Offering us a curious romp through the history of psychedelics and psychedelic research, then his own personal experiences, and finally the modern scientific perspective, Pollan has transformed what would otherwise be a mountain of Wikipedia articles into a cohesive, flowing narrative. Most of it was really fun to read.

The origin story and recounting of the psychedelic 60s is easily the most enjoyable part of this book. Things get a bit drier with Pollan's own experiences, which read like dampened Erowid articles. Toward the end of the book, it starts to feel repetitive (yeah, okay... limiting the ego is a good thing... we get it) and the final mystery reveal of his ayahuasca experience in the last pages doesn't really make the drawn-out ending worthwhile.

This book will probably have the most to offer readers with no experience in psychedelics or other, safer, paths to altered states of consciousness.