Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, but unconvincing, May 31, 2004
Before the popular media latched onto the 'controversial' plotline proposed in the phenom novel 'The DaVinci Code', there were many other books that already investigated some of the dangerous ideas that Dan Brown played with. There were two books that, for me, were the heavy hitters; 'Holy Blood and Holy Grail', the fascinating yet ultimately unconvincing look into the connection between the life of Christ and Southern France, and Gardner's 'Bloodline of the Holy Grail'. 'Bloodline' is an extremely intriguing book. I devoured it relatively quickly, and overall quite enjoyed it. Gardner puts forth the same sort of heretical ideas 'Holy Blood' did, including the possibility that Jesus survived the crucifixion, possibly married Mary Magdelene, and had children whose ancestors make up some of the most important figures in royal history. It does this while tracing a meandering legacy from their union to modern day, and includes the bloodlines links to the Arthurian legend, Tarot imagery, Freemasonry and early American history. As fascinating as this all is, the book really stands on precarious legs. For one, Gardner is happy to provide footnotes for already established facts, yet the more intriguing details are simply stated. The author can easily tell us the name of Christ's daughter, a piece of knowledge that would be explosive if provided with evidence, but in no way documents where this information came from. It's quite easy to be caught up in teasingly naughty tidbits like this (I found myself giving out nanosecond-long gasps) but the reader should quickly realize that much of the 'history' mentioned is not backed up at all. The author also never explains the importance of the bloodline or his theories. If Christ wasn't the Son of God as proposed by the author, then why should we care who His great grandkids were? Gardner seems to show the crowd the ball he caught, but never runs with it. The books other weakness lies in the often bulky geneaologies presented. Pages upon pages of dry information take up the book, especially in the later chapters. However, for all its plot holes, the assertions made never fail to spark curiosity. Definately the book will spark the imaginations of its readers and will cause many to ask questions. 'Bloodlines' never proves anything, with the exception that the ideas presented create a highly entertaining read. If you can get past the endless lists ( the book has more 'begats' than the Bible) and questionable conclusions, 'Bloodline of the Holy Grail' is a fun read.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pass the Reynolds Wrap, August 7, 2003
Already being well-versed in the "Jesus Lived" conspiracy theory, there wasn't much in this book that was new to me, except for the more detailed and more speculative passages regarding the Gospels of Thomas contained in the Nag Hamadi scrolls, and some eyebrow-raising claims near the end - which I won't spoil. What is unique about Gardner's take on the puzzle is his background as a Royal Genealogist and his claim his contacts have taken the story for granted, for centuries. Apparently, according to Gardner, everyone in the European nobility - or at least his circle, it seems - knew all along they were Christ's descendents. Kind of brings a new twist to the Divine Right of Kings, don't it? In Gardner's world, the descendents of this bloodline are noble, dedicated public servants whose top concern is for the benefit of humanity. Until I read this book, I was always fairly amused, if not bemused and intrigued, by the myth/legend/conspiracy theory so magnificently laid out by the authors of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" almost 20 years ago, and the entire cottage industry it spawned. Gardner's assertions, however, that these nobles descended from Christ are somehow destined to lead and serve, becomes disturbing to a US citizen raised in the belief that our political system is based on democracy - especially in these times of uncertainty, and especially when the Catholic Church's feet of clay become more exposed with each scandal. If one knows where and how to search, one can easily find and trace the lineage of the almost half of US presidents who came from this very bloodline - right up to and including our current Bible-quoting President.
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book Worth Reading For Theologians, November 27, 2002
A Kid's Review
If you have strong faith (Catholicism, Christianity) and believe in the literal written and fundamental English translated language of the Bible, this book is not for you. It is principally for theologians and historians, who accept Jesus to have been a human man and not divine. He altered the course of history, that is for sure and established Christianity from his native Israel into present day Western society. Gardner quotes from sources that are rare and hard to find, older books from medieval sources, and uses art and tarot cards and the myth of Arthur and the Holy Grail in their connection to the truth about Jesus. He proposes that he was of the Qumran community (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) and he married Mary Magdalene. He did not die on the cross and instead had someone else die in his place. From Magdalene, he was given a lineage, many of which lived their life as early Christian priests. This I can believe, but the claim that kings and queens of France and England (the Stewarts, etc) were descendants of Jesus/Mary is only a desire to claim "divine right of kings." This book is full of mystery and realism, that it can be like cracking a code to seperate fact from fiction. That is our job to do. Nevertheless, let the faithful be faithful. Believe what works for you. This is a great book. Changed my way of thinking. Look for his other books revolving around the Grail.
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by Laurence Gardner
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