Nessie = Ghost???

While I'm on the subject of cryptozoological weirdness, what if the creatures of Loch Ness aren't plesiosaurs, giant eels, sturgeon, misidentifications or hoaxes, but something really weird - like the spirit of some long dead animal...?

Bigfoot Weirdness

I was thinking just the other day what might be the weirdest cryptozoological story I have ever heard. Actually, there's no competition: one case stands head and shoulders above all the rest. Yes, it turned out to be nothing more than a hoax. But, even in the hoaxing stakes, it was beyond weird.

Want evidence?

Here it is: a truly weird and surreal tale of Sasquatch (or, actually, of a man in a suit!) that I have just written about for Mysterious Universe.

Reviewed: Green, Unpleasant Land

Over at Cryptomundo, you can find a just-posted review from me of Richard Freeman's new book, Green Unpleasant Land. As I note in the review, this is an excellent collection of fictional stories from Richard, many of a cryptozoological nature, and all very entertaining!

Buy it, read it on a dark and stormy night, and you won't be disappointed!

A Haunted Mind and H.P. Lovecraft

This is a book I'm most definitely looking forward to reading, Dr. Bob Curran's A Haunted Mind: Inside the Dark, Twisted World of H.P. Lovecraft, which will be published by New Page Books in August.

If you are into the work of Lovecraft, but want to learn more (in fact, much more!) about the man himself, this is not a book to miss.

Here's what New Page Books have to say about Dr. Bob Curran and his forthcoming A Haunted Mind:

"Arguably no American writer has had more of an impact on the modern horror scene than Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the man who created the Cthulhu Mythos, with its strange gods, eerie places, and forbidden books. But what sort of a man was Lovecraft, how did he create such a terrible universe, and where did his inspiration come from? Was it, as some have argued, based on esoteric knowledge forgotten or even denied to all sane people?

"In A Haunted Mind, Dr. Bob Curran explores what motivated Lovecraft—his personal life is just as strange as some of his creations—and drove him to create his terrible cosmos. Using both folklore and history, Dr Curran investigates a wide variety of Lovecraftian mysteries. A word of warning: you may never look at Lovecraft—or the world—in exactly the same way again!

"Dr. Bob Curran has travelled throughout the world, fascinated by the myths and stories that he has found. He has written a number of books, including Vampires; Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms; Zombies; and Werewolves, all for New Page Books. He lives in Northern Ireland with his wife and family.

"Illustrator Ian Daniels, who has illustrated book covers for science fiction luminaries Marion Zimmer Bradley, Orson Scott Card and Poul Anderson, has illustrated all of the books written by Dr. Curran."

UFOs and the Matrix

In a new post at The UFO Iconoclast(s) titled Maxtrix UFOs? A UFO Stasis? Or something else?, Rich Reynolds begins in definitively eye-catching fashion:

"The idea that UFOs are the products of an über-reality, not unlike that imagined in the Martrix franchise, cannot be dismissed out-of-hand, as far as some of us are concerned. The idea of a separate, unique real reality, promulgated by Plato in his Cave analogy and others (philosophers, science fiction writers, physicists, film-makers, et cetera), becomes a viable thesis by virtue of its being thought by us, by humans."

And if that has got your attention, here's the complete post.

And be sure to check out Rich's blog regularly, where you'll always find good, stimulating data and debate that goes beyond the usual, tired and old debates that have dominated Ufology for so long.

Lyle Blackburn Q&A

Over at The Examiner, you can find a very insightful and extensive interview with Lyle Blackburn, author of The Beast of Boggy Creek, which I reviewed a few days ago. If you haven't yet read Lyle's book, you're missing a real treat. For me, it's the best cryptozoological-themed book of this year: very well written, rich on detail, and highly entertaining!

Encountering Bigfoot

What are the chances of actually encountering a Sasquatch? Well, in answer to that question, you may want to read this!

Reviewing The Beast of Boggy Creek

If Cryptozoology is you thing, then you may want to check out my review of the new book from Lyle Blackburn: The Beast of Boggy Creek.

This is an absolutely excellent, full-length study of the beast made famous in the film, The Legend of Boggy Creek - which more than a few Cryptozoologists have said inspired them to get actively involved in the subject.

I reviewed Lyle 's book a few days ago over at Cryptomundo, and you can find the review right here.

Aliens and the White House

A question that often gets asked - whether seriously or in jest is : why don't "the aliens" land on the White House lawn?

Well, maybe for some of the reasons listed in my latest post for Mysterious Universe...