Dear Reader,
In 1966 I wrote my first book, Chariots of the Gods. In the introduction I stated, “Writing this book requires courage—reading it no less so. Because its hypotheses and evidence do not fit into the laboriously constructed mosaic of established conventional wisdom, scholars will put it on the list of those books which it is advisable not to talk about.” Meanwhile, 50 years have passed. My introduction from that time still stands today. The Gods Never Left Us is most definitely not a compendium of my previous works. In only very few sections do I have to cross-refer to my previous books, but only so that the reader is not left hanging.
That extraterrestrials visited Earth millennia ago and influenced our forebears can be proved. But—and this is the ultimate test of our knowledge—ETs are still at work today. And that concerns us all. Why do they do what they do? What does an extraterrestrial species gain from observing us rather like we observe ants? What have the aliens actually wanted in the millennia to the present day? Can’t they leave us in peace? And why do we make it so difficult for ourselves to accept the existence of extraterrestrials?
That is what this book is about. To create the right mood for the main subject, I will start with a strange short story. The following science fiction story may demonstrate how extra-terrestrials influenced humanity since their existence.
Very warmly yours,
Erich von Däniken