Paranormal London

Neil Arnold's new book, Paranormal London, is an entertaining trip around Britain's swinging capital, and seeks out some of the high-strangeness that absolutely saturates this ancient and historic city. The book is very well written, in a captivating, atmospheric style that is best suited to a dark and stormy night beside an old, glowing fireplace, in a spooky old mansion on the edge of a cold, windswept moorland.

If UFOs are your thing, you'll find intriguing sections in the book on centuries-old encounters with all-things flying and saucer-shaped; and you'll learn much about London-based sightings - in the early years of the 20th Century - of so-called "Phantom Airships" and much more.

Ghosts and paranormal phenomena feature, too, with much emphasis on the notorious and ominous red-eyed and black-garbed Highgate Vampire, as well as Spring-Heeled Jack and similar anomalous assailants of a bygone era.

But, as someone with a deep interest in cryptozoology and unknown animals, I have to say that it was these sections of Paranormal London that so interested me. Neil delves deep into such controversies as the spectral Bigfoot of the London Underground; phantom black-dogs of the typically glowing-eyed variety; the many and varied out-of-place big-cats and exotic cats that call, or have called, London their home (such as the Surrey Puma, the Tiger of Edgware, the Shooters Hill Cheetah; and even spectral big-cats); very thought-provoking accounts of ghostly bears; the strange, convoluted and captivating story of the Brentford Griffin; as well as encounters with dragons and mermaids.

And, I cannot omit mentioning "King Rat," a hideous giant rodent said to haunt the winding, old sewers of London - and a true abomination, if ever there was one!

So, all in all, Neil Arnold's Paranormal London is a definitively spooky, out-of-this-world, and monstrous look at London and its many and varied attendant mysteries that I guarantee you'll greatly enjoy. Indeed, you'll never look at the old winding streets of London in quite the same way again!

A Daintree Diary

If, like me, you're into entertaining road-trip-style books that take you to far-off places, and encounters with exotic creatures, captivating landscapes, and much more, then Carl Portman's A Daintree Diary is the book for you!

Containing a mountain of cool and enchanting photographs, Carl's title is a genuinely engaging look at what happens when he and his partner, Susan, and their friend Angela, head off to the wilds of the North Australian rain-forest in search of all-things animalistic and unusual.

Rather like a combination of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-meets-Jurassic Park-meets-The Crocodile Hunter, Daintree takes you into the very heart of an on-the-road quest for high-strangeness, high-adventure, and high-entertainment!

Written in an engaging, diary-format, Daintree is a book that will be relished by anyone and everyone who can appreciate what it means to live life to its fullest, who can understand the adrenalin-rush that comes from heading into realms unknown on adventure-filled quests, and who has a passion for the stranger aspects of zoology.

Packed with humor, excitement, danger, and mystery, Carl Portman's A Daintree Diary was a book that kept me transfixed from the first page to the very last. I strongly suspect that it will do likewise for you!

After all: how can you turn up your nose at whistling spiders, giant catfish, the Thylacine and more? That's right: you can't!!

Conan Doyle, Houdini & Giants!

Just recently I received in the mail copies of three new books published by what is surely the most industrious Fortean publishing company in the world: Tim Green Beckley's Global Communications. Indeed, it seems to be the case that barely a week goes by (or maybe, even, an hour!) without some new title hitting the stands courtesy of Tim and GB.

And amongst those new titles are those aforementioned three that found their way to my letterbox a few days ago. They are: The American Goliah; The Paranormal World of Sherlock Holmes; and Revealing the Bizarre Powers of Harry Houdini.

I'll begin with The American Goliah. And, no, that's not a spelling-error: even though the book is a study of everything giant and man-like, "Goliah" - rather than "Goliath" - is the wording used in the original 1869 edition of The American Goliah.

Basically, the book is a detailed and fascinating study of a phenomenon that captivated whole swathes of the U.S. population in the late-1800s, when a gigantic, petrified man was "found" at a certain site in the United States. I include the word "found' in brackets, because the subject is one of deep notoriety and chicanery, and is a real roller-coaster-ride-type tale that is filled to the brim with claims, counter-claims, hoaxers, yarns, money-makers, P.T. Barnum (no less!), and tales of giants walking the earth.

I submitted my own piece for inclusion in the book, as did Scott Corrales. And Tim has done a fine job of presenting a fascinating, entertaining and wonderful old tale to a whole new audience. The American Goliah does not disappoint!



Moving on to The Paranormal World of Sherlock Holmes, this is a superb study of the great man himself - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - and his investigations into the world of mediums, life-after-death (a subject very dear to the heart of Sir Arthur), the notorious affair of the photographs of the Cottingley Fairies, ghosts, ectoplasm, seances and a great deal more, too.

