Customer Reviews

Dark Woods: Cults, Crime, and the Paranormal in the Freetown State Forest, Massachusetts

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author does a nice job of connecting up some of the odd events that have happened in and around Freetown, Massachusetts over the years. The first half of the book recounts mostly Native American connections to modern day ghostly sightings while the second, more interesting half goes into detail about the occult activity that may be occurring in the Freetown State Forest and possibly in the town as well. Paranormal buffs should find the slightly off beat events intriguing, however the constant spelling and grammatical mistakes are a significant nuisance to the reader. Simple proof reading and editing would have solved this glaring problem but unfortunately Dark Woods reads more like a rough first draft than a polished final product. However, if you can ignore these constant speed bumbs, you may find the book rather enjoyable.

The book was well written and included interesting facts about Southeastern Massachusetts. If you've ever been interested in the events that happened in the Freetown State Forest, this is a book that will deliver! Research was painstakingly done and brings about many facts about this area that will chill your bones! I highly recommend it!

A very fast read and especially interesting as I am from the area. I would suggest this book to whoever loves to read and have...

The topics presented in the book range between folk stories, urban legends and true crime. The book shows very poor editing throughout with the word "anidotal" used instead of "anecdotal" as one example early on. I'm not even sure how a built-in spell checker on any modern word processor would have let that slide. The font size in the book is huge and strikes me as an attempt to fatten the book.

The author shows a lack of technical knowledge, or one could argue common knowledge, by describing Night Vision Gear(NVG) as "nightglow" goggles. The term "negative energy" is used frequently as though it has some sort of proven existence. A tip, using a word like "Energy" which has an exacting scientific definition, that is scalar(i.e. a magnitude only), in such a way does not make what your saying scientific or truthful. It just makes it plain nonsense. It sounds as stupid as saying the pH balance of the swimming pool was harsh. Don't mix qualitative statements with quantitative elements of science. At best it shows a lack of knowledge and at worst could be deemed intentional distortion to push an idea or agenda.

Repeated throughout the book are excuses for a lack of evidence and a reliance on "feel" or "vibe" for a situation. At one point the claim is presented that your "gut" is better than your "brain" for judging some of the situations he explains. While one could argue that a person's gut is good for the instinctual "fight or flight response" it has no ability to analyze a situation. While science is given a token nod in places, the overall theme is that these things are unable to be evaluated by science and are better judged by feeling.

Unfortunately for the author, science is more than equipped to handle such claims and would do so quickly with a bulk of this work. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence and the burden of proof lay with the person making the claim. Testimony, even from authority, is only useful to corroborate primary evidence. The true crime and cult stories are much better in this regard because there is at least tangible things to discuss and speculate on.

If the author had maintained a consistent tone of "these are just folk tales" instead of trying to mix in science it would have been more palatable. Alternatively the book would have been much stronger if the focus was on the true crime/cult aspects and discussion centered on real reasons the area might attract such activity. These range from the geography/topography, the proximity to metro areas/highways, etc. The folk tales could have been given as "mood" material to supplement the more realistic elements instead of the reverse.

If you can get past the poor editing and are willing to accept the tales on just a person's word then you may enjoy the book. As I mentioned the real things that happen here do present an interesting story but they are buried underneath a lot of frankly questionable material.

This book was very interesting. Not just the ghost and paranormal stories, but the historical background as well.

Honestly, I was captivated by this book, and did not want to put it down once I began reading it! As a paranormal investigator as well as a resident of the neighboring State of Rhode Island, I was somewhat familiar with the area and some of the stories, while some of the tales were totally new to me. All of the chapters shed new insight into the history of these locations, some surrounded by folklore, and some by more recent cult, crime and paranormal activity. Also, Chris was a wonderful guest on our TV talk show Ghosts R N.E.A.R., when we interviewed him about this book. Great job, Chris!!