Sun, Sand, and Sea Serpents: A New Book

 

Many thanks to Anomalist Books for sending me a review copy of their new book, David Goudsward's Sun, Sand, and Sea Serpents. It looks to be a great read! 

 

The Cryptoterrestrials: 10 Years Later

A friend pointed out to me yesterday that March 1 was the10th "anniversary" of the publication of the late Mac Tonnies' book The Cryptoterrestrials.

No, I didn't know.

But, on checking, sure enough yesterday was exactly 10 years!

If you haven't read this intriguing look at an alternative theory for what "aliens" might really be, check it out...

No Return - Reviewed

No Return is the title of a new book from David Booher. It is published by the good folks at Anomalist Books. The subtitle is UFO Abduction or Covert Operation? That’s a very good question! I finished reading the book last week and, I can say with certainty, it does not disappoint. It’s a real-life, little-known, saga that dates back to the latter part of the 1950s. It still remains filled with enigmas and puzzles, close to sixty years after it occurred.

Anomalist Books’ publicity page for No Return states: “On a lonesome road in Utah, a young soldier returning from leave speeds through the desert night. Suddenly the sky lights up as a blazing object streaks across the highway and crashes nearby. Stunned, the soldier stops and decides to investigate. Little does he know, but his life will never be the same again. This is the true story of a man named Gerry Irwin. Following a mysterious experience in Utah in 1959, inexplicable blackouts and bizarre behavior threatened to derail his promising Army career. Then one day he suddenly deserted his Army post in Texas and disappeared without a trace. No one knows what became of him—until now. What happened to Gerry Irwin? Was he abducted by aliens, in what would amount to the first known case of this phenomenon on American soil? Or was he a pawn in a covert intelligence operation? And how does his story really end? A new investigation launched in 2013 attempts to answer these and other questions, revealing along the way the ordeal of a man whose mind was ravaged by a confrontation with the unknown.”

Those are the two opening paragraphs from a new review from me of the latest title from Anomalist Books: No Return, by David Booher. It's a great book, very intriguing, and well worth reading!

You can read my review here, and you can find more on the book at the links above.

Reviewing The Brimstone Deceit

At Mysterious Universe I review Joshua Cutchin's new book, The Brimstone Deceit, which is a really good read.

Here's how the review begins:

Available right now is the new book from Joshua Cutchin, The Brimstone Deceit. Its subtitle: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, and Monstrous Miasmas. You may recall that in May 2015 I reviewed Josh’s previous book, A Trojan Feast. You can find the review here. In many ways, the two books are of a similar nature. Whereas A Trojan Feast was focused on the connections between Fortean phenomena, strange entities and food, Josh’s new book revolves around odors and the world of the unexplained.

Before I tell you what this new title from Anomalist Books is about, it’s important I explain what it’s specifically not about. This is not a book about how Bigfoot stinks to high heaven because it lives in the woods and never bathes. Nor is it a study of alien halitosis. Rather, this is a fascinating 445-pages-long book on how certain, specific odors play significant roles in countless paranormal events and incidents. Josh’s work makes it very clear that numerous supernatural phenomena of the kind that many would suggest have no connection to each other, are, in reality, connected to incredible and deep degrees. In that sense, Josh goes down the path taken by John Keel, who came to believe that the many and varied unknown “things” which intrude upon our world are somehow all part and parcel of something bigger, something interconnected.

Beyond Boggy Creek - Reviewed

Over at Mysterious Universe, I review the new Bigfoot-themed book from Lyle Blackburn, Beyond Boggy Creek.

And here's how the review begins:


Beyond Boggy Creek: In Search of the Southern Sasquatch is the new book from Lyle Blackburn. If you are into Cryptozoology, you will know of Lyle’s two previous books, The Beast of Boggy Creek and Lizard Man. If you enjoyed those two titles, then you will definitely want to get your hands on his new one. As the title of the book suggests, Lyle’s latest release focuses on Bigfoot in Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and more. There is no doubt that when people think of Bigfoot, they often picture large and lumbering hair-covered man-beasts roaming around the forested wilds of the Pacific northwest. But, that’s not always the case. As Beyond Boggy Creek reveals, there is a huge body of data, sightings, and encounters suggesting that whatever the southern Bigfoot is, it’s thriving just fine.

