Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: Palmer's book does have some merit. It does collect much of what has been written recently criticizing the traditional view of LDS history. The chapter on parallels between the Book of Mormon and 19th-century evangelicals protestantism was particularly interesting. This book does have significant problems, however. Palmer makes sweeping assertions that nothing "substantial" has been produced that supports Book of Mormon historicity. He ignores literally thousands of pages of material in this statement. I will grant that much of LDS apologia is bunk, but to ignore it all is inexcusable. Also many of the parallels Palmer cites stretch credulity in my view, especially the chapter about Moroni and the golden pot story. To show that someone familiar with a story written in a foreign language may have known Joseph Smith well is one thing, but to conclude then that Joseph would have intimate knowledge of that story and use it to create the story of Moroni is quite another. In any event I did not find the stories similar enough to call them parallels.
Rating: 
Summary: Read the book "good mormons" aren't allowed to read!
Review: The author was disciplined by the Mormon church for writing this book. Why? Because it contained true information about the Mormon church (from the church's own archives) that clearly demonstrates that many claims about the "divinity" of this church are false. The Mormon church is forbidding Palmer to discuss his disciplinary hearing, and doesn't want its members to read this book because it might cause many church members to leave.
According to the President of the 12 Apostles, Boyd K. Packer, "Some things that are true aren't very useful." Palmer may not be the first to raise questions about the truth of the church's doctrinal claims, but in this book he calls for the church to be honest about it's origins. And he writes in a way that is accessible for a lay person. Members of this church might not find telling the plain truth useful, but I sure do!!
Rating: 
Summary: Christianity's next, the fate of mankind hangs in the balanc
Review: There has been an increasingly popular trend to redefine religion (every religion) to fit what appears to be the physical facts. At the source of this effort is the perception that there are historical inaccuracies, which is often supported by physical evidences. The truth is that these physical evidences are indeed the best sources for determining an accurate history of actual temporal events and so Palmer's effort to correct history is a noble one.
Nobody stops to question however whether his approach, although reasoned and polite, is the best way to determine the validity of spiritual beliefs, it is just assumed that his approach is the best way. But one should at least consider the spiritual and social consequences of his technique and whether validating spiritual doctrine or traditions should be done differently than the methods normally used to establish historical fact. Historical fact and spiritual beliefs are deeply related, but they are not synonymous by any stretch of the imagination.
At a minimum we should consider that the value of religion for mankind has always been in it's ability to inspire hope and faith - to encourage mankind to strive for something greater. Empirical data also overwhelmingly suggests that theistic faith based religions are more motivating and inspire far more optimism than atheism, humanism, or even deism, or any other belief system. That's just a sociological fact that any educated sociologist should know (whether they believe it or not is another matter). Furthermore, scientific treatments of religion such as Palmer's work in very essence whittle away at the divine and prepare the road for less faith based beliefs until eventually everyone says that God is dead or at least He doesn't care as much as we thought he did - ultimately resulting in a society that is less motivated and more pessimistic than was previously possible. It's happening on a global scale TO EVERY SINGLE RELIGION, NOT JUST MORMONISM.
With that in mind I, and it would seem any member of humanity should encourage prudence rather than indiscretion when pitting physical evidence against religious beliefs. I'm encouraged that there appears to be a few others (though not many) who agree with me on this point - and find it all the more encouraging that many of them aren't even LDS. Obviously they've been able to seperate themselves from the blindly pious nature of Palmer's work enough to foresee some frightful social consequence with this trend of subjugating the spiritual moorings of society to careless, inanimate and impersonal physical evidences, which may or may not be valid.
I can only hope (against my better judgement) that he next produces a work that is less deterministic, less wholesale, and more gracious, providing a means whereby LDS members can maintain their intimate connection with their faith, instead of shooting a hole right through the middle of it and telling them to patch it up themselves. I also hope that as people pit science more against Christianity and other religious beliefs as a whole that they too will be much more thoughtful and consider the implications of their actions, rather than blindly insist spiritual matters are less important than physical evidences assuming someone else will pick up the pieces and that the world will be better off in a thrashed state of unbelief.
Fortunately 2000 years ago Saint Paul had the answer. He suggested that scholars and religionists such as Palmer should never decide spiritual matters (like the Book of Mormon, or a Vision, or a Savior, etc) by analyzing physical evidences (ex: like an old manuscipt, or someones diary, or a shroud), but rather suggests "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor 2:13-14). He also suggests comparing physical things with physical, "as man's wisdom teacheth", but to not mix the two. Had Palmer followed Paul's suggestion his book would have still showed the physical evidences, but Palmer would have suggested to his readers to appeal to God through prayer to determine whether the Book of Mormon is divine in nature. Sadly, Palmer did NOT follow Paul's counsel, and neither will others who are bent on pitting Christianity or any other religion against the imperfect, linear laws that fallible men invent to understand their amazingly non-linear universe.
It's amazing that after 2000 years the timeless widom as found in the bible (like 1 Corinthians 2:13-14) still continues to allude the bulk of academia, and that we as a society will pay a dear price for hailing people like Palmer who blindly ignore it.
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