Accompanied by a very cool selection of images and photographs, this is a fine study of how and why Conan Doyle became so fascinated by the realms of the paranormal and the supernatural.

And then we have the Houdini book (which, you will be pleased to know, also contains a bonus-CD of Houdini's last seance), that delves deep into the world of the master-escape-artist - who was highly skeptical of tales from the "other-side" - his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Houdini's exposes of fakers and fantasists, and the nature of belief-systems.



Tim B is to be congratulated for putting into the public domain some old, very-hard-to-find titles that are backed up with new contributions from some well-known names within the field of the paranormal.

If you're even remotely interested in 19th and early-20th Century Forteana, these are all books you definitely cannot afford to miss!

Real Zombies

For just about as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the world of the zombie. Well, actually, I'll confess: largely fascinated by one aspect of the zombie - it's on-screen exploits. In fact, I think I have DVDs of pretty much every zombie movie ever made.

I like the slow, shambling flesh-eaters of Romero's Night of the Living Dead; and I will never forget the atmospheric graveyard scene in the 1966 Hammer Film production of Plague of the Zombies. But, most of all, I love those fast-running monsters of the modern-era of zombie film-making.

Whether it's the real undead of the spectacular 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, or the super-fast fiends of 28 Days Later (who, aren't actually dead at all: they're infected by the devastating "Rage Virus"), they are my kind of zombie!

And: I look forward to the day when some super-plague escapes from a secret underground lab, and spreads among the populace. And, overnight, the world becomes filled with chaos, carnage and flesh-eating ghouls (yes, I know I'm strange...), as society unravels and falls apart, as the fast-runners increase in number, and as the Human Race becomes nothing but a band of scattered survivors (me being one of them, of course!)

But, the slow-walkers and the fast-runners are not the only kind of zombie out there - and this is where we get to Brad Steiger's latest mighty tome, Real Zombies: The Living Dead, and Creatures of the Apocalypse.

Largely thanks to the way in which the zombie has been popularized by Hollywood, there is a tendency on the part of many people to think that what they see on the silver-screen is all that there is to the zombie phenomenon. But, this is actually far from the case; as Brad shows us time and again.

Real Zombies is a superb, extensive and highly detailed study of the zombie in the realm of the aforementioned movies, but also in folklore, legend, mythology, the domains of the occult, voodoo and the supernatural, and - in the final chapters - in the field of conspiracy-theories.

Tribal religions, folk-magic, sacrifice, the ominous raising of the dead, and dark and disturbing real-life mysteries focused upon London's River Thames are only the start of the ominous story. Serpent gods, shadowy goings-on in New Orleans (my wife and I spent our second wedding anniversary there, and I can say for sure that a weird and sinister atmosphere does indeed hang over certain parts of the city), Voodoo Queens, curses, possession and ritual magic all play significant roles in zombie lore and legend.

And, for me, this is what makes Real Zombies such a captivating read: by focusing less on the Hollywood angle, but far more on the little-known - but in many ways more disturbing - aspects of the phenomenon, we're provided with a rare treat indeed.

Wendigos, voraciously-hungry spirits and the actions of deranged flesh-eating lunatics and cannibals are also all parts of the story - a story that is made notable by the fact that it is indeed so complex and multifaceted.

As I mentioned earlier, the final chapters deal with the zombie in the areas of conspiracy and official secrecy. This is a highly thought-provoking part of the book that reveals much pertaining to mind-control experimentation, LSD-based black-ops, Manchurian candidates and the disturbing scenario of jack-booted government types planning to microchip the populace.

All in all, Real Zombies is a superb, and arguably definitive, look at the zombie phenomenon in all its glory and from numerous perspectives. Its place in popular-culture, history, mythology, folklore and present-day society are all placed skilfully under the microscope - demonstrating that as important as the likes of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead most certainly are in zombie lore, the subject is infinitely more complex than many realize.

Like a zombie itself, Brad's book grabs you by the jugular and doesn't let go!

Mars Bar & Mushy Peas

This is a book you have to read!

Paul Screeton's Mars Bar & Mushy Peas (published by Bob Trubshaw's Heart of Albion Press - click this link for more information on the book) is a hilarious, illuminating and superb dissection of the world of urban-legend as it relates to the famous-faces of television, film, the rock music industry, the pop world, and even Fanny Craddock (non-Brits may wonder who on earth I'm talking about here - which is a very good reason for you to get acquainted with the book!).

It's clear from his writings that Paul has a deep affection for, and a fine appreciation of, the whole urban-legend phenomenon - as well as a keen understanding of how and why urban-legends begin, spread and then very often become accepted as the gospel truth. Of course, whether there is any truth to the stories, or perhaps how much, is one of the staple points of the subject and of Paul's book.

This is a very funny and entertaining book, and I laughed out loud on many occasions reading it - and you will, too!

So, what do we find within the pages of Mars Bar and Mushy Peas? Well, let's start with the title. The Mars Bar episode is, of course, that which has become inextricably linked to 60s celebrity Marianne Faithfull who - urban-legend suggests - was once, as the book words it, caught in a "perverted sex act with a chocolate bar".

True? Probably not! But, as with all urban-legends, the story has taken on a life of its own, and is now truly multi-faceted: Jagger & Richards, the cops, the press and more all feature in this saga that is almost certainly destined to never go away; at least, not completely. But, as Paul notes, that's the point with urban-legends: they're tenacious critters that spread and multiply like rabbits!

And, such tales mutate, too: moving on from Mars Bars, we hear other entertainingly amusing stories/legends of unusual items being placed into certain celebrity orifices; including gerbils. Yep, MB&MP gets better and better as the pages turn!

As for the Mushy Peas saga, well, if only it could be true! And maybe, partly, somehow, possibly...it is! Or isn't! Things are never quite clear in the world of the urban-legend. But would we really have it any other way? No, not when it comes to this particularly mushy matter.

This is the legendary story of British politician Peter Mandelson allegedly mistaking a fish-and-chip shop's supply of mushy peas for a bowl of posh avocado mousse. Did he? Didn't he? I don't know, but I do know that the story has more lives than a cat, and that it seems to forever hang around Mandelson's shoulders like a veritable sword of Damocles! It takes a skillful writer to make a whole chapter on a bowl of mushy peas readable, informative and smile-inducing at every gven moment; but Paul manages it! I strongly doubt, however, that he's on Mandelson's Christmas-Card list...

We are also entertained by countless other "if-only-they-could-be-true" stories concerning (in no particular order) TV magician Paul Daniels's wife Debbie McGee and a dog; actress Diana Dors and the tales generated by her real name; the "Paul McCartney is Dead" affair; the Captain Pugwash controversy (a bit of Googling will enlighten you!); the aforementioned Keith Richards and his dad's ashes; an excellent section on Forteana and Charles Fort himself (this chapter, alone, should be firmly digested by anyone and everyone with an interest in urban-legend, the world of the unexplained and the development of stories, tales and mythology); Greyfriars Bobby; the Global-Warming/climate-change controversy, and much, much more.

In conclusion, Mars Bar and Mushy Peas is absorbing, thought-provoking, and deadpan funny in the process. That the author not only has a deep knowledge of the cases that he highlights, but also a fine appreciation of the whole urban-legend phenomenon, makes MB&MP a witty, wonderful and informative title.

Anomalist 14: Electric!

Electricity of the Mind is the brand new volume in the long-running series known to Forteans everywhere as The Anomalist. Indeed, we're now up to Volume 14, and, I'm pleased to say, the quality, quantity and range of topics covered are all as good as ever. I always look forward to a new TA, as they're the kind of title that you can dip into, and read whichever chapter catches your eye first.

For me, it was Aeolus Kephas' excellent and highly-thought-provoking piece that focuses upon two individuals who have most assuredly left a mark on Forteana, non-fiction writing, literature and more: Whitley Strieber and Carlos Castaneda. This is a superbly-written submission that delves deeply into the world of what Kephas describes as the "Literary Shaman."

The author does a fine job of dissecting and analyzing the characters, motivations and body of work of both men; he tackles the issue of fact vs. fiction and how we should interpret their written output; and offers deep thoughts on the profound influence both men have had upon their audiences. Arguably, this contribution alone makes Electricity essential reading.

As someone with a deep fascination for cryptozoology, I read with great interest Chris Payne's piece on the seemingly-never-ending controversy surrounding the alleged continued existence (or not) of the thylacine of Tasmania. Although brief in length, Payne's paper gets right to the point, carefully analyzes the data, and offers a firm opinion regarding the status - and future-status - of the beast. The story isn't over yet. But, as Payne makes clear, it may very well be soon.

Dwight Whalen's contribution concerns a series of aerial apparitions in the skies of Hetlerville, Pennsylvania in 1914 that would have put the Angel of Mons saga to shame - and maybe even did so. I had not previously heard of the Hetlerville sightings - of houses, of children and of angels in the sky, no less - and, so, digesting Whalen's findings on this curious affair was most instructive. Of course, down-to-earth explanations - no, not just looming war-nerves - exist to explain the events. But, in cases like the this, the truth is appropriately very much in the eye of the beholder. But, whatever it was that provoked so much wonder in the skies of Hetlerville all those years ago, Whalen reveals all. A fascinating and little-known slice of early 20th Century Forteana.

