Customer Reviews

On Stonehenge

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This book reads like a well-written Ph.D. thesis on the notion that ancient Britons built Stonehenge for the purpose of tracking the orbits of the Sun and Moon to facilitate the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. His extensive proofs are a fairly convincing argument on that point. He doesn't get too much into how Stonehenge was built(clearly a spectacular acheivement for the Stone Age) or why orbits and eclipses would have been important to an ancient people. This is a scientific treatment which glosses over the anthropological and mystical meanings of the monument.

I read this book 6 years back. Still remember it for the unrelenting logic behind what it argues for.

Imagine. When you see a ruined block of big stones, can you claim that the stones are there only to predict eclipses? How will you go about building a case for your claim? Can you convince the world that it is indeed true? Fred Hoyle has done just that, and he convinces you beyond any doubt.

He theorizes that the primary reason Stonehenge was built was to predict eclipses. He proceeds to support this thesis by piecing blocks of the puzzle into one cohesive, convincing argument. The book has all the detective drama of Sherlock Holmes, except that the mystery is real and the argument is based on facts. Along the way, you get an intimate knowledge of the megalith and the minds of the ancient men who built it.

Whether you are interested in Stonehenge or not...this book gives you a fascinating insight into how scientists propound theories and proceed to build a case around them. A master work of logical thought.

I read this book 6 years back. Still remember it for the unrelenting logic behind what it argues for.

Imagine. When you see a ruined block of big stones, can you claim that the stones are there only to predict eclipses? How will you go about building a case for your claim? Can you convince the world that it is indeed true? Fred Hoyle has done just that, and he convinces you beyond any doubt.

He theorizes that the primary reason Stonehenge was built was to predict eclipses. He proceeds to support this thesis by piecing blocks of the puzzle into one cohesive, convincing argument. The book has all the detective drama of Sherlock Holmes, except that the mystery is real and the argument is based on facts. Along the way, you get an intimate knowledge of the megalith and the minds of the ancient men who built it.

Whether you are interested in Stonehenge or not...this book gives you a fascinating insight into how scientists propound theories and proceed to build a case around them. A master work of logical thought.