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Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order
A guide to the hidden mysteries and secrets of the world from an established author and expert on conspiracies, the unexplained, and the paranormal! History is written by the winners―and the powerful―but how much of it is fiction? And who is really in control today? From the dawn of civilization to the 21st century, from ancient aliens to the New World Order, Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order examines, explores, and uncovers the hidden, overlooked, and buried history of civilization. The book moves from biblical, Egyptian, Mayan, Greek, and early mysteries of antiquity to the clandestine doings of the Nazis and the Masons and assassination plots of the more recent past to the surveillance, monitoring, mind-control, and secret schemes of today. Researcher Nick Redfern investigates the stories, mythologies, lore behind incredible events and clandestine groups of yesterday and today. More than 60 entries dig deep into the manipulation of events by influential groups, including …
448 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2015
25 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Nick Redfern
137 books224 followersNick Redfern is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist who has been an active advocate of official disclosure, and has worked to uncover thousands of pages of previously-classified Royal Air Force, Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence files on UFOs dating from the Second World War from the Public Record Office.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 19, 2018
Carl Sagen called them “Night Walkers and Mystery Mongers,” the people who are interested in, and actively promote the advancement of, superstition, pseudo-science, and crackpot theories. Sagen meant the terms as pejorative labels, but I’ve always been fascinated by accounts of the weird and the outré. When I was a kid, I loved compilations of strange-but-supposedly-true events, and I was fascinated by UFO stories. Later, as an adult, I collected books that purported crackpot theories, such as the “fact” that the earth is hollow, there’s a huge opening at the North Pole, and that’s where the flying saucers come from.
With all that in my background, I anticipated reading Secret History with pleasure as I wallowed in the imaginative excesses and flights of speculation of my youth. But Redfern’s book, which appears to be near-encyclopedic in its scope, was a big disappointment. I see-sawed on whether to rate this book at two or three stars—I really wanted to give it 2½ stars, but that’s not an option. I’m not sure if the problem is with Redfern’s writing, or with my more mature, more fully-developed critical thinking skills, but I had several problems with his “reporting.”
First of all, Redfern is careless—not with his facts, but with his writing. He needs a better editor, or he needs to pay closer attention to his writing and eliminate the junior high mistakes in mechanics, usage, and grammar. This sloppiness isn’t merely annoying to read—it also detracts from his credibility as a reporter. If his thinking is that loose and sloppy when it comes to wordsmithing, then how meticulous will he be in crafting and shaping his ideas?
Actually, this lack of precision in his writing would be forgivable—or at least easier to overlook—if his facts, his ideas, were more compelling. But in addition to being careless in his writing style, Redfern is careless—even downright sloppy—with his facts and with his logic. I appreciate that iffy material of this sort is going to be by its very definition controversial. But that means in order to build credibility, the author needs to get his common knowledge facts correct. Every time Redfern states something that I know just isn’t true, I am annoyed and feel that much less inclined to pay attention to his more-contentious statements.
Another disappointing aspect of Secret History is Redfern’s tendency to keep stating over and over his thesis without going on to develop it with facts. When my ninth-grade English students do this in the essays they write, I know they don’t really have anything to say and are merely faking it, trying to pad out their word count; Redfern does the same thing when he doesn’t really have much to report on a particular topic. This is frustrating but perhaps unavoidable, given the sheer range of topics covered, but I would have appreciated more in-depth coverage of each topic. The superficial nature of the discussion can only cause a reader to conclude that maybe there just isn’t much there in the first place.
When Redfern does get to the meat of his topic, he further casts doubts on his credibility by simultaneously stating surmises and speculations as established facts, while downplaying strong evidence contrary to his thesis as mere speculations. This is somewhat ironic in that he decries mainstream doubts about theories that go against the establishment line, even to the point of lending equal credibility to any theory regardless of how baseless it may be (I am reminded of late-night talk radio shows in which the host gives serious weight to any and all callers, irrespective of how crazy their theories are) but then dismisses any strong negative evidence that contradicts Redfern’s own theory. This is perhaps a defining characteristic of much of this type of outlaw reporting, but I was sorry to see so much obviously fuzzy logic detract from his arguments.
