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The Cult of Alien Gods
Many Americans believe that so-called ancient astronauts (visitors from outer space) were responsible for historical wonders like the pyramids. This entertaining and informative book traces the origins of such beliefs to the work of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). The author takes the reader through fifty years of pop culture and pseudoscience highlighting such influential figures and developments as Erich von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods), Graham Hancock (Fingerprints of the Gods), Zecharia Sitchin (Twelfth Planet), and the Raelian Revolution. The astounding and improbable connections among these various characters are revealed, along with the disturbing consequences of Lovecraft's "little joke" for modern science and public knowledge.
406 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 16, 2018
This book proposes the hypothesis that H P Lovecraft is the unwitting and accidental progenitor of the ancient astronaut theory. The author starts with a thorough review of Lovecraft, his creation of what it today called the Cthulhu Mythos, and his literary influences. He then proceeds to show how writers influenced by Lovecraft ended up influencing those who manufactured the ancient alien myth of modern pseudo-archeology.
I find the hypothesis plausible, especially as the author specifies it is not a direct causal link and that the ancient alien myth makers are largely unaware of Lovecraft’s influence. Lovecraft may be the first to identify aliens and ancient gods. If he isn’t, he is certainly the first who was widely read and influential.
Whether or not you find this argument credible, this book is - if nothing else - an excellent history of the ancient alien hypothesis. I’m not aware of another this good. It is written by someone who was a true believer at one point and has become convinced that the ancient alien hypothesis is so much bunk.
I find the hypothesis plausible, especially as the author specifies it is not a direct causal link and that the ancient alien myth makers are largely unaware of Lovecraft’s influence. Lovecraft may be the first to identify aliens and ancient gods. If he isn’t, he is certainly the first who was widely read and influential.
Whether or not you find this argument credible, this book is - if nothing else - an excellent history of the ancient alien hypothesis. I’m not aware of another this good. It is written by someone who was a true believer at one point and has become convinced that the ancient alien hypothesis is so much bunk.
March 20, 2014
I've been to parties with this guy.
Well, not _this, guy, but this _guy_. They weren't pleasant. Heck, I think there are times when I might have been this guy. I try not to think of those times.
Jason Colavito has it all figured out. And, as it happens, it is the exact obverse of what he used to think. Except that it's all a conspiracy, all part of a seamless whole. It's just that the bad guys have changed. And instead of being on the brink of a new world, were on the edge of the Kali Yuga.
Colavito admits at the beginning of the book that he used to be an aficionado of the so-called ancient-astronaut theory. This is the idea that human evolution was spurred--if not started--by alien interventions. For fictional examples think of 2001 or the recent movie Prometheus. He watched all the pseudo-documentaries on the pseudo-learning cable channels. He read the books. He researched the subject on-line. And then he ran into one niggling inconsistency--at least this is how he explains it in the introduction--and decided based on that one exposure to overthrow his theory of life and embrace its opposite. The ancient-astronaut theory and alternative archeologies are all bunk; science is correct, the one and only path to truth. He want to college and studied anthropology (as well as journalism) to prove this fact to himself. He also came to embrace Jacques Barzun's book, from Dawn to Decadence, as his new vade mecum. He decided that the proliferation of alternative archeologies--and the efflorescence of other so-called pseudo-sciences--betokened not a new knowledge, but the collapse of the Enlightenment project. We are the New Rome, and this is the end of the cycle, a return to Romanticism. He says this process has repeated itself again and again throughout history, but never fleshes this out.
Which is about par for the course, with this book. Colavito is fond of making sweeping claims, not so much with making detailed or nuanced arguments.
His thesis here is that the ancient-astronaut theory is entirely attributable to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, who penned some famous weird stories in the 1920s and 1930s. Colavito is obsessive in tracking any link between later advocates of alternative archeology and Lovecraft, but does not ever bother to weight the importance of those links, Lots of people read Lovecraft, especially people interested in the outré: that doesn't mean they absorbed and expanded on his ideas. What Colavito actually discovered is that Lovecraft was a node in the translation of Theosophical--and, more generally, esoteric Christian--ideas into a more scientific vocabulary that often involved aliens and flying saucers.
Except that this isn't a discovery. It's a point that's been made repeatedly. And here Colavito makes his argument ad nauseum. Poor Lovecraft is left in October 1926, pen in hand, ready to write "The Call of Cthulu" for three chapters! Colavito goes on to describe various permutations of the alien genesis theory, taking time to point out all their foibles. But he doesn't do so as well as other books that cover the same ground, such as Curtis Peebles Watch the Sky! And he does not do so carefully, incessantly ignoring his sources insistence that Lovecraft was not their source, and thta other Theosophical-inflected traditions were more important. If you haven't been exposed to the argument that UFOlogy repackages a lot of nineteenth century religious revivalism in America, then perhaps the book will be interesting, Otherwise, it's a rehash, and not a very good one.
Colavito further argues that tis religious tradition is the new religion, replacing the Christianity that has been discredited, and heralding the return to a more Romantic, or religious, epoch. To make this claim, though, requires him over-emphasizing the importance of the flying saucer beliefs on actual practice, and completely ignoring the continued flourishing of Christianity, especially fundamentalist Christianity.
