Customer Reviews

Entangled

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

"Entangled" was sort of like reading two different books for me: on one level it's a fun, fast-paced and highly original fantasy novel. On another it is a sort of spot the clues book full of references to the themes and facts contained in Hancock's non-fiction books from the last couple of decades. If you've read "Supernatural" there's definitely a lot in the novel that you'll recognize, from the ancient cave paintings to the modern-day shamans of the Amazon. Plenty of "Fingerprints of the Gods" material too, so that any fan of Hancock's previous work is going to have a lot of fun seeing how he applied his vast knowledge to creating a work of fiction. Highly Recommended.

I've enjoyed Hancock's non-fiction archaeological detective books a lot, and after reading his last (Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind) I couldn't imagine what he'd do next. With this new novel it's clear that he's continued along the same lines of supernatural research leading to more experiences and ideas best expressed in fiction.

Although he is in no way a great novelist, Hancock has crafted an intriguing and exciting page-turner (somewhat like Dan Brown's popular novels, but better written and way more interesting). Perhaps best of all is that he's finally found an editor able to help him trim the fat (probably easier to do for novels than for far-out esoteric-archaeological studies).

Jumping back and forth between 24,000 yrs ago and modern times (southern California and the Amazon forest), as well as their connections through the parallel spirit world of the "Blue Angel", the story is loosely based on a setting inspired by the DMT research of Dr. Rick Strassmann (DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences), the radical cosmic evolutionary ideas of Terence McKenna, traditional Biblical myths (or more accurately their Zoroastrian roots) of a cosmic Good/Evil struggle, and our older shamanic spiritual traditions - in short, a fantasy/sci-fi mix of visionary dream-time experiences and anthropological/consciousness studies. As the cover flap quotes, "...might have been written by J.K. Rowling - if Rowling had apprenticed herself for 7 yrs with Mary Leakey, 7 years with Carlos Castaneda and 7 yrs with Robert Crumb". That sounds about right, a Harry Potter tale for adults.

This may seem like an odd combination, but it works beautifully. I can see it becoming hugely popular; maybe not mainstream popular, but for those of us young and adventurous at heart interested in exploring similar ideas in our own lives, this could just prove to be life changing.

(I can even see it becoming a hit Avatar-like movie - what is this world coming to? - Just in time for the paradigm shift of 12/21/2012...Hopefully he's well on his way to writing the sequel - which, if he keeps following the threads of his non-fictional SUPERNATURAL research, will get very far out indeed.)

I thoroughly enjoyed Entangled. The idea of time travel is not new, however what made Entangled interesting was the three main characters, Leoni, the modern girl, Ria, the Neanderthal, and Sulpa, the wicked one who appears as different characters in both worlds. Hancock's imagination made the book interesting and exciting for me. I can't wait for the sequel.

Entangled is a provocative, raucous, absorbing tale spun by one my favorite authors. Graham Hancock's maiden venture across the fiction line left me intrigued, captivated, provoked, admittedly a bit aghast at moments, and cheering for the brash gritty foul mouthed heroines who in a rather unorthodox way join forces across the eons of time which separate them. This book takes a fresh look at an old topic. Does evil exist? And if it does exist did it also exist when the human species was young? What if the origins of pure evil extend well beyond the dawn of modern man and what if evil in its symbiotic tango with humanity has evolved along with humanity?
Many years ago I read with abandon Jean Auel's Earth Children Series feeling a kinship with Neolithic Man as portrayed through Auel's idyllic eyes. Since then I've grown old and life has grown complex. Values have twisted. Motivation has become obscure. Humanity seems at best fractured if not imploding at break neck speed. Entangled presents a taunting albeit dark and disturbing suggestion as to the origins of crude evil and its ancient dance with the evolving human species.
What if evil has evolved along with man through the ages? Is evil any less reprehensible today having masked itself in a modern military industrial complex, and corporate political facades? Does the brutality of ancient human sacrifice and slaughter somehow parallel the laundered and propagandized collateral damage and loss of innocent life in modern warfare? What of human casualties incurred in "natural disasters" or from "acts of god"? How random are they truly?
In reading other reviews, some readers seem to have found Entangled too violent and too graphic. I have two responses. 1st, this type of historical violence happened. Graham's not out of step with history. 2nd, I take Graham at face value when he acknowledges the influence the Vine of Souls or Ayahuasca as the source of much of the plot. For anyone having reads Mr. Hancock's previous works, heard him speak or watched one of his many interviews, its obvious this isn't Mr Hancock's typical well mannered and documented style of writing and speaking. Maybe its just fiction building on our common brutal past. Perhaps Graham's just cutting loose under the guise of fiction? (But if so why wouldn't Graham just use an alias.) Or maybe, just maybe, Entangled strikes a gritty raw subconscious communal nerve. I mean we were and are more than savage and barbaric with each other. Graham and Ayahusaca might just be probing us to ask why, and for how long, and under what influence.
I loved the book because it made me hugely uncomfortable, incorporated modern science, anthropology, indigenous healing arts, etc. and took a fresh swipe at an old question, Does and did evil exist and if so is evil also evolving? This no doubt will be addressed in the sequels for which I anxiously await.

