A review by tittypete
Cosmic Trigger Volume I: Final Secret of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson, John Thompson

4.0

Feel like I should have read this after I read “Illuminatus!” I loved that book but I can hardly remember any of it’s details. There’s a bunch of overlapping and far-reaching conspiracies that are bent on controlling the world and reality and something or other. I remember it being fun and that I had to look up a lot of the references. Those references lead to other books and soon I was spiraling in a conspiracy/new-age rabbit hole. Cosmic Trigger reads like the personal reflections of the author of “Illuminatus!” on the myriad concepts he touched on in that novel. Perhaps with some vague conclusiveness? I dunno. Basically, citing not so much proofs but alternatives to conventional thought like Tim Leary, Gurdjieff and space aliens, Wilson seems to say that we create our own realities and can therefore change shit on a whim. Also the notion of god or aliens or a higher power may ultimately stem from our ancestors penchant for psychedelic mushrooms. It’s hard to sum up and more fun to just let wash over you. RA Wilson is a wonderful narrator. Like a crazy uncle that’s actually pretty smart but just way beyond you and your parents’ level. Key takeaway is we should all take more drugs.