Nick Redfern's Blog, page 86

Morag the Monster

And another new Mysterious Universe article from me. This one is on a certain Scottish lake monster. And, no, it's not Nessie...

More on the MIB Audio

My latest Mysterious Universe article expands on the new audio-version of Albert Bender's MIB-themed book of 1962, Flying Saucers and the Three Men .

Flying Saucers & the 3 Men

For those who may be interested, Albert Bender's Men in Black-themed book, Flying Saucers and the Three Men , is now available in an audio edition . 5-hours-plus!

Roswell - Moving On To Something Else

My new Mysterious Universe article focuses on why it might be better to let Roswell rest as the enigma it surely always will be, and focus on some other, equally intriguing, cases, such as the Kecksburg, PA case of 1965 - which celebrates its 50th anniversary this coming December.

The Graveyard Werewolf

Every 3 months, or thereabouts, I do an article for New Page Books' " Creature of the Month " section of their blog.

And, there's a brand new one from me, this one on a weird series of sightings of werewolf-like beasts encountered in England's Cannock Chase woods, back in 2007.

Here's the link...

And it starts like this:

"It probably won’t surprise many to learn that the British Isles – which are steeped in legend, myth, and folklore - have traditions of full-blown lycanthropy in their midst that date back more than 1,000 years.
 "One of the most famous of all such beasts has become known as the 'Flixton werewolf.' It was a marauding animal that prowled around the village of Flixton, North Yorkshire, around 940 AD. It struck terror into the hearts of the locals as it went on violent killing sprees, reportedly at the bidding of a sinister magician who was familiar with the black-arts."

A Bipedal Wolf in the United States?

There's a very controversial, new Mysterious Universe article from me . It begins...

"As readers of Mysterious Universe will know, one of the things that particularly fascinates me is the matter of werewolves. Not in mythology. Not in folklore. And not in the movies. We’re talking about werewolves in…reality. Of course, most people scoff at such a fantastic scenario. But, the fact is that there is an undeniably huge body of data on record that suggests these things do exist. Check out the excellent, published work of Linda Godfrey and you’ll see what I mean.

"Now, when I talk about werewolves, I’m most definitely not referring to people who literally shape-shift from human to wolf, sprout hair and fangs, and then change back again. I’m talking about creatures that appear to be wolves of some kind, but that have the ability to walk on their back legs – as in upright form, and not unlike us. Could it really be the case that an unrecognized type of bipedal wolf calls the United States its home?"

Conan Doyle and an Enduring Mystery

There's one more new Mysterious Universe article from me . It's on a subject I have a great deal of interest in: mysterious and controversial "horse mutilations" that occurred in the early 1900s, and only a couple of miles from where I lived as a kid.

The article focuses on the man who the local police blamed for the crime, but who may well have been innocent. His name: George Edalji.

The reason I mention this now, and why it's the subject of my latest MU article, is because British TV have just made a major, 3-part fictional series on the Edalji affair, which begins next week. It will be broadcast in the US, too, in the near future.

Keep a look out for it, titled Arthur and George .

"Arthur" is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the creator of Sherlock Holmes - who was one of the key figures who helped ensure that Edalji was released from prison early.

There's a chapter in my Monster Diary book that addresses the very weird cryptozoology-themed aspects of the saga, which you can find here .

In Search of Lake Monsters - Reviewed

My new Mysterious Universe article is a review of the brand new edition of Peter Costello's 1974 book, In Search of Lake Monsters . It begins as follows...

"Over the course of almost a decade, Anomalist Books have published numerous, excellent, new titles, such as Lyle Blackburn’s The Beast of Boggy Creek and Mac Tonnies’ The Cryptoterrestrials . And they have done something else too: republished a number of high-quality books from years long gone. The list includes John Keel’s Jadoo , Jacques Vallee’s Dimensions , and Brad Steiger’s Strange Guests .

"Well, there is now another book to add to the growing number of older titles that Anomalist Books are bringing to new audiences – and to 'veteran' audiences that might need to replace their well-worn originals! The book in question is Peter Costello’s In Search of Lake Monsters . It’s important to note that the resurfacing of Costello’s book is not an exercise in nostalgia. Anomalist Books are very careful and discerning when it comes to the issue of what should be republished and what should stay firmly forgotten. Costello’s work definitely falls into the first category."

And here's the link to the complete article.

Legend Hunter RIP

Sad news about Ahmad Givens .

I worked with Ahmad and his brother Kamal on a TV show about 5 years ago called Legend Hunters , on an episode about Skinwalkers. It was a cool, fun week out in California. RIP.

Immortality and "the Government"

My new Mysterious Universe article is on one of those things I get from time to time. Namely, a story that is fascinating and controversial, but which led to nothing but dead-ends when I tried to investigate it.

So, what do I do under such circumstances? I put the story out there, for everyone to see, in case anyone might be able to add more (or be able to demonstrate it's some joker's idea of a prank).

Whatever the truth, here it is... a weird tale of an allegedly classified project researching nothing less than immortality...