The End of Days: Armageddon and Prophecies of the Return (The Earth Chronicles)

From Booklist Lots of people have been waiting for this book for a long time. Thirty years ago, Sitchin began writing the Earth Chronicle series, which posits the theory (supposedly recorded in Sumerian myth) that extraterrestrials, the Aununnaki, arrived on Earth eons ago and genetically engineered humans. Much of this book is taken up with backstory, but that doesn't mean newbies can just jump in. Although Sitchin helpfully highlights key points in boldface, there's a lot to keep straight here. Readers attempting to deal with a couple hundred thousand years of history, ancient astronauts becoming human gods, and Sitchin's attempt to tie it all into biblical prophecies may wish they were on another planet. Yet the series has legions of devoted fans who have been waiting to learn if the Aununnaki are coming back and, if so, when. Sitchin notes that it's hard to determine where to start the countdown to the end days, which may be tied to the Aununnaki's reappearance. It might come in 2012. Too soon? How about 2087? Taking the long view? Try 2240. There's more, a lot more, but we won't risk a spoiler. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “Sitchin’s fans will find this an interesting, though inconclusive read. As for the inevitably skeptical majority, they will take a certain amount of entertainment from wondering what each new chapter will bring: Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by a nuclear bomb? Solomon’s Temple built on top of a spaceport? Muslim minarets simulating rockets ready for launch? Wow.” — Kirkus Reviews Why is it that our current twenty-first century a.d. is so similar to the twenty-first century B.C. ? At a time when religious fanaticism and a clash of civilizations raise the specter of a nuclear Armageddon, many ask: Is history destined to repeat itself? What does the future hold? Will biblical prophecies come true, and if so, when? Ever since Zecharia Sitchin, in his first trailblazing book The 12th Planet , brought to life the Sumerian civilization and its record of the Annunaki—the extraterrestrials who had come to Earth from their planet Nibiru, fashioned mankind, and gave us civilization and religion—questions have abounded. Are the ancient gods still here, or did they leave? Will they return? What will happen then? Will there be another Deluge or Apocalypse when Nibiru meets Earth? What about “Planet X” and the Mayan 2012? What about Jesus? In The End of Days , a masterwork that required thirty years of additional research, Sitchin dares to give the answers by presenting compelling new evidence that the Past is the Future—that mankind and its planet Earth are subject to a predetermined cyclical Celestial Time. Tracing historical events from the messianic fervor and use of nuclear weapons in the twenty-first century B.C. , Sitchin resolves ancient enigmas like the Nazca Lines or the origin and significance of the Cross, the Fishes, and the Chalice, places in context the events of the Last Supper and hidden clues like those in Da Vinci's painting, explains the space-related reasons for the everlasting centrality of Jerusalem, and—following in the footsteps of Sir Isaac Newton—deciphers the Time Code in the books of Daniel and Revelation and of the Day of the Lord and the End of Days prophecies. In this remarkable and relevant conclusion to his bestselling The Earth Chronicles series, Sitchin shatters perceptions and uses history to reveal what is to come at The End of Days. Zecharia Sitchin is an internationally acclaimed author and researcher whose books offer evidence that we are not alone in our own solar system. One of a handful of scholars able to read the Sumerian cuneiform tablets, he has combined archaeology, ancient texts, and the Bible with the latest scientific discoveries to retell the history and prehistory of mankind and planet Earth. His trailblazing books have been translated into more than twenty languages; his first one, an oft-quoted classic, celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its publication. A graduate of the University of London and a journalist and editor in Israel for many years, he now lives and writes in New York. Read more