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 - Cross reference - more plausible - Read the Book of MormonI like his style to a point. However, I prefer the explanantions found in the Book Of Mormon. So get past the election year rhetoric and find out about the ancient Americas. Rating:  - Bits of interesting history surrounded by unconvincing theoriesI was pointed to this book while looking for "Fingerprints of the Gods" by Graham Hancock, wanting to read up on Inca culture and Machu Picchu before visiting the actual site. Unfortunately, since there's no Amazon.com in the Amazon, I got this instead. I say "unfortunately" because even though it was recommended to me by a bookstore owner and I began by enjoying it, I very quickly got frustrated with the author. Throughout the book he uses terms like "super-science" to refer to ancient civilisations' knowledge of the sun. What's wrong with plain "science"? This isn't a marvel comic book. That annoyance pales in comparison to the myriad theories he puts forth without any kind of solid reasoning. For example, he suggests that the Nazca lines in the desert in southern Peru bear a striking resemblance to drawings made on the computer using a mouse to connect points on a line. Therefore, the ancient culture which made the Nazca lines must have possessed computer technology. I don't know where to begin, but the reasoning is so preposterous and leaves so many questions unanswered that poking holes in it would be like beating up on a child. That is the level of some of the theories and arguments put forth to support those theories on show in this book. The final chapter of the book turns into a full on diatribe against modern western society's failure to accept the idea of reincarnation. Regardless of your beliefs, whether they be for or against reincarnation, I can't imagine why the author thought a book on South American archeological artefacts and mysteries is the proper place for such a rant. He finishes by picking random scientific theories, drawing vague correlations to religious beliefs, and thereby "proving" his own spiritual beliefs. This is the type of "scientific proof", similar to the above example theory and proof I mentioned, which bears no relation to any kind of real science or scientific process. Overall, he spends a bit of time discussing genuinely interesting aspects of South American history. He also has some though-provoking theories, but the arguments he presents to backup his thories utterly fail to convince me that he's not grasping at straws. Not recommended. Rating:  - Not as good as The Tutankhamun PropheciesMaurice does it again...I don't believe that he will ever write a book that is as good as 'The Tutankhamun Prophecies', but 'The Lost Tomb of Viracocha' reveals more of the great secrets encoded into artifacts by clever ancient peoples. The book can be read simply as an archaeological or anthropological guide to the lost pyramids of Peru. The pictures and expanations of the pyramids and artifacts are fantastic (my favorite is the Crab Man). Cotterell also makes a cogent case regarding the spiritual messages encoded in the burial sites. The ancient Lord of Sipan, who should not have not more about physics than what can be seen in the heavens at night with the naked eye, knew more about some aspects of physics than our modern science does. He (and Tutankhamun and the rest of the Supergods) also had sophisticated knowledge about the physical world and its relationship to the spiritual world. Cotterell has a special talent: finding, presenting, and explaining information that has previously been a mystery. The 'Lines of Nazca' is an example of this. Nobody knew who made these lines, many miles long, or why, and then suddenly Maurice says exactly who made them and what the significance of the lines is. This type of research makes it difficult for mainstream science or any other interested party to remain in a state of cognitive dissonance. Maurice's books are definitely for the open minded reader. I highly recommend the book, although it is not a masterpiece like 'The Tutankhamun Prophecies'. Maurice tends to repeat himself, giving a great deal of old information to his fan base, and at the end of the book goes a little too far in attempting to explain how we escape the reincarnation cycle. Even after all of his research, we still don't know as much as we don't know. And who's to say that the path of the ancients is the only one? Other than that, the book really is a great read. Hold on for another wild ride in 'The Lost Tomb of Viracocha'. econ
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