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Alternative theology that laments the rise of science and materialism in contemporary culture.<br />Written as a kind of philosophical soliloquy, Bahchevanov (The Parallel World, 2007) wastes no<br />time introducing his paranormal world. For a three-year stretch, his neighbor was Mrs. G.P. Not your<br />grandmother’s medium, Mrs. G.P. had achieved contact with no mere splash of ectoplasm, but<br />extraterrestrial creature Mo. The veracity of Mrs. G.P. was never in question as Mo had an uncanny<br />fluency with the personal details of its contactees—the entity even divulged certain information about<br />a Football World Cup. Mo isn’t necessarily the wellspring of all of Bahchevanov’s ideas, but Mo and<br />Poo (the name for an assortment of transcendental beings) are certainly big players in his cosmic<br />scheme. It’s admittedly intriguing, but the book has an uncomfortable relationship with traditional<br />science and argumentation that, at times, works against the author’s hypothesis. It’s apparent in several passages that Bahchevanov is not a<br />native writer of English or perhaps just a creative one lacking an editor. His voice is powerful and obviously intelligent, so the book isn’t ruined<br />by some unique lexical decisions. The problem is the rhetoric. When he dismisses the traditional historical interpretations of the Easter Island<br />moai, it results in a denigration and co-option of the aesthetic and engineering achievements only the Rapanui artists and engineers rightfully<br />claim. Burgling megalithic monuments from various civilizations only to buttress an encyclopedic pastiche of new-age spiritualism and fringe<br />archaeology is both too banal to be interesting and too insulting to take seriously. The author consistently reminds us that the book is dedicated<br />to “the Creator,” but the creators of the magisterial pre-Colombian civilizations are conveniently reduced to their myths—only scant glances<br />are cast at their authentic archaeological and linguistic mysteries. Everything, of course, was built by aliens or gods. However, these problems<br />of slipshod arguments don’t obscure the well-intentioned vision of a more peaceful, thoughtful existence for all humankind. It’s just the details<br />aren’t that convincing.<br />A bewildering, sometimes brilliant work of alternative history, cosmology and religion.<br />Bahchevanov, Panteley<br />THE CREATION CODE: The<br />Great Illusion of Life Ancient<br />and Contemporary Mysteries<br />BookSurge (196 pp.)<br />$43.99 paperback<br />October 6, 2008<br />ISBN: 978-1439209899<br />Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003<br />discoveries@kirkusreviews.com