But that is only one of his many sins as a historian. In two pages he claims first that a French book had no influence because it was never translated--and, of course, all history is American--and then admitting that the ideas in the book were taken up by later authors. He assumes that there is some transcendental division between science and pseudo-science that has been extant since the birth of the Enlightenment, and that anyone who embraced, say, spiritualism, at any time, was necessarily anti-science. He reifies _everything_. Hence the 1980s were "no0nonsense," and so there was no interest in flying saucers or alternative sciences. (Poor Ronald and Nancy Reagan, consulting their astrologer, get no respect.) The 1990s were "New Age."
One gets the sense that most of Colavito's historical arguments are based on either brief forays into the literature (France's sense of identity was completely destroyed in World War II and had to be rebuilt from the ground up--by borrowing earlier elements?) or his own sense of things. Thus, Ithaca College would rank high on the list of most liberal cities in America (because that's where he went to college). Thus, political correctness corrupts educational institutions (because he resents his own schooling). Thus, the 1990s were New Age-y (because that's when he was interested in New Age subjects).
It is worth noting that the book is put out by Prometheus, a publisher associated with the "skeptical" movement of the 1970s. Such books, which read more like extended grad-school essays, do the publisher and the movement no service. The book could have been edited more tightly. The prose, though, is generally good--it's an easy read with especially large print. The citations and bibliography are limited.
Well, not _this, guy, but this _guy_. They weren't pleasant. Heck, I think there are times when I might have been this guy. I try not to think of those times.
Jason Colavito has it all figured out. And, as it happens, it is the exact obverse of what he used to think. Except that it's all a conspiracy, all part of a seamless whole. It's just that the bad guys have changed. And instead of being on the brink of a new world, were on the edge of the Kali Yuga.
Colavito admits at the beginning of the book that he used to be an aficionado of the so-called ancient-astronaut theory. This is the idea that human evolution was spurred--if not started--by alien interventions. For fictional examples think of 2001 or the recent movie Prometheus. He watched all the pseudo-documentaries on the pseudo-learning cable channels. He read the books. He researched the subject on-line. And then he ran into one niggling inconsistency--at least this is how he explains it in the introduction--and decided based on that one exposure to overthrow his theory of life and embrace its opposite. The ancient-astronaut theory and alternative archeologies are all bunk; science is correct, the one and only path to truth. He want to college and studied anthropology (as well as journalism) to prove this fact to himself. He also came to embrace Jacques Barzun's book, from Dawn to Decadence, as his new vade mecum. He decided that the proliferation of alternative archeologies--and the efflorescence of other so-called pseudo-sciences--betokened not a new knowledge, but the collapse of the Enlightenment project. We are the New Rome, and this is the end of the cycle, a return to Romanticism. He says this process has repeated itself again and again throughout history, but never fleshes this out.
Which is about par for the course, with this book. Colavito is fond of making sweeping claims, not so much with making detailed or nuanced arguments.
His thesis here is that the ancient-astronaut theory is entirely attributable to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, who penned some famous weird stories in the 1920s and 1930s. Colavito is obsessive in tracking any link between later advocates of alternative archeology and Lovecraft, but does not ever bother to weight the importance of those links, Lots of people read Lovecraft, especially people interested in the outré: that doesn't mean they absorbed and expanded on his ideas. What Colavito actually discovered is that Lovecraft was a node in the translation of Theosophical--and, more generally, esoteric Christian--ideas into a more scientific vocabulary that often involved aliens and flying saucers.
Except that this isn't a discovery. It's a point that's been made repeatedly. And here Colavito makes his argument ad nauseum. Poor Lovecraft is left in October 1926, pen in hand, ready to write "The Call of Cthulu" for three chapters! Colavito goes on to describe various permutations of the alien genesis theory, taking time to point out all their foibles. But he doesn't do so as well as other books that cover the same ground, such as Curtis Peebles Watch the Sky! And he does not do so carefully, incessantly ignoring his sources insistence that Lovecraft was not their source, and thta other Theosophical-inflected traditions were more important. If you haven't been exposed to the argument that UFOlogy repackages a lot of nineteenth century religious revivalism in America, then perhaps the book will be interesting, Otherwise, it's a rehash, and not a very good one.
Colavito further argues that tis religious tradition is the new religion, replacing the Christianity that has been discredited, and heralding the return to a more Romantic, or religious, epoch. To make this claim, though, requires him over-emphasizing the importance of the flying saucer beliefs on actual practice, and completely ignoring the continued flourishing of Christianity, especially fundamentalist Christianity.
But that is only one of his many sins as a historian. In two pages he claims first that a French book had no influence because it was never translated--and, of course, all history is American--and then admitting that the ideas in the book were taken up by later authors. He assumes that there is some transcendental division between science and pseudo-science that has been extant since the birth of the Enlightenment, and that anyone who embraced, say, spiritualism, at any time, was necessarily anti-science. He reifies _everything_. Hence the 1980s were "no0nonsense," and so there was no interest in flying saucers or alternative sciences. (Poor Ronald and Nancy Reagan, consulting their astrologer, get no respect.) The 1990s were "New Age."
