Review of three Terence McKenna books
Posted: 14 Jul 2024, 22:08
Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge – A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution. (1992)
This was the first McKenna book I read, all the way back in early 2011. I was just getting into his theories back then so I eagerly ate this one up. It's a while since I read it but I recall it definitely being very interesting, especially his ideas about how early human societies operated and interacted; with each other and with various substances. He describes the course of human evolution as we made our way north out of the drying African savanna, how the mushroom was used in religious ceremony, preserved inside honey. Humans operated what he calls a 'partnership society', which was female-oriented. Then, once sources of mushrooms disappeared, how humans ended up just drinking honey mead. This is, McKenna claims, the basis of the 'alcohol cult' humanity is today, a dominator society with males in charge. Well recommended!
Rating: 5/5
The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History. (1991)
I'm pro-McKenna. I've listened to endless hour of his talks so I am predisposed to enjoy his ramblings. I enjoyed this a lot but I didn't learn too much. Food of the Gods is a much better introduction.
Rating: 4/5
The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens & the I Ching. (1975)
I am a huge fan of Terence McKenna and his theories, from the Stoned Ape to TimeWave Zero. However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Food of the Gods or The Archaic Revival. I was already very familiar with his ideas concerning the I Ching and the mapping of novelty over historical events. In this book, he doesn't make this material as accessible as when he speaks. Far too often there are very long sentences with complicated words which fail to clearly explain some of the very far-fetched concepts he's trying to advance. He has some fascinating and original theories but he struggles to condense it down into readable, or interesting, language. Had I read this before 2012 at the height of my McKenna interest I probably would've awarded it an extra star at least. 2012 passed by and McKenna's hoped for informational eschaton hasn't visibly arrived the way he thought it may, although in many ways he's been proven correct. I'll always love listening to the many lengthy talks he gave at Esalen and other places throughout the '80s and '90s. I'll still track down a copy of True Hallucinations too.
Rating: 3/5
This was the first McKenna book I read, all the way back in early 2011. I was just getting into his theories back then so I eagerly ate this one up. It's a while since I read it but I recall it definitely being very interesting, especially his ideas about how early human societies operated and interacted; with each other and with various substances. He describes the course of human evolution as we made our way north out of the drying African savanna, how the mushroom was used in religious ceremony, preserved inside honey. Humans operated what he calls a 'partnership society', which was female-oriented. Then, once sources of mushrooms disappeared, how humans ended up just drinking honey mead. This is, McKenna claims, the basis of the 'alcohol cult' humanity is today, a dominator society with males in charge. Well recommended!
Rating: 5/5
The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History. (1991)
I'm pro-McKenna. I've listened to endless hour of his talks so I am predisposed to enjoy his ramblings. I enjoyed this a lot but I didn't learn too much. Food of the Gods is a much better introduction.
Rating: 4/5
The Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens & the I Ching. (1975)
I am a huge fan of Terence McKenna and his theories, from the Stoned Ape to TimeWave Zero. However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Food of the Gods or The Archaic Revival. I was already very familiar with his ideas concerning the I Ching and the mapping of novelty over historical events. In this book, he doesn't make this material as accessible as when he speaks. Far too often there are very long sentences with complicated words which fail to clearly explain some of the very far-fetched concepts he's trying to advance. He has some fascinating and original theories but he struggles to condense it down into readable, or interesting, language. Had I read this before 2012 at the height of my McKenna interest I probably would've awarded it an extra star at least. 2012 passed by and McKenna's hoped for informational eschaton hasn't visibly arrived the way he thought it may, although in many ways he's been proven correct. I'll always love listening to the many lengthy talks he gave at Esalen and other places throughout the '80s and '90s. I'll still track down a copy of True Hallucinations too.
Rating: 3/5