The Illuminatus! Trilogy

Early Internet and web culture was so deeply infused with RAW's ideas that the trilogy felt like one long déjà vu session. Lots of fun. RAW + Eco are a great antidote to taking conspiracy theories seriously, while having a ton of fun at the same time.

on HN, 2012

I still give credit to the books for opening my eyes on a lot of these subjects, of which I was completely clueless about when I read it, and if you're young and this is all new to you, you might enjoy it too.

on HN, 2022

It touches on a lot of the same themes in Prometheus Rising but via fiction; it's full of not-so-subtly-disguised lectures and parables on How Brains (Fail To) Work.

on HN, 2017

It has not aged well - it is a book written by two dudes who were the editors for the Playboy letters column in the swinging sixties, who kept getting piles and piles of far-right-wing-nutjob conspiracy tracts and decided to write a book asking "hey what if all this crazy shit was all true" - but it poked some interesting holes in my reality.

on HN, 2022

The Illuminatus Trilogy is my favorite book of all time. A lot of people have a hard time with it, considering it nonsense and giving up a fifth of the way through. I'd strongly suggest sticking with it. There is a reason is seems like nonsense and the reason is given at the end of the book - the whole purpose of all of it is to reprogram your brain. It's a journey worth taking.

on HN, 2019

I read it as an arrogantly close-minded teenager, and it shocked my brain open, planting seeds of heretical ideas and omni-directional agnosticism that blossomed over the course of years.

on HN, 2020

Doing the experiments contained within some of his books will take you on a very rational, sensible journey to some very strange places, and may break parts of your worldview.

on HN, 2019

Something about the combo helped me disconnect from the religion I had been raised in, and helped me see that there are many ways to view the world and life.

on HN, 2022