Mark Pilkington's History, the Hive Mind, and Agrarian Art, tells the eerie story of the equally-eerie parallels that exist between certain elements of the Crop Circle controversy and the content of a 1973 science-fiction film: Phase IV. Did the film leave its mark on some of the early circle-makers - just like they left their sculptured marks in the fields of jolly old England? And, if so, is this all down to mere chance and coincidence? Or should we consider the possibility that something stranger might be afoot; something that might even have Charles Fort, himself, nodding sagely from beyond the icy grave? Very possibly.

I have to confess that when I saw that Ulrich Magin had written a paper on out-of-place volcanoes, I considered that it would surely be way too dry and academic for such a volume as The Anomalist! But, I was wrong! This is an engaging and captivating piece that looks at the claims of volcanoes spontaneously appearing here, there and everywhere - and then seemingly vanishing without trace. Sounds strange? It is! But, Magin skillfully holds the attention of the reader, reveals a surprisingly large number of such cases, and offers solid explanations for what may be afoot. A fine addition to the book.

As for the rest of EOTM, it's all top-notch, and includes contributions from Theo Paijmans on Forteana and the age of digital-newspapers; Cameron Blount on Peru's Moche and Nazca cultures; Mike Jay on Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the realm of the supernatural; and much, much more.

Well worth investing in, Electricity of the Mind makes for great, late-night, thought-provoking reading. And here's looking forward to issue 15!

Strangely Strangely Excellent!

Back in 2001, Paraview Books published a title called Swamp Gas Times - a collection of articles spanning the decades and a variety of Fortean subjects; but all penned by Patrick Huyghe, now of Anomalist Books. In other words, SGT was a good, solid anthology of Patrick's writing for - amongst others - Saga UFO Report; the New York Times Magazine; Omni; Space.com; and Science Digest.

At the time, I thought: what a great idea! Presenting, under one cover, the collective, feature-based work (and, in some cases, the now-hard-to-find work) of a well-known author in the fields of Ufology, Cryptozoology and more would surely become a trend. But, oddly, it didn't. At least, not back in 2001.

Nevertheless, Patrick's book still stands today as a great example of how just such a title should be presented (it was recently re-published by Anomalist Books). And someone else who recognized this is Jon Downes, my good mate at the Center for Fortean Zoology in Devonshire, England.

Indeed, Jon has now taken the bull by the horns, and has launched an ambitious project to publish anthologies of the work of a whole range of writers within the Fortean world (myself included); something that - as with Patrick's book - will allow readers to see a great deal of the early and obscure writings of the author in question; as well as some of their latter-day output, too.

And, the first volume - I am very pleased to say - is now available: Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal: An Anthology of Writings by Andy Roberts.

I first came across the startling phenomenon known as Andy in the 1980s, when Graham Birdsall's UFO Magazine was still a photocopied fanzine-type publication called Quest, when the CFZ was still a dream to Jon Downes, and when the Fortean scene was very different to that of today.

My first exposure to Andy's writing came in 1987 when, while working in Harlow, Essex, I found a used copy of Andy's Cat Flaps (a study of Britain's "Big-Cat" mystery) in a second-hand book-shop, and which I remember reading late one night in my tiny, cramped room, while the infamous hurricane of October of that year buffeted just about everything around me.

Next, for me at least, was Andy's UFO Brigantia: a witty, informative and entertaining mag that Andy published nigh-on twenty years ago and that probably brought him just about as many friends as enemies. But, hell, Andy didn't care. And rightly so.

Anyway, rather than waffle on any longer about the halcyon days of British Forteana, I'll get to Strangely Strange.

Or, rather, first I'll get to the truly shocking cover of the book; which displays what I can only describe as "The Three Stages Of Andy." The front-cover is a photo of the author and his mum, stood on their doorstep, and which shows, I would estimate, a 4-year-old Andy beaming widely. How could a life in Forteana have so warped such a cherub? Future-mystery-seekers: you have been warned!

As for the back-cover, first we see "Stage 2" Andy, looking eerily like Alan Davies' portrayal of Jonathan Creek, in the BBC TV show of the same name. And then it's on to the present-day, where Andy, with white-whiskers, gray-white bandana pulled down tightly on his head and eyes squinting in the sun, rather resembles a baby-seal, just about to get clobbered on the head by some callous Canadian. But, I digress: onto the book!