I read the book over three nights (sadly, they weren’t dark and stormy, which would have been ideal weather!). And, I can tell you, for sure, that it makes for very intriguing reading. One of the reasons why the book is a definitive page-turner is because Lyle is a skilled and atmospheric writer: he sets the scene, draws the reader into the stories, and provides captivating case after case. There is another reason why this book is an important one for Cryptozoology: Lyle is someone who spends a great deal of time in the woods, swamps and wild places in the South. In other words, most of the material presented in the book comes from Lyle’s own, personal investigations and interviews – which is always a good thing. With that all said, now let’s take a look at the content of Beyond Boggy Creek. If you thought there was nothing new to say about Bigfoot, it’s time to think again.

Beyond Boggy Creek

Something great arrived in the mail - the new book from good mate, Lyle Blackburn, Beyond Boggy Creek.

I have started to read it and it's an excellent contribution to the worlds of both Cryptozoology and Bigfoot research. A review coming soon!

And here is the publisher's (Anomalist Books) info on the book:

From the author of The Beast of Boggy Creek comes the ultimate investigation into a true Southern mystery... 

Countless reports from credible individuals suggest that something shocking may be stalking the woods of the southern United States--something massive, bipedal, and covered in hair. Tales of these Southern Sasquatch creatures--such as the one made famous by the 1972 horror movie The Legend of Boggy Creek--date back to the very origins of Deep South history and are reported even today.
While Boggy Creek may be the most famous case, the infamous waterway is only the tip of a much broader mystery, one that spills into the surrounding states and beyond. From Arkansas and Oklahoma down to Texas, over to Florida and all the southern states in between, chilling accounts and compelling evidence indicate that a breed of these mysterious, man-like creatures has been successfully hiding in the shadowy foothills, piney woods, and murky swamplands of these areas.
Join acclaimed author and outdoorsman Lyle Blackburn as he traverses woods and waterways, delves into dusty archives, and interviews a host of credible eyewitnesses in search of one of the South's most enduring mysteries... the Southern Sasquatch.

About the Author:

Lyle Blackburn's research and writing on the subject of Bigfoot has been widely recognized as some of the best in the field of cryptozoology. His previous books, including The Beast of Boggy Creek and Lizard Man, offer a balanced view of the subject while delivering gripping accounts of this real-life mystery.
Blackburn is a frequent guest on radio programs such as Coast to Coast AM, and has appeared on television shows including Monsters and Mysteries in America and Finding Bigfoot. Blackburn and his research have also been featured in the award-winning documentary film Boggy Creek Monster.
"Blackburn shows himself not only to be a first-rate researcher but a formidable writer."-- Fortean Times.

CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
1. Shadows in the Southern Woods
  Legendary Archetype
  Name Game
  Deeper South
2. They Always Follow the Creeks
  Up the River
  Sulphur Waterweb
  Red River Connection
  The Other Boggys
3. Marauding Manimals
  Bad Reputation
  Man Mountain
  Siege at Honobia
  Scars
4. Native Giants
  Bigfoot War
  Nowata Man-Things
  Casino Creature
  Cross Timbers Snow Ape
5. Mountain Monsters and Valley Apes
  Area X
  Road Walkers
  Close Encounters
  The Ozarks
6. Lone Star Sasquatch
  Lake Worth Monster
  Strange Things Afoot
  Deep in the Heart
  Piney Woods
7. Bayou Beasts
  Caddo Critters
  Sabine Thing
  Monster Central
  Lurkers in the Lowlands
  Honey Island Swamp Monster
8. Rebel Bigfoot
  Denizens of the Delta
  Howls in the Night
  Downey Booger
  Sweet Home
9. Appalachian Ape-Men
  Body Snatchers
  Knobby and Yahoos
  Hulking Highlanders
  Terror on the Trail
10. Coastal Creatures
  Boogers and Buggers
  The Nightmares Continue
  Elkins Creek
  Ripples Through the Water
11. Realm of the Skunk Ape
  What’s That Smell
  Monsters in the Marshlands
  Myakka Mysteries
  Amok in Ochopee
  Lasting Images
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendix
  Maps
  Southern Names for Bigfoot
Endnotes
Index
About the Author

