Contactees: A History of Alien-Human Interaction

by Nick Redfern

New Page Books • A Division of Career Press

3 Tice Road, PO Box 687 • Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

2010, 248 pages, US $15.99 • ISBN-13: 978-1-60163-096-4

Reviewed by Brent Raynes

Contactees, while it may not be exactly the complete and final word on this compelling and controversial subject, will definitely bring you up to speed on things very otherworldly sounding and give you some crucial information and intriguing theories that are well worth pondering. With a thoughtful and entertaining zest and zeal, the author objectively and ably presents revealing insights, stories, and fascinating background data on such notable personalities from yesteryears world of contacteedom as George Adamski, George Hunt Williamson, Truman Bethurum, Orfeo Angelucci, George Van Tassel, Antonio Villas Boas, Howard Menger, Dan Fry, Ralph Lael, and a host of others.

The vast majority of serious UFO investigators of the 1950s struggled to distance themselves from the absurd and outrageous sounding claims of the early contactees (i.e., with their tales of angelic and deeply spiritual Space Brothers and Sisters from neighboring planets like Venus and Jupiter, complete with sexual exploits as in the story of the gorgeous Space Captain Aura Rhanes [no relation to this reviewer!])

For quite a number of years, many ufologists were hesitant to even consider a UFO case if any sort of “occupant” or “being” was reported. Of course, things have changed these days as thousands of people we call “abductees” are eagerly sought out by ufologists for interviews and investigation. Though pleasant, human like beings, or Nordic-types with blond hair and blue eyes are occasionally reported, most of today’s reports consist of those short grey fellas with the big dark bug like eyes. Then too there’s the insectoids and the reptilians. They’re just not as much fun as Aura Rhanes, Orthon, and Agfa Affa from Uranus.

Redfern explores some interesting government connections to contactee cases. For example, how the FBI secretly compiled data on George Adamski. You’ll read how the FBI came to investigate the claims of another early California contactee way back in 1949. You’ll read of George Van Tassel’s connection to an FBI Special Agent named Walter Bott and why some suspect that Adamski may have been a CIA disinformation agent. You’ll also read about one Bosco Nedelcovic, a man formerly assigned it seems to the South American Department of State’s Agency for International Development (AID) and later to the Department of Defense. Was Nedelcovic telling the truth when he revealed that Brazilian contactee Villas Boas was actually drugged by three AID agents and was taken aboard a helicopter instead of a UFO!? Was he right that this was not an isolated incident, that there had been factions within the CIA and the military who were fabricating these “contactee” cases?

While the alternative theories regarding the contactee experience expressed by well-known ufological giants as John Keel and Jacques Vallee are cited, Redfern also interviewed long-time researchers Timothy Green Beckley and Jim Moseley and early contactee Bob Short for their reminiscences of the early days, while a new generation of fearless free-thinking pioneers like Mac Tonnies and Greg Bishop threw in their two cents worth as well (with speculations of their own of how some sort of “non-human intelligence” may lurk hidden within our own terrestrial environment). In fact, quite a variety of different data and reflections are presented in this book, making it a very genuine, significant, and worthwhile contribution to this field.

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There Is Life After Death: Compelling Reports From Those Who Have Glimpsed the After-Life

by Roy Abraham Varghese

New Page Books • A Division of The Career Press, Inc.

3 Tice Road, PO Box 687 • Franklin Lake, NJ 07417

2010, 288 pages, US $15.99 • ISBN-13: 978-1-60163-095-7

Reviewed by Brent Raynes

The author, Roy Abraham Varghese, no stranger to books that explore spiritual reality, is always seeking to bridge the chasm between science and religion, and presents in this latest literary contribution, There Is Life After Death, a comprehensive global and historical array of impressive evidence to address this very question.

The book begins with a rousing and illuminating 8-page foreward by the distinguished Dr. Raymond Moody, author of the classic Life After Life, a book that virtually made the near-death experience (NDE) a household term. After this explosive jumpstart Varghese launches into a fascinating tour de force of a truly vast spectrum of evidence. He thoughtfully and thoroughly explores in great depth and detail the near-death experience from virtually every conceivable and significant perspective, be it philosophical, theological, religious, or scientific. And in seeking answers to the great life after death issue, Varghese extends his search to include the extraordinary Marian apparitions of Fatima, Medjugorje, and Kibeho, as well as the fascinating accounts of saints and visionaries like St. Faustina Kowalska, Saint Catherine of Genoa, to Mary Simma, plus so much more. He weighs the powerful words, thoughts and accounts shared by a countless variety of researchers and experiencers of various backgrounds and cultures, with technical data and insights that can only be compiled and produced by both a highly skilled and inspired author who has thoroughly become immersed in his subject.