Strangely begins with a fascinating Introduction from Andy that details how he came to enter the realm of weird shit, and then propels us firmly into the man's world, his writings, beliefs and life. And, a wild, fun, informative and witty intro it is, too.

The good thing about SS, is that it doesn't just focus on one topic, but delves into everything from the LSD culture to Foo Fighters; from the Big Gray Man of Ben Macdhui to animal-mutilations; from the writings of English fantasy author Alan Garner to the works of John Keel - and much more, too. And that's what makes Strangely Strange not just an average anthology, but a very good one: there's a rich variety of articles and papers negotiating decades and topics.

As someone who, as a kid, was fascinated by the literary output of Alan Garner, I was pleased to see that Andy too has a deep appreciation of the man and his classic Thursbitch title. And in Thursbitch - Valley of the Demon? Andy's deep knowledge and appreciation of Garner's work is evident. And, if you aren't acquainted with Garner's books, Andy's dissection is a fine place to start.

We're also treated to the somewhat embarrassing, yet highly-entertaining and instructive piece on the so-called "Cracoe UFO," which was actually nothing of the sort!

"Cracoe" was one of those blots on the ufological landscape that captured the imaginations of some of the north of England's leading players on the scene many-a-moon ago, but that ultimately - albeit not literally - came crashing to the ground. Indeed, it's a cautionary tale that reveals much about belief-systems, perception and misperception, and much more, too. They don't make 'em like that anymore!

The paper on Scotland's Big Gray Man and associated "mountain-panics" is a scholarly one that should be required reading for anyone and everyone interested in the legend of what many interpret - quite wrongly - as a "British Bigfoot." Again, Andy demonstrates how, as with the Cracoe fiasco, the human mind may play an integral role in the Ben Macdhui affair.

Anyone who knows Andy will be aware that one of his great passions is music (or, at least, what passes for music in the Roberts household - he knows I'm joking!), and this shines throughout the pages of the book; particularly in that material which focuses on Andy's very open comments and observations on the LSD culture of the early 1970s, and his exposure to the music of such bands as Pink Floyd and The Incredible String Band. Indeed, the ISB feature heavily in the book, and it's clear from Andy's careful dissection of their work that they had a profound effect on his life, his philosophy to life and much more.

We also get to see much of Andy's early research into the Foo Fighter phenomenon; a fine interview with John Keel (which originally appeared in UFO Brigantia back in 1992); a lengthy report on the notorious "Berwyn Mountain UFO Crash" of 1974, with which so many (myself included!) within 1990s Forteana became obsessed; and an interview with Andy undertaken by Stuart Miller, in which - again - we get to learn much about the inner-thoughts of Andy in relation to the world around him, and realms beyond.

And, it wouldn't be an Andy Roberts anthology without the inclusion of a piece from the man's The Armchair Ufologist. When British Ufology was running at full-throttle in the mid-to-late 1990s, and when the newsstands were crammed with all manner of UFO monthlies (Sightings, UFO Reality, Alien Encounters, etc - now all long-gone to that big Hangar 18 in the sky), Andy decided to get in on the act, too. Thus was born The Armchair Ufologist.

Tragically, what was without doubt the most entertaining UFO rag of that decade had a very short lifespan. But, it will certainly be remembered by all that read it and who appeared in it. Some of us - like me, Jon Downes, and Irene Bott (of the Staffordshire UFO Group) - rolled around the floor with laughter while reading it (albeit not all at the same time, I should stress...Well, not always...). Others, meanwhile, fumed, raged and ranted about how Dark Lord Roberts was bringing Ufology into complete and utter disrepute.

TAU was, essentially, a gossip-style newsletter that focused on who in Ufology was doing what to who else in Ufology; on the alcolol intake at post-gig, ufological parties; and much more of an entertaining and scandalous nature.

And, in Strangely Strange, we get treated to what was (in my view) without doubt the ultimate highlight of TAU: namely, Andy's review of a notorious party that followed the annual LAPIS gig in Lytham St. Anne's in 1999. This is a priceless piece that - if you weren't there in-person - deserves to be read by one and all. You'll never look at Ufology the same way again!

So, all in all, what do we have with Strangely Strange? Well, we have an excellent collection that covers Andy's writings from 1974 to the present day, that treats us to a wide-range of topics, that informs us and entertains us, that reveals to us what it is that makes Andy tick, and the nature of the beast known as Fortean freelance-writing.

This is an excellent first-volume in what is destined to become a great series. Congrats to all involved.

If you're in the UK, you can purchase Andy Roberts' Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal by clicking on this link; and if you're in the US, click right here.