The History of the Future

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

“If you were expecting [Marxism or speculative fiction] and you’ve
already paid for this book, there’s only on thing for it: march down
to you local bookstore and demand your money back.” This caveat
appears in the first chapter of Wilson’s entertaining and informative
history of earthly prognostication. Nostradamus, Celtic folklore,
medieval and early modern feminists, revolutionary predictions, economic
predictions, and fictional predictions—amid the seemingly disparate
topics one can almost discern a pattern. For instance, the millennial
prophecies of Joachim of Fiore in 1183 provide a link between Richard
the Lionheart and the Third Reich. Jan Matthys, a 16th-century
Anabaptist, was an earlier version of Jim Jones. Readers will marvel at
the sheer number of Messiahs that have emerged over the centuries.

Combining history, religious studies, philosophy, folklore, Celtic
studies, and literature, The History of the Future is a valuable
resource for interdisciplinary studies. The author’s wit and humor
will entice general readers.