14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Contactees" Defines this Strangest of American Sub-Cultures, December 21, 2009
This review is from: Contactees: A History of Alien-Human Interaction (Paperback)
"I AM DIANE... I COME FROM VENUS."
Thus were the words of "Diane," a eight-foot tall alien being
"Standing like a sylph-like goddess" after manifesting before Dana
Howard, a woman famous for her communications with what she believed to
be alien visitors from Venus in the 1950s. Howard's claims certainly
represent a fringe element in the history of Ufology, some spectral
aspect that can be attributed to the extraterrestrial mystery. As
obscure as her story remains in the present day, there is one
collaborative aspect to all this that cannot be ignored: she was not
alone.
With his book Contactees: A History of Alien-Human Interaction, Nick
Redfern has placed himself at the pinnacle of what may be the strangest
aspect of modern Ufology. Indeed, many like Howard-famous and
flamboyant individuals throughout history-have claimed to possess
knowledge of beings from other worlds; although the greatest
concentration of contact with "aliens" maintains an epicenter that
comprises the last sixty years. This historic period is the focus of
Redfern's book, which the author presents for us in the most
well-researched and informative presentation available.
The contactee element is so strange, and in many ways
distinguishable from all other aspects of the UFO experience. For
instance, many contactees claim to have met and interacted with
extraterrestrial intelligences without falling victim to popular (and
often sensationalized) abduction reports that have become so common.
Take George Adamski, "The Ultimate Contactee" (to whom Redfern devotes
an entire chapter in his book). Adamski, if his claims of travel to
distant planets like Venus are to be believed, seemed to have been a
willing recipient. "Someone take me down the road quick," Redfern
writes, quoting the famous contactee. "That ship has come looking for me
and I don't want to keep them waiting!"
Or consider the backwoods exploits of Ralph Lael, who upon entering
caves in the Black Mountains of Western North Carolina began a strange
series of communications with aliens from the planet Peewam (fortune
smiled upon Lael in the truest sense, as his alien captors closely
resembled scantily clad ladies in bikinis).
In addition to providing brilliant, informative first-hand research,
Contactees also highlights the work of a variety of other individuals
who have staked claims in the field of Ufology and alien encounters.
Greg Bishop, Timothy Green Beckley, Joshua P. Warren, Jim Mosley, Regan
Lee, are all interviewed within its pages, providing what may be the
most diverse argument pertaining to human-alien interaction throughout
the ages that has ever been produced. Perhaps, though sadly, one of the
book's brightest points of interest involves the discussion of
cryptoterrestrials, a sort of last will and testament given by the late
(and sorely missed) researcher Mac Tonnies. The inclusion of Tonnies'
futuristic interpretations provide icing on the cake to what otherwise
would still be by far the best--albeit the strangest--book on UFO
contactees to-date.
Indeed, Contactees outlines a peculiar subculture that remains
present in the fringes of Americana, and though well known to some, it
has received its best treatment thanks to the efforts of Redfern. With
the information provided in this book, one may even begin to interpret
the manner and appearances of UFO craft throughout the decades...
perhaps the next move of the trans-generational "Space Brothers" lies
within its very words.
-Micah A. Hanks is a freelance writer and editor of The Gralien Report.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
NOT actually about "alien-human interaction"!, August 31, 2010
I rarely write reviews for items I purchase from Amazon, but I need to
make an exception here in order to warn potential readers. I went into
this book thinking (from the title and product description) that this is
a book about the "history of alien-human interaction". What I found was
a book by an author who doesn't actually believe that the "contactee
phenomenon" represents extraterrestrial encounters.
The book is far from a "history" as well. The author has hand-picked
some of the more notoriously ridiculous reports, while glossing-over
many more believable, well-documented extraterrestrial encounters. The
reason becomes evident towards the end of the book; the thesis of this
book is that the "contactee phenomenon" can be attributed to terrestrial
energy sources that intelligently (or possibly unintelligently)
interact with the human brain.
It's not that the idea of this is particularly unbelievable or
offensive to those of us who believe in the extraterrestrial hypothesis,
but the book is marketed and presented in a way that leads potential
readers to believe that they are purchasing a comprehensive look at
"alien-human interaction". That is most definitely NOT what this book
is. It's an alternative look at the contactee phenomenon, from an author
who doesn't believe in "aliens" by their popular definition.
Be warned; this book is critical to the point of disbelieving (one
could argue that it is even ridiculing at times) the extraterrestrial
hypothesis, and does not represent a comprehensive history of
"alien-human interaction" in any way, shape, or form.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Needs better editing, but otherwise very intriguing, February 28, 2010
This review is from: Contactees: A History of Alien-Human Interaction (Paperback)
I picked this book up today, and though I am thoroughly enjoying the
variety of some of the most unusual contactee tales I've ever read, I am
more than a little concerned at the editing. Typos, font size changes,
date continuity errors, and random grammatical trouble are so common in
this book that it becomes a distraction, even in the first few chapters.
HOWEVER, please don't pass over this book if you're interested in
the topic. Most of the other reviewers delve into the numerous good
aspects of this book, so I won't repeat what they've already excellently
written. I am not done with this book yet, but am thrilled with it
thusfar.
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