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Unexplained: Real-Life Supernatural Stories for Uncertain Times
In every corner of this earth there are secrets. They are hidden in the dark edge of the woods, nestled in the cold stars, and staring out from a stranger's eyes. And whether they be demonic possession or an unsolved murder, the unknown has always haunted our dreams.
From the hit podcast Unexplained comes a volume perfectly crafted for the curious, the cynical, and the not-easily-frightened. Richard Maclean Smith is the expert in the unknown, and humbly offers up ten tales of real-life events that continue to evade explanation. With these chilling stories comes the missing key: a connection to our own beliefs in science, superstition, and perception.
What can a case of demonic possession teach us about free will? What can a cursed box show us about the act of storytelling? What can a supposed instance of reincarnation tell us about developing a concept of the self?
Perhaps some things are just better left unexplained...
From the hit podcast Unexplained comes a volume perfectly crafted for the curious, the cynical, and the not-easily-frightened. Richard Maclean Smith is the expert in the unknown, and humbly offers up ten tales of real-life events that continue to evade explanation. With these chilling stories comes the missing key: a connection to our own beliefs in science, superstition, and perception.
What can a case of demonic possession teach us about free will? What can a cursed box show us about the act of storytelling? What can a supposed instance of reincarnation tell us about developing a concept of the self?
Perhaps some things are just better left unexplained...
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
October 15, 2018
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really should read more ‘local’ books about my area. You often forget what a plethora of history and mythology can exist in an area you live in, and it was truely delightful to read some stories based solely around the region I have lived and grown up in for over 30 years (minus a year I spent living in Manchester). It’s made me fall in love with Teesside all over again.
This is a mixture of various supernatural stories, ideal for this time of year. There’s reincarnation, UFOs and possession. All of the tales are unexplained, a little bit creepy, and the author goes into great depth about the history behind the mythology, and provides a very comprehensive analysis. It’s clearly well researched and told with enthusiasm for the subject. I just found that at times the writing style was a little dry and hard going. Sometimes the attention to detail also detracted from the storytelling rather than enhance it, and I found it difficult to really get into - which was a shame as the potential and passion is clearly there.
I think this would have benefitted from more stories, with a little less detail, to really lift the otherwise slow pace and help elevate the writing to something that’s easier to follow. With this kind of book I want something I can pick up and come back to easily, but I found I really had to concentrate with this.
I’ll be forever greatful to the author for reintroducing me to Teesside and seeing it through new eyes but I wanted more storytelling, perhaps told in a more lighthearted manner, to sweep me up into the stories.
I really should read more ‘local’ books about my area. You often forget what a plethora of history and mythology can exist in an area you live in, and it was truely delightful to read some stories based solely around the region I have lived and grown up in for over 30 years (minus a year I spent living in Manchester). It’s made me fall in love with Teesside all over again.
This is a mixture of various supernatural stories, ideal for this time of year. There’s reincarnation, UFOs and possession. All of the tales are unexplained, a little bit creepy, and the author goes into great depth about the history behind the mythology, and provides a very comprehensive analysis. It’s clearly well researched and told with enthusiasm for the subject. I just found that at times the writing style was a little dry and hard going. Sometimes the attention to detail also detracted from the storytelling rather than enhance it, and I found it difficult to really get into - which was a shame as the potential and passion is clearly there.
I think this would have benefitted from more stories, with a little less detail, to really lift the otherwise slow pace and help elevate the writing to something that’s easier to follow. With this kind of book I want something I can pick up and come back to easily, but I found I really had to concentrate with this.
I’ll be forever greatful to the author for reintroducing me to Teesside and seeing it through new eyes but I wanted more storytelling, perhaps told in a more lighthearted manner, to sweep me up into the stories.
October 24, 2018
Unexplained, based on a successful podcast of the same name, is a feast of the supernatural, paranormal and just plain weird that is known to have happened at various periods throughout the UK and is practically perfect for those drawn-in Autumn nights as we head towards Halloween. I am a fan of these often creepy stories from all corners of the globe and read them no matter the dale they're published, but I must admit that these had a bigger impact on me being both from this country and released at an inspired time of the year!
It features ten real-life mysteries that had me gripped and under their spell quickly, and I loved how the tension ratcheted up over the course of each of them. Boy, some crime writers could use a lesson from Richard MacLean Smith given his masterful ability at creating an edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth suspense fest! I never include spoilers in my reviews as I often feel a lot of books work best when the reader goes in blind, but I will say that there are a variety of different themes explored here. The stories touch on demonic possession, reincarnation, unidentified flying objects, unidentified diseases, mythology, poltergeists, and so much more. Not only are these stories intriguing, the author actually analyses them in a deeper and more meaningful way and discusses what such happenings can teach us about life in general. It comes across as meticulously researched, and you can certainly tell that it is a subject that the author is enthusiastic about and has a substantial interest in.
The writing was in parts a little dry for my tastes, but Smith's retellings are apparently all true and set in different years and different places throughout the UK. What particularly makes this book stand out against the rest in the genre is that the author doesn't just tell the stories, he actually uses scientific and philosophical principles to try and explain why these events may have taken place and how. This adds a different facet to them and was right up my street! Highly recommended for chills, thrills and spills!
Many thanks to Sceptre for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
It features ten real-life mysteries that had me gripped and under their spell quickly, and I loved how the tension ratcheted up over the course of each of them. Boy, some crime writers could use a lesson from Richard MacLean Smith given his masterful ability at creating an edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth suspense fest! I never include spoilers in my reviews as I often feel a lot of books work best when the reader goes in blind, but I will say that there are a variety of different themes explored here. The stories touch on demonic possession, reincarnation, unidentified flying objects, unidentified diseases, mythology, poltergeists, and so much more. Not only are these stories intriguing, the author actually analyses them in a deeper and more meaningful way and discusses what such happenings can teach us about life in general. It comes across as meticulously researched, and you can certainly tell that it is a subject that the author is enthusiastic about and has a substantial interest in.
The writing was in parts a little dry for my tastes, but Smith's retellings are apparently all true and set in different years and different places throughout the UK. What particularly makes this book stand out against the rest in the genre is that the author doesn't just tell the stories, he actually uses scientific and philosophical principles to try and explain why these events may have taken place and how. This adds a different facet to them and was right up my street! Highly recommended for chills, thrills and spills!
Many thanks to Sceptre for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
January 19, 2020
Richard MacLean Smith jest entuzjastą wszystkiego co dziwne i niewyjaśnione. O ile jestem w stanie zrozumieć tę fascynację, tak jej nie podzielam, a już na pewno nie kupuję dorabiania do wyjaśnienia każdej z tych historii własnej ideologii.
April 17, 2019
It's well reserched and some of the cases are very interesting but the writing is such a slog to get through. The author clearly wants each chapter and case to all be the same in length which means many of these interesting tales are packed with filler and unrelated rambles. An average read for an interesting genre.
