Exodus Lost by S.S.Compton is easier to describe by saying what it isn’t than what it is. Despite having a lot about the Bible in it, it isn’t a book with any particular angle on religion. It isn’t a conventional history book. And it isn’t a crazy ‘Chariots of the Gods’ style fairy story. So what is it? It is a very good read, and because it has a sort of detective story feel to it, I don’t really want to talk about the contents. You don’t often have to worry about spoilers reviewing history books. But in this case the fun is seeing the case being built up. Let’s just say it covers the question of whether or not there was communication between Ancient Egypt and the civilisations of South America.
S.C.Compton has put a great deal of work into this. I am afraid I know nothing about him so I don’t know what he does for a living. But he certainly reads a lot. He also writes very well and very engagingly. You really want to turn those pages. The only slight fault is he does assume quite a bit of knowledge on the part of the reader. This isn’t a huge problem in these days of Wikipedia and Google, but it is an easy trap to fall into when you get close to a subject.
But that is a niggle. This is a book that has a good story to tell, and which tells that story well.
Am I convinced by its argument? I am afraid I am going to keep an open mind for now. A lot of ground has been covered and it all seems to stack up. But equally, when you try to think of counter arguments they aren’t too hard to find. But it is an interesting question, and I am grateful for having my grey matter stimulated.
