[Signs of the Gods] gives us a number of novel theories—the Ark of the Covenant was, obviously, a portable nuclear reactor (you will be immediately won over to this view by a photograph of a model and a drawing of a photograph of the same model); ancient religious sites can be joined up to form a pattern of pentagons (a map with all the sites unnamed and the majority at the bottom of the sea bears out this theory). Von Däniken is good at coming up with bold and imaginative theories but sloppy over his evidence; he doesn't argue his case—just shoves in a few screamers and an inadequate diagram and moves on to the next theory. With a bit more work and a bit less hysteria he could have produced a book that at the very least was thought provoking.

Mary Anne Bonney and...