November 2, 2019
A "non-fiction" collection of "real-life supernatural stories for uncertain times." The non-fiction adjective describes where this book can be found in a library or bookstore, and the "uncertain times" description on the front of the book hints that this author will be trying to explain how the spooky tales in this book can relate to our inner lives, technological advancements, scientific developments, ETC.
The stories themselves are spooky and fun. The horror devotee in me was pulled in by the stories themselves; Smith did an adequate job researching them, providing fun, flavorful language to spice up the structure of how he received the stories. What isn't fun is the steadfast serious tone of how he sticks to the stories. There is no room for skepticism or concrete explanation within. Only the scariest, most implausible explanation is what Smith will explore. And certain aspects of these stories (heck, most aspects) can probably be waved away as coincidence or fanciful imagination. Instead of acknowledging this at all, Smith plunges onward with a straight face.
Which might be tolerable and amusing, but then Smith uses the spooky tales to give meaning to our everyday reality. A story of reincarnation becomes an excuse to quickly sum up scientific experiments and then mold them to fit as a justification for how reincarnation can scientifically be plausible. Scientific findings shouldn't be presented and molded like this; it's a bold-faced lie and exaggeration to try to make these stories scarier. He then also delves into literary and cinematic criticism to lend further credence to supernatural happenings. Smith doesn't actually use the literary and cinematic criticism to further interpret the spooky story, test the boundaries of the spooky story, reimagine the spooky story (i.e. interesting and expansive). He more just references popular media to say, "look, it happened here too; so, it could happen in real life. There is no irony, no backpedaling, just a serious collection of "here's a story and the evidence to go with it," with the story being an enjoyable scare and the evidence as a loosely-compiled collection from wherever, as long as it vaguely relates to the scare.
Deeply unfocused, vague, and unfun.
The stories themselves are spooky and fun. The horror devotee in me was pulled in by the stories themselves; Smith did an adequate job researching them, providing fun, flavorful language to spice up the structure of how he received the stories. What isn't fun is the steadfast serious tone of how he sticks to the stories. There is no room for skepticism or concrete explanation within. Only the scariest, most implausible explanation is what Smith will explore. And certain aspects of these stories (heck, most aspects) can probably be waved away as coincidence or fanciful imagination. Instead of acknowledging this at all, Smith plunges onward with a straight face.
Which might be tolerable and amusing, but then Smith uses the spooky tales to give meaning to our everyday reality. A story of reincarnation becomes an excuse to quickly sum up scientific experiments and then mold them to fit as a justification for how reincarnation can scientifically be plausible. Scientific findings shouldn't be presented and molded like this; it's a bold-faced lie and exaggeration to try to make these stories scarier. He then also delves into literary and cinematic criticism to lend further credence to supernatural happenings. Smith doesn't actually use the literary and cinematic criticism to further interpret the spooky story, test the boundaries of the spooky story, reimagine the spooky story (i.e. interesting and expansive). He more just references popular media to say, "look, it happened here too; so, it could happen in real life. There is no irony, no backpedaling, just a serious collection of "here's a story and the evidence to go with it," with the story being an enjoyable scare and the evidence as a loosely-compiled collection from wherever, as long as it vaguely relates to the scare.
Deeply unfocused, vague, and unfun.
November 20, 2018
Maybe this one SOUNDS better as a podcast, because boy at times it read dry. I enjoy the subject matter, but I felt like the author went off on tangents and never really focussed on the story at hand. That was a shame because although there was some information I was familiar with, some of the stories were new and I would have liked to have them clearer. Oh well.
Not really enjoyed by me, but maybe for others more experienced with the podcasts.
Not really enjoyed by me, but maybe for others more experienced with the podcasts.
March 9, 2020
I don’t know why I feel unable to award this more than 3 stars, because essentially it is a very informative and well written book - but I think that’s where the problem lies, it’s a little too well written.
The majority of the stories have been carefully selected and are indeed very spooky, but they are too long winded. The author could have got to the point much sooner, whereas I just feel the chapters are too long which resulted in me becoming disinterested.
The stories of Annalise Michel and Elisa Lam, both now hugely famous because of their downright eeriness and video/tape recordings, deserve their places in the book, and are for sure chill inducing, But the story of the attempted murder of a girl committed by 2 of her young friends who purportedly did it for Slenderman, doesn’t belong in this book.
I skipped almost the whole chapter about UFO’s because I found it quite boring.... even though the Welsh village named in the book as being home to more than 14 UFO sightings is only 8 miles from my house.
This book has some really good thought provoking information, but sadly quite equally as much boring suppositions.
3 stars 🌟
The majority of the stories have been carefully selected and are indeed very spooky, but they are too long winded. The author could have got to the point much sooner, whereas I just feel the chapters are too long which resulted in me becoming disinterested.
The stories of Annalise Michel and Elisa Lam, both now hugely famous because of their downright eeriness and video/tape recordings, deserve their places in the book, and are for sure chill inducing, But the story of the attempted murder of a girl committed by 2 of her young friends who purportedly did it for Slenderman, doesn’t belong in this book.
I skipped almost the whole chapter about UFO’s because I found it quite boring.... even though the Welsh village named in the book as being home to more than 14 UFO sightings is only 8 miles from my house.
This book has some really good thought provoking information, but sadly quite equally as much boring suppositions.
3 stars 🌟
Shelved as 'nieprzeczytane'
March 28, 20222022.03.28
Kończę na 80 stronie. Po niezłym wstępie sądziłam, że będzie to coś naprawdę ciekawego. Przede wszystkim coś podanego w przystępny sposób. Niestety to znów ten przypadek, gdy autor czuje, że musi opowiedzieć całą historię świata zanim przejdzie do sedna.. Nie mam chęci czytać o tym jak dany problem wyglądał w Egipcie, co na to Hindusi itd. by do sedna dojść po 20 stronach. Oprócz tego mamy wstawki od autora, które może mają być śmieszne, może dodawać charakteru (w końcu autor w pierwszej kolejności nie jest pisarzem tylko robi podcasty), ale mnie to irytuje. Przy "mówieniu" takie rzeczy nie są tak odczuwalne, ale to nie podcast tylko książka.
Sama tematyka dwóch pierwszych rozdziałów też mnie nie przekonała by mimo wszystko brnąć dalej. Życie po życiu oraz przedmioty "zajęte" przez złe moce to nic o czym nie słyszał już wielokrotnie każdy z nas.
Przypuszczam, że to ten typ książek, które odpowiadają tylko zagorzałym fanom autora.
Kończę na 80 stronie. Po niezłym wstępie sądziłam, że będzie to coś naprawdę ciekawego. Przede wszystkim coś podanego w przystępny sposób. Niestety to znów ten przypadek, gdy autor czuje, że musi opowiedzieć całą historię świata zanim przejdzie do sedna.. Nie mam chęci czytać o tym jak dany problem wyglądał w Egipcie, co na to Hindusi itd. by do sedna dojść po 20 stronach. Oprócz tego mamy wstawki od autora, które może mają być śmieszne, może dodawać charakteru (w końcu autor w pierwszej kolejności nie jest pisarzem tylko robi podcasty), ale mnie to irytuje. Przy "mówieniu" takie rzeczy nie są tak odczuwalne, ale to nie podcast tylko książka.
Sama tematyka dwóch pierwszych rozdziałów też mnie nie przekonała by mimo wszystko brnąć dalej. Życie po życiu oraz przedmioty "zajęte" przez złe moce to nic o czym nie słyszał już wielokrotnie każdy z nas.
Przypuszczam, że to ten typ książek, które odpowiadają tylko zagorzałym fanom autora.
June 8, 2024
Admittedly, I skimmed some of this.
What I really wanted was a book detailing eyewitness accounts/reports of unexplained phenomena.
The parts of this book that did that, were actually pretty well written and gave good details. I think my issue comes with the introductions and conclusions. Smith kept trying to explain the science behind the phenomena- either inattentive blindness, or seeing is believing is manifesting type stuff.
Which is fine! I appreciate that the book took a skeptics stand point.
I just wasn’t interested in that as much as the stories themselves. I also think some of it became overly technical and convoluted in places.
The other reasons I’m giving this three stars is:
The titles made no sense and gave no indication of what story was about to follow. Not really a big deal kinda just annoying when you are looking to pick out the stories that appeal to you most. Two of them were really more true crime than unexplained mysteries. One case is fairly recent and well known and documented and I skipped that one entirely. There wasn’t really anything unexplained about it. I wasn’t sure why it was included, and it would have been nice if the chapter just was the even so I didn’t have to read/skim five pages to guess at it.
Finally, all these cases are pretty well known. Granted, I think the details were good, and I liked the pictures. But it wasn’t necessarily bringing any new stories to the table.
I guess I’d recommend this to skeptics who are relatively new to this area of interest? Or alternatively, believers looking to expand their horizons a bit.
What I really wanted was a book detailing eyewitness accounts/reports of unexplained phenomena.
The parts of this book that did that, were actually pretty well written and gave good details. I think my issue comes with the introductions and conclusions. Smith kept trying to explain the science behind the phenomena- either inattentive blindness, or seeing is believing is manifesting type stuff.
Which is fine! I appreciate that the book took a skeptics stand point.
I just wasn’t interested in that as much as the stories themselves. I also think some of it became overly technical and convoluted in places.
The other reasons I’m giving this three stars is:
The titles made no sense and gave no indication of what story was about to follow. Not really a big deal kinda just annoying when you are looking to pick out the stories that appeal to you most. Two of them were really more true crime than unexplained mysteries. One case is fairly recent and well known and documented and I skipped that one entirely. There wasn’t really anything unexplained about it. I wasn’t sure why it was included, and it would have been nice if the chapter just was the even so I didn’t have to read/skim five pages to guess at it.
Finally, all these cases are pretty well known. Granted, I think the details were good, and I liked the pictures. But it wasn’t necessarily bringing any new stories to the table.
I guess I’d recommend this to skeptics who are relatively new to this area of interest? Or alternatively, believers looking to expand their horizons a bit.
July 19, 2019
Unexplained chronicles 10 real-life mysteries from the UK and America. Each of these is written and told like a classic campfire ghost story, which really gives you the chills. Smith is great at creating an unsettling atmosphere and sense of foreboding as he draws all the threads together. There is a healthy dose of scepticism at the end of each chapter, but this doesn’t necessarily make the stories any less creepy. This satisfied me both as a horror fan and as someone who prefers scientific explanations over conspiracy theories.
One to read with the lights on.
One to read with the lights on.
September 11, 2023
My kinda stuff. If you do not believe in the supernatural you are simply boring and lame.
September 7, 2019
It's kind of just like listening to 11 episodes of the podcast?!
Idk save yourself money and listen to the podcast.
But equally, if you like the podcast, here's 11 extra episodes.
Also, I could listen to this man read a shopping list and be happy. Also it's a very good voice to fall asleep to. Unless he's talking about demons or aliens. Which is often.
Idk save yourself money and listen to the podcast.
But equally, if you like the podcast, here's 11 extra episodes.
Also, I could listen to this man read a shopping list and be happy. Also it's a very good voice to fall asleep to. Unless he's talking about demons or aliens. Which is often.
January 11, 2019
Interesting but good god it's dry at times.
August 14, 2023
Nie spodziewalam sie, ze bedzie to tak dobre
January 19, 2020
This is 1000 words to say what 100 would do. And at times what 10 done WELL would suffice even more.
The Introduction is 1 star. It was the most ridiculous and lengthy circumvent for modern "me" experience with podcast and other horror, occult, alien drama? Sincerely, I don't know. It was on par with watching a 1/2 hour of TMZ if you didn't know what media was or came from another planet. Or didn't know enough about Earth modern entertainment. As if you thought Snoop Dog might be an animal species. In other words, I couldn't even connote 2/3rds of what he was discussing at length about his career, life experience.
So why did I read it? Because of a librarian's request and also one section that was included upon the Dibbuk Box. Long ago (53 years ago)- a friend at my school thought he had one. That's why I stuck.
But I sped read after that section. Because it's full of tangents about the author himself, and also strange "eyes" to almost a negation of any true questioning for the events at the same time. Yes, some suppositions but not disciplined inquiry in most of these cases.
The first history of the boy/man who remembered being shot down in combat and dying was the only 3 or 4 star in this book, IMHO.
I tried. But verbosity to this extent would never have grabbed me, even if the proofs and voices were better, more authentic. Stringy and roundabout writing, filled with circling redundancies and asides. I have no idea what he means by "uncertain times" either. Regardless, that's a quirky slant to describe these episodes. Nor is it accurate, IMHO.
This is one of the worst writing styles I've come across in a decade. Instead of hair raising- the approach to words, length of minutia to unrelated tangents? All of those made it a slog.
The Introduction is 1 star. It was the most ridiculous and lengthy circumvent for modern "me" experience with podcast and other horror, occult, alien drama? Sincerely, I don't know. It was on par with watching a 1/2 hour of TMZ if you didn't know what media was or came from another planet. Or didn't know enough about Earth modern entertainment. As if you thought Snoop Dog might be an animal species. In other words, I couldn't even connote 2/3rds of what he was discussing at length about his career, life experience.
So why did I read it? Because of a librarian's request and also one section that was included upon the Dibbuk Box. Long ago (53 years ago)- a friend at my school thought he had one. That's why I stuck.
But I sped read after that section. Because it's full of tangents about the author himself, and also strange "eyes" to almost a negation of any true questioning for the events at the same time. Yes, some suppositions but not disciplined inquiry in most of these cases.
The first history of the boy/man who remembered being shot down in combat and dying was the only 3 or 4 star in this book, IMHO.
I tried. But verbosity to this extent would never have grabbed me, even if the proofs and voices were better, more authentic. Stringy and roundabout writing, filled with circling redundancies and asides. I have no idea what he means by "uncertain times" either. Regardless, that's a quirky slant to describe these episodes. Nor is it accurate, IMHO.
This is one of the worst writing styles I've come across in a decade. Instead of hair raising- the approach to words, length of minutia to unrelated tangents? All of those made it a slog.
June 3, 2021
good on podcaster Dicky Smtih for writing his first book! a lot of this was rehash from his similiarly-titled podcast, if you're a listener, but his essay on the internet was a particular fresh treat! i'd definitely read more of his nonfiction essays like this.
March 19, 2019
There's a lot to commend this book, while I did know some of the stories, for the most part they were new to me. The author mixes into these strange tales some quite complicated scientific theory and philosophy. Can be a bit heavy at times but the cadence was good enough for me to go through it quite quickly.
May 29, 2022
⭐ 1,5
Slender Man siedzi w lesie, dzieci spotykają kosmitów, matki wyrzucają noworodki przez okna, staruszki wkurzone wojną przywołują demony, a ja jestem zirytowana.
Z jednej strony naprawdę widzę, że autor się postarał i posiada ogromną wiedzę o, w zasadzie, wszystkim, co tylko się da. Ale z drugiej - mam wrażenie, że on sam już nie wie, czy chce być tym racjonalnym, który potrząśnie tobą i powie "to nie było tak", czy jednak pragnie dosiąść się do ogniska i opowiedzieć swoją mroczną historię o duchach i kosmitach.
Autor pozwala sobie na długie wywody pełne nazwisk naukowców, odkrywców, pisarzy i scenarzystów; przytacza różne teorie naukowe, cofa się do dalekiej przeszłości i czasów różnych plemion; kiedy tylko może odnosi się do popkultury i... Cóż, z jednej strony jest to ciekawa porcja wiedzy, a z drugiej - gdzieś tak po trzecim rozdziale odkryłam, że moją ciekawość stopniowo zastępuje znużenie. Bo o ile czasami jego wywody faktycznie stanowiły ciekawe dopełnienie historii, o tyle innym razem pasowały tam jak pięść do nosa. Tragedie/zdarzenia ginęły w potoku bezużytecznych danych.
A co do samych historii:
Okej, wielu z nich nie znałam - w zasadzie na dziesięć rozdziałów, rozpoznałam tylko cztery historie. Z czego tylko trzy kojarzyłam wystarczająco dobrze, by wiedzieć na ile autor fantazjuje, a na ile faktycznie zagłębił się w temat. Więc mogę powiedzieć tylko tyle, że w ich przypadku... Bywało różnie. Na pewno w pewnym stopniu wyszła historia z udziałem Slender Mana. Chociaż miała przydługi wstęp oraz nijakie zakończenie, sam opis zdarzenia był zgodny z prawdą. Co prawda był okropnie krótki, no ale okej. Tymczasem historia Elisy Lam wywołała u mnie mieszane uczucia, bo autor naprawdę długo unikał podania pewnych faktów; wolał rozpisywać się o historii hotelu i miliona pobocznych rzeczy, dodać całą tę magiczną otoczkę, niż zwyczajnie wspomnieć o jej chorobie. Z drugiej strony podsumowanie było całkiem satysfakcjonujące.
Ale przed tymi rozdziałami pojawia się sprawa Anneliese i... Nie. Po prostu nie. Pomijając intelektualne popisy autora z tego rozdziału, sam opis sprawy jest koszmarny. Istotne kwestie są opisywane w taki sposób, jakby autor mówił o pogodzie, a jeszcze ważniejsze rzeczy, które mogłyby nadać więcej kontekstu tej sprawie (ale i przy okazji odebrać jej całą tajemniczość)... nie są tu w ogóle wspomniane. Czytając ten rozdział, czułam się, jakby ktoś przeczytał krótką notatkę na blogu albo obejrzał jeden filmik na youtube i stwierdził "tak, to jest wystarczające źródło wiedzy". Za samo przedstawienie tej historii, mam ochotę "Niewyjaśnionym" dać solidne "ziemniak/10".
Jest jeszcze jedna historia, którą kojarzyłam, no ale w nią nigdy się specjalnie nie zagłębiałam, więc,,, whatever.
Za to do tych, których nie znałam mam równie mieszane uczucia. Być może to przez sposób, w jaki autor, je opisał, ale... Dosłownie nie mam pojęcia, czym niby większość z nich tak bardzo różni się od każdej innej historii o kosmitach czy innych niewyjaśnionych zdarzeniach. Niby autor próbuje to jakoś uzasadnić, nakreślić jakiś obraz "czegoś bardziej tajemniczego, czego nie da się rozwiązać", ale... No niezbyt to wychodzi, gdy bohaterami za każdym razem są najbardziej stereotypowo prezentujące się osoby, a zaprezentowane fakty szybko zaczynają się łączyć w całkiem zwyczajny obraz. Chyba tylko drugi rozdział jakoś się temu wymyka.
Jeśli chodzi o styl autora, to mam wrażenie, że na nim najmocniej odbija się niezdecydowanie. Czasami mamy tu bardzo staranne rozważania, ładne porównania, a chwilę później teksty, niczym podczas pogawędki w barze. Efekt tego jest tak zabawny, że w kilku miejscach musiałam się zatrzymać, bo uświadamiałam sobie, że duszę się ze śmiechu.
Also *uwielbiam* tendencję autora do podkreślenia, że każda osoba, która próbowała gonić za duchami albo kosmitami w jednej z dziesięciu historii, była a) ogólnie całkiem racjonalna i miała szczere spojrzenie b) jakimś dawnym naukowcem c) ateistą. Jakby którakolwiek z tych rzeczy cokolwiek zmieniała.
Tak więc yeah, jestem zirytowana. Zwłaszcza że byłam bardzo pozytywnie nastawiona do tej książki i długo czekałam, by móc ją wreszcie przeczytać. I liczyłam na fakty, na prawdziwie niewyjaśnione historie oraz jakąś staranność. A ostatecznie dostałam informacyjny chaos. No ale przynajmniej okładka jest ładna.
Slender Man siedzi w lesie, dzieci spotykają kosmitów, matki wyrzucają noworodki przez okna, staruszki wkurzone wojną przywołują demony, a ja jestem zirytowana.
Z jednej strony naprawdę widzę, że autor się postarał i posiada ogromną wiedzę o, w zasadzie, wszystkim, co tylko się da. Ale z drugiej - mam wrażenie, że on sam już nie wie, czy chce być tym racjonalnym, który potrząśnie tobą i powie "to nie było tak", czy jednak pragnie dosiąść się do ogniska i opowiedzieć swoją mroczną historię o duchach i kosmitach.
