The Illuminatus! Trilogy : The Eye in the Pyramid, The Golden Apple, Leviathan

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: A wonderfull book, if not hard to grasp, but after you get about 200 pages into it, you don't want to put it down, if you get that far. A great blend of fiction and fact into what becomes a challanging mystery to uncover

Rating:
Summary: A unique book
Review: As others have stated, this book isn't so much about enlightening oneself with the actual plot events in Illuminatus!... it's more a literary tool to help spark a change in the reader's own thought patterns. The book itself is chaotic and hilarious. If you take the subject matter seriously, that's up to you... but, I find that it's most enjoyable to take it all in good humor. I personally love leaving this book out on my desk and to just read a chapter or two every now and then throughout the year. (this is after reading it through twice). The writing style(s) and wacky scenarios make for excellent daily reading passages... sort of like an extended FarSide calendar or something.

For me personally, I found the book in it's entirety to be somewhat of a liberating experience.... it helped me to remember not to take anything in life for granted... and to look at everything with fresh eyes as often as possible. Life altering? meh... not really. Catalytic and inspirational? most definitely.

I still try to recommend this book to all... but, try not to focus so intently on the overall plot, character development, etc.... look more for your own reactions to what you are encountering.

Rating:
Summary: Good fun.
Review: Well written and just as fun to read now as it was back then. This book reminds me of stranger in a strange land.

Rating:
Summary: Buy This Book It Will Change Your Life For The Better-Or Not
Review: "Truly a Masterpiece," I thought, when comming back down, to earth, after having my mind blown, by being a witness, to the fnords. Shea and Wilson's book, of conspiracies, on top, of conspiracies, will open one's mind, to what's really going on. This doped and sexed up trilogy, is vividly outrageous, and funny. Throwing every idea, the authors, could come up with,in rapid fire sequences, the story could very well be the key, for one, to reach Cosmic Illumination, or not.

It may be the greatest book, of all time, like many reviewers claim, or not, the answer is up to the respones, of each persons individual nervous system. However if you like books, with geners and subject matters of sex, satirical humor, sex, drugs, sex, conpiracies, sex, historical fact and fiction, sex, fantasy, sex, sci fi, sex, magic, sex, thriller, and of course lots of sex...I mean erotica, in both perverse, and of a loving nature, you will probably enjoy, this book thoroughly. If you don't like much, of what has just been listed, you probably won't like the above mentioned title, and probably, shouldn't bother picking up the book.

Rating:
Summary: Opening the Eye
Review: I first read this set of books while I was still in college (late 70's), and I have re-read them at least a dozen times. This is one of the best modern trilogies ever written. These books "get it," more than any other book you'll ever read. The question is, will you "get it"?

Yes, this trilogy is full of strange scenes and dialogue, it has sex, drugs, and rock and roll, it has deep philosophy and shallow meanderings of stupidity. What I'm trying to say is that EVERYTHING is in this trilogy. Most of all, it has humor; I'm talking about laugh-out-loud humor.

I promise you that you will enjoy this trilogy, and you will learn from it. I can't really tell you what you are going to learn, because everyone takes something a little different from it. But, once you read this trilogy, you will never be the same. I can guarantee you that. Enjoy !!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books I've ever read
Review: Wilson and Shea penned one of the biggest cult classics of all time. Inspiring a game, a stage production and countless conversations, Illuminatus! launches one on a whirlwind tour of the bizarre and the ridiculous.

The underlying message? Think for yourself, dummy! An interesting introduction to caballism, discordianism and the always interesting mental trap of freeing oneself from mental traps. A must read for anyone who likes to both think and giggle, preferably at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: What Just Happened?
Review: I'm writing this review several years after having read the book. I still remember exactly the feeling I had after finishing it, "What just happened?"

Although there are some very funny moments in the book, I can't say I enjoyed reading it, but, ironically, I'm glad that I did and I'm considering reading it again.

I'm giving it 4 stars because although it's not a favorite of mine, it has left a lasting impression on me (not sure what that impression is) and it has made me question some things that I used to take for granted.

I just recommended it to a friend who's starting to get caught up in some of the current popular conspiracy theories, because it gave me a sort of sixth sense about conspiracy theories.

I recommend the book to anyone who likes to think about things, i.e. stuff.

It was a hard read for me. The only reason I finished the book is because I wanted to see if ANYTHING was actually going to happen. Immediately after finishing it I was confused because I didn't "get it" and angry because I felt like I'd just flushed several hours of my life down the toilet. Over time the book started to pay dividends though as I would see and hear things that would remind me of it or make me chuckle.

Definitely a strange read.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not Mind-Altering
Review: This book seems to generate two sets of extremes. Either people loved it and found it to be a life-altering experience, or they found it to be a rambling mess and didn't get it. I side with the third minority who fall somewhere in between.

There's no doubt that the Roberts (Anton Wilson and Shea) are brilliant individuals. Quite a lot of research went on into creating the this book and the authors definitely did their homework. Their creative switching of tenses, timelines and perspectives is also wildly original and will challenge the reader.

As several reviewers have noted, there are a multitude of plot-threads and the authors do an amazing job keeping them all straight. I sometimes wonder about the WAY this book was written. Did the Roberts write a straight narrative and scramble it up? Or did they actually write it straight through? Remember, this was before word processors.

Indeed, the authors did what they did to get the readers to "think outside the box". And it works, mostly.

However, it does tend to drone on. There are some long and large passages that ramble on without any seeming significance. I'm sure this a result of the "stream of consiousness" style of writing from the 70's. But it gets tedious...sort of like watching the last 20 minutes of "2001: A Space Odyssey." It's a definite product of the Woodstock generation, where "Freedom of expression" sometimes meant "lack of self-editing" and it shows.

The subject matter is interesting and makes you think. And if you approach it with an understanding of when it was written and the culture that produced it, it's a good read.

But don't expect this book to alter your reality anytime soon.