Book Review - Dedicated Thread

I have begun reading ivan Sanderson's Invisible Residents and Stanton Friedman's Top Secret/Majic with the aim of making detailed notes and providing others some of my own thoughts on their analysis and arguments brought forth. So I'd like to suggest dedicating this thread to becoming a basket collection of reviews from members here on any piece book or lengthy piece of literature they've come across.

We should perhaps stick to a basic format.

1. Rate the book out of five stars
   
2. A paragraph dedicated to the synopsis (subject matter)
   
3. Cite its strong points in very short sentences
   
4. And then its weak points in similar fashion
   

Please reserve the following posts for actual reviews

I recently re-read The UFO Files - Dr David Clarke

Where many UFO books promote belief in visiting spacecraft, this one does not. Neither does it ignore the fact that most reports are wrong. Instead it approaches the decades of UK reports that were filed by the MOD. Clarke , in reality, has had more access to these resources than the media UFO guy, Nick Pope.

So we get the accounts of witnesses going back to before the First World War. With the names and addresses being available, he contacts people and gets their recollections of the sightings. For example, the obscure (to most) incidents at Little Rissington are covered and one witness, latterly, Air Commodore Swiney, is interviewed for further details. The incident involved a Meteor trainer breaching clouds at 12k’ and being startled by ‘3 saucer-shaped objects.’ It was only years later, when he’d become an Air Commodore that he was able to discover the files had been destroyed pre-1962 with thousands of other non-UFO files. According to Swiney, jets had been scrambled, radars picked up the objects and there was an investigation.

The first two chapters are worth the price of the book. They follow case files that pre-date Kenneth Arnold and lend the lie to that myth that ‘it all began in America in 1947.’ It bloody didn’t! So we have reports of dark objects in the skies above coastal towns and cities all the way back in 1909. Just like in the ‘50s, official notes were sent hither and thither to ask who could be flying in the sovereign skies of southern England? Germans? Well no, they were adamant it wasn’t them, but I guess they would say that. Were they ours? Nope. Like today, there’s only so much anyone can do with even the most credible person’s report so those pre-War sightings received less attention and faded from sight.

The author, Dr David Clarke, doesn’t let his own beliefs overshadow these reports. He provides an image of the documents and discusses the details. Where possible, he’ll add comments from the witness. He’s an intelligent man by profession and resists the temptation to ‘teach’ his readers what to think. This by itself is a refreshing approach. In reality, it’s fair to say he doesn’t take a positive view of ufology, its promoters or the witnesses. For Clarke, the witnesses are infinitely fallible and prone to mistaking almost anything for a UFO. Hence a distant police helicopter could conceivably be mistaken for a silent, multi-coloured UFO passing over the head of a witness.

Over the years, Dr Clarke has done his research and lots of it. He’s had private access to files that were unseen and played a part in the MoD’s program of releasing all their files to the public. He’s spoken to witnesses and officials – done the legwork. So if I, or anyone else, disagrees - in part or entirely – with his conclusions, it shouldn’t diminish his efforts. Neither should it stop people from reading his work because they’ll be missing out on interesting thoughts and cases. All too often in ufology, people only read people they agree with and refuse to trust those they don't - silly really!

Altogether, it’s a good collection of cases that aren’t to be found in the general literature of ufology. It’s well-written, intelligent and worth owning.

UK Amazon - The UFO Files

USA Amazon - The UFO Files (some used bargains in there!)

Dr David Clarke's main blog

Flying Saucery - inside the MoD case files

UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record - Leslie Kean

5/5*

Out of the many books i have on UFOs, ancient civilisations and just general conspiracies this is one of only a few that stands out. Leslie Kean has only included those cases which had the most compelling and verifiable evidence which makes it a fascinating read for a long time believer but a better read for a hard headed sceptic. By the time you've finished reading you will definately be wondering whats been happening in our skys all these years. Some of the cases included are the Chcago O'hare UFO, the Alaskan 747 UFO, Pheonix lights, the encounter of a UFO over Tehran by a jet and the Belgium UFO flap.

What makes this book great is the fact that all the people interviewed in are very highly credible people, as the title of the book sugests. This is all supported by former White House chief of staff John Podesta. The last few chapters delve into the history and polotics of the phenomena and ends whith a plan on how to move forward with the issue. No matter who you are, i cant see you being dissapointed with this read.

I honestly cant think of any bad points to add.

And its going cheap right now!

Good idea.

But I suck at book reviews

Would anyone like to contribute to this thread?