Zecharia Sitchin's book Journeys to the Mythical Past concentrates on various archeological findings to establish his hypothesis that aliens actually visited Earth in the distant past and not only built several ancient monuments and space stations, but genetically created mankind.

While starting with several quandaries concerning the construction of the pyramids in his attempt to prove that nothing but otherworldly aid could have been responsible for certain achievements, halfway through this book he abruptly jumps around the world to discuss the Iceman of the Alps, some ruins at Malta, etc., and his other alien-related hypotheses concerning these.

While Sitchin's sensational writing style does hook the reader in, it does not extend to cluing in the audience to opinions conflicting with the author's notions unless coupled by insinuations that those other opinions are the faulty results of the duped or cover stories. Add to that the fact that his one-sided explanations of the points he brings up lack references to other sources than Sitchin's previous works, and his credibility fades to nothing. This is unfortunate, for while the highly colored and opinionated "evidence" put forth in Journeys to the Mythical Past may not lead readers to the probable truth of events, his investigations do center on intriguing historical questions that certainly bear further exploration. Further intensive study of those questions may point to the same celestial conclusions as those of Sitchin, but they ought to be presented in a well-researched and well-documented book.

Journeys to the Mythical Past is an entertaining and thought-provoking read that does inform readers of several mysteries about the past, but the conclusions as they are presented here should be taken with a whole shaker full of salt.

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