Sitchin presents some eye-raising theories in these pages which bear mentioning. First, he virtually rewrites the history of the pyramids of Giza in terms of the construction and usage of the monuments, the sentence of a god to imprisonment in the Great Pyramid, and new thoughts on the real purposes behind the baffling shafts, rooms, and plugs found therein. Part of Sitchin's argument about the creation of the pyramids revolves around mathematics, and this part of the book does temporarily bog the reader down a bit. Next, he identifies Abraham of the Bible as the noble son of a Sumerian priest and not a Semite at all; more incredibly, he argues that the real purpose of Abraham's ordained trip to Canaan was to stop an invading army of eastern kings from capturing the Anunnaki control center and spaceport in the Sinai peninsula. Finally, Sitchin argues that Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the Sinai space port, were actually destroyed by nuclear weapons and that the tragic disappearance of the ancient Sumerians is to be explained by the radioactive fallout of the explosions drifting over the area.

True or not, Sitchin's theories are fascinating. His ideas are not his own, they are his interpretation of the ancient writings of the Sumerians, Egyptians, Israelites, and succeeding thinkers and historians. While many would condemn Sitchin for challenging the truth of the Bible, he actually helps support the history of that document--much of the information he has discovered from Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian, and other ancient sources actually matches remarkably well the facts presented in the Bible. Of course, one is hard pressed to trust Sitchin's data implicitly (unless one can translate diverse ancient writings), but he does succeed in presenting a unified, linear chronology of events. Whether his interpretation is correct or not, it does serve to explain a number of unsolved mysteries from man's past and makes for fascinating reading.

What I did recieve was a book that takes itself far too seriously. Written like a poor 'degree level' history book it's unclear structure is heavy and whilst regurgitating several hundred years of history actually says very little of visitors, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions on the subject which are more likly to have been influenced by the likes of Star Wars rather than the third rate history textbook that this ultimatly is.

I suggest the Earth Chronicles be read in their order of publication: 12th Planet, Stairway to Heaven, Wars of Gods & Men, Lost Realms,When Time Began.