Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
If you read one book on the subject, read this one., 24 Nov 2000
It was with great apathy that I began reading this book on the recommendation of a friend. In the past, I have suffered through the excitable jibberish of 'classics' such as Erich Von Daniken's 'Chariots of the Gods', in which he puts forward thought-provoking insights as 'irrefutable proof' of alien intervention. While his book contains many very interesting shards of evidence which deserve further investigation, Daniken proves to be his own worst enemy by using the phrase 'irrefutable proof' more often than he uses punctuation... So you can perhaps understand my skepticism of such books. 'From Atlantis to the Shphinx' was a breath of fresh air. Once I started reading, I could not stop. Wilson begins with the premise that the erosion of the body of the Sphinx was caused by water, and not wind. How such a potentially staggering fact could have escaped the notice of Egyptologists is unclear, but any geologist will confirm this (I checked). Even by the Egyptologists admission, Egypt has been a barren land for many thousands of years before the time that the Sphinx is claimed to have been built by the Pharoah Cheops. This simple fact, easily proven or disproven, flies in the face of everything we thought we knew, not just about ancient Egypt, but about the timeline of human history. Wilson guides the reader through fact after stunning fact, and remains eminently readable through-out. I think what impressed me most was the fact that, unlike many other writers in this genre, he does not cheapen his work with wacky and over-zealous conclusions which enjoy only a tenuous link to the evidence at hand (Mr Von Daniken, I'm looking in your direction). This book is as far inland of the 'lunatic-fringe' of the genre as I have ever read, and I am now in the process of ordering many of the books he cites in his bibliography. If you are currently of the opinion that the ancient Egyptians built the Pyramids with slaves and pulleys, and that the 'Lost continent of Atlantis' is nothing more than a fanciful myth, then this book might (might) just change your mind.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Rich in detail and thought-provoking, a masterful synthesis, 20 Mar 2001
By A Customer
I read this book twice, once when it first came out and again more recently. The first time I read it I was familiar with some of the source material Wilson draws on. These parts of the book, at that time, were obviously not as engaging for me, nor, I suspect, will they be for others very familiar with the material. However, upon rereading it a couple years later I was again reminded of Wilson's masterful ability to draw together disparate sources of information to form a cohesive pattern. Of course, this involves speculation, but this type of inquiry always requires speculation, and Wilson manages to build a more cautious and convincing argument than many of his contemporaries. (That said, the reader must still be willing to be open-minded and entertain ideas that might not sit well, at least at first. If you have firmly made up your mind that, for example, there are no real mysteries surrounding the pyramids of Egypt or the sphinx and are unwilling to consider other opinions on the subject, then you probably won't be moved by much of this book.)When drawing information from a variety of sources, it is likely that some of that information will later prove either incorrect or outdated. It is a testament to the cohesiveness of Wilson's argument that it does not rest on a single piece of evidence but is rather buttressed by a range of facts that each contributes to its strength. From reading some other reviews (here and elsewhere), I gather that often some of these "facts" don't sit well with all readers. This is reasonable (don't believe everything you read!); however, Wilson's style of thinking and researching make one less likely to discount his entire argument based on disagreement with parts of it. Furthermore, he is very adept at drawing his argument out over an entire book, reminding the reader along the way what the central themes are, before plunging back into the detailed information that forms the supports of his argument. What this results in is a stimulating, idea-filled journey that criss-crosses through numerous disciplines and over vast spans of time. "From Atlantis to the Sphinx" in many ways forms a natural extension of Wilson's philosophy as expounded in his previous books. In this particular case, Wilson's ultimate aim - to demonstrate that ancient man had a different mode of thinking/perception/relationship to the natural world and the universe - is ultimately convincing for me because traces of this different mode still exist within us. If, by the time you're done with the book, you yourself aren't entirely convinced of this, I think you will still have found the journey worth the effort.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Gets the 'right' brain thinking, 26 Dec 2000
An accumulation of lots of facts and theories about our forgotten, but still recoverable, ability to think free from the hassles of todays world. 6 quid, bargain.
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