One gets the sense that most of Colavito's historical arguments are based on either brief forays into the literature (France's sense of identity was completely destroyed in World War II and had to be rebuilt from the ground up--by borrowing earlier elements?) or his own sense of things. Thus, Ithaca College would rank high on the list of most liberal cities in America (because that's where he went to college). Thus, political correctness corrupts educational institutions (because he resents his own schooling). Thus, the 1990s were New Age-y (because that's when he was interested in New Age subjects).
It is worth noting that the book is put out by Prometheus, a publisher associated with the "skeptical" movement of the 1970s. Such books, which read more like extended grad-school essays, do the publisher and the movement no service. The book could have been edited more tightly. The prose, though, is generally good--it's an easy read with especially large print. The citations and bibliography are limited.
January 9, 2024
Obnoxiously condescending and vitriolic, and I AGREE with the author's take on ancient astronaut theories.
April 8, 2012
A solid look at the ancient astronaut theory that tries to demonstrate that this was directly inspired by the stories of HP Lovecraft. It provides a summary of Lovecraft's influences and his writing career and the post-mortem trajectory of his body of work, from post pulp obscurity to it seeping into the mainstream. This is followed by a survey of the main currents in the ancient astronaut/alternative archeology field. This provides a handy critique of the main theories and lack of evidence thereof (and in Erich Von Daniken's case, outright fraud). The problem really comes trying to tie the two together- the main piece of evidence he uses is that the first popular work that pushed the idea of ancient astronauts was Louis Pauwles & Jacques Bergier's Morning Of The Magicians, two Frenchmen who had previously published a science fiction magazine that had published French translations of Lovecraft's work. He presents this as a smoking gun as proof that the whole idea of aliens visiting earth in the past as being inspired directly by Lovecraft.
However, he doesn't explore other ideas, such as the substitution of aliens into our folklore in general- they fulfill the same roles that fairies and demons did in the past- numerous people have pointed out the parallels with folklore (most notably in Jacques Vallee's Passport To Magonia), so it was inevitable that aliens would eventually be subsituted into creation myths. Also, he over looks other early influences that can't be linked to Lovecraft, such as Morris K. Jessop, who was one of the first proponents of the idea in the English language. He also overlooks the Shaver Mystery, which would have been an interesting parallel as a pulp story which people claimed were fact.
Another issue for me is that the ideas of the likes of Von Daniken, Stitchen et al just aren't very, well, Lovecratian- rather than the hideous cosmic indifference of Lovecraft's creations, most of the ancient astronaut theories postulate Jesus-like cosmic brothers that owe more to the 50s contactee movement.
So, all in, a good history of Lovecraft and his works and also the ancient astronaut movement, let down by some tenuous linkage and reasoning as circular as the authors he critiques in the book. A minor irritation is his contention that the popularity of books like Chariots Of The Gods represents the death of reason and is a symptom of the decline of civilisation, which is overstating things a bit, I feel. Weirdly, this again parallels the idea of a mythical golden age now past of the alternative archaeology lot- I'm not entirely sure when people were all reading proper archaeology and science books rather than entertaining whatever notions they found interesting. Still,despite it's flaws, it's very worth reading.
However, he doesn't explore other ideas, such as the substitution of aliens into our folklore in general- they fulfill the same roles that fairies and demons did in the past- numerous people have pointed out the parallels with folklore (most notably in Jacques Vallee's Passport To Magonia), so it was inevitable that aliens would eventually be subsituted into creation myths. Also, he over looks other early influences that can't be linked to Lovecraft, such as Morris K. Jessop, who was one of the first proponents of the idea in the English language. He also overlooks the Shaver Mystery, which would have been an interesting parallel as a pulp story which people claimed were fact.
Another issue for me is that the ideas of the likes of Von Daniken, Stitchen et al just aren't very, well, Lovecratian- rather than the hideous cosmic indifference of Lovecraft's creations, most of the ancient astronaut theories postulate Jesus-like cosmic brothers that owe more to the 50s contactee movement.
So, all in, a good history of Lovecraft and his works and also the ancient astronaut movement, let down by some tenuous linkage and reasoning as circular as the authors he critiques in the book. A minor irritation is his contention that the popularity of books like Chariots Of The Gods represents the death of reason and is a symptom of the decline of civilisation, which is overstating things a bit, I feel. Weirdly, this again parallels the idea of a mythical golden age now past of the alternative archaeology lot- I'm not entirely sure when people were all reading proper archaeology and science books rather than entertaining whatever notions they found interesting. Still,despite it's flaws, it's very worth reading.
September 7, 2015
When naming the most influential American author of the 20th Century, many will mention Hemingway, Faulkner, Roth, Bellow, but few would mention H.P. Lovecraft, which however is a bit of a mistake as his influence on writers as diverse as King and Matheson to Borges and Eco is undeniable. The author of this book would go further and argue that Lovecraft and his ideas not only influenced the world of fiction but additionally gave rise to the surge of post-Second World War pseudoscience that today sees nearly half of Americans believing in the existence of extraterrestrials.