Two New Books To Review...

 

 

Received in the mail today review copies of what both look to be excellent new books: A Menagerie of Mysterious Beasts from good mate Ken Gerhard and Joshua Cutchin's The Brimstone Deceit. Reviews as soon as I have read them...

The Birmingham "Giant Eel" Controversy

 

 

Back in 2012, Anomalist Books published a book from me titled Monster Diary, which was a collection of road-trips I had been on in search of weird creatures. 

 

One chapter focused on claims that massive eels lurked in the waters of the canals of Birmingham, England. 

 

Some of the claims suggested eels of 15-feet long or more, which is not just controversial, but beyond controversial! 

 

Such stories continue to reach me. And, while I was in the UK last week, this story surfaced, showing that there may be more to all this than just urban legend.

Reviewing The Minnesota Iceman Saga

Over at Mysterious Universe, there's a new review from me on an excellent new release from Anomalist Books: Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman.

Here's the link to the review.

And here's how the review starts:

Available right now is a new release from Anomalist Books. Its title: Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman. The author: Bernard Heuvelmans. When I say it’s “a new book,” a bit of background information is required. Neanderthal was originally published in France in 1974. But now, and for the very first time, it has finally been translated into English. So, for all intents and purposes, and specifically for an English audience, it is new. Also new are (a) the introduction from the translator, Paul LeBlond; and (b) the afterword from cryptozoologist Loren Coleman.

I’ll come straight to the point and say this is an excellent study of one of Cryptozoology’s biggest and most enduring enigmas: that of the Minnesota Iceman. If you don’t know the story, a bit of background data is definitely required. And a perfect, concise summary comes from the good folks at Anomalist books: “The story begins at the end of 1968 in New Jersey, when zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans and biologist Ivan Sanderson first hear from a correspondent about the frozen corpse of an extremely hairy man-like creature being exhibited in the Midwest. Upon arrival in Minnesota, the two scientists come face to face with a ‘hominid’ not of our species embedded in a block of ice.”

"Neanderthal" - A Review Coming Soon

An excellent new book I recently finished reading, and which I have just reviewed for Mysterious Universe (the review should appear in a day or two).

And here's the link to the book, Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman.

New Book On The Minnesota Iceman

 
Many thanks to Patrick Huyghe of Anomalist Books for the review copy of what looks to be an excellent read! Arrived in the mail this afternoon...

New Book On The Minnesota Iceman

Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman

by Bernard Heuvelmans, Paul LeBlond (Translator), Loren Coleman (Afterword)

Trade Paperback, 284 Pages, 43 Illustrations

$22.95, ISBN: 9781938398612

Genre(s): Cryptozoology

NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME…
THE TRUE STORY OF THE MINNESOTA ICEMAN!

The story begins at the end of 1968 in New Jersey, when zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans and biologist Ivan Sanderson first hear from a correspondent about the frozen corpse of an extremely hairy man-like creature being exhibited in the Midwest. Upon arrival in Minnesota, the two scientists come face to face with a “hominid” not of our species embedded in a block of ice. An inquiry into the origin of the specimen triggers a bizarre adventure involving the FBI, the Smithsonian, the Mafia, the Vietnam War, drug smuggling, Hollywood, and a secretive millionaire, giving much of the account the flavor of a riveting detective story. What happened is told in meticulous detail by Heuvelmans, who draws a startling conclusion as to the Iceman’s nature based on a comparison of its anatomy with that of modern humans and fossil ancestors. But where Heuvelman’s scientific tale ends, cryptozoologist Loren Coleman’s begins, in a lengthy fact-filled afterword that brings this remarkable saga up-to-date.