With all that in my background, I anticipated reading Secret History with pleasure as I wallowed in the imaginative excesses and flights of speculation of my youth. But Redfern’s book, which appears to be near-encyclopedic in its scope, was a big disappointment. I see-sawed on whether to rate this book at two or three stars—I really wanted to give it 2½ stars, but that’s not an option. I’m not sure if the problem is with Redfern’s writing, or with my more mature, more fully-developed critical thinking skills, but I had several problems with his “reporting.”
First of all, Redfern is careless—not with his facts, but with his writing. He needs a better editor, or he needs to pay closer attention to his writing and eliminate the junior high mistakes in mechanics, usage, and grammar. This sloppiness isn’t merely annoying to read—it also detracts from his credibility as a reporter. If his thinking is that loose and sloppy when it comes to wordsmithing, then how meticulous will he be in crafting and shaping his ideas?
Actually, this lack of precision in his writing would be forgivable—or at least easier to overlook—if his facts, his ideas, were more compelling. But in addition to being careless in his writing style, Redfern is careless—even downright sloppy—with his facts and with his logic. I appreciate that iffy material of this sort is going to be by its very definition controversial. But that means in order to build credibility, the author needs to get his common knowledge facts correct. Every time Redfern states something that I know just isn’t true, I am annoyed and feel that much less inclined to pay attention to his more-contentious statements.
Another disappointing aspect of Secret History is Redfern’s tendency to keep stating over and over his thesis without going on to develop it with facts. When my ninth-grade English students do this in the essays they write, I know they don’t really have anything to say and are merely faking it, trying to pad out their word count; Redfern does the same thing when he doesn’t really have much to report on a particular topic. This is frustrating but perhaps unavoidable, given the sheer range of topics covered, but I would have appreciated more in-depth coverage of each topic. The superficial nature of the discussion can only cause a reader to conclude that maybe there just isn’t much there in the first place.
When Redfern does get to the meat of his topic, he further casts doubts on his credibility by simultaneously stating surmises and speculations as established facts, while downplaying strong evidence contrary to his thesis as mere speculations. This is somewhat ironic in that he decries mainstream doubts about theories that go against the establishment line, even to the point of lending equal credibility to any theory regardless of how baseless it may be (I am reminded of late-night talk radio shows in which the host gives serious weight to any and all callers, irrespective of how crazy their theories are) but then dismisses any strong negative evidence that contradicts Redfern’s own theory. This is perhaps a defining characteristic of much of this type of outlaw reporting, but I was sorry to see so much obviously fuzzy logic detract from his arguments.
March 30, 2020
I saw this book on display at the library and had to check it out. I love reading conspiracy and esoteric theories even though I don’t believe a shred of it. To me, as a historian and a Mormon Christian, it’s hilarious and fun to read. Justin and I laughed at some of these theories Redfern compiled. Redfern didn’t create any of these theories. Basically, he just gathered a bunch of theories and put it together in almost a chronological encyclopedia of sorts. Some of it was honestly boring–I mean, how can you make conspiracy theories boring?
2.5/5 stars
2.5/5 stars
April 16, 2019
Nie mogę uczciwie przyznać, że przeczytałem tę książkę w całości. Ponieważ bardzo szybko okazała się nie być tym, czego oczekiwałem.
Liczyłem na jakiś "katalog" najważniejszych teorii spiskowych wraz z ich rewizją tam, gdzie nauka już wykazała ich bzdurność (chemtrails) lub zweryfikowano je doświadczalnie lub jakkolwiek (zabójstwo JFK, czy zamachy z 11 września w USA). Niestety autor co najwyżej ogranicza się do konstatacji typu "wprawdzie nic nie wiadomo na pewno, ale coś w tym musi być". Co dodatkowo nie broni się właśnie w przypadku tych teorii spiskowych, które już zostały skompromitowane.
