From the author of the global bestseller  The Secret History of the World comes an epic new history of Genius, Madness and Mysticism.

'A panoramic study... told with wit and gusto'  Daily Mail

We are taught that science is a question of fact and logic. But what if it isn't? What if, instead, the greatest minds of our age were guided by secret, mystical and 'higher' teachings towards an understanding of the universe familiar to the builders of the pyramids of Giza or the Temple at Jerusalem?

Jonathan Black has dedicated his life to finding the answers to these, and many more questions. In this character-driven history of mysticism and its influence on modern science, from nuclear physics to the latest AI, he takes us on an exhilarating journey deep into the cosmos. What we discover is a picture of the relationship between belief and cutting-edge science that is profoundly mysterious and unexpectedly spiritual, raising deep and urgent questions about our understanding of our world. 

If you've ever wondered whether the material universe is an illusion, if a higher intelligence lies behind it, whether events in the future are already fixed, or how modern physics might show we are all connected, then this is a must-read book.