About the Author:

Bernard Heuvelmans (1916-2001) was a Belgian-French zoologist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as “the Father of Cryptozoology.” His On the Track of Unknown Animals and In the Wake of Sea Serpents are regarded as two of the most influential works of cryptozoology. In 1975 Heuvelmans established the Center for Cryptozoology in France, and in 1982 he helped to found the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct) and served as its first president. In 1999, he donated his vast holdings and archives in cryptozoology to The Museum of Zoology of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Paul H. LeBlond is an ocean scientist with a long interest in cryptozoology. He was one of the founders of the International Society of Cryptozoology, and a co-founder of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club. LeBlond is an emeritus professor at the University of British Columbia, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. LeBlond is the author of Discovering Cadborosaurus and the translator from the French of The Asian Wild Man by Jean-Paul Debenat. LeBlond is the first President of the newly formed International Cryptozoology Society.
Loren Coleman has conducted fieldwork and research in cryptozoology since 1960, and is the author or contributor to over 100 popular books on cryptozoology, natural history mysteries, and the media, including Bigfoot!: The True Story of Apes in America, Cryptozoology A to Z, and Tom Slick and the Search for the Yeti. For 20 years, he was an adjunct associate professor in documentary film and anthropology at six universities. He is the founder in 2003 and director of the nonprofit International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, and a co-founder of the International Cryptozoology Society in 2016.

---

---

CONTENTS
Translator’s Introduction by Paul LeBlond
Chapter 1 What I Saw
A creature related to both man and ape
Chapter 2 What It Was Not
Neither a well-preserved fossil, nor a drifting Ainu, nor a hairy monster,
not the hybrid of an ape and a woman, nor a simple fabrication
Chapter 3 What It Must Be
What did prehistoric men look like?
Chapter 4 Why So Many Mysteries?
The eloquent silences of a carny hawker
Chapter 5 More Complications
Lightning interventions by the FBI and the Smithsonian
Chapter 6 Hansen’s Stories
A pseudo-confession of a murder launches a useless expedition
Chapter 7 Corpses Come and Go But Are Never the Same
Behind the scenes and the proof of the specimen’s authenticity
Chapter 8 Cloak and Dagger
Why the deck was loaded to start with
Chapter 9 The Wall of Incredulity
How to bury an embarrassing corpse
Chapter 10 What It Really Was
A meticulous examination of the specimen, and its identification
Chapter 11 A History of Man-Beasts
From pre-Neanderthals to Pongoids
Chapter 12 Cain vs Abel
De-hominization: a new perspective on the origin of man
Afterword After the Thaw, The Post-Heuvelmans Iceman
by Loren Coleman
Appendix A: Original Introduction to Neanderthal Man is Still Alive
Appendix B: Table of Measurements and Table Of Anthropometric Indices of Pongoid Man
Original Bibliography for Heuvelmans’ “The Mystery of the Iceman”

Reviews X 2

Over at Mysterious Universe I review a great 2014 movie, Wild Tales, and the re-release by Anomalist Books of Brad Steiger's Mysteries of Time and Space.

Minnesota Iceman News

Coming soon from Anomalist Books, Neanderthal: The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman by the late Bernard Heuvelmans:

A Manifestation Of Monsters - Reviewed

There's a new review from me of Dr. Karl Shuker's latest book: A Manifestation of Monsters. Here's how the review starts...

"Wondering where I got that article-title from? I’ll tell you: it’s also the title of the brand new book from Dr. Karl Shuker: A Manifestation of Monsters: Examining The (Un)Usual Suspects. Published by Anomalist Books, this is an excellent new book, one that those of you fascinated by the subject of Cryptozoology will definitely enjoy. Indeed, it’s difficult to go wrong with one of Karl’s books, as he’s someone who is justifiably referred to as one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists.