Do tego autor jest odstręczająco bezkrytyczny nawet w przypadku tych "teorii", które po prostu logicznie nie trzymają się kupy. I tym zraził mnie już na starcie. Wziął na przykład fragment z Księgi Izajasza, który ma rzekomo dotyczyć opisu pojazdu Obcych. Co jest dowodem na to? Ano fakt, że w XX wieku jakiś profesor miał spotkanie z podobnym obiektem. Ręce opadają. A autor nie zająknął się nawet na temat tego, że ten profesor o nie potwierdzonym autorytecie mógł po prostu nakłamać. I o spotkaniu ze statkiem Obcych, jak i "wziąć" jego kształt ze wspomnianego opisu że starotestamentowej księgi.
Jeśli chodzi o nowsze teorie to autor przemilcza albo udaje, że nie zna (lub po prostu nie zna) faktów obalających choćby teorie zamachowe dotyczące śmierci JFK. W tym przypadku odesłać go należy po edukację na kanał Discovery Channel. To samo dotyczy WTC, czy chemtrailsów.
I tak dalej. Zatem od pewnego momentu wybierałem sobie co ciekawsze dla mnie teorie, aby spróbować znaleźć jakieś uaktualnienia wytworów słabych lub sprytnych umysłów mnożących nieistotne wątpliwości dla zarobku i w imię swoich urojeń. Niestety. Niczego nowego nie znalazłem. To książka, która niezdrowo może rozpalić słabe umysły, pozbawione krytycznego dystansu i wierzące w uproszczone wizje świata i historii. Autor powinien dorzucić do tego zbioru nasze swojskie teorie zamachowe o katastrofie z 10 kwietnia 2010 r. Idealnie pasować będzie do zbioru jako jedna z tych katastrof, które już dawno wyjaśniono.
Jako fan teorii spiskowych (ale nie wiary w nie) jestem rozczarowany miałkością i brakiem rewelacji oraz brakiem krytycznego podejścia.
Liczyłem na jakiś "katalog" najważniejszych teorii spiskowych wraz z ich rewizją tam, gdzie nauka już wykazała ich bzdurność (chemtrails) lub zweryfikowano je doświadczalnie lub jakkolwiek (zabójstwo JFK, czy zamachy z 11 września w USA). Niestety autor co najwyżej ogranicza się do konstatacji typu "wprawdzie nic nie wiadomo na pewno, ale coś w tym musi być". Co dodatkowo nie broni się właśnie w przypadku tych teorii spiskowych, które już zostały skompromitowane.
Do tego autor jest odstręczająco bezkrytyczny nawet w przypadku tych "teorii", które po prostu logicznie nie trzymają się kupy. I tym zraził mnie już na starcie. Wziął na przykład fragment z Księgi Izajasza, który ma rzekomo dotyczyć opisu pojazdu Obcych. Co jest dowodem na to? Ano fakt, że w XX wieku jakiś profesor miał spotkanie z podobnym obiektem. Ręce opadają. A autor nie zająknął się nawet na temat tego, że ten profesor o nie potwierdzonym autorytecie mógł po prostu nakłamać. I o spotkaniu ze statkiem Obcych, jak i "wziąć" jego kształt ze wspomnianego opisu że starotestamentowej księgi.
Jeśli chodzi o nowsze teorie to autor przemilcza albo udaje, że nie zna (lub po prostu nie zna) faktów obalających choćby teorie zamachowe dotyczące śmierci JFK. W tym przypadku odesłać go należy po edukację na kanał Discovery Channel. To samo dotyczy WTC, czy chemtrailsów.
I tak dalej. Zatem od pewnego momentu wybierałem sobie co ciekawsze dla mnie teorie, aby spróbować znaleźć jakieś uaktualnienia wytworów słabych lub sprytnych umysłów mnożących nieistotne wątpliwości dla zarobku i w imię swoich urojeń. Niestety. Niczego nowego nie znalazłem. To książka, która niezdrowo może rozpalić słabe umysły, pozbawione krytycznego dystansu i wierzące w uproszczone wizje świata i historii. Autor powinien dorzucić do tego zbioru nasze swojskie teorie zamachowe o katastrofie z 10 kwietnia 2010 r. Idealnie pasować będzie do zbioru jako jedna z tych katastrof, które już dawno wyjaśniono.
