Customer Reviews

The Knights Templar in the New World: How Henry Sinclair Brought the Grail to Acadia

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This book is an EXACT copy of Mann's previous book, The Labyrinth of the Grail. It has a different title, different cover and different publisher but the content is EXACTLY the same. This author should be ashamed of himself. I bought his Labyrinth book awhile back, read it (wasn't that good and quite confusing) and when he came out with this new one I thought it would have new information in it. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was an EXACT copy of the book I had already read. Shame on this author for trying to trick people into buying his books. I'll never buy another one.

I forced myself to finish this book to justify the expense of buying it. I was hoping to learn more about the theory of Oak Island being linked to the Knights Templars, but after reading this book, I was ready to write off the entire thing. Mann has done nothing more than toss together every possible source of esoterica; King Arthur, the Templars, the Great Pyramid, Greek Myth... , and use it as a grab-bag for his theories. He finds "connections" in everything without thinking of alternative explanations and creates such a confusing and complicated web of motives and actions that collapses under its own weight. Mann's evidence consists of a single stone and his own interpretation of rock formations and trees. He uses his own convictions as proof of theories, such as interpreting the shepardess in Poussin's painting as being pregnant or that Glooscap was Sinclair. I was surprised he did not try to link this with the JFK assasination! The closest equivalent I could think of to this book would be the rantings of a paranoid schizophrenic, and I say that without malice, simply as a statement of fact. I strongly urge people NOT to buy this book. I would have given it no stars if I was allowed to.

Unfortunately, many masonic authors are doing the worst possible disservice to the craft and to history, this being a perfect example. The collectective gibberish of Mr. Mann is simply a disgrace; full of personal wishful thinking, of make-believe, of sensational argumentation, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth that such rubbish has found its way to print. Applying the formula used by others (Lincoln, Baigent et al), together with the need to acquire a bit of heritage, Mr. Mann embarks on an self-embarassing journey that has nothing to do with the Knights Templars. No doubt there is merit in the theory that the Knights had landed on the shores of North America, however to apply sacred geometry in the manner described by Mr Mann stretches the patience of informed historians with sufficient cultural and intellectual depth.
The deragatory manner with which Mr. Mann (on page 12) refers to an eminent authority like Mr. Laurence Gardner, just shows that he neither has the depth nor the intellectual maturity to make a worthwhile contribution to the Knights Templars, to the craft and to history.

I wish I had read Amazon's reader reviews of this book before buying it. What a complete waste of time. The author uses every excuse for a coincidence he can find to support his theory (read "wishful thinking") resulting in confusion & incredulity for the reader. Many times the book was headed towared the garbage can, but I finished it in hopes it would eventually lead somewhere, but it did not. What a disappointment.

Don't waste your hard earned cash on this turkey.

Mann is worse than Leigh and Baigent for building his theories on unproven supposition and then proceeding as if that theory was a fact from which he can springboard his next theory. He has no citations for these dubious "facts" but does for bits and pieces that are not so important to the central premise.

Sometimes he flatly states he's going on a "feeling" he got while visiting a place or remembering the configuration of his grandfather's Masonic ring.....

I came to this book with a strong desire to believe the Zeno Narrative but like anything else, I need facts and evidence to substantiate the claim. I'm not seeing anything new here. If this book was the only source for the Sinclair Voyage I would run screaming from the entire premise.

The other thing that annoys me here - the very idea that a medeival expedition reached North America is compelling enough for me. Why does it have to be entwined with endless theories on the bloodline of Jesus, sacred geometry and the Holy Grail? Does everything have to spin off from the DaVinci Code these days? Establish the expedition as an indisputable fact first, then go for the esoteric stuff if you really have to.

I finally gave up when Mr. Mann tried, on page 70, to convince me that "Aspotogan is an anagram for Jehosophat if one substitutes J (Jehovah) for G (Geometry), combines the to h's to make an 'n' and considers the 'e' as an 'a' as in the Greek alphabet".

Sure - and my name is really Albert Einstein if one merely substitutes "Albert" for my first name and "Einstien" for my last name.

It's always a big red flag when you see so many sentences that start with "Could it be that.....?" You know immediately that the author wants to put a thought in your mind for which he has no reasonable evidence.

If you're thinking about reading this book, get it out of the library and don't waste your money. Better yet, don't bother at all - it's absolute tripe. I'm kicking myself that I spent money on his "Templar Meridians" at the same time.

I've started in on "Templars in America - From the Crusades to the New World" which looks like it has the potential to be more scientific and less sensationalist in its approach. I'll let you know how I make out. One way or another I want to learn more about this.

The other reviewers are correct that this book is a waste of time. It is, indeed, nothing but wishful thinking on the part of the author. Here's a perfect example from page 70 of how he twists and contorts things to support his theory:

"Remarkably, 'Aspotogan' is an anagram of 'Jehosophat' if one substitutes J (Jehovah) for G (geometry), combines the two h's to make an n, and considers the e an a as in the Greek alphabet."

Yes, this is remarkable -- that any author could write this and actually believe it.

With this sort of "reasoning," you can pretty much prove anything.

The author wrote this book like paranoid lunatic, which sees secret plots in everything around him. He connects things in most ridiculous ways, putting in the same sentence old European maps, astrology, geometry, Greek mythology, simple ridiculous calculations and lot of other totally independent things.

The "proofs" like, for example:

Author knows that 4 of grand masters of Sion was connected with Sir Henry Sinclair (each one on different, totally independent way) is, for the author, the proof, because it is connected with four elements, and with Sinclair himself, as a fifth secret element, gives what? Well... I don't know, but it is very important. Regarding that proof, another "crucial proof" is that one of these four grand masters is born in 1332, which is 666x2!

Another proof of Templar activity in the New Scotland are two hills! I don't think that Templars actually built hill, but hey! How can hills be without them?

Especially irritating for me, as a mathematician was when author speaks about ancient Egyptian and Greek geometry with such sureness, regardless obvious truth that he knows nothing about it.

The other thing that surprises author is that painters uses proportions in their painting. This proportions are for him another "crucial proof" of Templars activity in Canada.

In fact I didn't find a simple conclusive proof on anything in this book.

In simple, this book is attack to anyone with even a bit of sense.

If I were to write down my dreams, then I could come up with this book. Long on fantasy and very short on facts.

The wishful thinking in this book gives Erich von Däniken a run for his money; every rock, map, painting and manuscript can somehow be interpreted to support the author's theory. The book was returned to the retail outlet where it was purchased.

Written by a great-nephew of a Supreme Grand Master of the Knights Templar of Canada, The Knights Templar In The New World: How Henry Sinclair Brought The Grail To Arcadia is an exploration of the mysteries and secrets of Prince Henry Sinclair and his Templar followers, who allegedly came to Nova Scotia almost one hundred years before Christopher Columbus. A compilation of obscure but compelling evidence, that presents famous individuals of history in a manner that reads like a fantastic adventure.