Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel was originally published in 1975. My paperback copy was re-released in 2001 with an additional Afterword from Keel and has 272 pages. This is the "nonfiction" account of a cluster of paranormal events that occurred in the mid-sixties. The account of the events does tend to jump around and doesn't read like a smooth, polished account of the strange events that occurred during a specific period of time. It's actually a rather odd book, but X-Files fans will find it very interesting and it ties into all sorts of other paranormal/UFO kind of movies, etc. No rating on this one as it was just for fun.

The Mothman Prophecies will now be passed on to Just Me. The squirrel girl is going to like it. Don't miss the selected quotes

Description from back cover:
West Virginia, 1966. For thirteen months the town of Point Pleasant is gripped by a real-life nightmare that culminates in a tragedy that makes headlines around the world. Strange occurrences and sightings, including a bizarre winged apparition that becomes known as the Mothman, trouble this ordinary American community. Mysterious lights are seen moving across the sky. Domestic animals are found slaughtered and mutilated. And journalist John Keel, arriving to investigate the freakish events, soon finds himself an integral part of an eerie and unfathomable mystery...
Quotes:

"Those of us who somewhat sheepishly spend our time chasing dinosaurs, sea serpents, and little green men in space suits are painfully aware that things are not what they seem; that sincere eye witnesses can and do grossly misinterpret what they have seen; that many extraordinary events can have disappointingly mundane explanations." pg. 4-5

"What puzzled me about Connie's case, however, was that she had not seen a splendid luminous flying saucer. She had seen a giant "winged man" in broad daylight." pg. 16

"Camera malfunctions are remarkably common among would-be UFO photographers, and even those who try to take pictures of the serpent at Loch Ness. It almost seems as if some outside force fouls up cameras when monsters and UFOs are around." pg. 37-38

"In a later age, these [mysterious lights] became fairy lights and were associated with the little people who actually plagued whole generations not only in Europe but also in North America..." pg. 46

"Men bristling with guns surrounded the old power plant, poking into every bush. There wasn't much to do in Point Pleasant, a town of six thousand people, twenty-two churches, and no barrooms, so Mothman was almost a welcome addition." pg. 61-62

"And I knew that UFOs often zero in on lovers in parked cars." pg. 104

"The phenomenon is dependent on belief, and as more and more people believe in flying saucers from other planets, the lower the force can manipulate more people through false illumination. I have been watching, with great consternation, the worldwide spread of UFO belief and its accompanying disease. If it continues unchecked we may face a time when universal acceptance of space people will lead us to a modern faith in extraterrestrial that will enable them to interfere overtly in our affairs..." pg. 168

"The airforce and the CIA did not have to try to disrupt the ufological movement. It is by its very nature a self-disrupting network of disoriented people." pg. 174

"When I interviewed her I found her to be a sweet, if somewhat homely, young lady, not bright, and certainly not imaginative enough to manufacture the things that were to happen later." pg. 230

"The FBI and CIA hate each other, and they both hate the telephone company. The telephone company, in turn, seems to hate everybody." pg. 253

No comments: