Secret Societies: Inside the Worlds's Most Notorious Organizations

I liked this book a lot. It started about the assasins and their brainwashing in Ancient times. Their subservience toward their lords with total willingness to die with the hope of going to paradise. How they were deceived by this idea and their connection with the al qaeda today. Also, it talked about the knight templars, freemasonry, Illuminati,the holy grail, the jasons,skull & bones, Druids, Wicca, Triads, Yakuza This book comprised explanations to societies that we don't know much about [...]

This was not a bad book. I first bought the book in the hopes it would discuss the secrets and conspiracy theories surrounding various groups and organizations, and it didn't exactly do that. It provided very detailed historical accounts of the formation of each group, but at times, you would read a paragraph and have no idea what you just read. I'm still not exactly sure what I learned from the book, except that it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Still, the book was interesting at times, [...]

For a non-fiction, academic facsimile, skeptic's tract, remarkably readable. Mostly the author is pretty good at not pointing fingers and saying "this is evil". There is a bibliography of sorts at the end, not what I've seen before and not particularly extensive, but he isn't making any new arguments here; it's more an overview of the public histories of various cultures. Fun read.

This is a really good book that I'm not quite finished with yet. I'm impressed with the way the author melds connections and it stays fascinating from page 1. If you have an interest in secret societies, this will be an enjoyable read.

A well written, largely academic and skeptical look at the the myths and facts surrounding a number of secret society legends. Great reference for when arguing with your conspiracy theorist friends

To je tak, když si vyberete referát a nakonec zjistíte, že musíte číst věci, které vám pomalu vymyjí mozek. Tahle byla aspoň zajímavá.

Really intersting things in here

Great book. Full of history. It wasn't what I expected I had expected but was even better.

I did enjoy this book and learned quite a bit. However I found it very uneven. Some chapters went in to excessive detail in certain areas that didn't seem to contribute much to the overall topic while others just didn't address elements that I wish it would have. Overall a good read which has inspired me to research more on some of the groups it focused on.

There were some good chapters and some bad chapters about the "secret societies" that exist. Some of the interesting chapters were The Assasins, which have now grown into Al Qaeda, the Templars, Illuminati and Freemasons, Priory of Sion, Rosicucians and Skull and Bones. The Skull and Bones chapter was probably the best chapter in the book. Then there were chapters that were on witches, the mafia, wise guys, Chinese gangs that I don't really think are secret societies, but he had them there to fi [...]

This was very interesting. Reynolds gives an even-handed account of the major secret societies throughout history and documents how they are perceived many conspiracy theorists. I was slightly nervous picking it up thinking it might be sensational and advocate a belief in conspiracy, but was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite. I would not recommend this to people who do believe the nations of the world are controlled by Masons/Illuminati/Bilderburg etc. If you really believe that, you are [...]

I thought this book was going to be very interesting and was really looking forward to it, but I found it rather dull and it seemed that his main purpose was to prove that secret societies aren't really interesting.I also found his very long winded review of the Da Vinci Code and the other book inappropriate and somewhat confusing (as to why he felt it would add anything to this book). While I do agree that they have to do with secret societies I didn't think this was the place for him to give h [...]

A-MUZ-ING! Reynolds delivers a wealth of information about the most famous "secret" societies in the world with a touch of humor and a dash of skepticism. As someone who likes finding out the truth behind cloudy conspiracy theories and apocryphal stories, I found that Secret Societies tells the histories of these societies from an objective stance that only tells the facts, not the myths. So if you are looking for a book that supports you're idea that the world is being run by a select group of [...]

Good history, in chapter one, Shiites and Sunnis. I wish he had a bibliography. Chapter eight explained the early beginnings of the Cosa Nostra. Facts unknown to me. It really did have a good reason, initially. At the end the author states there is an endearing curiosity surrounding secret societies, most of us settling for superstition and myth. I didn't read the whole book, as I am not too interested in Wicca, Yakuza etc.

This book tried to do far too much in 300 pages. The result is a confused mish-mash of Knights Templar, Aleister Crowley, the Mafia, Chinese crime syndicates and imbecile New Age twits who seemingly swallow anything fed to them. I suspect the greatest weakness in the book is either that the author really never came up with a theme to unify these disparate elements, or that he takes on a tabloid/freak show tone far too often for my tastes.

The book is informative, well researched and at times, pretty entertaining. However, the title is somewhat misleading. The anthology is as much about the secret societies per se as it is about the myths, legends, speculations, and charlatans that are associated with them. Then again, secret societies are not called clandestine for nothing.

This book was informative and interesting but, as the author suggests in the final chapter, he started out hoping for meaty conspiracies and juicy insights into compelling and clandestine organisations. He was a little deflated by his findings and I was a little deflated reading them. Not a bad book-just not quite the revelation I was hoping for.

A very straightforward reading of the history of secret societies. Each has their own chapter which is concerned more with narrative than analysis. Strictly for beginners. Mild recommendation. 3 out of 5 stars.

A slightly repetitious and persistently tedious slice of meh that somehow manages to make super cool secret societies really dull and unsexy. The first chapter is good stuff but there's a rapid drop off. Spoiler alert: secret organizations are totally benign in every way. Avoid.

Secret Societies have long played a role in fiction and has been the mainstay of many a conspiracy theory. This wonderful book, strips the fiction from the fact and gives readers an entertaining and educational insight into some of the most talked about secret organisations.

This book is good as a general overview. The only problem comes when he slams multiple organizations into one chapter, the illuminati, templar, free mason chapter is one such problem. Again, good overview, less so indepth.

It is better than I thought. It gives you good background and understanding about secret societies. However the is not a lot of information given on some secret societies in this book like: the Priory of Sion

So far its pretty good.

Interesting reading.I need to read this again though as it is a lot to assimilate.

I only like the 1st chapter about the Assassins, it was great. The rest was a waste of time

"Secret Societies" offers great insights in a very objective fashion. If anything, the author is *too* skeptical, but takes a very down-to-earth approach in examining these organizations.

Expecting more history/research put into this. It's a good read, but no footnotes/endnotes make it hard to cross reference.