Rating: 
Summary: Never- NEVER!- judge Wilson by his fans
Review: People love to point out, and attack, this book's muddled ideology, its ever-shifting style, its countless digressions, its violent swings between adolescent fantasies and serious philosophy, etc, etc, ad infinitum. To these people, I can only say, "Duh." This book, like most things RAW has worked on, is A TEST. It runs the gamut from Occultism to Solipsism to Libertarianism to Objectivism, and most of the things in between. Through it all, the narrative refuses to attach itself to one specific outlook. Why, you ask?Well, the book has a surprise ending, that comes a couple months after you read the last page. I didn't want to ruin it for you, but here goes: ... Every twenty pages or so, Shea and Wilson try to win you over to a new belief system, only to tear it down a few pages later. If any of it makes you a true believer, then you weren't paying attention. Thinking for yourself has nothing to do with seeing fnords, finding erotic undertones in Catholic imagery, or getting yourself a Libertarian woman. It certainly has nothing to do with accepting the existence of a massive global conspiracy. Thinking for yourself is just that- maintaining a healthy skepticism, but keeping an open mind at the same time. You can decide what you want believe, but you must also remember that you will never have the complete picture. Sure, this novel (trilogy) provides a taste of hallucinogenic mind-expansion on its most superficial level. But dig a little deeper and you'll find much more, not in the words of Shea and Wilson, but within (and possibly without) your own mind. The biggest mistake you can make is to assume that 'Illuminatus' is the end of your journey, when it is probably just the first step. This book is a tool, the starter pistol that sets you on your own search. 'Illuminatus' lays out a seemingly infinite number of red herrings for your perusal. It is your job, as a good little reader, to find them all (hint: there's nothing that isn't one). This is the obligatory 5th paragraph. Superstition may not be useful, but it's fun.
Rating:
Summary: To be read many times
Review: Illuminatus! is pershaps one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. The combination of occultism, anarchism, and outright wierdness carries the reader through the most bizzare conspiracy theory ever dreamt of. This book will make you laugh, rage, and probably cause you to become a bit paranoid. The story, or stories, hinge around a search for the truth about the Illuminati, a worldwide conspiracy that has apparently existed for centuries. Wilson complied a great deal of information, as well as tid bits from letters sent to him by crazies when he was working as the letters editor at Playboy magazine. The result is a book that leaves you wondering where fact ends and satire begins. That is, of course, the point. Wilson is out to blow your mind. Professional cynics, who delight in nay-saying the creativity of others without producing anything of their own as an alternative, will find the book sentimental and a bit silly. For those with truly open minds, however, the Illuminatus Trilogy will be a book to read many times over. There is enough subtlety to keep you as busy as a thorough reading of Finnegan's Wake. The hidden messages and allusions seem to multiply each time you read. You may even see the Fnords!
Rating: 
Summary: Fnord
Review: Don't read this if you seek simplicity and cling to boredom. This incredibly complex series is entertaining and funny (if long-winded). It serves well as a science fiction, fantasy or as a spy thriller. The twists are profound. Keep in mind that there is a sarcasm which pervades the books. If you are looking for a serious read, this may not be for you. If you are looking for something thought-provoking, fun, and entertaining, then give it a try.
