Rating: 
Summary: Well documented, very well demonstrated. A must-read!
Review: I bought "The Tomb of God" after watching a documentary about Rennes le Châteaux.
As my first serious reading about this subject, I must admit I was really impressed.
Everyone who knows about Rennes le Châteaux is familiar with Poussin's work: I haven't seen a deeper analysis than that made by these writers: just think about unframing the painting!
Andrews and Schellenberger really "x-rayed" the mystery.
The only thing we could say about all the analysis and the conclusions Andrews and Schellenberger reach is that the starting point was wrong. Otherwise, there is no way to contradict them, if not minor issues (i.e. where Celestino V was from).
Unlike what Lincoln says in "Key to the Sacred Pattern" (in which he adds very interesting topics in the second part), Andrews and Schellenberger leave room for the reader to look for other opinions and to compare those to their own point of view, with a very detailed bibliography.
A very complete book. Worth a reading. The kick to get into the secrets of Rennes le Château.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOOK FIRES THE IMAGINATION, BUT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS!
Review: I DON'T HAVE A REVIEW AS SUCH, OTHER THAN TO SAY IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY READ AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANY ONE WHO HAS READ HOLY BLOOD AND HOLY GRAIL. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL TO ANYONE WHO HAS HAS ANY INFORMATION AS TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES RESPONSE TO THE BOOK AND ITS FINDINGS. IF THE AUTHORS READ THIS PERHAPS THEY CAN FIND THE TIME TO RESPOND
Rating: 
Summary: the exact explanation about rennes le chateau
Review: i have to say that i red a lot of things about this magical place in France, and only this book gave me a close idea of all the history and true about jesus and the holy grial.
awesome investigation about paints and places
a good point about sauniere's money
excelent sacred geometry/ geography ( i hope you understand what i'm talking about)
Rating:
Summary: Complex, confusing, but very compelling
Review: I wrote a favorable review in September of '98 and have not changed my opinion. Let me say that I agree that the geometrical arguments are difficult -- this is not light reading. I doubt that the reviewers who dismiss this book out of hand have patiently spent the time required to digest the analyses presented. I have gone over this book in detail several times since my first review. I have laboriously checked the authors' diagrams, and they are what they purport to be: a geometrical solution to the mysterious "parchments" that are in reality a treasure map and not simply biblical passages in latin. (I have taught geometry in high school and have designed and built sundials involving geometric calculations.) I do not necessarily agree with the religious and historical conclusions the authors draw. However, this book presents a genuine contribution to the history of painting -- something that other reviewers have missed. I and others have found other ancient paintings (not mentioned in this book) which also are laid out on the "sacred Platonic geometry" hidden in those parchments that are the center of the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery. The color reproductions and careful illustrations in this book alone make it worthy of consideration. One must realize that this book was written in part to refute Henry Lincoln, (Holy Blood, Holy Grail, etc) author of competing books with his own solutions to the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery. Mr. Lincoln was at one time a writer for the BBC, and seems to have failed to decipher properly the geometric code hidden in the parchments, which made a poor French priest go from rags to riches in the 1890's. Tomb of God is a scholarly work with sixteen pages of research notes that can be checked; explanatory appendices; an extensive and useful bibliography; a good index; excellent color plates including reproductions of the paintings analysed and a photograph of the solution site. It includes the analysis of a Templar map of Jerusalem from the 1300's. The paintings cannot be forged for they are in museums -- and the analyses are far from arbitrary -- an observation that could only come from one who was unable to follow them. It is unfortunate that the authors (one a civil engineer) did not have a better editor. To their credit they checked the position of churches and castles in S. France with satellite-derived Global Positioning Instrumentation to establish that the geometry hidden in Poussin's "Et In Arcadia Ego" paintings was confirmed on the landscape of Southern France. One reviewer calls attention to a TV documentary that attacked this book. It is so easy for a TV documentary to criticize a book . . . while it would be next to impossible to defend properly on TV the complicated arguments involved. To me, it is evidence of the book's importance and quite commendatory to the authors that a TV documentary attacking their Tomb of God was aired in the first place. I am only arguing that the authors have succesfully deciphered the mysterious puzzle of the parchments. This alone makes the book a worthwhile mystery and detective story. I do not argue that they have proved that anything is buried at the spectacular mountain site they reveal. I believe they went too far in saying anything about Jesus being buried there. This is so controversial that it spoils it for those who might otherwise enjoy the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and the puzzle of the parchments that made a poor priest fabulously wealthy and has caused the mountain village of Rennes-le-Chateau to be a tourist mecca. If you enjoy a mystery, a detective story, and detailed investigations reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's writings, give this book the benefit of the doubt. Skip the detailed geometrical arguments, ignore the religious implications, and enjoy the intriguing puzzles and their solutions for what they are worth. Suspend disbelief and appreciate the effort that went into Tomb of God (a better title might have been selected) This book will raise questions in your mind which may lead to the reading of other approaches to a mystery that has enchanted many intellectually inclined readers -- especially on the other side of the Atlantic.
