Book Review: Lizard Man by Lyle Blackburn

Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster by Lyle Blackburn

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

You can hear my interview with Lyle about the book here.

Book Review: Beyond Area 51 by Mack Maloney

Beyond Area 51 by Mack Maloney

Love this book. I was skeptical coming in with the title and cover, figuring it was going to be an unfounded, the government has aliens and is hiding them, working with them, etc. Instead I found a grounded, fact based, analysis of different hidden bases around the globe. Some speculation here and there, but the author also goes into showing you how some of these myths spread.

Chapter 5, which deals with the nonsense around the Dulce base in New Mexico starts by created a narrative based on all the stuff you can find online about what is going on there. Judging by the amazon reviews, a few people stopped there not realizing the narrative was not serious. I admit, it threw me for a moment, but he then goes on to tell you exactly how all this came about and possibly why. He looks around the world at all the very strange locales that you can find military bases in. At no point does Mack seriously suggest that aliens are among us, or that these bases are hiding such things. He goes by the facts, through and through. He shows the process of myth making and disinformation. It's a fascinating read.

It's also a quick, enjoyable read. Another one that I found hard to put down. There were a bunch of things in this book I was not familiar with, and that is always a nice surprise. At almost 300 pages, it goes by way too fast. If you are looking for conspiracies and aliens, this is not for you. It does however. deal with some very unusual UFO reports, and some of it is very, very strange. If you want someone who follows and reports the facts, pick this one up! 

Mack's Website: http://mackmaloney.wordpress.com/

Book Review: Strange Intruders by David Watherly

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.

Listen to my interview with David about this book here.

Book Review: Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Keith McCloskey

Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Keith McCloskey

The Dyatlov Pass Incident is a true mystery. Something happen in 1959 to a group of skiers in the Ural Mountains that defies any kind of easy explanation. All 9 were found dead, after fleeing their tent that night, slashing their way out, with no supplies and unprepared for the excessive cold outside. They were experienced at this type of camping, and why they would do this is beyond puzzling. They all died of hypothermia, some with even more puzzling injuries. So what happened to them? Keith McCloskey does a fantastic job in laying out their final days. He paints a picture of the Soviet Union at that time, and their trip up the mountain. You get a feel for who these people were and the environment they were living in. He then gets down to describing how they were found, and the condition and location of the bodies. It’s a hard to put down book. Keith attempts to give ample voice to the various theories and take things apart to examine the facts thoroughly. At no point does he claim to have a complete solution, nor does he ignore evidence. He presents what we know, how we know it, and possibilities. He does have his own thoughts on the matter, of course, which he expresses, but not in a way that feels like he is stating the definitive last word by any means. If you are new to this mystery or not, this is the book you want to read. Unnerving, fascinating, and just an overall good read. Highly recommended.

Keith's website: www.keithmccloskey.com.

Website for the book: www.dyatlov-pass-incident.com

You can hear my interview with Keith here.

Book Review: Calculating Soul Connections by Tom Blaschko

Calculating Soul Connections: A Deeper Understanding of Human Relationships by Tom Blaschko is an interesting attempt to make sense out of spiritual energy (which he simply calls a soul) by giving it a framework to be understood in a more scientific manner. Does it work? Well, I think he has something here, yes. From my experience with spiritual energy, I can start by saying that it indeed exists. There are lots of traditions and theories that attempt to explain what it is, and how it works. Tom looks to create a system, with mathematical formulas included (although they can be skipped without losing anything in the book), to better understand how and why it works. He injects a bit of psychology, and offers up some of the work of Rupert Sheldrake for some examples. It's a little slow going at first, but a pleasant and quick read once you get into it. This is not a pile of wishy washy New Age material. Despite dealing with Chakras, energy, and souls, Tom relays it all in practical terms. Anyone who has had experience with this type of energy will see that this does make sense when he breaks it down. It also may help some in understanding how we relate energetically to others. It's a good attempt to create a more grounded system of understanding for what is not so easy to grasp in such a way. It may not be perfect, but it is a good start, I think.

Check out my interview with Tom Here.