I read Graham Hancock's previous book, Supernatural, last year and was blown away by the new world he brought to life for his readers. Suddenly, the mysterious world of spirit (the astral plane, the heavenly realms, the mindscape, whatever you want to call it) started coming into focus. It felt like a real place, simultaneously terrifying, powerful, and rich with wonder and potential for personal growth.

With the new book, Entangled, Mr. Hancock takes us on a heart-pounding journey into this new world. Instead of using his academic voice, lecturing like some anthropology professor, Mr. Hancock helps us feel what this experience is actually like. Reading the book was so viscerally real I felt as if I, too, had somehow shared in the experience.

The story follows two young women who are drawn into the world of spirit and come to realize and accept their roles in a larger conflict. In between incredible scenes of beauty and discovery there are scenes of non-stop action, and it underscores the fact that people can behave like animals, or worse, and embody the same violence, compassion, and raw energy. Scenes where wildlife are threatening death and destruction are quickly followed by similar death and destruction caused by humans. The tragedy is in knowing the cruelty of the humans is intentional and willful.

Anyone looking for the classic New Age "happiness and light" rhetoric will hate this book. There is no happiness and light out there to rescue the book's protagonists. It's one bloodly conflict after another, constant strife and heartbreak intermingled with extraordinary bravery and tiny successes. This is how life on this planet is. Mr. Hancock's book amplifies this and shows us that, even while connected to the spirit realms, we still have our work cut out for us in this gritty, dangerous world of ours.

I found the book impossible to put down, and it still resonates with me, long after I finished reading it. I want to know more about the "Blue Angel". The scenes with the Blue Angel were so powerful, so fully realized, that I honestly felt as if I had met a real person. She radiated warmth, power, understanding, and true compassion. I also want to know more about this world, and how this particular story ends. This is a rare book, not only for its subject matter, but also for the exhilerating feeling it creates of discovering a new world, one as rich and dangerous as our own. I highly recommend the book.

I was really looking forward to this book but I have to say I was really disappointed. Very jerky and disjointed writing style. I appreciate his ideas and found some quite fascinating...the idea of the Neanderthals communicating via telepathy was pretty creative & I always like a good time travel story. But I have to say just reading about all the violence against women and children and humans in general makes me want to wash my aura!

If this is what his ayahuasca trips are like, then I'll pass.

The fact that on every page there was so much brutality & cruelty, I figured at some point there had to be some "positve" payoff...well I never found any. I finally got to the last pages (yes, I admit, I did end up skipping pages towards the end)...and guess what..it is a trilogy! Good vs evil...if it takes til the third book for good to triumph, I'll never know 'cause I won't read this series any further.

The whole thing was like a nightmare bad trip. Sorry Graham,I really wanted to like it. I've really enjoyed all your other non-fiction books....this one, not so much. Actually not at all.

I value Hancock's work with "forbidden history" and what actually happens when psychotropics are ingested ... but this tale was too full of violence, rape, abuse and gore for me to finish it. "Action-packed" means I'm packing it off to the swap table.

I read Entangled in a few days, because I couldn't put it down. I was seduced by its bold language, gripping ordeals, and best of all, its credible characters; I was repeatedly moved to tears. Sometimes, it seemed like I was getting an historical apparition, an epic vision of the last Neanderthals. The action and suspense are unrelenting. It's loaded with remarkable insights into human nature, the spiritual world, both good and evil. This is not for the weak of heart. Vivid descriptions of altered-states bring poetic justice to the ineffable experience of psychotropics. I sensed symbols (plucked like river stones) of the moral power of the heroic feminine, truly in sync with determined energy of the masculine. I'm surely not alone in eagerly anticipating a sequel, or two.

I am not into fiction. However, I have followed Graham Hancock's studies for 15 years or so. I have always been very interested in his lectures and interviews. This book kept me glued to it . I read non stop for 2 evenings and finished it. Unusual for me. I was totally satisfied and will most likely reread it at least twice....like a good movie. Definately mind bending and thought provoking. The ending was good as it doesn't leave you disappointed but anxious for the sequel.

I was really excited to get this book, I waited for almost a year for it to be released when It finally arrived I couldn't wait to start in reading....Im very familiar with Graham Hancock and have read several of his other books, this is his first fiction book and I must say im pretty disgusted...I understand the development of characters and that everything is not always perfect but his focus on Rape and child Rape at that, goes way to far. Every time I turn the page one of the two characters is about to be raped or is reminiscing about being raped by her father as a 12yr old...Its one thing to mention it once or twice but every page, every chapter over and over again...Im just not that interested in hearing about young girls being raped by their father or youths in the clan. Big thumbs down and huge let down, im really kinda curious as I noticed the author thanked his wife in the acknowledgments for reading and giving input, personally if someone I know gave me this to read I would have my doubts about them being anywhere near my kids....