It’s a Conspiracy!: The World’s Wildest Conspiracy Theories. What They Don’t Want You to Know. and Why the Truth is out There.

by Tom Cutler

Dive down the conspiracy-theory rabbit hole with bestselling author and conspiracy buff Tom Cutler. Mingle with the millions who do not trust the official version and find out what THEY – the global elites – don’t want you to know. This compelling collection of the world’s wildest conspiracy theories is packed with startling stories, curious characters and freakish facts – covering everything from Princess Diana to weather control, from the cloning of Paul McCartney to 9/11, from Lizard Men to JFK. It’s a Conspiracy! will make you think again about everything you thought you knew.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2021

About the author

Tom Cutler is a bestselling British author. After a curious career in book and magazine publishing, and having built up a lifetime's scar tissue, he decided to launch himself as a humorous writer upon a reading public that had done nothing to hurt him.

Tom's books cover a variety of subjects, including language, sex, and music. Among his several international bestsellers are, A Gentleman's Bedside Book and the Amazon number-one blockbuster, 211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do. His work has been translated into several languages.

Tom is a practising magician and member of the Magic Circle, as well as a longstanding Sherlock Holmes aficionado. He has always known that there is something strange about the way he relates to the world, but it was only in 2016, at the age of 56, that he was formally identified as being on the autism spectrum. This, he says, was the happiest day of his life.

His latest book, Keep Clear: my adventures with Asperger's, is out now.

Reviews

[Kuszma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Igazából halványlila gőzöm sincs, hová tegyem ezt a könyvet. Összeesküvésekkel foglalkozó tudományos munkának nem nevezném, mert annyira nem helyezi kontextusba a tárgyalt konteókat, hogy az borzalom. Egyáltalán nem kísérel meg elmerülni a pszichológiai vagy társadalomtörténeti vonatkozásokban, csak hajigálja elénk viccesnek szánk párflekkes "elemzéseit" a világ különböző agybajairól. Konteó-lexikonnak se tekinthetjük, hisz egyfelől nem teljes, másfelől meg még csak nem is kizárólag konteókat tartalmaz. Cutler valami egészen kaotikus válogatási elvet alkalmaz - a kötetben együtt szerepelnek az "Elvis Presley nem halt meg!" típusú baromságok a Vagdalthús-hadművelettel, ami viszont semmiféle értelmezésben nem konteó, hanem simán egy kémek által végrehajtott fedett művelet*, és csak azért kerülhetett a többi közé, mert a szerző mókásnak találta a gondolatot, hogy a britek egy vízihulla igénybevételével verték át Hitlert.

Mindez persze a szakmai alapok teljes hiányából fakad. És az a gyanúm, hogy ezek a szakmai alapok nem csak kimaradtak a könyvből, mert a szerző nem kívánt elmélyedni bennük, hanem magából Cutlerből is hiányoznak. Ugyanis szerintem aki erről a témáról könyvet akar írni - ha mégoly rövidet is -, az nem követheti el azt a hibát, hogy összekeveri az összeesküvés és az összeesküvés-elmélet fogalmát - ám az író pontosan ezt teszi. Ezzel pedig pont azt keni el, ami az egész dologban a legfontosabb: hogy az összeesküvés és az összeesküvés-elmélet között nincs egyértelmű oksági kapcsolat. Az emberek a történelem kezdete óta mindenféle cselszövevényekbe bonyolódnak, ez tény. Mégsem kapcsolódik a legtöbbhöz egy konteó sem. És megfordítva: tele van a világ konteókkal, amelyeknek nincs semmiféle alapja, magyarán hiányzik az összeesküvés, ami elméletileg életre kellett volna hívja őket. Szóval nem az összeesküvés teszi a konteót, hanem az a jellegzetes gondolkodásmód, ahogy az összeesküvés-hívő a világot értelmezi. Persze lehet, ennek a gondolkodásmódnak az elemzéséből nem lehetne olyan jópofa könyvet írni, mint amilyet Cutler akart. Meg aztán: ahhoz nem elég szellemes mondatokat írni, hanem kicsit dolgozni is kell.

