Customer Reviews:
 Something a little different, and well written. A wonderful journey. January 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book takes a hard look at the world we live in, from a different angle. It explores the other dimensions that quantum science has shown us to exist, through study of cave art; Shamantic journeying; UFO studies; anthropology and archeology.
There is so much in this book that makes sense to those of us with an open mind and a wonder of "what else is out there". Hancock really takes the thread, follows it, even ties himself to it, and then makes it into a well structured theory on the unanswered questions of many parts of our current lives.
It is one of those books that you can't put down because you want to see where Hancock is going next. It is an interesting trip around the globe, into other dimensions, onto UFOs, and through time.
Definately a "must read" for the advanced metaphysician, and anyone interested in Shamanism.
 Profound Revelation or Farewell to Sanity? January 15, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Hancock repeats himself over and over ad nauseum to drive his point home, but the book can be condensed down to this: Alien abductions = fairy abductions = shamanic spirit journeys. Increased levels (either naturally or artificially induced) of DMT in the brain bring on vivid hallucinations, and for some reason the basic content of these "dreams" is consistent across times and cultures. Could it be that there's an objectively "real" spirit world which we can perceive in altered states of consciousness? Or is it that these visions are somehow hard-wired into the human brain to play out whenever chemically triggered? A "rational" scientific thinker would favor the second option, but that raises the question of WHY - why is this information installed in our brains? Where did it come from? What purpose does it serve? What evolutionary advantage did it bestow on our ancestors?
The book starts by discussing paleolithic cave art and explaining it in terms of hallucinations and entoptic phenomena. It's a compelling hypothesis which actually fits the known facts far better than the previous theory accepted among academics that the paintings were a form of sympathetic magic to insure a successful hunt. In Hancock's version, cavemen accidentally ate some psychoactive fungus and were greatly impressed by the resulting hallucinations. They got the inspiration to make a ritual out of it, go down in a cave and paint what they saw in the visions. This was the dawn of art and religion, and the birth of modern Man ... if the theory is correct, we owe all of civilization to a bunch of people tripping on 'shrooms.
Not content just to theorize, Hancock determines to test his theory firsthand by actually taking some psychedelics so he can see what happens. The reasons for doing this make sense I suppose, but once you've taken that step, your subsequent judgement can be called into question.
This is probably a very important book; it made me think about things I had never even considered before. But it leads to a very personal, subjective experience that - while immensely valuable on a personal level - is outside the realm of science. Like most "occult" subjects it is fascinating, potentially rewarding, but essentially unprovable.
 Just Okay December 31, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I liked the book for learning to understand the various shaman traditions,I liked it for understanding the authors drug induced journies, but it dragged a little and not his best work. An okay read, but I would not give it the same literary applause I gave to The Fingerprint of the Gods....a much better read.
Combining science and mysticism together! December 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The most impressive book I have ever read! Graham Hancock has out done himself this time, creating a book more impressive than even the famous Zacharia Sitchin has created.
For the first time someone has connected the dots between mankind's ancient past, aliens, fairies, ghosts, the human mind, the spirit world, and hard-core science.
Someone once told me that, "the only way for mankind to save itself is to combine science and mysticism together", and I believe that Graham Hancock has done just that!!!
Amazing! December 17, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would have never thought that a correlation between alien abductions and fairy lore existed, but when faced with the evidence and stories from other people, it's clear that there is a common thread. I honestly believe in multiple dimensions, believing in string theory and being a Gnostic, I was fascinated by the proposition that aliens (and fairies) could actually be from another dimension, instead of from another planet or just figments of our imagination. It makes sense to me that there are ways to see into these other dimension, such as with the use of DMT, and that our brains may very well be wired to access these realms under certain conditions.
I was also astounded with his research into DNA, its discovery and the supposed junk DNA that may very well be stored information, due to the fact that literary algorithms showed that the information is composed very much like a book would be, unlike the coded DNA used to specify genetic attributes.
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