Genesis of the Grail Kings

In the last few years there have been a lot of books rewriting history, from the ancient Egyptians to the origins of Christianity and the hidden influence of esoteric societies. Genesis of the Grail Kings is the second title in Laurence Gardner's series related to the Grail, following the controversial Bloodline of the Holy Grail, in which he argued with dozens of genealogical charts that King Arthur and the Stuart kings, amongst others, were descended from Jesus. In Genesis of the Grail Kings Gardner goes much further back in time, to the origins of humankind with Adam and Eve, then following the Genesis and Exodus story with a great deal of cross-referencing to ancient Sumerian and Egyptian myth and history.

This book looks to be just as controversial, as Gardner seeks to show, amongst much else, that Moses was actually the pharoah Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten, was married to both Queen Nefertiti and his sister Miriam, and fathered Tutankhamun; and that the pyramids of Egypt were constructed with the use of anti-gravity powder which the Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew kings and priests were well familiar with, and which was the basis of alchemy. Whether you accept his conclusions or not, Gardner, who claims a number of titles in esoteric chivalrous societies, presents a host of astonishing ideas in this book.--David V. Barrett

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Awful - Rated
Well, they say that History is a type of fiction...
It is difficult to know where to start with Criticism of his book, but let us start with a simple one. Gardner supports his claim that Akenaten was Moses by stating that the Hebrew version of (the sun disk) Aten is Adon - (Adon from Adonai meaning Lord). He seems to base this on an erroneous transliteration made by Sigmund Freud. Freud argued that the Hebrew "D" was a transliteration of the Eygptian "T", and therefore also O and E, Aten can quite easily then become Adon. However Aten in hieroglyphs is itn (iten) and itn does not mean lord, lord in Ancient Eygptian is neb.
...I wont go further...
The open minded reader should take all "revelatory history" books such as this with a pinch of salt.

Entertaining and thought provoking - Rated
In Genesis of the Grail Kings, Gardener examines the books of Genesis and Exodus in the light of contemporary historical evidence. The thrust of Gardner's argument is that, whilst in some respects there is is more historical truth in the early texts of the Bible than most give it credit for, this truth has been perverted over the years, and in particular by the Church, to promote a form of social control.

Alongside the biblical narrative, Gardner looks at the foundations of civilization in ancient Sumer and Bablyon and continues through the nomadic wanderings of the Hewbrews into ancient Egypt. At each point, links are made between the theology and the related history.

Considerable research has gone into the writing of this book and it is hard not to be convinced by the persuasiveness of the thoughts presented. The author has in general pieced together enough circumstantial evidence to be indicative of fact and presents this in a methodical and logical fashion. Always presenting the most straight forward answer to the questions posed, Gardener's theories about the meaning of biblical passages are very appealing, to the extent that the reader feels compelled to question long held understandings.

A caveat for those seeking the gospel truth (no pun intended) however is that many of the references in the book which are treated as fact seem to be to equally speculative / inductive works. Also (and not being a linguist I feel unqualified to comment), some of the arguments regarding the origin of words seem to lack tenacity. A further potential turn-off for some readers will be that at points it could be said that arguments are taken one step too far and it becomes a bit 'X-filey'.

This said the book, and its core argument more than survive these shortcomings. Gardener writes eloquently and with measured passion. It is one of those books that, if it strikes a cord,it is very difficult to put down. Consequently Genesis of the Grail Kings comes highly recommended to those interested in theology, philosophy, the origins of civilization, ancient history and those who simply like to debate. At worst this is an entertaining and thought-provoking read; at best truly groundbreaking.

Insightful and compelling - Rated
The Bible has, for the longest time, been the source of the greatest mysteries. Why do many parts of the Bible contradict what is written elsewhere in the book? Why are there sizeable gaps in some parts of the Bible history? Why do some truly illogical things happen (i.e. Moses in the rushes) that are accepted as 'just so'? I have pondered these questions for a long while without coming any closer to an answer. I have never wanted to accept the Bible as 'Gospel truth', nor have I wanted to blow it off as simply untrue. There is much truth contained within the pages, but there is also much corruption of the way the truth is implied. In 'Genesis of the Grail Kings' Gardner answers a whole host of questions, and opens up a whole new world of wisdom in the process.

The shear weight of research that must have been necessary to create this book is astonishing. The referencing of numerous ancient texts in order to see the wider picture, and the carefully crafted lineages at the back of the book could not have been done overnight. Gardner focusses mostly on the 2500 year period between 4000BC and 1500BC, from the cradle of civilization in ancient Sumer to the time of Moses and the Israelites. He takes us on a journey from a time of many Anunnaki Gods to a time where one God became dominant to the Hebrew nation and eventually became the one God of Christianity.

For anyone who wishes to unravel the bizarrely contorted tales of Satan or Adam and Eve, this book will be invaluable. Not everything that Gardner has to say will be to everyone's liking, but that was never his intention. It is essential that we have people of his type to provide us with information that counters the norm, so that we may make up our own minds from a wide range of possibilities.

There are numerous fascinating points in this book, but surely the most fascinating of all is the 'Highward fire-stone' and the transmutation of Gold, which Gardner elaborates on in his mind-blowing follow up 'Lost secrets of the sacred ark'. If all that he says about the Platinum metals in relation to the human body is true then we are surely entering into a new stage of medical science. That is if there is anyone who cares more about humankind than cash.

To never read any of Gardner's books would be a great shame. He opens up avenues of wisdom that we can all travel along if we wish. 'Realm of the Ring Lords' is an easier, lighter read to start with and it would be hard not to go on from there. I will certainly be exploring similar works by other authors to gain a broader view.

The truth is out there and is waiting to be found. Read on.

Logical explanation of myths, fairy tales, and legends. - Rated
I hope everyone will get a chance to read Sir Laurence's latest masterpiece. Once again, in "Realm of the Ring Lords," he literally shines light in the dimmest recesses of history while figuratively "knocking our socks off". He connects the Grail and Ring in ways I've never known, and going all the way back to pre-history, he gives logical explanations of almost every myth, fairy tale and legend that either frightened or inspired us as children. We still get to keep our elves and fairies and pixies, but this time as real people who did magnificent deeds that have since been diminished by the Church. In chapter 10, I was astounded by the lily and the rose being symbolic of actual female essences that grant spiritual power and even youth to their partakers. He gives excellent and revealing backgrounds on figures such as Robin Hood, Santa Claus, Lorna Doone, and the Faerie Queen. He also thoroughly debunks such fictions as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and even Satan himself! The notes and references and appendices are practically a book within themselves, and the colored illustrations, especially those by Sir Peter, are beautiful beyond description. We are so fortunate to have such intellects as Sir Laurence and the other good knights at MediaQuest to come riding in on their white horses and rescue us from the prison of our darkest ignorance. Bravo!...

A good read if you have an open mind - Rated
A very entertaining book, and a good follow up to "Bloodline". This book attempts to debunk the myths of the Old Testament, and introduces many concepts the bible ignores, such as Lilith, right up to astonishing evidence that Moses was none other than.....well, I won't spoil the surprise! As with Bloodline, this isn't the kind of book that you should choose as a lighthearted way to pass a few hours - the evidence and information require a good deal of concentration, I found it easier to highlight parts I wanted to go back to. The only part where this falls down is where the author, in places, promotes his own religious beliefs, which at best were unusual and at worst I felt at times he was away with the fairies. A definite 5 star if he had left these out.