"What I enjoy about Karl’s books (and particularly so the new one) is that he doesn’t just focus on the world’s most famous cryptids, such as Bigfoot, Ogopogo, Nessie, the Yeti, and so on. Nope, as the '(Un)Usual' wording of the sub-title clearly demonstrates, Karl gets into the worlds of some very obscure and odd critters. Which is, of course, a good thing. Yes, Karl focuses on some of the more famous ones too. But, giving the reader a look at a wealth of strange “things” that, very likely, many have no knowledge of is a big plus."

A Manifestation Of Monsters

 

 

Received in the mail...a review copy of the new book from Dr. Karl Shuker, A Manifestation of Monsters: Examining the (Un)usual Suspects, which looks very good, and which has a foreword from Ken Gerhard. 

 

Check it out. 

 

A review from me of this new title from Anomalist Books will be coming soon...

Illuminations: UFOs & Parapsychology

Check out the new release from Anomalist Books: Illuminations: The UFO Experience as a Parapsychological Event by Eric Ouellet.

And it looks to be a very good one!

Here's the book description:

What if UFO experiences are the result of large-scale, unconscious, psychic forces?
Parapsychology and UFOlogy are like oil and water. They just don’t mix, despite the decades-long efforts of some highly respected researchers to call attention to the paranormal or parapsychological aspects of UFO events. In Illuminations, sociologist Eric Ouellet offers a novel approach to a phenomenon that has thus far resisted all other efforts to explain it, be it as extraterrestrial craft, time travelers, secret government projects, or natural phenomena.
Combining research in parapsychology, sociology, and UFOlogy, Ouellet provides a thought provoking reassessment of several well-known UFO cases, including the Washington, DC, UFO wave of 1952, the Betty and Barney Hill abduction of 1961, the Rendlesham UFO incident of 1980, and the Belgian UFO wave of 1989-1991. While not claiming to have the final solution to the UFO mystery, he offers much food for thought and a refreshing outlook on a stubbornly elusive phenomenon.

About the Author:

ERIC OUELLET is professor of Defence Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, and at the Canadian Forces College (Canada’s Joint Staff and War College). He has a Ph.D. in sociology from York University (Toronto, Canada), and he is the liaison officer for Canada with the Parapsychological Association. He has published parapsychological work in the Australian Journal of Psychology, EdgeScience, and the Bulletin Métapsychique. His other research works focus on military sociology and war studies.

Contents Foreword by Jenny Randles
Introduction
Section One: Studying UFOs
Chapter 1. What Is Known About UFOs
Chapter 2. Paranormal Research and UFOs
Chapter 3. The Parapsychological Hypothesis
Section Two: Explaining UFO Anomalies
Chapter 4. The 1952 Washington D.C. UFO Wave
Chapter 5. The Belgian UFO Wave of 1989-1991
Chapter 6. The Rendlesham UFO Incident of 1980
Section Three: Complex UFO Encounters
Chapter 7. The Canadian UFO Wave of 1966-1967
Chapter 8. The Barney and Betty Hill Story Revisited
Chapter 9. The Political Sociology of Alien Encounters
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Reference Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

What they're saying:

“Parapsychological approaches in this field are rare: your contribution is precious, and it is very timely.” —Jacques Vallée, author of The Invisible College

“As a sociologist and a UFO witness, plus, importantly, a parapsychological researcher, Eric Ouellet ticks all the boxes to appreciate the bagatelle of curiosities that I have encountered in the field during 40 years of UFO investigation.” — Jenny Randles, author of Mind Monsters

Anomalist Books: Forthcoming

Check out this link for a few, forthcoming books from Anomalist Books. All look very interesting!

