117 of 131 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, yet he jumps to conclusions too easily, July 24, 2002
I read Chariots of the Gods as well as several other Von Daniken works, and he never ceases to entertain me (with the exception of Miracles of the Gods - a horrid, poorly executed book). I find his "theories" thought-provoking, yet very weak at their base. Mr. Von Daniken has an irritating habit of jumping from subject to subject, stating his opinions quickly and with little supporting evidence, and then suddenly switching to another "mystery" to start the cycle over again. Even though he makes many compelling points, he never stays on the same subject long enough to fully support his beliefs.
If a golden amulet looks like a modern airplane, then it's an airplane. Period. If a stone carving looks like an astronaut, then it's an astronaut. Period. If a straight line drawn in the sand extends for the length of a modern runway, then it's a runway. Period. And this same style has gone on and on for years and through several books, with more on the way.
I take everything he says with a grain of salt. He is sooo quick to jump to (seemingly) reasonable conclusions that I can't help but be intrigued... but obviously I can't even call that he does "theorizing" since he never spends enough time on one piece of evidence to complete his arguments.
I look at his work as a starting point, rather than a finished product. If someone takes one of his ideas and runs with it, gathering collaborating evidence and building a more air-tight case for the "solution" presented in his works, then in my opinion Von Daniken has done his job. Unfortunately, I can't be sure Von Daniken shares this opinion. I think he raises important questions, yet his answers are too quick off the mark and ultimately unsatisfying to the discriminating reader.
I much prefer the approach taken by Graham Hancock, for example, who normally stays much more conservative. Hancock presents compelling arguments supported by many different pieces of evidence, and will not insult the reader by leaping to his conclusions based upon a single painting or pottery shard. Anyone interested in "alternative" (for lack of a better word) history would do well to pick up Hancock's "Fingerprints of the Gods" for a better-realized examination of ancient mysteries.
I still find Von Daniken immensely entertaining, though. Call it a guilty pleasure. I would never be able to defend his ideas during an in-depth discussion of them, and I honestly don't believe Von Daniken would be able to either. I give this book 5 stars for being a lot of FUN and a closet masterpiece.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hasn't aged well..., November 24, 2010
I've a strong interest in the "ancient astronauts" theory, and this is book is arguably the one that started the whole thing. But having just re-read it after many years, I was left feeling distinctly under-impressed. The book is rambling, disjointed, repetitive, and contains hundreds of unanswered questions. True, von Däniken claims that his purpose was to merely raise the questions rather than provide answers, but it does leave you feeling that you've only read half a book. The way he presents his theories is often sketchy and vague. He doesn't care to consider in any depth what the *purpose* of the extraterrestrial visitors might have been, he is content mainly to claim evidence of their presence. Some of his predictions, such as the human Mars landings, are way off the mark. Moreover, there are many ideas presented in the book but little actual science. His constant pointing out that the American space programme was for a long time based mainly on the work of Nazi scientists is, however, amusing.
The new introduction written by the author is almost laughable. Aside from attempting to riposte a few very specific criticisms of some of his claims, it adds very little to the book.
I'm giving this book 3 stars because of its significance - it set the ball rolling. But if you want a much more detailed, well-rounded, well-researched, thoughtful and better-written survey of our possible ET origins and links, including considerable coverage of the important Sumerian mythology, you'd do much better to read William Bramley's "The Gods of Eden".
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22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Interesting Read, April 20, 2009
I really enjoyed reading this book. So far it's one of my favorites. The author does not expect the reader to believe all his theories, he just wants people to open their minds a little and question things more. I don't really believe all his theories, but they are very fascinating. If you are a close-minded person then this book isn't for you.
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