Jako fan teorii spiskowych (ale nie wiary w nie) jestem rozczarowany miałkością i brakiem rewelacji oraz brakiem krytycznego podejścia.
December 5, 2024
The book 'Secret History; Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order' written by Nick Redfern was an interesting and insightful book. The way that author is so informed and bounces from topic to topic, talking about primitive civilizations, the new modern and politically charged narrative of the New World Order, and the phenomenon of UFOs or Aliens.
One thing I especially like that Redfern does is he uses a combination of old and new conspiracy theories. The book offers a large amount of information, each chapter being about something new. While different they all fall under one of the main categories, those being, Conspiracies, Ancient Aliens, and The New World Order. He also makes claims throughout the book that he truly believes, which is something I admire. At the same time I also think a few of the claims he would make could be seen as a bit excessive, but he always has facts to back those claims up. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever been interested in the past and how things were built, or aliens. If I had to say really I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
I will be creating a podcast on conspiracy theories as a whole and mainly focusing on the Pyramids of Egypt, Aliens, and the 9/11 attacks. This book helped me gain information but also gave me technique ideas to use to keep my reader engaged. The author would often ask the reader questions, that is just one of the many things I will be implementing in my project. Overall this book was a great read, gave me great information, and even shocked me a little at times. I would definitely check it out if I were you.
One thing I especially like that Redfern does is he uses a combination of old and new conspiracy theories. The book offers a large amount of information, each chapter being about something new. While different they all fall under one of the main categories, those being, Conspiracies, Ancient Aliens, and The New World Order. He also makes claims throughout the book that he truly believes, which is something I admire. At the same time I also think a few of the claims he would make could be seen as a bit excessive, but he always has facts to back those claims up. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever been interested in the past and how things were built, or aliens. If I had to say really I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
I will be creating a podcast on conspiracy theories as a whole and mainly focusing on the Pyramids of Egypt, Aliens, and the 9/11 attacks. This book helped me gain information but also gave me technique ideas to use to keep my reader engaged. The author would often ask the reader questions, that is just one of the many things I will be implementing in my project. Overall this book was a great read, gave me great information, and even shocked me a little at times. I would definitely check it out if I were you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2022
i'd say it's a nice set of theories but i didn't really enjoyed the book, i feel like some of the chapters could've been longer and more specified. or maybe because i'm already familiar with everything that book contains so i didn't enjoy it as someone who would encounter these for the first time.
so, if you just got intrested in aliens and conspiracies and you try to gain some information i guess you can give it a try.
so, if you just got intrested in aliens and conspiracies and you try to gain some information i guess you can give it a try.
July 26, 2025
slightly interesting. For people who love conspiracy theories (I don't), this might be a good read. I saw the title in the library and decided to check it out, mostly because I was curious. The book does cover a LOT of conspiracy theories, but I lost interest pretty quickly.
September 3, 2021
No words !
Just read it once and see for yourself !!.
Just read it once and see for yourself !!.
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August 10, 2025nick redfern w swojej książce poruszył wiele zagadnień, które interesują mnie od lat. nie wszystkie z jego opinii są dla mnie zaskakujące, gdyż po prostu już wcześniej o nich słyszałam lub czytałam. jednak autor przypomniał mi o sprawach, które trochę zignorowałam, a przyjemnie wraca się do porzuconych pasji.
redfernowi zarzuca się ogromny subiektywizm w ocenie faktów lub ich braku, aczkolwiek sama popieram go w kilku kwestiach, choć są absurdalne.
redfernowi zarzuca się ogromny subiektywizm w ocenie faktów lub ich braku, aczkolwiek sama popieram go w kilku kwestiach, choć są absurdalne.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews