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The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Paranormal
An otherworldly examination of the unknown that will keep fright fans reading all night From any strange experience that can't be defined by science to psychic phenomena to monsters and weird creatures, The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Paranormal focuses on the most interesting and bone- chilling aspects of the Paranormal the supernatural ?Ghosts and spirits ?Angels, demons, and spellcasters ?Unexplained phenomena
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2010
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About the author
Nathan Robert Brown
19 books25 followersNathan Robert Brown (1977-present) is an author, pop culture mythologist, and technical writer from Texas, currently residing in Florida. He received the 2009 Harry Brown Award for 'The Rape of Lilith.' Nathan has done extensive research in world mythology, folklore, urban legends, ancient civilizations, and world religions, and is an expert on trinities/tripartite systems and universal themes in myth, religion, mysticism, and pop culture. He is the author of many books, such as The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology, World Religions at Your Fingertips, The Mythology of Supernatural, and The Mythology of Grimm.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2015
I didn't read all of this book, but rather skimmed through it while a passenger on a drive.
The biggest problems with it: Syncretism. It doesn't openly adopt one specific view on the paranormal but rather tries to accept and even unify the differing beliefs of many groups. Or, more accurately, it reads the beliefs of different groups through the lens of what is probably something like neopaganism. For example, it addresses Catholic practices that relate to the supernatural, but will also deviate from some Catholic teachings about those practices (e.g., it claims there exist malevolent spiritual beings that are not of angelic origin, but were apparently created evil.
Related to this, it also asserts that there can be simply "playful" spirits that one can contact through seances and the like. False and dangerous. Very, very dangerous. The book does caution against "amateurs" attempting to contact the spiritual realm, which is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. You are asking for serious trouble trying to contact spirits or the dead. I understand that not all who believe in the supernatural accept this, but it is true nonetheless.
The biggest problems with it: Syncretism. It doesn't openly adopt one specific view on the paranormal but rather tries to accept and even unify the differing beliefs of many groups. Or, more accurately, it reads the beliefs of different groups through the lens of what is probably something like neopaganism. For example, it addresses Catholic practices that relate to the supernatural, but will also deviate from some Catholic teachings about those practices (e.g., it claims there exist malevolent spiritual beings that are not of angelic origin, but were apparently created evil.
Related to this, it also asserts that there can be simply "playful" spirits that one can contact through seances and the like. False and dangerous. Very, very dangerous. The book does caution against "amateurs" attempting to contact the spiritual realm, which is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. You are asking for serious trouble trying to contact spirits or the dead. I understand that not all who believe in the supernatural accept this, but it is true nonetheless.
October 1, 2015
This book gives you a very good summary of just about everything in the paranormal world. There is a lot of good info and plenty of places where he injects his personal comments and gives you a good laugh. Nothing too deep, just a good intro to the field and a way to "kick off" your reading in whatever aspect you're the most fascinated by.
September 14, 2019
Great read if you want to learn the truth to what really goes on, not follow silly stuff in the movies and Ghost Hunter goons.
April 6, 2023
Not very much information here.
January 27, 2012
Those looking for bite-sized frights will find them aplenty in this book. Originally intended for bedside reading, with chapter-by-chapter dips each night, I ended up finishing it in a little less than a day.
Paranormal is more or less a sampler of all things unexplained, but what it offers is quite sumptuous; and it is told in an eloquent, direct way that is chilling, but the humorous asides come as a welcome relief. Essentially, it serves as a springboard to whatever areas of the paranormal take your fancy, and as that it does a brilliant job. I have already noted down quite a few I plan to pursue in future. In particular, I was most taken with the folklore of Japan, which is so unusual and varied (not to mention creepy, sometimes delightfully so) I found myself wishing I had grown up knowing them, and fearing them, simply because they are, to me, far more imaginative than the superstitions we are accustomed to.
Take the Rokuri-Kubi, for example. Just your average woman by day; hair-raising horror by night. When the woman sleeps, her neck stretches—and stretches—and stretches—until it goes pluck! and scuttles away from her body. Then her head, without her knowing, goes around sucking the blood out of people and animals, drinking lamp oil, resting itself against a window so as to alarm passerby who will see no body attached to it, and generally scaring the hell out of everyone. (I myself would probably confiscate it and keep it as a pet.)
So give it a go. It offers great material for tales around the campfire; chances to scare the wits out of your younger sibling; and interesting tidbits sure to win the heart of your oddly attractive Goth girl/boy next door. But most of all, if you pick it up and read it with an open mind, you'll put it down with a sense of wonder and unease. The world indeed is a mysterious place.
Paranormal is more or less a sampler of all things unexplained, but what it offers is quite sumptuous; and it is told in an eloquent, direct way that is chilling, but the humorous asides come as a welcome relief. Essentially, it serves as a springboard to whatever areas of the paranormal take your fancy, and as that it does a brilliant job. I have already noted down quite a few I plan to pursue in future. In particular, I was most taken with the folklore of Japan, which is so unusual and varied (not to mention creepy, sometimes delightfully so) I found myself wishing I had grown up knowing them, and fearing them, simply because they are, to me, far more imaginative than the superstitions we are accustomed to.
Take the Rokuri-Kubi, for example. Just your average woman by day; hair-raising horror by night. When the woman sleeps, her neck stretches—and stretches—and stretches—until it goes pluck! and scuttles away from her body. Then her head, without her knowing, goes around sucking the blood out of people and animals, drinking lamp oil, resting itself against a window so as to alarm passerby who will see no body attached to it, and generally scaring the hell out of everyone. (I myself would probably confiscate it and keep it as a pet.)
So give it a go. It offers great material for tales around the campfire; chances to scare the wits out of your younger sibling; and interesting tidbits sure to win the heart of your oddly attractive Goth girl/boy next door. But most of all, if you pick it up and read it with an open mind, you'll put it down with a sense of wonder and unease. The world indeed is a mysterious place.
August 19, 2011
It could have used more detail and explanation in the sections on Vampires (no mention of Mercy Brown or Elizabeth Báthory, and the only fictional vampire mentioned is Dracula [they mention the movie Nosferatu, but never the name of the vampire – Count Orloc. Still since the movie was an unauthorized version of Dracula I stand by the fact they only mentioned Dracula]! Frankly that's just sad. Add in a total lack of non-European vampires. Sad does not begin to cover it.) and Shape-shifters; and it had no chapters on Aliens. It also is pretty heavily influenced by Japanese culture, which is great save that seems to be the only non-western culture they delve into (mentioning Chinese and Korean variants on Japanese themes does not count – they are distinct cultures).
Overall I liked it, and if it had touched on Aliens and delved a little deeper into Vampires (with perhaps less on Vlad) I might have given it a 4; as it it deserves a 3.
Overall I liked it, and if it had touched on Aliens and delved a little deeper into Vampires (with perhaps less on Vlad) I might have given it a 4; as it it deserves a 3.
February 5, 2012
See more of my reviews at Bettering Me Up.
2.5 stars. I was expecting more from this, but it mostly consisted of one or two short paragraphs on each subject. I rounded up to three stars because I *did* learn something new, even if it wasn't very thorough.
2.5 stars. I was expecting more from this, but it mostly consisted of one or two short paragraphs on each subject. I rounded up to three stars because I *did* learn something new, even if it wasn't very thorough.
November 23, 2011
This book was a great book. I learned about paranormal subjects and things in here that I never even heard of. This has got to be one of my favorite books on the paranormal.
January 17, 2016
Really informative and amazing!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews