Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not Enough Evidence to Justify a Book, March 24, 2001
This review is from: Dark Object: The World's Only Government-Documented UFO Crash (Mass Market Paperback)
I remember seeing the Sightings segment about the Shag Harbor incident several years ago; it was an interesting story, much more interesting than this book. The first thing I noticed when I received this book was that it was short--really only 162 pages. Unfortunately, the authors' story could have been told in less than 100 pages. I don't mean to be too critical here; I accept the fact that something unusual went down in Shag Harbor in October 1967, but there just isn't enough here to justify a book. I don't even know what the authors believe really happened; they seem to jump around from one possibility to another. The end result is a confused, rambling tale based on notions and impressions and possibilities. This information belongs on a web site, but not in a book--not yet, at least. The statement that this is "the world's only government-documented UFO crash" is quite an overstatement. There are four photocopies of official documents in an appendix, and these basically just prove that some people called the Mountie police and they investigated the report. Not exactly a smoking gun. When describing their search for documentation, the authors twice state that most researchers would give up the whole search after being rebuffed by any single government agency--I just find that hilarious. So many UFO researchers have fought and clawed for every piece of possible documentation they can find, sometimes in the face of government "pressure" or outright threats; it is almost insulting for these authors to portray themselves as uncommonly vigilent searchers after the truth. This subject deserves much more research and work in order to justify a book about it. There is just no evidence here. The story as it exists now is far too dependent on eyewitness statements (most of them made decades after the event itself). I appreciate the scientific work done exploring the waters of Shag Harbor, but that search turned up nothing. Admittedly, they were unable to check out a site they were very interested in, but that site remains meaningless until such time as the search can be undertaken. The final chapter sums up the book well--a new witness said so-and-so, another said that he could not tell them what he really knows, etc. All of this hearsay evidence is unsatisfying to the reader. I hope that someday a complete and factual book can be written on Shag Harbor--this offering is not that book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Far too lightweight to convince., July 20, 2003
This review is from: Dark Object: The World's Only Government-Documented UFO Crash (Mass Market Paperback)
UFO infotainment about an alleged crash at Shag Harbour. Like far too many books of this kind, it is chock full of witnesses with false names (i.e. "We will call him 'Harry'.") and second hand rumors that lead nowhere. Something landed, but nothing save strange foam was ever found. That is basically all the authors can offer in 168 pages of second hand rumors and conjecture disguised as fact. Reading this book, one can see why the Shag Harbour 'incident' never caught on the way that the one in Roswell, New Mexico did. Nothing compelling happened! There are two moments of irony in the book though. Much is made of a conservative paper's bold statement of a UFO crash, only the writers later reveal that this had little to do with factual reporting and more to do with a believer staff member 'jumping the gun'. The paper was correct in removing the man from the story, he clearly could not be objective about the material and let the readers decide for themselves. The funniest irony though is when the authors and a television film crew from the show SIGHTINGS are confronted by believers and accused of hiding facts after they go out at night for some atmosphere shots. They went out at NIGHT, clearly this meant they FOUND something they wanted no one to know about. Pretty silly, considering that the whole point of the segment is to PROVE a UFO crash, don't you think? While the authors clearly admit to feeling that the shoe is on the other foot (the simple truth is dismissed by some as an outright lie), neither realize that they just might be doing the exact same thing, dismissing simple fact as 'plausible denial'. The book is more interesting for those glimpses of reality bending to fit a world view more so than for any of the supposed 'hard evidence' the authors claim to offer. For paranormal completests only.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
How to milk a mosquito..., July 17, 2003
This review is from: Dark Object: The World's Only Government-Documented UFO Crash (Mass Market Paperback)
Alrighty, to begin with, we have the following facts: something goes and crashes in Shag Harbor and is witnessed by several people along this process. It resembles an orange intensely lit ball and seems to be under intelligent control. Local fishing botas go to the area after the "crash" (if indeed it was a crash) and the military takes up special interest on the issue as it endulges on investigating the incident itself. Now all this, is documented in the local press (albeit dismissed as "nothing much") as well as in certain official files and becomes local folklore among the people in the area.
Then comes this book. Which adds what to this story. Sadly, absolutely nothing.
For those interested in the phenomenon of UFOs, and especially those that have read some from the massive bulk of books out there about the matter this book here will come across as one pathetic effort to milk a mosquito, i.e., score some cash.
There's no need to try and tell you in detail what the book professes really. The author maintains that the object was indeed an alien craft and that there were possibly not one but two such objects that crashed, but, he offers zilch evidence to back up his claims.
Sceptics will say "as if other books offer more evidence". That's a sad argument too, because other books offer indeed evidence! This book doesnt.
Books like this do more harm than good because they discredit honest UFO research and authorship as they make it look like a cheap way to earn a buck based on a public that feeds on empty stories. It's not like that any anybody who takes this matter seriously knows this all too well.
Even though it comes at a very affordable price avoid this book. Spend your money on books of the genre like "You cant tell the people" or "Aliens" by Colin Wilson to name just a couple that will really offer you evidence and food for thought.
'Nuff, and probably too much, said...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
