is clearly the product of some overactive imaginations. When Mr. Wilson talks about a seemingly legit conspiracy like the P2 in Italy (which I had never heard of) it's hard for me to know whether or not to take it seriously. I think the book would have been improved if the author had gone into more detail on less subjects. Do people really care about Howard Hughes's legal difficulties with TWA or whether John Hull ran guns through Costa Rica or that psychologists spent a million dollars to avoid government regulations?
In some ways the author is like a magician who doesn't want to reveal his tricks. There is a tiny bit of debunking and some subtle tweaks to the reader but the conspiracies are generally presented as is leaving it up to us to decide. Did our government really do extensive testing with chemical agents on unsuspecting American populaces during the 50's and 60's? There is enough known evidence that it is certainly plausible.
Despite any issues I had with the organization and focus of the book I found it absolutely fascinating and had a difficult time putting it down. I suppose it might fall under the category of a reference guide or introductory primer to the world of paranoia. I look forward to reading other books by the author that go into more detail.
UnreadableSeptember 9, 2005 4 out of 19 found this review helpful
This book is lousy. There is no depth to any theory portrayed and it is organized as an encyclopedia.
I suppose I should have looked more closely at the attributes of the book before purchasing, but this has been a major disappointment.
