Question

For years now I’ve been hearing a lot of admiration for Yuval Noah Harari all around me. Since childhood I kept hearing again and again about Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, but I never got around to reading it.
I’ve just now finished reading it, and in my eyes it was a novel based on a true story. For the most part it’s enjoyable to read, but it comes with a dogmatic stench, an agenda, and some strange philosophical views. I had assumed it was a book about evolution or history or some combination of the two, but what I read was a book of a history professor’s shower thoughts (well written, it should be said).
After reading it, I’m wondering what exactly made him so famous. I seem to remember that you quoted him in the past, and I don’t remember in what context. So I’m very curious: were you favorably impressed by Yuval? What do you think about Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind as a "scientific" book?