Colavito does a nice job of showing how Lovecraft (and those in the Lovecraft Circle that developed around his Cthulhu Mythos (and is still expanding even to this day)) borrowed from early Science Fiction (Verne and Wells) and mysticism (particularly Theosophy’s Madame Blavatsky) to create his extraterrestrial horror stories, which through post-WWII popularization, may have influenced the belief in “hidden history” or “ancient astronauts”. Colavito’s social history traces the fifty years of pop culture and pseudoscience highlighting such influential figures and developments as Erich von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods (ancient astronauts)), Graham Hancock (Fingerprints of the Gods (lost civilizations and/or ancient astronauts), Zecharia Sitchin (Twelfth Planet (ancient astronauts with genetic tampering of proto-humans), David Hatcher Childress (ancient atomic wars as well as Tesla conspiracy theories), and the Raelian Revolution (of recent cloning scandal). The line he traces from Lovecraft to these figures seems clear in his presentation, though it would be much stronger with more work. The book reads like the beginning of thesis to book conversion. It also could do with better citations than it has. Nonetheless the book does serve as a tremendous resource for teachers who have to struggle against the extraterrestrial face of what essentially a racial Social Darwinist Creationism with the divine spark coming from spacemen rather than an always intervening God. Accordingly, it is recommended to those who teach ancient history, Anthropology, or Psychology.
Note: The reading of the sadly-OOP Peter Washington’s Madame Blavatsky’s Baboon: Theosophy and the Emergence of the Western Guru is recommended before the reading of this book as it complements this book quite nicely.
Colavito does a nice job of showing how Lovecraft (and those in the Lovecraft Circle that developed around his Cthulhu Mythos (and is still expanding even to this day)) borrowed from early Science Fiction (Verne and Wells) and mysticism (particularly Theosophy’s Madame Blavatsky) to create his extraterrestrial horror stories, which through post-WWII popularization, may have influenced the belief in “hidden history” or “ancient astronauts”. Colavito’s social history traces the fifty years of pop culture and pseudoscience highlighting such influential figures and developments as Erich von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods (ancient astronauts)), Graham Hancock (Fingerprints of the Gods (lost civilizations and/or ancient astronauts), Zecharia Sitchin (Twelfth Planet (ancient astronauts with genetic tampering of proto-humans), David Hatcher Childress (ancient atomic wars as well as Tesla conspiracy theories), and the Raelian Revolution (of recent cloning scandal). The line he traces from Lovecraft to these figures seems clear in his presentation, though it would be much stronger with more work. The book reads like the beginning of thesis to book conversion. It also could do with better citations than it has. Nonetheless the book does serve as a tremendous resource for teachers who have to struggle against the extraterrestrial face of what essentially a racial Social Darwinist Creationism with the divine spark coming from spacemen rather than an always intervening God. Accordingly, it is recommended to those who teach ancient history, Anthropology, or Psychology.
Note: The reading of the sadly-OOP Peter Washington’s Madame Blavatsky’s Baboon: Theosophy and the Emergence of the Western Guru is recommended before the reading of this book as it complements this book quite nicely.
April 23, 2018
Colavito's theory that the "ancient aliens" craze of the 20th century is all due to H P Lovecraft's fictional ideas is interesting and certainly possible, although it's impossible to prove something directly, as none of the true believers he contacts admit to it and there's no "smoking gun." The similarities between Lovecraft's stories and some ancient aliens/lost civilization pseudohistorical theories is certainly startling. But the reader may occasionally suspect that Colavito is guilty of the same sin as folks like von Daniken: seeing connections where there is only loose correlation.
It's an interesting book and I enjoyed it until the last chapter. This is when Colavito diverges from his original thesis to lament the downfall of Western civilization. He sounds a lot like Lovecraft, when you come right down to it. Not as overtly racist and misogynist, but he still is crying over some mythical past where everyone was rational and accepted science and didn't believe kooky things. He is disturbed by the fact that there 192 sovereign governments by the end of the twentieth century, up from 55 in 1914. The fact is that this is the vastly the result of colonized countries gaining their independence from their colonizers, which seems like a weird thing to be upset about, unless you are really invested in colonialism and empire. Which, given his references to the end of the Roman empire, he seems to be.
He goes on to talk about "western civilization" entering a phase of "terminal decadence" per Barzun, and compares our society to the "primitive" fourteenth century as depicted in Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. Society is "violent, impulsive, childish." I can't argue with that; however, I do think it's a mistake to think it wasn't like this at other points in time. Complaining that the Victorian statesmen wouldn't have appeared "unkempt" just makes the author look peevish and disgruntled. The Victorians were hardly the pinnacle of society that we should try to emulate. One wonders if Colavito ever noticed that he's guilty of the same thing as so many of the people he writes about, looking back to an imaginary past that's so much better than the present.
Two quotes from the final chapter sum up my issues. The first: "Every group was now entitled to its own history: black history, women's history, and gay history. There was no longer human history." Now this statement just reeks of entitled white boyitude. There is nary a spark of recognition that rise of things like black history came about because "human history" generally only focused on the accomplishments of the wealthy, the powerful, the generally white and male. Colavito comes pretty darn close to putting history that focuses on marginalized communities in the same bucket as Lemuria and Atlantis, and that did not sit well with me at all.
The second quote: "[Lovecraft] considered his stories to be his art; to see Great Cthulhu, his embodiment of cosmic indifference, turned into a cuddly children's toy would likely have broken his heart." To which my knee jerk response was, boo fucking hoo. The fact that humanity has defanged said embodiment of cosmic indifference says a lot about our survival traits.
