Author Erich von Däniken

The author of CHARIOTS OF THE GODS, Eric von Däniken, is a constant presence in the book and impresses himself enough to deserve recognition as a character. He claims expert scientific knowledge on a variety of subjects, including archaeology, astronomy, and biology, and as such acts as a confident guide for the reader on a tour of antiquity. However, his tone is casual, inquisitive without being accusatory, and conversational. His goal is to open the readers' eyes to new possibilities, rather than closing them shut by offering any "certain" or "authoritative" answer to the questionable phenomenon he introduces. He is a polite skeptic, and while he relishes his role as outside agitator and feather-ruffler, he is not out to ruin anyone's career or make a fool of anyone in particular. He writes for the layperson, explaining archaeological sites and facts of antiquity as...