Rating:  - Fabulous Historical and Scientific Evidence
This book is great for anyone researching the Delphinic Oracle tradition. It also sheds light on a very economically legitimate career path for women in ancient Greece. I used this book for research while writing a young adult historical fiction novel. I was not disappointed.
Rating: - Nice, Popularized Narrative of Interdisciplinary Detective Work at Delphi
Mr. Broad does a good job of weaving together the ancient, mystical accounts of the Oracle at Delphi with findings from "modern" excavations starting in the late 1800s up to the 2000s.
Broad's accounting is semi-academic because the content is generally accessible to the average reader. Mr. Broad definitely makes the subject matter interesting and informative. His narrative involves archaeology, geology, chemistry, human physiology, etc. The narrative generally stays on-topic with only a few arguably necessary digressions away from the primary topic.
The final chapter is self-reflective and offers a chance for Mr. Broad to really wrap up this book with a bang. He engages in some general musings, but nothing that makes a lasting impression.
I hesitate to consider this book a must read; however, it is very good overall, especially for those interested in classical antiquity. It is well deserving of 4 stars, perhaps more...
Rating: - Great book!
After coming back from Greece and having visited the site of Delphi's Temple of Apollo and Temple of Athena, it was so fascinating to read this book and learn so much of the history of the legends and mythology, as well as read a modern scientific endeavor story about how geology and chemistry can still make an impact in the understanding of what was suggested to have happened there. I wish I had read this book before going to Greece!
Rating:  - Mostly a detective story
The author takes us along on a journey to discover whether the ancient myths about the Oracle of Delphi have any scientific basis. We become convinced that there were indeed gases that may have overcome the oracle and influenced her prophecies. However, Broad abandons his scientific stance at the end of the book to discuss telepathy and other "spiritual" concepts that are unproven and perhaps unprovable. This will appeal to some readers but not to others, and seems out of keeping with the preceding scientific approach.
Rating:  - What a Read!
This was an amazing book. It's about scientific research, but it reads like a leisure novel. It goes over the entire history of the Oracle of Delphi and all of her influences on the world of ancient Greece and the world of today. I originally checked it out from a public library and decided I had to have it in my collection, and I bought an extra copy to send to a friend. That's how much I enjoyed this book.
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