So, on the whole, I'd say it's a worthwhile read, if you are interested in conspiracy theories, weird religions, debunking assholes like von Daniken, and the like. But maybe skip the last chapter if you don't agree that women and brown people are leading to the decline of the West.
It's an interesting book and I enjoyed it until the last chapter. This is when Colavito diverges from his original thesis to lament the downfall of Western civilization. He sounds a lot like Lovecraft, when you come right down to it. Not as overtly racist and misogynist, but he still is crying over some mythical past where everyone was rational and accepted science and didn't believe kooky things. He is disturbed by the fact that there 192 sovereign governments by the end of the twentieth century, up from 55 in 1914. The fact is that this is the vastly the result of colonized countries gaining their independence from their colonizers, which seems like a weird thing to be upset about, unless you are really invested in colonialism and empire. Which, given his references to the end of the Roman empire, he seems to be.
He goes on to talk about "western civilization" entering a phase of "terminal decadence" per Barzun, and compares our society to the "primitive" fourteenth century as depicted in Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. Society is "violent, impulsive, childish." I can't argue with that; however, I do think it's a mistake to think it wasn't like this at other points in time. Complaining that the Victorian statesmen wouldn't have appeared "unkempt" just makes the author look peevish and disgruntled. The Victorians were hardly the pinnacle of society that we should try to emulate. One wonders if Colavito ever noticed that he's guilty of the same thing as so many of the people he writes about, looking back to an imaginary past that's so much better than the present.
Two quotes from the final chapter sum up my issues. The first: "Every group was now entitled to its own history: black history, women's history, and gay history. There was no longer human history." Now this statement just reeks of entitled white boyitude. There is nary a spark of recognition that rise of things like black history came about because "human history" generally only focused on the accomplishments of the wealthy, the powerful, the generally white and male. Colavito comes pretty darn close to putting history that focuses on marginalized communities in the same bucket as Lemuria and Atlantis, and that did not sit well with me at all.
The second quote: "[Lovecraft] considered his stories to be his art; to see Great Cthulhu, his embodiment of cosmic indifference, turned into a cuddly children's toy would likely have broken his heart." To which my knee jerk response was, boo fucking hoo. The fact that humanity has defanged said embodiment of cosmic indifference says a lot about our survival traits.
So, on the whole, I'd say it's a worthwhile read, if you are interested in conspiracy theories, weird religions, debunking assholes like von Daniken, and the like. But maybe skip the last chapter if you don't agree that women and brown people are leading to the decline of the West.
April 20, 2018
This is a fascinating look at the rise of the Ancient Aliens/Lost Civilization movement in the latter half of the 20th century, rooting back to the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. Jason Colavito gets into Lovecraft's influences and fiction, then traces his thoughts as they outlive him, build in Europe, and erupt during a time of social and cultural upheaval. His comparison of these various conspiracy theories to similarly dogmatic and anti-science strains of America Christianity is interesting, too. This is absolutely a must read. Though I don't share Colavito's pessimistic outlook on contemporary society, I don't argue with his points. But if you've spent any time on cable television in the last 25 years, or you've talked to people coming out of our contemporary educational system, you know that there's a distinct lack of critical thinking and understanding of logic in the general population (teaching the young what to think, not how to think). And that always breeds anti-science.
Anyway, for Lovecraft fans, this is one to read. And if you're interested in conspiracy theories, how they grow, and how to sniff 'em out, check this out.
Anyway, for Lovecraft fans, this is one to read. And if you're interested in conspiracy theories, how they grow, and how to sniff 'em out, check this out.
September 18, 2022
W liceum polonista mnie zdziwił stwierdzeniem, że lubi fantastykę naukową, zwłaszcza Daenikena. Bo nawet wówczas nie podzielając poglądów Daenikena, zakładałem, że w swoim przekonaniu tworzy on literaturę faktu. Tymczasem Colavito pokazuje, jak bardzo cały ruch osadzony jest w fantastyce, ze szczególnym zwróceniem uwagi na Lovecrafta. I w zasadzie rodzi się tu pytanie: czy sami autorzy zdają sobie sprawę z tworzenia fantastyki?
Ale co za problem z Daenikenem (Sitchinem, Charroux, Temple, Sitchinem, Hanckockiem...)? Cóż autor z jednej strony biada nad upadkiem cywilizacji zachodniej (czego może nie są wyłącznymi sprawcami, ale na pewno współuczestnikami i znakami) -- co mnie zniechęca do niego -- z drugiej zaś strony przechodzi do zbiorowego samobójstwa członków sekty Brama Niebios, która właśnie z tego typu literatury czerpała swoją mitologię.
***
Kult "antycznych astronautów" mam za coś na kształt ugryzienia korwinowskiego młodzieży -- wielu, bardzo wielu przechodzi, ale niewielu jest wyrazistych wierzących w życiu dorosłym. Jednak jak znam ludzi, którzy to przeszli, to zostają skutki uboczne, które trwają przez lata. Tego też należy się bać.