Gondolkodtam rajta, hogy brutálisan lepontozzam, mert tulajdonképpen megérdemelné. Csak azért nem teszem, mert végtére is könnyed olvasmány, amin átjön, hogy a szerző jól el tudja szórakoztatni magát, és ebből fakadóan az olvasót is. Viszont muszáj leszögeznem: csak az olvassa el, aki valami mindenmentes ismeretterjesztő bulvárt kíván forgatni, amivel csak úgy elvan az ember, de másnapra már ki is ürül belőle. Aki viszont tényleg releváns információkra vágyik, keresgéljen máshol.

* Apropó Vagdalthús-hadművelet. Sokat elárul a könyvről, hogy rákeresvén a gugliban erre az eseményre, csak magyar nyelven három olyan írást is találtam különböző oldalakon, ami sokkal behatóbban tanulmányozta az ügyet, mint Cutler.

[Roderick Vonhogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An often funny and sometimes disconcerting summary of a number of popular conspiracy theories out there. Thankfully, the author also mentions the many inconsistencies and disproven aspects of these theories. And, even more importantly, the book signals the dangers and harmful nature of certain of these conspiracies. Believing that Elvis still lives happily ever after on the inside of a hollow earth can seem pretty innocuous, but the staggering impact of QAnon's fabrications on large groups of people can and does cause much harm in our society. Definitely worth reading.

[Ricky Bevins · Rating 2 out of 5]

A worthy stocking-filler, but readers may be disappointed to find the short length of each chapter and the shallow analysis devoted to many of the conspiracies.

This isn't to say that Tom doesn't provide fun stories and illuminating details (who knew the global Illuminati conspiracy was the brainchild of a Playboy magazine editor pulling a prank?), but by the time you're able to sink your teeth into any one topic, Tom has moved swiftly on. This is very much a whistle-stop tour of the biggest and most relevant conspiracies rather than an actual examination of the phenomenon itself.

And unfortuantely what Tom does have to say about conspiracies effectively amounts to, "Be careful what you read on the Internet" and "Use critical thinking skills". ... Great.

Tom's sardonic writing style holds many of the featured conspiracies at arms length with dad jokes and sarcasm, which is transparently absent for the few conspiracy theories he himself clearly believes in (the JFK Assassination and the 9/11 chapters are strikingly coherent, detailed and lacking Tom's usual cynicism).

This cynicism bites him in the arse though, as in the final section, Tom embarsses himself with perhaps a case of the most unfortunate publication timing ever in which he considers the #FreeBritney movement to be a whole lot of hot air.

All in all, this book is probably best suited for youngsters who want to familiarise themselves with some of the more enduring conspiracy theories of our time.

[wisDom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thankfully I picked this up in my local library so didn't actually pay for it. Basically it's a short, very basic overview of most of the obvious conspiracies (JFK, 9/11, the moon landing, 5G etc.) along with a handful of some more unusual ones (Finland is fake, Alex Jones is Bill Hicks etc.). The style is very informal and each theory is given about 3-4 pages, so along with the large font this is hardly an in depth work - the tone is set by the book's self-consciously kooky cover. However, if you know absolutely nothing about the conspiracy world then I suppose it could form a semi-useful introduction to the area.

So why just two stars? For one, there was little in here that I wasn't already familiar with, and the very short chapters added little to my knowledge. Most annoying however was the author's patronising, sneering tone which I found really grating after a while. Any conspiracy he doesn't like is inevitably a vehicle for the far right/white supremacists, believed in by ill-educated rubes, and Cutler cheers on our big tech overlords banning such content on their platforms. You see, only smart people like Tom Cutler have the intelligence to research these things for themselves and come to the correct conclusions. Cutler's clearly no fan of Trump, and thus there's an excessive focus on things like Pizza-gate, QAnon and Trump's claims that injecting bleach could cure Covid (though Cutler seemingly ran out of space to include the Russia-gate conspiracy pushed by many Democrats for four years).

Inevitably, perhaps, given that this book was written in 2021, Cutler reserves especial ire for those pesky Covid conspiracists. The anti-lockdown protests in London were apparently nothing to do with reasoned opposition to this highly controversial, untested policy of dubious efficacy which has caused immense, long-term harm in other areas of society - nope, it was just a bunch of uneducated morons who thought Covid is all a hoax concocted by Bill Gates to microchip everyone apparently. These imbeciles were even outside in the summer 'squashed up together, maskless' (the horror!). Strangely, Cutler conveniently ignores the many 'conspiracy theories' that have since turned out be true but which could at one time have earned you a permanent ban from his beloved social media giants (e.g. Covid probably came from the Wuhan lab, the CDC was funding gain-off function research, governments would bring in digital ID schemes off the back of vaccines etc.).