Autor pozwala sobie na długie wywody pełne nazwisk naukowców, odkrywców, pisarzy i scenarzystów; przytacza różne teorie naukowe, cofa się do dalekiej przeszłości i czasów różnych plemion; kiedy tylko może odnosi się do popkultury i... Cóż, z jednej strony jest to ciekawa porcja wiedzy, a z drugiej - gdzieś tak po trzecim rozdziale odkryłam, że moją ciekawość stopniowo zastępuje znużenie. Bo o ile czasami jego wywody faktycznie stanowiły ciekawe dopełnienie historii, o tyle innym razem pasowały tam jak pięść do nosa. Tragedie/zdarzenia ginęły w potoku bezużytecznych danych.
A co do samych historii:
Okej, wielu z nich nie znałam - w zasadzie na dziesięć rozdziałów, rozpoznałam tylko cztery historie. Z czego tylko trzy kojarzyłam wystarczająco dobrze, by wiedzieć na ile autor fantazjuje, a na ile faktycznie zagłębił się w temat. Więc mogę powiedzieć tylko tyle, że w ich przypadku... Bywało różnie. Na pewno w pewnym stopniu wyszła historia z udziałem Slender Mana. Chociaż miała przydługi wstęp oraz nijakie zakończenie, sam opis zdarzenia był zgodny z prawdą. Co prawda był okropnie krótki, no ale okej. Tymczasem historia Elisy Lam wywołała u mnie mieszane uczucia, bo autor naprawdę długo unikał podania pewnych faktów; wolał rozpisywać się o historii hotelu i miliona pobocznych rzeczy, dodać całą tę magiczną otoczkę, niż zwyczajnie wspomnieć o jej chorobie. Z drugiej strony podsumowanie było całkiem satysfakcjonujące.
Ale przed tymi rozdziałami pojawia się sprawa Anneliese i... Nie. Po prostu nie. Pomijając intelektualne popisy autora z tego rozdziału, sam opis sprawy jest koszmarny. Istotne kwestie są opisywane w taki sposób, jakby autor mówił o pogodzie, a jeszcze ważniejsze rzeczy, które mogłyby nadać więcej kontekstu tej sprawie (ale i przy okazji odebrać jej całą tajemniczość)... nie są tu w ogóle wspomniane. Czytając ten rozdział, czułam się, jakby ktoś przeczytał krótką notatkę na blogu albo obejrzał jeden filmik na youtube i stwierdził "tak, to jest wystarczające źródło wiedzy". Za samo przedstawienie tej historii, mam ochotę "Niewyjaśnionym" dać solidne "ziemniak/10".
Jest jeszcze jedna historia, którą kojarzyłam, no ale w nią nigdy się specjalnie nie zagłębiałam, więc,,, whatever.
Za to do tych, których nie znałam mam równie mieszane uczucia. Być może to przez sposób, w jaki autor, je opisał, ale... Dosłownie nie mam pojęcia, czym niby większość z nich tak bardzo różni się od każdej innej historii o kosmitach czy innych niewyjaśnionych zdarzeniach. Niby autor próbuje to jakoś uzasadnić, nakreślić jakiś obraz "czegoś bardziej tajemniczego, czego nie da się rozwiązać", ale... No niezbyt to wychodzi, gdy bohaterami za każdym razem są najbardziej stereotypowo prezentujące się osoby, a zaprezentowane fakty szybko zaczynają się łączyć w całkiem zwyczajny obraz. Chyba tylko drugi rozdział jakoś się temu wymyka.
Jeśli chodzi o styl autora, to mam wrażenie, że na nim najmocniej odbija się niezdecydowanie. Czasami mamy tu bardzo staranne rozważania, ładne porównania, a chwilę później teksty, niczym podczas pogawędki w barze. Efekt tego jest tak zabawny, że w kilku miejscach musiałam się zatrzymać, bo uświadamiałam sobie, że duszę się ze śmiechu.
Also *uwielbiam* tendencję autora do podkreślenia, że każda osoba, która próbowała gonić za duchami albo kosmitami w jednej z dziesięciu historii, była a) ogólnie całkiem racjonalna i miała szczere spojrzenie b) jakimś dawnym naukowcem c) ateistą. Jakby którakolwiek z tych rzeczy cokolwiek zmieniała.
Tak więc yeah, jestem zirytowana. Zwłaszcza że byłam bardzo pozytywnie nastawiona do tej książki i długo czekałam, by móc ją wreszcie przeczytać. I liczyłam na fakty, na prawdziwie niewyjaśnione historie oraz jakąś staranność. A ostatecznie dostałam informacyjny chaos. No ale przynajmniej okładka jest ładna.
April 27, 2019
So, I'm a long time listener of the unexplained podcast. When Smith started talking about a book that would delve deeper into the background of some stories, I was all in. My copy is signed. I got it at a launch event which I attended. I should be all about this book.
The first thing I will say is the editor needs to be fired. The book could useful have been cut but 1/3rd, possibly more. The prose is stilted, the sentences run on, there are a lot of missing or misplaced commas so even the copy editor needs a kicking. I think some of the lack of editing was intended as an attempt to preserve the feel of the podcast but what I'll tolerate playing in my ear while I shop and what I'm willing to pay £17 for the privilidge of reading are two different things. The language needed to be simplified, the pacing improved, and someone needed to have a discussion about the weird decision to tell all the stories in third person present.
Now, to the meat.
Unexplained has ten chapters, each dealing with an 'unexplained' story (I would contend that done of them have pretty simple explanations, like the severely merely ill young German woman whose parents and the church conspired to deny her medical treatment and feed the delusion that she was possessed by demons). The chapter starts with a general introduction, often talking about a piece of history or a philosophical question. The story is then told as a piece of creative non-fiction. That is, an event which is professed to have truly happened presented using the conventions of fiction such as direct speech. Smith is not an excellent fiction writer. His dialogue his stilted, he head hops continually, he isn't grounded enough in the characters for this style to have any value over a more traditional mode of presentation for non-fiction. It's like he's gone half way to creative non-fiction but doesn't want to commit.
Then we get the pontificating at the end. This is what I was here for. This was the thing I wanted. Smith was going to look at, say, reincarnation (chapter one) and ask what reincarnation stories tell us about what it is to be human. Instead, I got a piece of prose that jumps all around the place asking what it is to possess a body and whether we'll be able one day to upload our brains to computers. What that has to do with reincarnation I don't know but each chapter end was similar, looking at vague bits of science or news tangentially related to the topic instead of trying to grapple with what the topic means about us as humans. It was, frankly, disappointing.
I stopped reading at chapter nine, which was about slenderman. A creature made up by the internet. Slenderman is a really interesting case study about the way the human brain works and how unreliable things like witness testimony are (people will swear down they saw slenderman, a fictional creature from the internet, which calls into question basically everything else in this book which relies on eyewitness testimony). It's also a great look at how a folklore gets constructed. I didn't trust Smith to handle any of that with any kind of delicacy so I stopped reading.
If you haven't heard of these cases, and to be fair I think some of them are at least reasonably obscure, and don't protest to Smith's writing style like I do, this could be an interesting book. However, it didn't meet the expectations I had on buying it and I felt the prose needed improvement so I will not be finishing it and have rated accordingly.