Ale co za problem z Daenikenem (Sitchinem, Charroux, Temple, Sitchinem, Hanckockiem...)? Cóż autor z jednej strony biada nad upadkiem cywilizacji zachodniej (czego może nie są wyłącznymi sprawcami, ale na pewno współuczestnikami i znakami) -- co mnie zniechęca do niego -- z drugiej zaś strony przechodzi do zbiorowego samobójstwa członków sekty Brama Niebios, która właśnie z tego typu literatury czerpała swoją mitologię.
***
Kult "antycznych astronautów" mam za coś na kształt ugryzienia korwinowskiego młodzieży -- wielu, bardzo wielu przechodzi, ale niewielu jest wyrazistych wierzących w życiu dorosłym. Jednak jak znam ludzi, którzy to przeszli, to zostają skutki uboczne, które trwają przez lata. Tego też należy się bać.
October 18, 2025
This is a fundamental work to understand the genealogy of the ancient astronaut theory. It could be more deeply researched at places (especially the first chapters), but is full with ideas and interesting points even for those of us familiarised with the theories and authors the book covers. The chapter on von Daniken is *chef kiss*
I am a frequent reader of Jason Colavito's blog so I like his snarky style. Others may disagree but the characters object of those snarky comments fully deserve them.
The book is somewhat dated because of the obsession of the author at the time with "the decline of civilisation", and with diversity and political correctness as backward forces. Reading his blog these days, it is clear that Colavito's has grown out completely of those early 2000s positions and now identifies who the backward forces truly are.
I am a frequent reader of Jason Colavito's blog so I like his snarky style. Others may disagree but the characters object of those snarky comments fully deserve them.
The book is somewhat dated because of the obsession of the author at the time with "the decline of civilisation", and with diversity and political correctness as backward forces. Reading his blog these days, it is clear that Colavito's has grown out completely of those early 2000s positions and now identifies who the backward forces truly are.
January 30, 2017
This book is excellent on many levels. The author's knowledge of the history of horror literature is wonderful. While reading this book I had a renewed interest in all the classics: Lovecraft, Poe, etc. I had never realized the great extent to which the classics are still honored in modern horror. I also had not realized to what extent the classics are the basis for today's pseudo history and belief that aliens have visited us (or are still visiting us, in some cases).
I learned something new in every chapter and added a number of authors to my fiction "Want to Read" lists.
I learned something new in every chapter and added a number of authors to my fiction "Want to Read" lists.
December 6, 2025
Though there is something to be said for this line of reasoning, it's important to note that nothing in history happens in a vacuum. This is a good hypothesis but the author focuses too narrowly on one timeliness, believing it to be more linear than it is. Where the author sees a nice neat line, it's much more likely that there are branches and connections. A larger and broader body of research, I think, would have led to some different conclusions. Still, the ideas here are coherent and well presented.
May 14, 2017
An entertaining and readable take-down of the ancient astronaut alternative histories. The central thesis, that they all were inspired by Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos is, is not very strong, but the book shows how Lovecraft's imagination at the very least was what introduced the ancient aliens into our culture.
September 26, 2016
Highly cathartic reading for someone who was quite taken with the "Raëlian Revolution" and its pseudoscience as a retort to Catholic Confirmation at the age of 14.
July 15, 2013
Aliens have gripped the public consciousness since that day Kenneth Arnold saw the first sightings of the modern age in 1947. Along with the idea that man is not alone in the universe, the idea that these alien visitors are directly concerned with the wellbeing (whether for good or bad) of humanity has been a common theme as well. The idea that in ages past, earlier cultures were visited by extra-terrestrials who gave the earthlings culture and advanced technological and spiritual secrets has been promoted since the 1960s after the popular alternative archaeology book Chariot of the Gods? by Erik von Däniken and has been the subject of books and television programmes ever since.
With this background in the alternative archaeological theories of the late twentieth-century, Jason Colavito proposes that the ultimate genesis of the theory that extra-terrestrials visited earth long ago is in the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. From the stories Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness and The Haunter of the Dark, Colavito traces the cult of alien gods throughout the twentieth century to the Sirius and Orion mysteries, the twelfth planet of Nibiru, and ultimately to the Raëlian Movement. The author provides an excellent overview of the trends in alternative archaeology and extra-terrestrial genesis yet is often rather dismissive (yet this can be accounted for first, by the sheer outlandishness and anti-science tenants the theorists espouse, and second, by the author's own admission that he was once a firm believer yet realised the patent absurdity of the movement.)
Throughout the book, Colavito links the major players in the alternative archaeology movement back to Lovecraft's fictions (even if the former often do not acknowledge their debts). Sometimes the links are tenuous but nevertheless, the author still provides an excellent summation of the UFO history and alternative archaeology movements.
With this background in the alternative archaeological theories of the late twentieth-century, Jason Colavito proposes that the ultimate genesis of the theory that extra-terrestrials visited earth long ago is in the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. From the stories Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness and The Haunter of the Dark, Colavito traces the cult of alien gods throughout the twentieth century to the Sirius and Orion mysteries, the twelfth planet of Nibiru, and ultimately to the Raëlian Movement. The author provides an excellent overview of the trends in alternative archaeology and extra-terrestrial genesis yet is often rather dismissive (yet this can be accounted for first, by the sheer outlandishness and anti-science tenants the theorists espouse, and second, by the author's own admission that he was once a firm believer yet realised the patent absurdity of the movement.)