A Trojan Feast - Reviewed

Over at Mysterious Universe, I review Joshua Cutchin's just-published book, A Trojan Feast, which I recommend to just about everyone who has an interest in the world of the unknown - even the skeptics and the solidly belief-driven.

Here's how the review begins:

"Now and again, a book is published that is destined to become a classic. Granted, it doesn’t happen too often nowadays in Ufology, but when it does, it’s well worth the wait. There is one that falls into that exact category and which has just been released: Joshua Cutchin’s A Trojan Feast, which is published by Anomalist Books. With the subtitle of The Food and Drink Offerings of Aliens, Faeries, and Sasquatch, this is – in my view – the definitive study of an aspect of the paranormal that has, until now, been vastly unappreciated and consistently misunderstood.

"Before I get to the matter of what A Trojan Feast is about, it’s important that I explain what it’s not about. This is not some simplistic study of why Bigfoot likes to eat apples or aliens from Zeta Reticuli have a particular taste for strawberry ice-cream. No, this is a book that delves deep into the long and notable history of food-based interaction between us, the human race, and magical and supernatural entities from…well, somewhere."

And here's the full review.

Saucers and Special Branch

Certain people in Ufology laughed and were highly skeptical when, in 2006, I wrote a book called On the Trail of the Saucer Spies, in which I mentioned how a retired British police source told me that, back in the 1990s, the British Police Force's Special Branch opened files on two UFO researchers in the UK, namely Matthew Williams and Robin Cole.

Those same certain people should have kept their mouths firmly shut.

The files on Cole and Williams (or, rather, some of the files; others still remain classified to this day) were finally officially released in 2012, showing that Special Branch was indeed watching both men, demonstrating that the data provided to me years ago was accurate. 

When, in 2012, the documents were declassified, the National Archives prepared the following statement concerning their contents:

"File DEFE 24/1984/1 (p294) contains a 1996 Parliamentary Question from Martin Redmond MP asking on how many occasions MI6 and GCHQ have monitored UFO investigations. This was interpreted to mean 'have the agencies been keeping watch on UFOlogists.' A background briefing says 'neither agency in fact undertakes such activity, though GCHQ cannot rule out the possibility' they had monitored 'in other contexts individuals who have made a study of UFOs'. The MP was told the government do not comment on the intelligence and security agencies (p298). File DEFE 24/1987/1 (p262-65) reveals that in 1997 Special Branch took an interest in a UFOlogist who became obsessed with rumours of a secret UFO facility beneath RAF Rudloe Manor in Wiltshire. The base had become known as the British equivalent of the secret US military airbase 'Area 51' among conspiracy theorists. An internal note said 'Special Branch…do not believe he poses a specific threat to security, but they are alert to the risk that others may use him as a conduit for their activities.'"

Well, since the summary failed to note the names of the people in question, I will. They were, of course, Cole and Williams - as I had been told during the course of writing On the Trail of the Saucer Spies.

Back in 1997, Robin Cole, of Cheltenham, England - the home to GCHQ (the Government Communications Headquarters) - wrote a fascinating report on the agency's involvement in the UFO phenomenon. And, for those who may not be aware, GCHQ is the UK equivalent of the US National Security Agency.

After Cole's report was published, he was visited by two representatives of the UK's Special Branch. And since the pair announced their visit in advance (via a phone-call), Robin had the good sense to clandestinely and quickly set up his tape-recorder in his living-room and taped the entire conversation, much of which revolved around Special Branch's interest in a UFO researcher and Crop Circle maker named Matthew Williams - who just happens to be the "UFOlogist who became obsessed" with RAF Rudloe Manor, as referenced by National Archives staff above.

Now we see further evidence of Special Branch involvement in the UFO subject.

Not in terms of what UFOs are (or are not), but in relation to things that, in many ways, are far more interesting, thought-provoking, and alternative.

This was precisely the reason for the Cole/Williams surveillance issue too - namely, Special Branch's concerns that both the UFO controversy and the people that investigate it could be used as tools of manipulation by hostile groups with controversial, political agendas.