The Secrets Of Nostradamus

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 1 JAN 2001

Little is known about his life, yet the 16th-century French mystic Michel Nostradamus easily remains the most famous prophet in Western history; his enigmatic prophecies, which baffled and frustrated his contemporary clients, have awed and intrigued generations of followers. But according to Ovason (The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital), who has studied Nostradamus for some 40 years, no one has yet successfully penetrated the secrets contained in the prophecies. Because of Nostradamus's deeply arcane approach (including obscure astrological methods and the use of an esoteric code known as the "Green Language"), Ovason argues, the oracles can be understood only through a laborious decryption process. Ovason's technique largely consists of attempting to crack the code at the syllabic level--hunting down missing vowels, extra consonants, hidden acronyms; even a comma may have a secret agenda. Under this unbearable linguistic pressure, two lines of prophecy rapidly unfold into 20 pages of exegesis more byzantine and tortured--and even less believable--than its subject. Painstakingly assembled, Ovason's interpretations can be credited only with being at least as farfetched and imaginative as his predecessors'. Furthermore, readers seeking to know what the Nostradamian future really holds will be disappointed, since Ovason firmly maintains that the prophecies are so deeply coded they can really only be accurately deciphered after they are fulfilled. Still, some readers truly committed to the Nostradamus cult will battle their way through Ovason's labored readings; for the rest, the secrets of the future will have to remain forever shrouded in the seer's memory. 25-city radio campaign.