Nick Redfern's Blog, page 121

Reviewed: Encounters With Flying Humanoids

  If you haven't yet got hold of a copy of Ken Gerhard's new book, Encounters With Flying Humanoids , then you really should!  There's a new review of it - from me - over at Mysterious Universe , which you can find right here.  And here's an extract from the review: "A few days ago, I received a review copy of the new book from cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard . Published by Llewellyn, its title is Encounters With Flying Humanoids . Ken is the author of a number of previous books, including Monsters Are Real, Big Bird!, and (with me) Monster of Texas. And, I’m very pleased to say, the book does not disappoint. Indeed, I read the whole thing in one sitting – which is a sure sign that the book is a very good one!    "As you will surmise from the title, Ken’s latest release is a study of all manner of weird winged things that appear to be at least partly human-like, but part-something very different, too. Before I get to the book itself, it’s worth noting that Encounters With Flying Humanoids is an excellent companion to Ken’s Big Bird! book , which deals with sightings of winged monsters of the specifically giant-bird and pterodactyl variety. So, with that said, onto Ken’s newest."

A Monster-Sized Anniversary

Over at Mysterious Universe , I have a new article that tells a very weird story- but one that is little-known outside of the UK - of a series of events that began in Wales a quarter of a century ago this week. How would I describe it? Maybe like "Animal Mutilations meet the Lambton Worm!"

Here's how the article begins:

"Twenty-five years ago this very week, a  deeply strange series of events kicked-off in Rhayader, which just happens to be the oldest town in mid-Wales. The location for all the unsettling weirdness was highly appropriate, since the town and its immediate surroundings are steeped in centuries-old myths, legends, fables and folklore. On top of that, the area is peppered with ancient, standing stones, which were carved and put into place by the ancients.

"Numerous axe-heads, many dating back more than 5,000 years, have been unearthed from the green fields of Rhayader. On top of that, back in 1899, on the town’s Gwastedyn Hill,  a wealth of fine, gold treasures and jewels was dug up. It was a discovery that led to theories that the priceless find had once been the belongings of a long-dead, 5th century princess – one Rowena, who was the wife of a local and ruthless ruler of that bygone era, High King Vortigern."

And here's the complete article...

Audio Books Now Available

For those who prefer to listen to books, you may be interested to know that two of my books are now available for download in audio format. They are:

1. The Pyramids and the Pentagon .

2. Keep Out!

Karl Shuker's Mirabilis

My new Lair of the Beasts article at Mania.com focuses on the new book from Karl Shuker, Mirabilis: A Carnival of Cryptozoology and Unnatural History , which is published by Anomalist Books. This is a great book, packed with amazing accounts and is heavily illustrated. If you don't have it, you should!

Smugglers and Strange Creatures

And another new post from me at Mysterious Universe, which begins...

"Just recently, I had a fascinating conversation with a fellow researcher of so-called “British Bigfoot” reports - which is a particular and favorite area of investigation for me, and which was the subject of my 2012 book, Wildman . It turns out that he has been studying a number of stories relative to hairy 'wild men,' cannibalistic sub-humans, and other, similar, horrific humanoids reported in the English county of Devon way back in the 1600s and the 1700s. In doing so he has uncovered something very interesting and eye-opening.

"If I sound just a little bit mysterious here, it’s because my colleague in question is preparing a major paper on all of this, hence why – right now – I’m being more than fairly vague about his identity. His paper should, however, appear in a major periodical before the end of this year. And, no, I’m not blowing any whistles by telling you the basics of the story. He’s cool with it."

Crashed UFOs in the UK???

There's another new article from me at Mysterious Universe , this one surrounding a highly controversial issue: so-called "British Roswell"-type events. It starts like this:

"Back in 1996, I received a number of stories – some from retired, British military personnel – suggesting that if I wanted to find out what the British Government really knew about UFOs – and particularly so crashed UFOs - I would be wise to focus my attentions not so much on the work of the Ministry of Defense, but on that of the Home Office. Although the Home Office is chiefly known for its work in the fields of counter-terrorism, immigration, and crime policy, there are indications that its work delves into far deeper, and much more mysterious, areas, too.

"According to several of the accounts provided to me back in ’96, the Home Office oversaw the security surrounding a number of secret, underground bunkers located across the south and southwest of England. They were built as fortified havens for senior military and government personnel, in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK by the Soviets during the Cold War. I was advised, however, that deep within two of the bunkers were stored the remains of a number of alien bodies – all preserved in cryogenic states."

Paranormal Paralysis

"One night in August 2002, after I had gone to bed, I had an extremely curious encounter. It was around 4.00 a.m. and I was awake and yet not awake. And I couldn’t move. I was suddenly aware that something was slowly heading down the corridor that linked the bedroom to the living room. That something, even though I couldn’t see it, I knew was a humanoid figure with the head of a wolf and attired in a long, flowing black cape. It emitted strange and rapid growling noises that seemed to be an unintelligible language, and the creature, whatever its origin was, seemed mightily pissed off about something.

"As it closed in on the room, I made a supreme effort to move my rigid, paralyzed form and finally succeeded, just as the beast entered the bedroom. In an instant it was gone and I was wide-awake. Psychologists call this “sleep paralysis” and would say that the incident was purely a product of my subconscious. The official term for such a state is hypnagogia."

The words above are the opening two paragraphs of my latest Mysterious Universe article , on a phenomenon that many have experienced, but that still remains shrouded in mystery...

Beware of the Pecking Dead...

My latest Lair of the Beasts article at Mania.com

Anomalist Books: Hard-Cover Editions

This just in from Anomalist Books:

"Just as many audiophiles still prefer vinyl records to digital downloads for their music, some book buyers prefer hardback books to trade paperbacks or (horrors!) ebooks. In an effort to please this discriminating audience, we are making a selection of titles from the Anomalist Books catalog available in hardback editions. Those who have held these laminate hardbacks (no dust jacket) in their hands agree that the books are rock solid and beautiful. But please note: these hardback editions will only be available for a limited time."  And here's where you can find a list of those books (which includes two of mine: Monster Diary and Final Events ), and their availability.  

Zombies Vs. Men in Black

Yeah I know: a blog title like that ( Zombies Vs. Men in Black ) sounds like the title of one of those cheap and crappy movies with D-List actors that no-one has ever heard of, and which pop up time and again on certain channels - you know the ones.

But, the subject of this post has nothing to do with movies, good or bad. Rather, it's my new Mysterious Universe article which addresses the question: Are the Men in Black actually zombies?