Varghese’s initial spark of interest in the near-death experience was ignited back in 1962, when he read Plato’s Republic. Since then he has listened to thousands of men and woman who have recalled extraordinary experiences that took them somewhere outside of our so-called normal and mainstream perception of reality. He has taken a vast amount of literature on the afterlife subject, along with the data he has accumulated from all of those he has interviewed, and reduced it to a manageable size, skilfully maintaining our interest throughout this intriguing journey.

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UFO CASE FILES OF SCOTLAND: Amazing Real Life Alien Encounters

by Malcolm Robinson

Publisher: Healings of Atlantis

365 pages, illustrated. Price: £14.99

ISBN: 978-1-907126-02-4

This book is available to order via your local bookshop or online direct from the publisher: www.HealingsOfAtlantis.com and of course via Amazon.

Reviewed by Philip Mantle

The small country of Scotland is known for many things: its beautiful scenery, whiskey, the Loch Ness Monster, Braveheart, but not UFOs. But this new book: UFO CASE FILES OF SCOTLAND by Scotland and one of the UK’s leading UFO and Paranormal researchers, Malcolm Robinson, could well alter all of that.

Malcolm Robinson has been involved first hand as a UFO and Paranormal researcher since the late 1980’s. A true Scot in every sense of the word Malcolm has been at the forefront of research on UFOs in Scotland and the only thing that truly surprises me about this book is that it is his first one. Having read it from cover to cover I can only hope it is the first of many.

UFO CASE FILES OF SCOTLAND is in no way definitive. It is instead an honest reflection of Malcolm’s own involvement in UFO research in Scotland. It might not be definitive but of the cases that it covers it is certainly in-depth. I have read literally hundreds of UFO books down through the years and I can honestly say, in the best possible way that I can, that this book is like no other. Not only does Malcolm go into great detail of the case histories featured, but he also gives a very graphic description of the mood and atmosphere of the time. Details of lectures and conferences are covered, one or two of the more humorous moments also, and Malcolm is also man enough in this book to hold his hand up when he made a mistake or two, all of which of course is to his credit.

The case histories covered are no less fascinating. In the first chapter Malcolm briefly outlines how and why he became involved in this research in the first place. This is followed by the best coverage I have ever read of the Bonnybridge ‘UFO HOT SPOT’. In the early to mid-1990’s, the small town of Bonnybridge was the centre of UFO activity in Britain and some may argue the world. I’ll not spoil it here by highlighting many of the UFO sightings investigated by Malcolm and his colleagues, save to say that I thought I knew a good bit about the Bonnybridge sightings, but soon realised when reading this chapter that I knew virtually nothing.

Other case histories featured are the Robert Taylor UFO landing account in Livingston of November 1979. With physical traces left on the witness and the location (marks in the ground) this incident was officially investigated by the local police. The A70 Incident is Scotland’s first reported UFO abduction account and it is featured here in full. This particular event is now under consideration for a movie by a UK production company. The Fife Incident took place in September 1996 and involved several witnesses. A controversial case of UFO entities and a whole lot more is again dealt with in-depth by the author. Scotland’s and probably Britain’s best UFO photographic case took place at Craigluscar Reservoir in Scotland on February 19th 1994. The full story of this daylight UFO photographic case is covered with the photograph in question featured in full. The book is rounded off with Malcolm’s own look at what UFOs may be.

I have purposely not given too much detail of the UFO case histories featured in this book because to offer brief details of them simply would not do them justice.

Like I said at the beginning this is no ordinary UFO book. UFO CASE FILES OF SCOTLAND is a highly significant contribution to the UFO research literature. It is written in a different style to any UFO book I have ever read and all I can say is that if you are only going to buy one UFO book this year then you could go a long way before you find a better one than this. Put it on your shopping list now.