Highly intelligent and articulate exploration of unexplained phenomena (focusing primarily on the contact experiences of Whitley Strieber) through the lens of cultural narrative, the distinctions between phenomena and noumena (what is apparent vs what really is) history, religious comparison, human evolution, and philosophy. A definite recommendation to anyone who would like to seriously explore what is often a highly contested and ridiculed subject; UFOlogy and the contactee experience. ( )

Reading [b: The Super Natural|25489537|The Super Natural A New Vision of the Unexplained|Whitley Strieber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453060688s/25489537.jpg|45263925] was an incredibly strange experience, and one that I am still not entirely certain what to make of. In this book [a: Jeff Kripal|7147136|Jeff Kripal|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a: Whitley Strieber|18454|Whitley Strieber|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1435172880p2/18454.jpg] seek to better explain the phenomenon of close encounters with the Other - whether that Other is alien, extraterrestrial, psychological, or something super natural has yet to be fully decided... and ultimately it is a mystery we shall just have to live with until our vocabularies can better encompass all it is that we experience..

The book is a fascinating one, and one very difficult to fully comprehend. The language is dense by its very nature, and the subject one esoteric. I'm not entirely certain where I sit on the phenomenon that Strieber has experienced throughout his life, although ultimately what one makes of Strieber doesn't really matter. The phenomena is experienced by enough people, and over a long enough period of time, to deem itself worthy of better consideration and study. The study being primarily focused in the humanities rather than the scientific is a bold move that I believe is correct. The bulk of what this book rests upon I, personally believe, is correct. This is a modern mythology, and has its analogues throughout all mythologies. Much like Bigfoot, this is worthy of anthropological study at the very least and a more open minded consideration. We do it a disservice when we say it is either a) purely fraudulent, or b) purely scientific.

I'd like to see this book read by more people, and I'd honestly like to see more books take this approach towards the paranormal. I definitely hope to read more on this topic being treated in such a manner, and am now rather intrigued by the rest of the [b: Communion|11033|The Seville Communion|Arturo Pérez-Reverte|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1305158518s/11033.jpg|52761] series. Like the early contactee books I read, there's something eerily gnostic between the lines.

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**I received this book in a GoodReads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.**

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with this book, but it ended up being pretty good. Some parts were pretty long, but overall I enjoyed this book and I would probably read it again. I would recommend it to those interested in the supernatural. 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

Whitley Streiber famed author and celebrity of contact with something teams up with Jeffrey Kripal a professor of comparative religion to delve into the vast and intriguing realm of the unknown, or unknowable. Take your pick on this but after reading the book you may feel as I did, you still don't. Whitley has taken a lot of ridicule and criticism over the years with his "revealing" books on contacts and otherworldly interactions. I am not sure what to make of him. Here is a writer of science fiction who also has throughout his life been selected or chosen if you will to experience something seemingly real that also seems like science fiction. The science fiction aspect to me always seemed a convenient fit. Also motivation in reaping financial recompense has never been far from my concern. In any event you have his experiences to draw on as a believer or unbeliever, as you would of any other seer or religion.

Kripal adds to the mix in this book by taking a professorial view of his vast knowledge of religions and belief systems. Chapters are juxtaposed with Whitley's views and topics followed up by Professor Kripal's commentary on the same. It leads us down many paths and intrigues but the answers as always are left unanswerable at this stage, and maybe that is as it always will be.

As is typical in these matters the believers will get there "aha" moments and the debunkers will get there "aha" moments in all of this exchange. In my case I was left with not much of either. Some of the ideas Whitley concludes with were thought provoking to me and somewhat congruent with my take. As such that our science and technology is still vastly primitive to the truth, if there is such a thing. Our Einstein based physics I have often felt will eventually be proven quite off the mark but is adequate for what we can grasp for now. So I did take away some positives in reading this book and am glad I did. It's just there remains so much left unexplained. And maybe that is as it should be because it leaves the door open for many more theories and books to be spawned. ( )