Book Reviews

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The Great Pyramid Hoax: The Conspiracy to Conceal the True History of Ancient Egypt by Scott Creighton (2016)

The Great Pyramid Hoax by Scott Creighton is a fantastic piece of work. He painstakingly works his way through the history of the discovery of the marks in the relieving chamber above the King’s Chamber, and how they were likely hoaxed. Now, this is an old theory put forth by Zachariah Sitchin, and he was wrong about his evidence. However, Scott digs through journals not investigated thus far, and assembles a host of evidence to show that in all likelihood, the most of the markings that are used to date the Great Pyramid, were created in the 19th century by Howard Vyse. This is not a collection of unsubstantiated theory, but relies on overwhelming facts and evidence that supports the idea that those markings were hoaxed, and if that is the case, the one identifier we have for the creator and age of the Great Pyramid is gone. This is an important piece of work.

The Brimstone Deceit by Joshua Cutchin (2016)

With this book, The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, and Monstrous Miasmas, Joshua shows himself to be a master of taking something small, completely overlooked, and showing that it actually has a lot to tell us about these phenomena that we categorize as paranormal. First it was food, and this time around, it is all about what scents are attached to various encounters. What he finds is fascinating. There are some very interesting connections across experiences, which suggest many things depending on how you want to look at it. He explores scents reported in Ghost encounters, UFO’s, Bigfoot, as well as various other monster encounters and weird experiences. It’s often something reported just in passing, but he manages to collect a large number of accounts and distill them down to find the commonalities. It’s something entirely new in this field, and that doesn’t happen a lot. Both of his books should be mandatory reading for people exploring these mysteries, as they go into territory never before examined, and show some surprising results.

Beyond the Seventh Gate: Exploring Toad Road, the Seven Gates of Hell, and Other Strangeness in York, Lancaster, and Adams Counties by Timothy Renner (2016)

Beyond the Seventh Gate is a entertaining read. Not overly long, but it explores a lot in it 150ish pages. Focused South Central Pennsylvania, Timothy Renner first takes the time to dispel some of the local unban myths about a place called Toad Road, a burning insane asylum, and the Seven Gates of Hell. Then, however, he reveals a wealth of strangeness that actually has some reality to it, from reports of bigfoot and dogman, even goatman, to strange UFO sightings, weird ghost encounters, and some really, really bizarre encounters, all centered in that general area. It seems to be a bit of a cluster of weirdness. He gets into the truth behind the Hex Hollow murder, and clears the names of some innocent people that have been caught up in the urban myths. On top of that, the book has plenty of photos, and some outstanding artwork by the author.

Check out Timothy’s Website at darkhollerarts.com

More Encounters with Star People: Urban American Indians Tell their Stories by Ardy Sixkiller Clarke (2016)

Ardy Sixkiller Clarke has collected a fascinating number of stories from Urban Native Americans in her latest book, More Encounters with Star People: Urban American Indians Tell their Stories. Well written, Ardy takes a pretty open approach to collecting these stories, relaying them as is, no matter how strange. There are tales of animal mutilation, abduction, strange encounters, missing people, and lots more. The stories ring of a sense of honesty, and you will likely be left with far more questions than answers. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the UFO subject.

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