Best Wishes--
Rating:
Summary: This man is a thief! (Or a gifted borrower)
Review: People have said that Wilson's writing is derivative. It is. He borrows from Vonnegut, Burroughs, Pynchon (though not from Gravity's Rainbow which came after this one), Joyce, Aleister Crowley, H.P. Lovecraft, and probably dozens of other brilliant people whom I never would have heard of if not for this book. So therefore I give it 5 stars? No. ... This book's scope is so deep and so broad as to warrant the description encyclopedic. If you read this book you will have opened a can of worms you will not be able, or willing, to close. Your thoughts will change, your sense of humor will change, your very lifestyle could be at risk. So, of course, like the rest of us fools(sic), you'll probably go out and get a copy ASAP. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic, A Great Work of Spirited Mirth
Review: I first read R.A. Wilson's epochal "Illuminatus! Trilogy" twenty-five years ago and now, a quarter century later, find myself no less thrilled with it. Not just one of my favorites, it is also one of the truly formative books I've read in my lifetime, and has prompted me to study - with greater or lesser seriousness and in greater or lesser depth - a wide range of esoterica, from the "Principia Discordia," to the writings of Hakim Bey and Peter Lamborn Wilson, to the Kabbalah and Chaos Magick. It has also prompted me to explore the role of a cultivated sense of humor as a spiritual path. Rabelais said to his readers, "For all your ills, I give you mirth." Hagbard Celine, one of the heroes of "Illuminatus!" tells his devotees that Love will not free humankind, nor will political power nor force. Rather, it is our imaginations that will liberate humankind to achieve the evolutionary zenith of its destiny. To which this convinced Discordian adds a hearty "Amen" and, as the Illuminati say, "Ewige Blumenkraft!"
Rating:
Summary: Looking to reviews for this book misses the point...
Review: This is a fantastic book, but those who come to it with any expectations whatsoever are bound to be disappointed. The Illuminatus Trilogy is not so much a book as a literary psychology test, designed to diagnose the intellectual and psychological limits of the reader. As such, it's a different book depending on who's reading, so if you're reading my review for advice before buying, you've already identified yourself as someone who's mind will likely be blown by the mix of gurellia ontology, quantum mechanics, ritual magic, conspiracy theory, and wonderfully obscure humor. If, however, you got this far into my review, and are still reading-buy the book, you're more the type to be blown away by the sex/drugs/rock and roll aspect. If you're STILL reading this review, you've likely already read Illuminatus!, and are just checking out the reveiws for your own amusement. Still there? Good-start buying copies for unenlightened strangers, George W. Bush, and others who need a rapid reorganization of neural functions. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: really good book but I mean cmon, sex with apples?
Review: Okay, this book was great, I loved it. But I also agree with another review someone wrote that also thought all the 'sex detours' were a bit much and got very annoying and pointless. Despite that, the book is great. If you're very closeminded and take everything seriously then this might not be the book for you. Its not really that confusing of a read.
Rating:
Summary: it's own genre
Review: No this isn't as intriguing as Umberto Eco or as insightful as Pynchon. It isn't as funny as Douglas Adams. It doesn't preach like Ayn Rand. It's not good literature. It won't stretch your mind like Hofstadter's "Godel, Escher, Bach". It isn't as well written as any of those. It's not meant to be. It's meant to poke you in your gizzard and be sort of "neato" whilst doing so. What it will do is disturb and irritate you. Take note of where it disturbs and irritates you, those are your faults and weaknesses. The funny parts are where it is poking at some other reader and you (oh so wisely) get to see this and laugh from your own superior perspective. Good, fun airplane book for those who view Grisholm, Clancy, typical NYT best-sellers, etc, as the Doritos of literature, but aren't currently looking for a truly nourishing read. Doesn't matter much if you lose your place. Long and clever like the worlds largest limmerick. A bible for freshmen dystopians, it may seem incredibly profound if you're just getting into social and cultural critiques that wax philosophical. Read Daniel Quinn's "Ishmael" instead.
Rating: 
Summary: I tried...I really did.
Review: I tried to like this book (trilogy, whatever it is). I normally like cult-ish books; Hitchhikers and Co., I don't usually mind if there is a splattering of violence, and a certain amount of sex, a la Ice and Fire by GRR Martin. And I love a good mystery, conspiracy, etc. BUT...I just couldn't finish this book. Sure, it's meant to be confusing, I didn't have a problem with that, but hello! keep the story going...all those story-detours for sex with apples and what-not...hmmm...I may finish it eventually. ;-p
Rating:
Summary: you have to face it, joe. god is a crazy woman.
Review: a lifechanging book,
funny, interesting and very informative,
plain masterpiece.
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