Customer Reviews

Don't mistake this for a book of facts. - By: S. Wong, 22 Sep 2007
The disclaimer at the start sums up this book:
"The views presentedin this publication are are those of the author. The information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessments of the matters discussed & are advised to consult a professional to verify all relevant representations, statements & information obtained from this book."

The eventsin this book are claimed to "have been carefully chosen because they highlight major turning pointsin the history of the world." This is bound to be subjective, but he has ignored the inventions of paper, radar, lasers... Scipio's defeat of Hannibal (which prevented Rome from being wiped out before it became an empire), the creation of Israel, or of the League of Nations/United Nations, the genocidesin Cambodia or Rwanda, the invention of the internet... etc. Instead Rodney Castleden has chosen Steamboat Willie, the Death of the 'Iceman'in the Alps, the discovery of the Niagara Falls, harpooning of the first sperm whale, & Anchorage earthquake as major turning pointsin history. (Why a remote earthquakein Alaska instead of the onein Shaanxi, China which killed approx. 830,000 people?)

Biblical stories, legends & myths are presented as facts (King Arthur?). I was surprised it did not give Noah & the Great Flood... no wait, what's that under "Global Warming (10,000 BC)"? ...no, actually he doesn't. This book is riddled with, "It was suggested..." or "It is said...", but by whom? It is full of inaccuracies - the Theory of Relativity has been confused with Quantum Mechanics, Confucius is confused with Lao Tzu,...

I gave it two stars, as it initially gave me doubts, made me think, then made me look things up on Wikipedia, & so confirming/learning what the current state of accepted understanding of these events are.