Rating:
Summary: Still impressed after carefully checking the geometry
Review: I wrote a favorable review in September of '98 and have not changed my opinion. Let me say that I agree that the geometrical arguments are difficult -- this is not light reading. I doubt that the reviewers who dismiss this book out of hand have patiently spent the time required to digest the analyses presented. I have gone over this book in detail several times since my first review. I have laboriously checked the authors' diagrams, and they are what they purport to be: a geometrical solution to the mysterious "parchments" that are in reality a treasure map and not simply biblical passages in latin. (I have taught geometry in high school and have designed and built sundials involving geometric calculations.) I do not necessarily agree with the religious and historical conclusions the authors draw. However, this book presents a genuine contribution to the history of painting -- something that other reviewers have missed. I and others have found other ancient paintings (not mentioned in this book) which also are laid out on the "sacred Platonic geometry" hidden in those parchments that are the center of the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery. The color reproductions and careful illustrations in this book alone make it worthy of consideration. One must realize that this book was written in part to refute Henry Lincoln, (Holy Blood, Holy Grail, etc) author of competing books with his own solutions to the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery. Mr. Lincoln was at one time a writer for the BBC, and seems to have failed to decipher properly the geometric code hidden in the parchments, which made a poor French priest go from rags to riches in the 1890's. Tomb of God is a scholarly work with sixteen pages of research notes that can be checked; explanatory appendices; an extensive and useful bibliography; a good index; excellent color plates including reproductions of the paintings analysed and a photograph of the solution site. It includes the analysis of a Templar map of Jerusalem from the 1300's. The paintings cannot be forged for they are in museums -- and the analyses are far from arbitrary -- an observation that could only come from one who was unable to follow them. It is unfortunate that the authors (one a civil engineer) did not have a better editor. To their credit they checked the position of churches and castles in S. France with satellite-derived Global Positioning Instrumentation to establish that the geometry hidden in Poussin's "Et In Arcadia Ego" paintings was confirmed on the landscape of Southern France. One reviewer calls attention to a TV documentary that attacked this book. It is so easy for a TV documentary to criticize a book . . . while it would be next to impossible to defend properly on TV the complicated arguments involved. To me, it is evidence of the book's importance and quite commendatory to the authors that a TV documentary attacking their Tomb of God was aired in the first place. I am only arguing that the authors have succesfully deciphered the mysterious puzzle of the parchments. This alone makes the book a worthwhile mystery and detective story. I do not argue that they have proved that anything is buried at the spectacular mountain site they reveal. I believe they went too far in saying anything about Jesus being buried there. This is so controversial that it spoils it for those who might otherwise enjoy the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and the puzzle of the parchments that made a poor priest fabulously wealthy and has caused the mountain village of Rennes-le-Chateau to be a tourist mecca. If you enjoy a mystery, a detective story, and detailed investigations reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's writings, give this book the benefit of the doubt. Skip the detailed geometrical arguments, ignore the religious implications, and enjoy the intriguing puzzles and their solutions for what they are worth. Suspend disbelief and appreciate the effort that went into Tomb of God (a better title might have been selected) This book will raise questions in your mind which may lead to the reading of other approaches to a mystery that has enchanted many intellectually inclined readers -- especially on the other side of the Atlantic.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful
Review: I'm not eloquent enough to say what a great book Balkan Ghosts is. It can be read either as a travelouge from begining to end, or in whatever section you're interested in. I've done both. Chapters like "The Danube's Bitter End," "Just to Go the Heaven," and descriptions such as that of Salonika make those places real.(For those interested in what's in the news, Kosovo is also mentioned, with the author's thoughts on the troubles plauging that region. It was written before the war and doesn't show its age.) Buy this book. It is a great way to understand the region, much easier to get into than Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, and a wonderful compliment to true histories of the area (such as A HISTORY OF THE BALKANS, THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE, and THE EMERGANCE OF MODERN TURKEY.)
