Too talkative, but three stars for the effort

"The Blood of the Earth" is a book by prolific writer John Michael Greer. Too prolific, in this particular case. Or prolix. The book is rambling and talkative, with Greer constantly shifting subjects and taking detours, often loosing the red thread in the process. The work feels like a typical college lecture by a distracted professor: it's interesting, even exciting, and it does seem to mean *something*, but it nevertheless leaves you completely bewildered at the end! I got the impression that Greer wanted to cram in a little bit of everything in this book, subtitled "An essay on magic and peak oil". My guess is that he simply edited about a dozen of his Archdruid Report blog entries. Another unfortunate trait of this book is that it's set in very small print, giving me a headache.

People interested in Greer's pessimistic perspective on matters pertaining to Zivilisation should rather consult "The Long Descent", his magnum opus. For the more practical side, see "Green Wizardry". As for magic, the author has penned several works on this ancient art, all available from our favourite vendor. Not sure how to rate "The Blood of the Earth", but for the intellectual effort, I give it three stars, although on the stylistic side it perhaps only deserves two.