The Third Eye by Sophia Stewart

The Third Eye by Sophia Stewart is a controversial and heavily debated work that blends metaphysical, spiritual, and science fiction themes. The novel, written and copyrighted in 1981, is claimed by Stewart to be the original source material behind the films The Matrix and The Terminator, as it features elements such as a post-apocalyptic world controlled by autonomous machines and humans living underground in a simulated reality 1 (https://selfloveliterature.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/sophia-stewart-the-seer-of-science-fiction/). However, this claim is widely disputed.

Reviews and analyses of the book reveal mixed to negative opinions regarding its literary quality and storytelling:

- The narrative is noted to carry strong Christian fundamentalist overtones and contains some problematic elements, including antisemitic tropes, according to one critique.

- The story itself is described as sprawling and "planet-hopping," but structurally resembles more a collection of outlines or film treatments rather than a completed novel, lacking coherent style and compelling characters 2 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18920928-the-third-eye) 3 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255778.The_Third_Eye).

- Many reviewers find it more akin to biblically inspired science fiction or first contact stories rather than closely related to The Matrix or The Terminator in style or impact 4 (https://thebackcatalogue.substack.com/p/the-third-eye-by-sophia-stewart) 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diQvo1zSWHs).

- Some readers appreciate the visionary and prophetic enthusiasm Stewart brings, but they often regard the work as unpolished, underdeveloped, and not fully realized as a novel 2 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18920928-the-third-eye) 3 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255778.The_Third_Eye).

- Critical voices also point out the book’s vague and slow pacing, with writing deemed predictable or poorly constructed, failing to engage beyond its ambitious scope 2 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18920928-the-third-eye) 6 (https://www.ebay.com/urw/-/product-reviews/1537066352?_itm=204799210200).

Although The Third Eye has become the centerpiece of a conspiracy narrative about intellectual property theft concerning blockbuster sci-fi films, credible sources and reviews consistently debunk these claims. The book itself does not closely resemble the movies it allegedly inspired, and its value is mostly found in its enthusiastic if flawed visionary ideas rather than in literary or cinematic quality 4 (https://thebackcatalogue.substack.com/p/the-third-eye-by-sophia-stewart) 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diQvo1zSWHs).

In summary, The Third Eye by Sophia Stewart is a spiritually and metaphysically infused science fiction manuscript with historical significance to some due to Stewart’s claims, yet it is met with skepticism regarding both its originality and artistic merit. It is generally viewed as an ambitious but unrefined amateur work rather than a polished novel, and its linkage to The Matrix or The Terminator remains unsupported by substantive evidence.