Product Description

This not-too-serious guide takes the reader through the major conspiracy theories that abound in today's world - from the historically complex to the seriously whacked out. Each entry includes a description of the theory, evidence for and against it, prominent figures associated with it. A chart at the end of the book offers a way for readers to compose their own conspiracy theory, throwing in as many elements as they like. Topics covered include: The Kennedy Assassinations; The Moon Landing; The Holy Grail and the Bloodline of Jesus; The Illuminati; The New World Order; The Murder of Princess Diana, Elvis, and Jim Morrison; Roswell; and, Freemasonry. With this book the reader will be able to make her or his way through this confusing maze and discover the truth out there - whatever it is.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45047 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Monte Cook has been a professional editor and writer for more than twenty years, with well over a hundred credits to his name. He runs his own small publishing company, Malhavoc Press, with his wife Sue and resides in Milwaukee.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining, funny, informative in parts
This book is a good enjoyable read, entertainment rather than a serious exploration of conspiracy theories. Its mostly sensible and factual perspective gives a credible general guide to those unfamiliar with some of the theories written about.

The hand-scribbled comments in red ink in the margins on every page from a fictional conspiracy-obsessed reader are often funny and poignant, a fine original idea which works surprisingly well in counterbalancing and highlighting likely reactions to the main text.

Some reviewers have commented that too much credence is given by the author to the more preposterous and insane theories - like the '9/11-attacks-were-an-inside-job' cult, promoted successfully by a small motley crew of obsessives and charlatans, but primarily for which no evidence exists (for a grounded perspective, look up what Naom Chomsky says on the subject). However, this is surely to miss the point. Monte Cook has not researched these 'conspiracies' in great depth, and does not seek to explore all the details of the claims. It's a 'Skeptic's Guide' - i.e. a book designed primarily to entertain, aimed at the casually interested reader who has neither time nor inclination to obsess through internet conspiracy sites and devour a large number of conspiracy books. Most people have more productive things to do with their lives than live in a world of permanent delusion, but might appreciate an easy-read guide to a very 20th/21st century phenomenon which has exploded in the internet age.

The check-list at the end of each chapter is an interesting and bold idea, which partially succeeds. However the informed reader will see that the author has not really done in-depth homework on all the issues: as an example, at the end of the chapter on alien abductions (not a conspiracy per se but the intentional covering-up of the program and ridiculing of witnesses may well be) none of the works of Hopkins, Mack, Jacobs, Fowler or any of the esteemed and respected mainstream researchers is referenced at all. This might just be an oversight, or the author's very slight aquaintance with the subject and ignorance of the sheer quantity of data. However to the author's credit, he does acknowledge something is going on and gives the likelihood of abductions being true a 6/10.

So in summary, don't expect a serious tract on conspiracies with obsessive forensic analysis of every claim. If you accept this book as entertainment, broadly on track and a good humorous read, with some useful information for the largely uninformed reader, you won't be disappointed.