The trilogy comprises three parts which contain five books and appendices: The Eye in the Pyramid (first two books), The Golden Apple (third and part of fourth book), Leviathan (part of fourth and all of fifth book, and the appendices). It is thematically dense, covering topics like counterculture, numerology, and Discordianism.

The narrative often switches between third- and first-person perspectives in a nonlinear narrative. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story a drug-, sex-, and magic-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both historical and imaginary, related to the authors' version of the Illuminati. On one side stand the Discordians, a clandestine band of chaos-loving guerrilla fighters led by the enigmatic modern-day pirate Hagbard Celine and on the other, the Illuminati – elite authoritarians who secretly manipulate world events, ever expanding their wealth, influence, and physical power in a plot to escape the limitations of human existence.The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels by American writers Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, first published in 1975. As George sets out to find his mentor and uncover the truth about an all-seeing secret society that seems to unify every insane, inane, and outlandish conspiracy theory ever told – from the JFK assassination, celebrity cabals and lost continents to UFOs, ancient gods and the truth about the New World Order – he finds himself drawn deeper into a war between two shadowy groups. When the offices of a Manhattan news publisher are bombed, anti-authority reporter George Dorn begins to suspect that the disturbing conspiracy his editor has spent months investigating is not only real, it might be the key to unlocking all of history's greatest unanswered mysteries. The book was incredibly influential, not just amongst conspiracy theories of the Illuminati, but also a ground zero for the likes of Alan Moore, Umberto Eco, Dave Sim, Ken Campbell, Karl Koch, Chris Carter, John Carpenter, Neil Gaiman, George Carlin, Damon Lindelof, Philip K Dick, Grant Morrison and, well, The KLF. Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's The Illuminatus! Trilogy is to be adapted by the director of Crank and showrunner of Happy, Brian Taylor, production company Hivemind, co-founded by Bleeding Cool favourite, and formerly of Valiant Comics, Dinesh Shamdasani, and European production company Kallisti. And now they're making one of the most influential trilogies of all time into a TV series.

They're justified and they're ancient and they like to roam the land.

The illuminatus trilogy amazon