Odyssey of the Gods

The History of Extraterrestrial Contact in Ancient Greece

By: Erich von Däniken

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Legendary UFO expert Erich von Daniken stirs up another controversy with an imaginative supposition: What if the myths of ancient Greece were attempts to describe events that really happened? What if ancient peoples were visited, not by imaginary gods and goddesses, but by extraterrestrial beings who arrived on earth thousands of years ago? The author's research into both ancient mythology and current archaeological discoveries leads him to some explosive hypotheses. He suggests that the best explanation of such creatures as centaurs and Cyclops, as well as stories about the lost continent of Atlantis and wars among the deities, may be efforts by artists of the times to record never-before-seen phenomena. Dozens of ancient sculptures and temple decorations, von Daniken points out, look surprisingly similar to equipment used by today's astronauts. Could these be long-lost secrets, being rediscovered by scientists today?

©2011 Erich von Daniken (P)2011 Tantor

book is great. binged it in 1 day

Narrator was awesome! The mythology based background is great. Highly recommend it. get it now.

review

good book, captivating and thoughtful. I would recommend this book to read as well as all of his other books.

Good Research, but Draw Your Own Conclusions

I need Scary Hair Guy from the History Channel to say it for me: "Aliens!"

Let's face it, there are several different ways to approach the work of Erich von Daniken. You can accept his Ancient Astronauts theory hook, line, and sinker, in which case this (being his 32nd book) is a classic case of preaching to the converted. You can dismiss it completely out of hand... in which case, why are bothering? Or you can marvel at the fact that, regardless of what you think about von Daniken's conclusions, the man is digging up research and drawing connective lines between literature, philosophy, and archaeology that the pros of the field are ignoring time and again simply because they're afraid it'll spot their reputation to be, well, lumped in with this guy. In some cases these lines are rock solid, but often they are tenuous at best, which is why the pros won't go near it. On the other hand, it's just fun to connect the dots anyway. As one who loves all of these fields and has none of the alphabet soup behind my name to back it up, I love the "what if" factor involved, which is why I keep coming back to von Daniken.

Whether or not you believe aliens were around thousands of years ago, the evidence this man digs up tells you that SOMEONE was there, and that someone was advanced beyond the stone age. And that's really the point as I see it. Draw your own conclusions, and always remember... Galileo and Copernicus were considered screwballs in their own times too. Historians say "No way," and von Daniken says "Aliens!" Somewhere in the middle lies the truth, but in the words of the great Sherlock Holmes, "When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains - however improbable - must be the truth." Feel free to look up the evidence he's discussing for yourself, keep your mind open enough to listen to the facts he's presenting, but not so open as to have your brains leak out all over the floor. From there, just have fun with it and see where your creative side takes you.

The narrator for this does a fine job. My only complaint is that for a book like this I would have preferred von Daniken himself to read his work... well, just because. I have no reason other than his enthusiasm for this stuff is infectuous.

So good I've listened twice

What did you love best about Odyssey of the Gods?

I loved this book. It features an easy way of understanding a complex mathematic problem called

What was one of the most memorable moments of Odyssey of the Gods?

The topology of Greece .

Which scene was your favorite?

The retelling of Greek mythology.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Greek mythology for modern times.

Any additional comments?

After this get

Not as good as expected- still ok

A little bit all over, without too much focus and so much analysis...
Not as extreme or revealing as it should be.
One theory is only there just to take it apart.
Not balanced and not as many myths and analysis as there should be.
The first part of the argonautica drags -like copy paste- and its only the re-reading of these astonishing myths that keeps me hooked (plus the narrator)from deleting and returning.
The narrator is amazing( just read repeat) and keeps you hooked.
Not Dainekens best researched book - rushed and made from pieces here and there.
Have heard many wild theories that I never see here such as cyclops were working in a nuclear plant!!! Hence the old wall paintings of the one eyed things in caves!!
Still it kept me along till the end- it should focus more on myths analysis and hypothesis than atlantis theory etc

What a load of rubbish

Would you try another book from Erich von Daniken and/or William Dufris?

Erich von Daniken: No
William Dufris: Yes

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something not written by von Daniken

What does William Dufris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration was the only good thing about this audiobook.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I was expecting silly theories but this is just outright stupid. It doesn't so much as jump to conclusion but rather begin with a conclusion and work backwards looking for "evidence". When none is found, it gets made up.

I invite the reader to do their own 5 minute research before purchasing.