The first thing I will say is the editor needs to be fired. The book could useful have been cut but 1/3rd, possibly more. The prose is stilted, the sentences run on, there are a lot of missing or misplaced commas so even the copy editor needs a kicking. I think some of the lack of editing was intended as an attempt to preserve the feel of the podcast but what I'll tolerate playing in my ear while I shop and what I'm willing to pay £17 for the privilidge of reading are two different things. The language needed to be simplified, the pacing improved, and someone needed to have a discussion about the weird decision to tell all the stories in third person present.
Now, to the meat.
Unexplained has ten chapters, each dealing with an 'unexplained' story (I would contend that done of them have pretty simple explanations, like the severely merely ill young German woman whose parents and the church conspired to deny her medical treatment and feed the delusion that she was possessed by demons). The chapter starts with a general introduction, often talking about a piece of history or a philosophical question. The story is then told as a piece of creative non-fiction. That is, an event which is professed to have truly happened presented using the conventions of fiction such as direct speech. Smith is not an excellent fiction writer. His dialogue his stilted, he head hops continually, he isn't grounded enough in the characters for this style to have any value over a more traditional mode of presentation for non-fiction. It's like he's gone half way to creative non-fiction but doesn't want to commit.
Then we get the pontificating at the end. This is what I was here for. This was the thing I wanted. Smith was going to look at, say, reincarnation (chapter one) and ask what reincarnation stories tell us about what it is to be human. Instead, I got a piece of prose that jumps all around the place asking what it is to possess a body and whether we'll be able one day to upload our brains to computers. What that has to do with reincarnation I don't know but each chapter end was similar, looking at vague bits of science or news tangentially related to the topic instead of trying to grapple with what the topic means about us as humans. It was, frankly, disappointing.
I stopped reading at chapter nine, which was about slenderman. A creature made up by the internet. Slenderman is a really interesting case study about the way the human brain works and how unreliable things like witness testimony are (people will swear down they saw slenderman, a fictional creature from the internet, which calls into question basically everything else in this book which relies on eyewitness testimony). It's also a great look at how a folklore gets constructed. I didn't trust Smith to handle any of that with any kind of delicacy so I stopped reading.
If you haven't heard of these cases, and to be fair I think some of them are at least reasonably obscure, and don't protest to Smith's writing style like I do, this could be an interesting book. However, it didn't meet the expectations I had on buying it and I felt the prose needed improvement so I will not be finishing it and have rated accordingly.
February 28, 2021
4,5/5
To była książka, której ja potrzebowałam. Dziesięć dziwnych historii, które trudno wyjaśnić, ponieważ znacznie wykraczają poza świat, który znamy. Niektóre zjawiska dobrze nam znane, ale o innych nigdy nie słyszano. Przy niektórych aż dreszcz przechodził mi po plecach, a strach ogarniał mój umysł. Czy prawdziwe czy nie? Tego nikt do końca nie jest w stanie ustalić. Do tego wszystko jest napisane w taki sposób, że przez lekturę się płynie. Ja jestem zachwycona i osobiście polecam, jeśli ktoś ma okazję ja przeczytać.
To była książka, której ja potrzebowałam. Dziesięć dziwnych historii, które trudno wyjaśnić, ponieważ znacznie wykraczają poza świat, który znamy. Niektóre zjawiska dobrze nam znane, ale o innych nigdy nie słyszano. Przy niektórych aż dreszcz przechodził mi po plecach, a strach ogarniał mój umysł. Czy prawdziwe czy nie? Tego nikt do końca nie jest w stanie ustalić. Do tego wszystko jest napisane w taki sposób, że przez lekturę się płynie. Ja jestem zachwycona i osobiście polecam, jeśli ktoś ma okazję ja przeczytać.
December 29, 2019
As a long-time fan of the podcast, whose only complaint is that they're too short, this book did not disappoint. Each chapter is a fascinating, smart, deep dive into science, physics, philosophy, theology, and more, and the connections made are as thought-provoking as the stories are terrifying. I really wish more "true paranormal" books were this insightful and well written, instead of the usual barely readable sludge. I look forward to reading pretty much anything else the author writes.
January 11, 2019
Some reasonably diverting content, but a little slow. Perhaps something is lost in the translation from podcast, which I was unfamiliar with before stumbling on the book and its promise of a delve into the unexplained. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.
My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an unbiased review.
My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 16, 2018
Review to come.
November 28, 2023
Out of all the non-fiction paranormal books I've read, this one has to be my favourite. My only criticism is that sometimes it could be a little dry, but honestly, it wasn't often enough for me to take a star off for it. It's the kind of dry where taking a short break and going back to it would probably suffice. There's just a lot of information to cover; a little dryness here and there is an occupational hazard.
Usually books like this don't really bring much to the table. They go over the same old facts, and the only real difference (and therefore the level of enjoyment) is determined by how much detail there is. Sometimes a book will have come across another source, or a lesser-known story, and the writing will be engaging, and that's good! But it doesn't really bring anything new to the discussion. On the flip side, some books will lean too heavy on pet theories and only look at the evidence from that specific theory, and while sometimes that can be ignored, other times it's a bit much.
This book fell into neither trap. The selected stories were fascinating, covering both classic incidents and ones that even I hadn't heard of; even the ones I had heard of had lots of new information that I was reading about for the first time. As I've said previously, I'm not usually into UFOs as much as I am ghosts and cryptids and other paranormal elements -- this book had me absolutely hooked on a straight-up UFO story, because it was so engaging and such an interesting case. Following each meticulously researched story was a lot of really interesting information, speculation, and context. The incidents were put into their social context; there was a lot of philosophising that asked questions about the nature of such things, about why we might be drawn to them, about what could have potentially caused them and why we might be open to them. Especially fascinating was the discussion regarding the internet's role in such things; the book went into detail about creepypasta and the rise of internet folklore, and it's the first time I've seen this subject touched upon in a book like this and I was thrilled, considering that's one of the subjects I'm fascinated by. There were lots of interesting things to say about it.
Because these are ten very different chapters, I'll review each one briefly on its own, to avoid this becoming a huge wall of text that doesn't make much sense:
Introduction: Containing a fascinating personal story from the author, the introduction does a good job of setting out the reasons for writing the book and the sort of questions that will be explored, and the book remains true to these intentions throughout. It was really interesting to see a story from the author's family, too -- and such a remarkable one, at that.
1. Resurrected Dreams: On the subject of reincarnation -- I really do not know what to make of this chapter. The evidence is compelling and inexplicable; there really is no way that such things could be the result of a lucky guess. This chapter also goes into a lot of detail about the nature of death, about humanity's desire to avoid it or escape it, and what this might say about cultural beliefs and experiences regarding reincarnation.
2. The Box: I knew what this would be as soon as I read the beginning, where our innocent protagonist found a strange box at an estate stale that looked like nothing more than a Jewish wine cabinet. I said to myself, "Oh no. I bet this is a dybbuk box." Guess what it was? Now, dybbuks are one of the things that scare the hell out of me, so needless to say this chapter had me on edge. I'm familiar with this story (I've read about it online -- it was the haunted eBay sale from the mid-00s) so I knew some of what happened, but there's so much more detail in this book. It was terrifying.