As it happens, I agree with Cutler that 95% of conspiracy theories are likely a load of nonsense, but I'd rather he just presented the facts and let me make up my own mind. Ironically, it's the supercilious, know-it-all-attitude of people like Cutler that cause the hardcore conspiracists to dig their heels in and refuse to engage in debate, forcing them further into online echo chambers where they will likely be exposed to even wilder theories, thus deepening the polarisation Cutler claims to abhor.

[Nichola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I genuinely the first person to review this one goodreads? I am suspicious...

Which is... ironic?

Anyway this was good. Not as comprehensive as I would have liked. I mean I could always do with more detail and debunking but I think the central message of the book rings loud and clear without being overbearing and pedantic.

Have a healthy level of skepticism and doubt for everything and you might be lucky enough to avoid being duped.

But I found a few things in here I hadn't even questioned enough like the Shakespeare content which Cutler thorough debunks.

The humour is great and relatable. I think this book makes knowledge questioning and hunting accessible but as a millennial I do want a bit more credit for our generations naturally suspicious nature.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has alot of conspiracies listed out, however each section is very limited with information. What is written in each chapter is more about how crazy or stupid this conspiracy is or has some random dumb quote from Trump that doesn't make any sense. Would have been better if each chapter laid out the information of the conspiracy and written unbiased so the reader could decide for themselves. Couldn't finish this as I got about half way before the opinions and comments of the author got too much to deal with.

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conspiracy buff Tom Cutler dives down a rabbit hole of Conspiracy Theories in this book. This collection brings together the usual theories, from Princess Diana's death to 9/11, the cloning of Paul McCartney and Avril Lavigne, to the assassination of JFK and David Icke's belief that the senior members of the Royal Family are a bunch of lizards.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, this was surprisingly good and narrator and author, Tom Cutler was very funny. I’ve heard most of these conspiracy theories before but Tom explains what the real reasons were or certainly the real reasonings and his sarcasm just added to the book.

This is just over 5 hours long on audio but well worth the money. Excellent.

[Sp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read quite a few conspiracy books over the last few years. Had come across a few of these previously that are in the book however Tom's take on it adds a lot. Somewhat comedic. The one I think he believes in is the 9/11 one as he doesn't deny what happened and the conspiracy. Easy to read, short stories so easy to work through and only 239 pages.

[FannyWiola]

DNF:ed 30 percent through.
Cutler have an interestig writing style but this book is more of a encyclopedia, and the marketing I‘ve seen made me expect something deeper and more analytical.

Though please keep in mind that I can’t speak for the rest of the book, this may very well be unfair.

[aasiyah · Rating 2 out of 5]

some of the theories were okay but majority of them werent even conspiracies, just a shit ton of facts from the events that took place. plus the author was super opinionated so it was hard to form your own opinion on the matters.

2/5 stars

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the ‘Free Britney’ people proved this guy very wrong.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Britney chapter needs updating!

[Monica Margarit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty meh but had some funny conspiracies, some people think Finland is a made up country and doesn’t actually exist

[Katrien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Veel conspiracy theorieën (sommigen bewezen, het merendeel ontkracht), maar heel oppervlakkig aangehaald.
Beetje teleurstellend.
Het cynisme/satirische mocht er wat meer bovenop liggen.

[Ruben Dhondt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read!

[Liz Buckham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely would suggest to others. I feel like it I knew a bunch of the theories that were in the book but it was nice to have a different outlook on it also

[Zsolt Deák · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would heartily recommend it to contheo believers, but they probably wouldn't read something like this, or wouldn't make the connection to their beliefs. It's a fun read anyway.

[Olivia Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.
It did feel like a mental breakdown but it was funny and I enjoyed it.
If you want a laugh or are interested in conspiracy theories then I would recommend this book.
5*

[tara ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was just boring and only offered a surface-level outlook on popular conspiracies. if you’ve never heard of them before this might be interesting but the author mostly just summarised known facts, so i had to put this one down.