Throughout the book, Colavito links the major players in the alternative archaeology movement back to Lovecraft's fictions (even if the former often do not acknowledge their debts). Sometimes the links are tenuous but nevertheless, the author still provides an excellent summation of the UFO history and alternative archaeology movements.
April 28, 2020
In The Cult of Alien Gods: H.P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture, skeptic Jason Colavito examines the influence of Lovecraft’s fiction on the evolution of the “ancient astronauts” idea that has led to such a glut of fringe and conspiracy thinking over the years, especially through TV and the internet. An intriguing premise, Colavito is an expert at tracking down and challenging the origins of these worrisome and growing misconceptions, detailing a lot of information on the growing wave of pseudoscience in popular accounts of historical and anthropological topics. With these blurring boundaries between fact and fiction, Colavito tracks the parallels between the fictional universes of Lovecraft and the secret histories hinted at by people like Von Daniken of Chariots of the Gods fame.
While very informative about the state of the ancient aliens meme at the beginning of the twenty first century, I don’t think Colavito was completely persuasive in his argument in demonstrating a direct linkage of Lovecraft’s fiction with the development of these ideas. It seems evident that Lovecraft and later ancient alien theorists were drawing from the same nineteenth century Theosophist and Antediluvian literature and both took them to similar conclusions, one as “verisimilitude” for weird tales and one as secret hidden knowledge. It is true that these two threads often bleed into each other, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that those same ideas are also influential in much mystical far right thought as well, an aspect that Colavito doesn’t really touch on here. Written fifteen years ago, I wonder what the last decade would add to Colavito’s conclusions.
I discuss this and other books focusing on the current relevance of H.P. Lovecraft at Harris' Tome Corner, The Lurking Fear.
While very informative about the state of the ancient aliens meme at the beginning of the twenty first century, I don’t think Colavito was completely persuasive in his argument in demonstrating a direct linkage of Lovecraft’s fiction with the development of these ideas. It seems evident that Lovecraft and later ancient alien theorists were drawing from the same nineteenth century Theosophist and Antediluvian literature and both took them to similar conclusions, one as “verisimilitude” for weird tales and one as secret hidden knowledge. It is true that these two threads often bleed into each other, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that those same ideas are also influential in much mystical far right thought as well, an aspect that Colavito doesn’t really touch on here. Written fifteen years ago, I wonder what the last decade would add to Colavito’s conclusions.
I discuss this and other books focusing on the current relevance of H.P. Lovecraft at Harris' Tome Corner, The Lurking Fear.
September 18, 2015
Curious about books on Lovecraft I found this in my local library. It is peculiar book. Colavito is honest about how he came to Lovecraft's work and how Lovecraft influenced generations of pseudo-science. Colavito tries to account for the growth and popularity of alien god systems of belief and how they developed in the 20th-century.
"The aftermath of that revolt led to the Romantics and the worship of what they believed was a simpler, more natural time; the Middle Ages. Holding that the anarchy, chaos, and chivalry of the medieval period was the perfect culmination of mankind in his (always his; "her" would come later) most chivalrous and dignified state, the Romantic thinkers praised the codes and conduct of the Middle Ages and saw in its art and Gothic architecture the Western tradition in its most noble incarnation...These two opposing views spawned two different systems of belief. As nineteenth-century science marched forward under the Enlightenment's banner of materialism and evolution, pseudoscience emerged to champion spiritualism and special creation, especially the intervention of forces from the great Outside. There was a clear divide between science and superstition, between reason and religion. It was a cultural war, and the sides were beginning to form." 32
"If pseudeoscience was a romantic escape from reality and the harsh rule of reason to a glorious past, science fiction was its literary opposite: a reasoned attempt to predict a romantic future of scientific advance."50
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear," Lovecraft began his essay, "and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." 55
"The aftermath of that revolt led to the Romantics and the worship of what they believed was a simpler, more natural time; the Middle Ages. Holding that the anarchy, chaos, and chivalry of the medieval period was the perfect culmination of mankind in his (always his; "her" would come later) most chivalrous and dignified state, the Romantic thinkers praised the codes and conduct of the Middle Ages and saw in its art and Gothic architecture the Western tradition in its most noble incarnation...These two opposing views spawned two different systems of belief. As nineteenth-century science marched forward under the Enlightenment's banner of materialism and evolution, pseudoscience emerged to champion spiritualism and special creation, especially the intervention of forces from the great Outside. There was a clear divide between science and superstition, between reason and religion. It was a cultural war, and the sides were beginning to form." 32
"If pseudeoscience was a romantic escape from reality and the harsh rule of reason to a glorious past, science fiction was its literary opposite: a reasoned attempt to predict a romantic future of scientific advance."50
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear," Lovecraft began his essay, "and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." 55
August 30, 2007
His central thesis is that the alternate archaeology, alien genesis and space-god themes in eliptony are all descended from the writings of Lovecraft.
Colavito does a good job of covering the ideas, and their historical growth, of the major figures such as Daniken, Temple, Bauval, Hancock, Childress, Sitchin and the Raelians. He does an interesting literary trail from Lovecraft, through his circle to these authors. Unfortunately his idea that Lovecraft is the central wellspring of these ideas is disproven by the author's own casual throwaways to the work of folks like Blavatsky and Fort, but there are some interesting ideas that will resonate with most folks reading this livejournal. Colavito also feels the need to end most discussions with sometimes forced shoehorning into the Lovecraftian mythos that sometimes feels a little flat and uninspired. Or maybe I'm spoiled by certain strands in gaming (Suppressed Transmissions, Conspiracy X, Delta Green) which do it so much better.
Colavito also has the obvious beef to pick about the "death of science" and propriety that I feel I've read before. You know I think Solon said similar things.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about this thread without actually reading the source material, which makes it pure gold for gamers. For folks who have read the source material is quite fun to read this book and watch him put together links from one author to another.
Colavito does a good job of covering the ideas, and their historical growth, of the major figures such as Daniken, Temple, Bauval, Hancock, Childress, Sitchin and the Raelians. He does an interesting literary trail from Lovecraft, through his circle to these authors. Unfortunately his idea that Lovecraft is the central wellspring of these ideas is disproven by the author's own casual throwaways to the work of folks like Blavatsky and Fort, but there are some interesting ideas that will resonate with most folks reading this livejournal. Colavito also feels the need to end most discussions with sometimes forced shoehorning into the Lovecraftian mythos that sometimes feels a little flat and uninspired. Or maybe I'm spoiled by certain strands in gaming (Suppressed Transmissions, Conspiracy X, Delta Green) which do it so much better.
Colavito also has the obvious beef to pick about the "death of science" and propriety that I feel I've read before. You know I think Solon said similar things.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about this thread without actually reading the source material, which makes it pure gold for gamers. For folks who have read the source material is quite fun to read this book and watch him put together links from one author to another.
April 15, 2009
Fascinating book on how Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos may have been the inspiration for ancient-astronaut theories. Even if you're not interested in the Lovecraft connection, it's still a pretty well-researched recap of UFO and lost civilization theories over the last century.
My only complaint with the book was that the author makes a big mistake by openly and continually mocking the theories he's disproving. For a book that tries to academically and systematically show the logical and historical flaws of the subject matter, Colavito's general tone and attitude aren't very professional. I think the ancient-astronaut and extraterrestrial-genesis theories are pretty laughable, but even I was put off by the mocking and occasional petulance.
In spite of that, though, this book was well worth my time.
My only complaint with the book was that the author makes a big mistake by openly and continually mocking the theories he's disproving. For a book that tries to academically and systematically show the logical and historical flaws of the subject matter, Colavito's general tone and attitude aren't very professional. I think the ancient-astronaut and extraterrestrial-genesis theories are pretty laughable, but even I was put off by the mocking and occasional petulance.
In spite of that, though, this book was well worth my time.
December 28, 2009
Needs an editor.
Pretty fun survey of "alternative archaeology," but suffers from the same failings it finds in the books it purports to debunk, i.e., circular reasoning and a fear of the "post-modern worldview."
Lovecraft is really a hook more than anything else. For great swathes of the book, Colavito seems to have forgotten that he was supposed to tie the Cthulhu Mythos in to his systematic debunking of ancient astronaut theorists and extraterrestrial genesis proponents-- these, of course, are the more enjoyable parts of the book.
Pretty fun survey of "alternative archaeology," but suffers from the same failings it finds in the books it purports to debunk, i.e., circular reasoning and a fear of the "post-modern worldview."
Lovecraft is really a hook more than anything else. For great swathes of the book, Colavito seems to have forgotten that he was supposed to tie the Cthulhu Mythos in to his systematic debunking of ancient astronaut theorists and extraterrestrial genesis proponents-- these, of course, are the more enjoyable parts of the book.
April 17, 2012
The author basically argues that HPL created the idea that ancient aliens came down to earth, primitive humans mistook them for gods (and began worshiping them), and the aliens/gods promised to return (the evidence is in the anomalous architecture around the world). Then this idea got mixed up with "pseudo-science" and "alternative archaeology," in turn leading millions of people to believe that we are in fact remnants of this "ancient-astronaut" visit.
The most interesting part of the book for me was learning more about HPL's literary influences and his direct descendants in fiction.
The most interesting part of the book for me was learning more about HPL's literary influences and his direct descendants in fiction.
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December 16, 2012In the end, while there is a fairly well defined map from HPL to the lost civilization and ET made us do it groups, there are also stretches that fail. The greatest failure is that the author has a foregone conclusion to which he molds the facts, as do those he lambastes.
It is not a bad book, and some of it was very good, but it remains overall a pompous book. Thus, it was for me a disappointing read.
It is not a bad book, and some of it was very good, but it remains overall a pompous book. Thus, it was for me a disappointing read.
February 5, 2012
A brilliant and important study of the influence that Lovecraft has had on the particular subculture which believes in ancient Aliens, but unfortunately much of the book is just a rehash of the myriad problems with the Ancient Aliens theory, and the non-lovecraftian elements of the theory's development.
April 16, 2012
Interesting review of 1) the history of Lovecraft fandom and 2) ancient astronaut convictions. However, the attempt to link the two is weak...
May 10, 2016
A look at the transformation of HP Lovecraft's fiction of a cold and indifferent cosmos to secular fundementaist religeon/cults replacing older belief sytems.
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