3. Out of the Trees and on into Dark: The story of the UFO sighting at an RAF base in Suffolk, England. I had some vague knowledge of this, but because UFOs aren't my main thing, I didn't really know that much about it and nor did I think I would be that interested. I was totally wrong. The detail in this account is phenomenal, and the atmosphere is beyond eerie. The fact that there seems to be no rational explanation for the sightings (that lasted several days) and the fact that most of the witnesses were reasonable military men who are unlikely to mistake aircraft for UFOs... it really is a strange case.
4. Look Me in the I: The possession of Anneliese Michel, told in vivid and heartbreaking detail. What I noticed for the first time in this account was the book's neutrality -- I had been subconsciously aware of it before, but this chapter cemented it. The book presents the facts from the point of view that it's paranormal, but never outright states that it is beyond all doubt. In this chapter there was a careful effort to include the things that couldn't be explained (Anneliese's ability to sound completely different, or the fact that audio patterns picked up that her voice sounded as though more than one person was talking at a time) alongside the things that perhaps could (the way she was acting in other ways quite clearly suggested mental illness). It's an impressive line to walk.
5. To Morn Names: The unidentified man found dead on a beach in Australia. The mystery is well laid-out, and the speculation and narrative done respectfully. This is one of those unsolved mysteries I think about from time to time -- as frustrating as it is to still be without answers, it was nice to see this story included with the same meticulous care as the other accounts.
6. All That We See: The Ariel School mystery, where a large group of schoolchildren witnessed the landing of a UFO and the alien beings piloting it. I had never heard of this incident before, and it was fascinating and incredibly unnerving. It's one of those accounts where I really cannot think of a rational explanation for what those children saw -- especially as their accounts have remained consistent throughout, and some of the children still show genuine trauma from the incident even as grown adults. Very unnerving.
7. If These Walls Could Scream: A incredibly well-written account of the disappearance of Elisa Lam. This is something I was very familiar with, as the footage of Elisa in the elevator at her hotel went viral a few years back; I knew the basics, and I knew that it was an incredibly strange situation, but I didn't realise how strange. This account really brought home the human element, as well -- it's easy to forget, when we're creeping ourselves out and speculating -- that this is a real event that resulted in real heartbreak. This account does justice to presenting the facts in all their inexplicable frankness, but also to respecting the people at the heart of it.
8. Into the Badlands: Skinwalker Ranch! I've been fascinated by this case for years, ever since I went down the rabbit hole to write a semi-popular blog post on the subject. I was excited to see it included here, and it did not disappoint. There were so many new details I'd never read about before, and it was more terrifying than I initially expected. This is probably one of my favourite paranormal accounts of all time, and I loved reading about it in all this detail. If you get this book only for this chapter and the previous one, you wouldn't be disappointed.
9. The Nous Fear: I did not expect to see this, and it was a surreal experience. This chapter deals with what became known as the Slender Man Stabbing -- I'm sure we all remember when two young girls in Wisconsin attempted to stab their friend to death because they thought it would allow them to become "proxies" of Slender Man, and they could go off and live in his forest mansion. Pretty wild, but I'm sure a lot of people just see it as some weird kids whose internet access wasn't monitored as it should. Turns out (as I suspected) it goes a lot deeper than that, and I found this chapter to be the most fascinating. It explores in detail the role of the internet in horror culture, and how things can take on a life of their own so easily; it looks at creepypasta, and the idea of digital folklore, and how the internet has changed not only everything about how we live but also how we tell stories. It's a very intelligent chapter that raises a lot of good questions and concepts, and I haven't seen anything in a book like this that's made me think quite as much as this did. As for it being a surreal experience -- I was on the thread where Slender Man was created. I helped contribute to his lore when he was still in the early stages. Absolutely wild to see that time period outlined in a book!
10. Every Story is a Ghost Story: An account of the poltergeist haunting of Hannath Hall, which was a case I had no idea about! This is a rare thing for me now, so I read it with much fascination. It's a good, creepy, solid poltergeist story, and a good choice for the final chapter. There's a lot of discussion on the nature of hauntings, what it means to be haunted, the different expectations and experiences of such things, how everything could be said to be haunted... nice and eerie.
I'd definitely recommend this for anyone who likes a good scare. Even if the analysis and the speculation isn't quite your thing, the actual accounts of the incidents are lengthy and very well-written, so you really won't be disappointed reading just those.
Usually books like this don't really bring much to the table. They go over the same old facts, and the only real difference (and therefore the level of enjoyment) is determined by how much detail there is. Sometimes a book will have come across another source, or a lesser-known story, and the writing will be engaging, and that's good! But it doesn't really bring anything new to the discussion. On the flip side, some books will lean too heavy on pet theories and only look at the evidence from that specific theory, and while sometimes that can be ignored, other times it's a bit much.
This book fell into neither trap. The selected stories were fascinating, covering both classic incidents and ones that even I hadn't heard of; even the ones I had heard of had lots of new information that I was reading about for the first time. As I've said previously, I'm not usually into UFOs as much as I am ghosts and cryptids and other paranormal elements -- this book had me absolutely hooked on a straight-up UFO story, because it was so engaging and such an interesting case. Following each meticulously researched story was a lot of really interesting information, speculation, and context. The incidents were put into their social context; there was a lot of philosophising that asked questions about the nature of such things, about why we might be drawn to them, about what could have potentially caused them and why we might be open to them. Especially fascinating was the discussion regarding the internet's role in such things; the book went into detail about creepypasta and the rise of internet folklore, and it's the first time I've seen this subject touched upon in a book like this and I was thrilled, considering that's one of the subjects I'm fascinated by. There were lots of interesting things to say about it.
Because these are ten very different chapters, I'll review each one briefly on its own, to avoid this becoming a huge wall of text that doesn't make much sense:
Introduction: Containing a fascinating personal story from the author, the introduction does a good job of setting out the reasons for writing the book and the sort of questions that will be explored, and the book remains true to these intentions throughout. It was really interesting to see a story from the author's family, too -- and such a remarkable one, at that.
1. Resurrected Dreams: On the subject of reincarnation -- I really do not know what to make of this chapter. The evidence is compelling and inexplicable; there really is no way that such things could be the result of a lucky guess. This chapter also goes into a lot of detail about the nature of death, about humanity's desire to avoid it or escape it, and what this might say about cultural beliefs and experiences regarding reincarnation.
2. The Box: I knew what this would be as soon as I read the beginning, where our innocent protagonist found a strange box at an estate stale that looked like nothing more than a Jewish wine cabinet. I said to myself, "Oh no. I bet this is a dybbuk box." Guess what it was? Now, dybbuks are one of the things that scare the hell out of me, so needless to say this chapter had me on edge. I'm familiar with this story (I've read about it online -- it was the haunted eBay sale from the mid-00s) so I knew some of what happened, but there's so much more detail in this book. It was terrifying.
