Book Reviews

China's Cosmological Prehistory; The Sophisticated Science Encoded in Civilization's Earliest Symbols is the fourth in a series by Laird Scranton. With each book, the work he lays out becomes more and more intriguing. In the past he has shown connections between the Dogon Tribe, Egypt, ancient Hebrew texts, and India and Tibet. Laird works with the symbols. It's not always the most exciting work, but the implications are important. In looking at the oldest versions of glyphs and symbols, Laird reveals that so many of these ancient cultures have similarities that can not be put down to mere coincidence. Often the symbols and language have a dual meaning that is not instinctive, and yet he finds that dual meaning crossing ancient cultures. The structures of the stupa and yurt across cultures seem to contain similar ideas. In the end it all suggests one master culture whose ideas were dispersed across the world at some point in great antiquity. Whether that is due to a culture disintegrating due to natural disaster, and the survivors retaining some of the knowledge and language, or whether it was taught to them, the connections are there, and they are deep in the past. Laird is set to continue this work in his next book, Point of Origin. 

Laird's unofficial website can be found here.

Nick Redfern is one of the most prolofic writers on the paranormal, and yet somehow always manages to introduce a wealth of new information with every book. Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind; Suspicious Deaths, Mysterious Murders, and Bizarre Disappearances in UFO History is no exception. Nick collects a variety of stories from UFO history, some which seem to reek of government conspiracy, and some that are hard to explain without some paranormal leanings. You have the case of a man literally melting in Brazil, suspicious deaths around Roswell and Maury Island, people with UFO connections disappearing, human mutilations, and so much more. The book is around 200 pages, an easy read, and just packed full of information and connections, some of which you likely had no idea about. Definitely worth the read if you are interested in UFO's, or government experiments on civilians. Disturbing stuff at times!

Follow Nick on his Blog at NickRedfernFortean.blogspot.com 

Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods; The Temple of the Watchers and the Discovery of Eden is the culmination of a huge body of work by Andrew Collins. Andrew was on top of this line of history back when Gobekli Tepe was just being discovered. A number of his earlier books investigate this area and this culture for keys to our past. This book brings all that together as he attempts to work out who the builders of the site were, and who the Annunaki may have been. He delves, in depth, into possible alignments, the symbolism involved, what may have happened far in our past that caused such a site to be buried, and who would have been able to orginize the building of such a site when no one but hunter / gatherers were supposed to be present. It is a deep and thorough analysis of the site and what it may mean. In the later part of the book, Andrew, initially prompted by a dream, begins to look for Eden, and it's connection to Gobekli Tepe. What he finds is fascinating. From the role of Gobekli Tepe in the foundation of our current world, to the lost peoples who may have created it, to the story of the garden of Eden, this is quite the journey, and told masterfully by Andrew Collins.

Andrew Collins Website is andrewcollins.com.

This is the fourth installment of David's work on missing people in national parks. First thing to be said, this is NOT available on Amazon. It is available from David's site. Much like the previous books, this is a collection of cases that fit certain criteria. There are details in the cases that David focuses on, and he lays everything out pretty clearly. In some cases there is a lot of detail, whereas in others, the information is sparse. I am sure, in the end, some of these cases will be found to have prosaic explanations. Some of them, however, are very unusual. In this book, David has found the first cases that involve water disappearances that also fit some of the criteria. These cases are strange. If you have not read the previous books, you can still start on this one if you want. Everything is well explained, but reading all the books does give you a better idea of how strange these disappearances are. These are not cases of animal attacks, or serial killers, or serial kidnappers. There is something here we are missing, that we are not aware of, that is happening to these people. You can't really get an understanding of just how odd it all is, without reading the books. The cases are separated by state, and in the back are charts with various key points outlined as David tries to flesh out the patterns. This book is written pretty plainly, it's not told in story form, just facts from various sources, sometimes with comments from David afterwards. This really is a bewildering mystery, and it's a hard to put down book. It definitely makes you think twice about wandering national parks alone.

Stalking the Herd; Unraveling the Cattle Mutilation Mystery is an epic volume of work. At around 550 pages, it is the most comprehensive study of cattle mutilation I have ever seen. It begins with the history of our relationship to cattle, throughout time, through myth and ritual, and the horrible way in which we process cattle today. He covers cases of mutes (as they are called) in the middle ages and right up to the present eruption of cases in the mid-1900's. The book goes deep into the various incidents through the decades of the modern phenomena, taking everything apart in depth. At the end, Christopher tries to bring all the data to some sort of logical conclusion. The problem is disturbing and perplexing. You will walk away from reading this with a very different view of what really may be going on, and there aren't any easy answers. The implications are both confusing and disturbing. You will see that there seem to be at least two distinct things going on, one involving the government or some similar earthly agency (and why they would be doing this is even more worrisome) and another that is highly strange and hard to explain with any known earthly means. It's a mystery where, every time you think you know what is going on, you get the rug pulled out from beneath you. The author himself had some strange synchronicity while working on the book as well. I think this is an important piece of work. It is not full of speculation and pet theories. It is facts, laid out bare, and compiled to for some kind of overview, really for the first time. A must read.

The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences; How Understanding NDE's Can Help Us Live More Fully is a comprehensive study of not just Near-Death Experiences. Working with dying patients on a regular basis, Penny sought to explore what they were experiencing in the Near-Death state. A skeptic turned believer in the phenomenon, as many who honestly study it become, this book explores not only that unusual state, but how we treat death, and subsequently, life. She explores the after effects of the NDE, the way that it changes almost everyone who has one, and the common themes, she deals with the NDE's of children, and how the experience varies from culture to culture. She also openly explores various explanations for the NDE, and their strengths and weaknesses. It is written in a very personal way, many of the stories coming from people she either directly interviewed or who have written her. She discusses some other unusual death experiences, such as Alzheimer patients becoming lucid just before death, lights being seen around a dying person, and even shared death experiences, where loved ones share a vision with the person dying. Penny presents this in a very non-speculative way, simply reporting the experiences, and showing their commonalities. A really wonderful book on the subject, and very much worth reading.

Her website is drpennysartori.wordpress.com.

This is an interesting, if a touch too short, book. Aaron approaches the topic of the paranormal from a unique and personal level. He takes a very grounded approach in analyzing the paranormal, UFO’s, and the culture around it. He pulls back the curtain on some of the more absurd elements of the fringe. His view of ghosts is refreshing, his telling of his own experiences amusing, and his dissecting of the UFO Phenomenon’s stranger personalities is enlightening. He explores perspective, and the effect of language and translation on our view of things. He tackles the strange world of Exopolitics, and even gives Roswell a knock around. Although short, there is a lot packed into the 130 or so pages here. This is an easy, enjoyable read, and so very different from the majority of what is out there dealing with the paranormal and connected subjects. Sometimes subtle, but always relevant. Highly recommended.

Buy on Amazon.

The Lizard Man is a very strange case and Lyle does a fantastic job of covering it. Following up his previous book, The Beast of Boggy Creek, Lyle attempts to separate the fact from fiction in the various reports of The Lizard Man in Bishopville, South Carolina. He conducts interviews with those that are still alive, and visits the locations that the sighting occured. It's quite a fascinating tale, really. He debunks some of the accepted facts, and overturns some previously believed debuked facts and explanations. In the end, what you have is still a mystery, but something clearly happened to the people of Bishopville, and Lyle does an exceptional job of fleshing that out honestly and clearly. Well written and entertaining, and with plenty of pictures and illustrations. A definite must have for any serious cryptic fan.

Lyle's Website

Strange Intruders is David Weatherly's follow up to The Black Eyed Children. In speaking with David, it seems like was supposed to be the first book, but the material for cases of Black Eyed Children being so overwhelming, he decided to dedicate a book to that first. This book, does cover that a little bit more, as their is a chapter on it. David presents some new cases and a few that stand out as different in this book. But that is just one of the many unusual beings and encounters covered by this book.

Starting with the Djinn, then moving into Shadow People, Pukwudgies, Grinning Men, the Slenderman, and much more. You can read about the strange monkey men of India, the mad gassers that unleashed their strange attacks in the early part of the 20th century, and even a bit about the infamous Spring Heeled Jack. There are strange Reptoid encounters, and much more.

Not an excessively long book, just around 170 pages, it is packed full of stories and encounters, including one of his own with a Grinning Man. David sites John Keel as an inspiration, and that is apparent in his writing and work. Well written, and very hard to put down. Highly recommended.

You can order the book through Leprechaun Press.

This is a fascinating piece of work. The authors, who hold different views on the subject of Moses and the Exodus, have interwoven their theories in this book. They both have compelling ideas, and both make good cases. At the core of this, is their attempt to discover if there is an actual historical component to the Exodus story in the Old Testament. There is no direct evidence of its reality, so Scotty and John look for secondary evidence. Did someone exist in Egypt who may have fit the profile of Moses. Who were the people he supposingly led to freedom? They attempt to decipher the faith from the facts, to see what the real story beneath may have been. John reveals a story of cataclysm and a fight for survival, while Scotty takes, what seems like a more, literal, path. They do not spend much time tackling the miracles involved, and write it off as a matter of faith. Their main focus is to see if there is any historical personage that could have been Moses. They have found two. We may never know if they are right, but it is a compelling read.

Buy it on Amazon.