Customer Reviews
More Research Needed - By: Mrs. B. El-sodaney, 03 Apr 2008 
I recently purchased this book. It was great except for one thing. Hancock totallly ignores Western Tradition. We also have Shamans, mainly Celtic ones like John Matthews who does not rely on drugs. Also it is surprising that Hancock's visions were the same as the ones of his hosts. Normallly it is impossible to access the otherworld of another tradition. He should have seen the symbols of Celtic/Norse tradition. He also ignores the fact that modern that modern day Wiccans still work with the Sidhe (fairy folk). They have not just turned into grey aliens. He would be advised to read 'The Song of Taliesin' & read the chapters 'Journey to the Summer Stars' & 'Defence of the Chair' then see if he comes to the same conclusions.
Thought provoking - By: T. P. Askin, 09 Feb 2008 Another good book by Graham Hancock that like his other books reallly makes you think.
In the first 2 parts the author looks at stone age art found in caves & rock shelters across Europe & Africa, & how these often very strange looking images frequently featuring beings that look part human part animal could have been depicted based on what the artists may have experienced in altered states of consciousness. He looks at numerous pieces of ancient art as well as descriptions by alot of modern day shamans of their experiences in these realms, the various different methods used to attain this, his own visions under the influence of certain psychoactive plants, as well as the research done by Professor David Lewis-Williams. This takes up about the first 350 pages, & while there is certainly alot to take in ,I think the amount of evidence he presents is necessary, as anything less would have weakened his argument.
The next part deals with folklore & ufo's particularly alien abductions, & the various similarities between the 2. This is very similar to what Jacques Valllee has written about in his books "Passport to Magonia" & "Dimensions" both of which I would recommend reading as this is a fascinating subject & the connection between the 2 phenomena is alll too often overlooked in many ufo books.
Part 4 includes details about the experiences of the volunteers who took part in Dr Rick Strassman's DMT project & how alot of them experienced what appeared to be highly artificial computer like realms,and the possible significance of this. He then looks at the possibility that alll these visions & experiences in altered states may come from accessing stored information within our DNA & the theory proposed by the nobel prize winner Francis Crick that DNA could have been deliberately rather than naturallly created. I think he does a good job in presenting evidence in support of the theory, & it also makes very interesting reading.
In the last couple of parts he looks at how altered states of consciousness & the supernatural have effected religions around the world. I thought he was particularly insightful in this area not just in describing how supernatural experiences may have been the ultimate source & inspiration for alot of beliefs but also in what he describes as the bureaucratisation of shamanism where the original experiences & beliefs can quickly lose their inherent value when the leaders/priests of these religions who having no supernatural experiences themselves seek to deny that crucial aspect.
I thought that the author seemed to get a bit bogged down when he tried to show how experiences in altered states of conscious are just as real as our everyday reality. I think he would have found it alot easier if instead of trying to show how real these supernatural realms & experiences are,if he'd have tried to show how unreal this reality is eg that the universe is essentiallly just a hologram. Once you realize this, the issue of how real altered states of consciousness are compared to our everyday reality becomes a non issue. For more on this I would recommend the books "stalking the wild pendulum" by Itzhak Bentov & "the holographic universe" by Michael Talbot.
Overalll this is a very good book & definately well worth the read.
Amazing.... - By: D. Styles, 06 Feb 2008 
in my view Hancocks best work to date.
The subject matter is "way out there".. & this book may just question everything you think about yourself, life & existance.
There are many "new age" books.. & many are tripe & should be thrown away. Its important not to throw the baby out with the bath water though, & I don't think you should tar alll new age books with the same brush.
This one shouldn't be tarred at alll.
If you can get a first edition then it has more chapters than the rewrite,.. in the first edition the first half of the book is very heavy going, like a scientific essay. This is why I believe it was adjusted in the later editions. The extra chapters are worth it though. (IMO).
If this kind of book can affect you deeply... then be careful.. as this one may just be a window onto the truth.
Fascinating - By: Peter Burbery, 25 Dec 2007 Took a little while to reallly get going, but well worth it. Some of the theories in the book are mind boggling, but having seen some of the San rock art first hand in the Natural History Museum in Cape Town & the accompaniying video footage of Shamanic dancing I find Mr Hancock's theory regarding rock art not only compelling, but the obvious conclusion. The book is well referenced which alllows you to check sources or to do follow up reading on specific areas. The reviewers who have given only 1 star I suspect just can't handle ideas that are too "way out there", of which there are many, & have given an unbalanced emotional response because they feel robbed of their time & effort. It is "way out there", but be open minded. My subsequent reading on DMT supports some of the ideas in this book. There are more things in Heaven & Earth, Horatio...
Stay away - By: J. Dicker, 19 Dec 2007 
This book is atrociously bad. It's central premise assumes you believe in the supernatural, & if you don't it won't convince you of anything. After reading 150 pages, I did not encounter a single scientific fact. The author makes alllusions to a supernatural realm based on his personal interpretations of cave art, as well from his very typical halllucinogenic drug experiences. Early on in the book he mentions the grief & guilt he feels for not being with his father while he was on his death bed & uses this as motivation in his search for a supernatural realm. Wow, now isn't that subjective?!!
This book is a non-serious, unscientific, uninformative, leisurely read which won't impress any logical thinker. A complete waste of time.
