Customer Reviews

The Gods' Machines: From Stonehenge to Crop Circles

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4 star:		(1)
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An interesting theory, built on the back of prior ones, with a breathtaking world-wide scope. In a nutshell, all the megalithic monuments in our world, along with certain civilizations that blossomed quickly and mysteriously, only to die out (Angkor Wat, Mesoamerica, the Temple era of Egypt, etc.), were energy-creating complexes for extraterrestrial use, to tap electro-magnetic energies in the earth.
If so, these 'stations' were not holy sites, but were turned into such later by the local people. All those he listed have mysterious myths surrounding their creation, obscured by the dimming of time and by the discounting by outsiders and science.
I bought it because I'm interested in the megaliths of Carnac, in Brittany, France. I've never been a UFOlogist, but I'm willing to keep an open mind, and have to say the author is onto something here. What it will ultimately turn out to be, I don't know, but I'm willing to consider his far-ranging theory, as parts of it make sense to me (to be honest, more sense than some stretched-thin scientific theories). I've always balked at the premise the megaliths were built by Stone-Age people (with life spans of perhaps 25-35 years) for the purposes of worship or calendar-making. Their lives were basic and focused on day-to-day survival. Very little remain of their residences and routines, yet they are assumed to have constructed these terrifically time-consuming rock edifices as places of worship or ritual. That never seemed to be the whole answer to me. This book's theory on man's part in it actually makes more sense to me, considering human nature, if you can just get past resistance to the idea of them being constructed, or influenced by, off-worlders.
This book is big, and filled with diagrams of the monuments showing the angles and layouts that are crucial to his theory. Parts of it have a slapped-together feel, especially near the end, as if he was running out of time and space. He used a lot of internet resources, and that adds to its slapped-together feel. In areas, there is a lack of cohesive narrative, as he presents diagram after diagram. This is why I gave it 4 stars. As time goes along, I'm not sure how his assessment of the meaning of the details will hold up, because it is such a new field, but in many ways the smaller details won't matter. He has been willing to tackle a very large subject, and apply some reasoning and science to it.
That being said, I still recommend reading it, as it is thought-provoking and fascinating. I wanted to see if he could carry off his theory, and I think he did a credible job. It is good to read things that stretch our minds and broadens our mindsets. This is a book that will do that for you, if nothing else, so it will not be wasted, no matter your opinion by the end. And it *is* a fascinating read. I look forward to seeing how his research matures. I think this book adds to a body of work regarding the ancient stone monuments, as the true answer to them doesn't lie with science yet.