3. Out of the Trees and on into Dark: The story of the UFO sighting at an RAF base in Suffolk, England. I had some vague knowledge of this, but because UFOs aren't my main thing, I didn't really know that much about it and nor did I think I would be that interested. I was totally wrong. The detail in this account is phenomenal, and the atmosphere is beyond eerie. The fact that there seems to be no rational explanation for the sightings (that lasted several days) and the fact that most of the witnesses were reasonable military men who are unlikely to mistake aircraft for UFOs... it really is a strange case.
4. Look Me in the I: The possession of Anneliese Michel, told in vivid and heartbreaking detail. What I noticed for the first time in this account was the book's neutrality -- I had been subconsciously aware of it before, but this chapter cemented it. The book presents the facts from the point of view that it's paranormal, but never outright states that it is beyond all doubt. In this chapter there was a careful effort to include the things that couldn't be explained (Anneliese's ability to sound completely different, or the fact that audio patterns picked up that her voice sounded as though more than one person was talking at a time) alongside the things that perhaps could (the way she was acting in other ways quite clearly suggested mental illness). It's an impressive line to walk.
5. To Morn Names: The unidentified man found dead on a beach in Australia. The mystery is well laid-out, and the speculation and narrative done respectfully. This is one of those unsolved mysteries I think about from time to time -- as frustrating as it is to still be without answers, it was nice to see this story included with the same meticulous care as the other accounts.
6. All That We See: The Ariel School mystery, where a large group of schoolchildren witnessed the landing of a UFO and the alien beings piloting it. I had never heard of this incident before, and it was fascinating and incredibly unnerving. It's one of those accounts where I really cannot think of a rational explanation for what those children saw -- especially as their accounts have remained consistent throughout, and some of the children still show genuine trauma from the incident even as grown adults. Very unnerving.
7. If These Walls Could Scream: A incredibly well-written account of the disappearance of Elisa Lam. This is something I was very familiar with, as the footage of Elisa in the elevator at her hotel went viral a few years back; I knew the basics, and I knew that it was an incredibly strange situation, but I didn't realise how strange. This account really brought home the human element, as well -- it's easy to forget, when we're creeping ourselves out and speculating -- that this is a real event that resulted in real heartbreak. This account does justice to presenting the facts in all their inexplicable frankness, but also to respecting the people at the heart of it.
8. Into the Badlands: Skinwalker Ranch! I've been fascinated by this case for years, ever since I went down the rabbit hole to write a semi-popular blog post on the subject. I was excited to see it included here, and it did not disappoint. There were so many new details I'd never read about before, and it was more terrifying than I initially expected. This is probably one of my favourite paranormal accounts of all time, and I loved reading about it in all this detail. If you get this book only for this chapter and the previous one, you wouldn't be disappointed.
9. The Nous Fear: I did not expect to see this, and it was a surreal experience. This chapter deals with what became known as the Slender Man Stabbing -- I'm sure we all remember when two young girls in Wisconsin attempted to stab their friend to death because they thought it would allow them to become "proxies" of Slender Man, and they could go off and live in his forest mansion. Pretty wild, but I'm sure a lot of people just see it as some weird kids whose internet access wasn't monitored as it should. Turns out (as I suspected) it goes a lot deeper than that, and I found this chapter to be the most fascinating. It explores in detail the role of the internet in horror culture, and how things can take on a life of their own so easily; it looks at creepypasta, and the idea of digital folklore, and how the internet has changed not only everything about how we live but also how we tell stories. It's a very intelligent chapter that raises a lot of good questions and concepts, and I haven't seen anything in a book like this that's made me think quite as much as this did. As for it being a surreal experience -- I was on the thread where Slender Man was created. I helped contribute to his lore when he was still in the early stages. Absolutely wild to see that time period outlined in a book!
10. Every Story is a Ghost Story: An account of the poltergeist haunting of Hannath Hall, which was a case I had no idea about! This is a rare thing for me now, so I read it with much fascination. It's a good, creepy, solid poltergeist story, and a good choice for the final chapter. There's a lot of discussion on the nature of hauntings, what it means to be haunted, the different expectations and experiences of such things, how everything could be said to be haunted... nice and eerie.
I'd definitely recommend this for anyone who likes a good scare. Even if the analysis and the speculation isn't quite your thing, the actual accounts of the incidents are lengthy and very well-written, so you really won't be disappointed reading just those.
December 30, 2019
Being a regular listener of the podcast, I was very confident in purchasing this book - and I was delighted to discover just how well Richard's enigmatic narrative effortlessly translates to the written page.
If I had but just one criticism, it would be this: all of the ten stories covered in this volume have been extensively covered before; indeed, they're so well known that most have had entire books dedicated to them in their own right.
Having said this, Richard's additional commentary is as entertaining as it is intelligent - in particular, chapter 9 includes some extremely insightful and thought-provoking observations.
All in all, a very enjoyable read.
If I had but just one criticism, it would be this: all of the ten stories covered in this volume have been extensively covered before; indeed, they're so well known that most have had entire books dedicated to them in their own right.
Having said this, Richard's additional commentary is as entertaining as it is intelligent - in particular, chapter 9 includes some extremely insightful and thought-provoking observations.
All in all, a very enjoyable read.
August 29, 2021
Fun times. Great stories, although the author, Richard Maclean………….. Smith had a tendency to append each chapter’s spooky story with some philosophical ramblings that don’t do much to enhance the story itself. Rather, they serve as slightly odd interludes between spooky stories. Perhaps a bit like an underdone Colin Wilson too eager to impress. It’s his first book, I bet he’ll get better.
September 4, 2022
So I really enjoyed the 10 stories of unexplained events, but then the author goes on these weird explanations of science and I struggled to see how some of it was relevant. Maybe I’m not smart enough and missed the point but it felt like the stories were very well told, then the author wanted to make me feel dumb. Would have had 4 stars if not for this.
January 29, 2021
Based on Smith's podcast, on the ten chapters of this book he covers everything from demonic possession to Slender Man to aliens. It's an absorbing read, if a little long winded at times, that proves quite thought provoking.
September 16, 2019
Przyjemna odprężająca lektura :)
September 28, 2020
Ocena: Mocno średnie, taka trója na szynach.
Wrażenia: Ogrom dygresji (mniej lub bardziej ciekawych), za dużo pisania o UFO i zbyt mało sceptyczne podejście jak dla mnie.
Dla kogo: Dla fanów podcastu. Jako opowieści z dreszczykiem książka się nie sprawdza przez rozwlekłe offtopy autora (z połowa książki?)
Wrażenia: Ogrom dygresji (mniej lub bardziej ciekawych), za dużo pisania o UFO i zbyt mało sceptyczne podejście jak dla mnie.
Dla kogo: Dla fanów podcastu. Jako opowieści z dreszczykiem książka się nie sprawdza przez rozwlekłe offtopy autora (z połowa książki?)
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