Bigfoot - Reviewing A New Book

Over at Mysterious Universe, I review a new book on Bigfoot, titled Wood Knocks.

Here's the link, and here's how the article starts:

Wood Knocks Volume One: Journal of Sasquatch Research is, as the title suggests, the first in an ongoing series of books on the Bigfoot controversy. Published by David Weatherly’s Leprechaun Press, and with excellent cover artwork from Sam Shearon, the book is a collection of papers on a wide variety of Bigfoot-themed issues. If you’re interested in the mystery of Sasquatch, and various other, similar creatures reported throughout the world, then you’ll likely want to get a copy of Wood Knocks.

 The book begins with an excellent paper titled “Giants of the Piney Woods.” The author: Lyle Blackburn, who penned The Beast of Boggy Creek and Lizard Man. I have known Lyle for about four or five years (he lives just about twenty minutes’ drive from me), and can state that when it comes to Bigfoot, Lyle definitely knows his stuff. And that shines through in his paper. Many people associate Bigfoot with the vast forests of the Pacific North West. Lyle, however, demonstrates that Texas’ Piney Woods have a long history of sightings of large, hair-covered creatures that fit the description of Bigfoot. Lyle writes in an atmospheric fashion that skilfully captures the eerie nature of those woods. And, of course, he presents a sizeable body of Bigfoot-based testimony and data spanning decades. The Sulphur River, Caddo Lake (which borders Texas and Louisiana), and the Sabine River are just a few of the Bigfoot hot-spots that Lyle discusses.

Britain's Wallabies

Nope, the wallaby is not indigenous to the wilds of Britain. But, it's there all the same!

I remember when growing up as a kid in Staffordshire, England that sightings would frequently be reported of wallabies on the loose - chiefly in the northern parts of the county, and up into parts of the Peak District, too. And, for a pre-teen Nick Redfern, they made for great and exciting reading!

Sadly, at least from those particular parts of the UK, there are far less reports today. But, there is still the occasional one or two. Other colonies in the UK appear to be doing far better, fortunately.

Of course, there's nothing remotely weird about the presence of the creatures: they (or, rather, the original ones) are simply escapees from zoos, private enclosures, etc that have managed to survive and - sometimes - thrive for decades.

But, it's still a fascinating bit of British culture and oddness. And long may the wallaby call the UK its home!

Here's a new story on the matter from Richard Muirhead and here's one I wrote for Mania.com a few years ago.