Customer Reviews

Nostradamus: Visions of the Future

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I recently read this book because I lacked anything else to do. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Nostradamus or his prophecies. Everything is explained quite clearly and simply. It doesn't take a PHd in Astrophysics to understand. That's great!!

I found this book to not be written very well. Much of the details I found were irrelevant and not intriguing. I forced myself to finish the book, but it turned me off from the topic of Nostradamus perhaps forever.

Okay, some time ago, I got interested in Nostradamus. No, not his prophecies, as such. I've read those, and actually kind of liked the imagery and generally ignored the supposed future aspects. No, I was interested in the phenomenon of 'prophet' in the same kind of way that I was interested in the phenomenon of 'saint'. Which is to say, I wanted to know what was known of biography and understand what he did and how who he was fit into the culture of his time. Anyhow, that's what I hoped to find.

It didn't take much looking to realize that this was more or less unfindable. Many many books on NOSTRADAMUS MAN OF THE FUTURE and how he predicted the rise of the Beast and whatever else, but nothing really interesting. I made the mistake of complaining about this in a second-hand bookstore and the owner (overhearing) decided that I should buy this book-- the book by Brennan. He claimed that while it looked unprepossessing, it actually had some biography and detail that made it worth the time to read. I was dubious then, but he was a nice guy and he wanted practically nothing for it, so I bought it anyhow. (Note: I don't do that anymore.)

For years now, it's sat on my to-be-read shelf kind of mocking me. I had glanced through the introduction and decided that it looked more than unprepossessing-- it looked dreadful. I kept nearly donating it to charity unread, but I hate doing that on general principles. And so it went: donate?/read?, donate?/read? until finally I decided to just give in and read the damned thing. How bad could it be?

Bad question. The answer is: very very bad indeed.

There is some biographical material, but it's filled with the kind of uncritical miraculous detail that you would find in The Golden Legend. The author repeats clear myth as fact without any critical eye at all. The whole point about any and all biography in the book, is to PROVE BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that Nostradamus was who he is billed to be: all-singing all-dancing psychic prophet guy. Then there follows the obligatory deconstruction and explanation of his prophecies.

So, if you just want confirmation that Nostradamus was Da Man, you may not hate this book. The rest of the world can safely steer clear.

i didn't agree with all of Brennan's views of the quatrains having to do with the future, at least not 100%, but his assumptions are well thought out and do make some sense. by the way, at the time that i'm writing this it is the sixth month of 1999, the seventh month is coming up and i would like to say that aliens will not get in touch with humanity; as Brennan assumed that quatrain (century 10, quatrain 72) meant. i believe that it has something to do with the whole Balkan State area. not that i'm right mind you, but i believe that for the month of july everything will calm down somewhat (as it has been doing) then the U.S./Russian (or chineese) relations will go sour. maybe the U.S. will spark some uprising in Mongolia. anyway, that is just the way i read it, and whos to say i'm right and Brennan is wrong?