An interesting and informative book. Gave me food for thought and made me want to know even more. Would have been better if some of the theories had been developed more.

Creepy yet very informative. A fascinating insight into the world of the illuminati. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I thought I was going into this book with an open mind but I ended up surprised. Howells offers a genuinely good history of the Bavarian illuminati society full of detail and social context. His argument that the current impression of the 'illuminati' is incorrect was convincing though sometimes reached a bit in my estimation.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

This book demonstrates that the old secret societies were driven by the same impulse as Anonymous and WikiLeaks are today. These marginalized groups have always rebelled against the establishments; some subversively by spreading progressive ideas through art and literature, while others are far more proactive, driving revolution and exposing government secrets.
The Illuminati, founded in 1776, aimed to rid Europe of the ruling aristocracy and religious control of education, politics and science. They supported the Age of Enlightenment and were accused of fueling the dissent that culminated in the French Revolution. Since that time the term Illuminati has become a meme, giving a name to a secret network believed by conspiracy theorists to control the world. These were depicted as pranksters, working in the shadows to manipulate society.
It was in this climate of pranks, memes and conspiracy theories that the hacktivist collective Anonymous were born. Their ideals of freedom from censorship and the empowering of societies against their rulers make them the spiritual successors of the Illuminati.
The kindling of the French Revolution by the Illuminati has found a modern counterpart in how Anonymous and WikiLeaks played a key role in the Arab Spring uprisings using the internet as a new weapon against dictatorships. It is the same battle fought by secret societies for a millennium but the new inquisition has shifted its focus from secret societies to wage a war on the connected communities of the internet age. This is the story of that war and how you need to be a part of it.

*3.5 stars*

Who doesn't love a story about secret societies, conspiracy theories, and the like? Obviously, a lot of us do or Dan Brown would never have sold so many of his books...

This book, however, is not fiction. It is history - and current. It tells about The Illuminati, The Freemasons and other well-known secret societies from history - and then ties it together with the current versions, Anonymous and WikiLeaks.

My thoughts? Well, I have to say that, while enjoying the history lesson, I was a little put off by the author's obvious dislike of Christianity - for the first 1.3 of the book, he did nothing but slag them off. That was a little disappointing. Also, I was expecting that, with the cover, that more time would be dedicated to the modern incarnations of secret societies, but it was a little more 50/50. Not that it was bad, just that I was a little mislead with the cover.


Paul
ARH

Howells is comparing with various religions, psychologies, sacred geometries, Gnosticism and alchemy as the Illuminati use them for ‘controlling the population’.

The readers will ask themselves if the Illuminati rules the whole world by controlling the governments, United Nations, World Bank and the religious organisations etc. Some of the readers will brace themselves against the shocking discoveries of this Establishment’s actions.

Howells is more positive than David Icke, the leading conspiracy theorist.

Caesar13

I couldn't able to completely read the book, however, managed to skim the essential elements put forth by the author. Pretty interesting read, indeed.

This book had such promise but ended up being a huge disappointment and a campaign call for Anonymous. I was expecting to learn more about The Illuminati and not about modern day conspiracy theories. It did not do what it said in the blurb.