Rating: 
Summary: Good but Deep
Review: I,ve read many books on the subject and have found all of them interesting! however this book takes the subject from a slightly new perspective that once again forces one to ask more about what we are taught in our lives
Rating:
Summary: A scientific investigation of a non-secular controversy
Review: On a whim, I picked up this book at Heathrow for casual inflight reading (it's a national best-seller in the UK), and was immediately engaged. It's a truly fascinating scientific and secular investigation into a highly controversial Christian (especially Catholic) subject. Sort of a "what the Pope doesn't want you to know" examination exposing a two thousand year old cover-up. A treasure hunter's dream, detailing the clues and solutions to the mystery in parchments, maps, paintings, gravestones, architecture, etc. If you have an interest in Western cultural or religious history, or just like a good mystery explained, I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking yet questionable
Review: Richard. Andrews, & Schellenberger present a series of interesting and thought provoking soloutions to an old mystery in this book. From their creative use of geometry, to their careful selection of clues, to the relationship that each holds to each other it is aparent that there is something to thier theories. However, it is doubtful that they have come upon a perfect soloution to the puzzle, but a fine starting point none-the-less. The principle flaw seems to be a reluctance to get to the root of the search, opting instead to return to redundant geometry that, while offering wonderful insights into the art and philosophy of the Renaissance mind, will quickly bore the average reader. Much of the book seems to be the authors' need to feed thier egos. "Look how clever we are, we discovered this line here!" But the book's greatest sin will be found in its departure from dogmaticly acceptable thought. It's controversial nature will no doubt offend many as heretical and will automatically come under attack by opponents to objective thought. Despite the authors endless posturing throughout the book it is an entertaining work and for anyone who is a student of the Rennes Le Chateau mystery it provides some wonderful diagrams, illustrations, and photographs. There is no doubt that the authors have indeed stumbled onto some wonderful new facts in this mystery but, as with all works of this type, it should be taken with a grain of salt until someone with a shovel sets out to prove these theories once and for all.
Rating: 
Summary: You have to be kidding
Review: So, He gets crucified and then they carry His body to France?And of course Mary Magdalene must be in this gnostic cult too. Ok, what about the fact that His tomb in Jerusalem was sealed with wax, and there was a Roman guard guarding it? ok...they were in on this too? And, every apostle but John was killed for this FRAUD. Would you die for a fraud? Boiled in oil, skinned alive, hung upside down, clubbed to death, fed to the lions, etc. etc...on and on! For a lie....I don't think so!!! Get real people those bible codes are able to say anything you want them to say.... Do you people really believe this mess? He's God? But He can't get out of the tomb? I think you people had better get with it...you are being deceived by a master deceiver....And you laugh at Christians for having faith that He rose from the dead. You'll do anything to try to destroy Jesus, won't you? He wins....You lose. Read the Bible!!!!
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