Customer Reviews

Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of The Ghost Adventures Crew

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ghost Adventure fans will love this fascinating look inside the world of Zak Bagans. Written in a casual style that's enjoyable to read Dark World is a surprisingly candid account of Zak's paranormal experiences both on and off camera, spiced with fun trivia, personal photos, ghost-hunting tips, and philosophical musings. A definite must-have for his fans or anyone else who's ever been curious what makes this guy tick.

I love Zak Bagans and Ghost Adventures, thats why I was so excited when I preordered this book. Sadly I was rather disappointed. Zak is very passionate about his work in the paranormal, and I admire that. Other than the story of his first "ghostly encounter" in his apartment in Trenton, Michigan, most of the book is a re-write of Ghost Adventures. I was just expecting more in terms of talking about different encounters. I remember every one of the episodes he referred to in the book, nothing was new to me. I did enjoy the theories he had in how some of the paranormal exists.

Its a decent first book for Zak, I hope he improves as he continues to write. I look forward to continuing to follow him through his adventures. Would love to see him go back to his old apartment for a lock down.

The paranormal is not something I spend a lot of time looking into or even thinking about. I've always known that there is "something" else out there but have not been curious enough to explore the world. But as I was reading I found myself becoming intrigued on how other people interact with the paranorma, as well as why they investigate the paranormal. The reason for this was the way in which the book was written, the tone of each chapter was easy going, warm and instructive.

The tone of the book brings the reader into a world which is not easy to understand or accept. The encounters are spoken of with humor as well as showing the reader the true nature of the paranormal. Even if you have never seen Zak's TV show you become a part of his crew while reading this book.

Want to understand (or just explore) the paranormal? This book is the starting point. Mildly interested in the paranormal and how it interacts with your day to day - this is the book for you!

Dark World is a fun, quick book about Zak Bagans' approach to paranormal investigation, but it's pretty much written solely for Ghost Adventure fans. I say that not to sound pretentious or that non-fans wouldn't "get it", but he spends pretty much no time in the book setting up anything. If he mentions a particular location or episode or event, either you're a fan and you can say "Oh yeah, I remember that" or you won't quite know what he's talking about. In that respect, one could argue the book is somewhat poorly written in that you sort of have to already be a fan to truly understand where Bagans is coming from.
Another disappointing aspect of the book: it really doesn't deliver on any sort of information that any fan of the show doesn't already know. Bagans seems to promise all sorts of tidbits and stories that you never got to see or hear in the show, but he never really delivers on it. Everything he talks about is stuff that is already in the episodes or appeared in the DVD extra material.
Bagans spends much of the book passionately arguing that paranormal research should be given some benefit of the doubt and treated more seriously as an avenue of scientific research, and while I agree with that sentiment, he occasionally makes arguments that don't really stand up to scrutiny. (like arguing that the burden of proof should be on non-believers just because "lots of people believe in ghosts" essentially, which is a logical fallacy So, I don't really agree with a lot of Bagans' theories on the origins of paranormal activity nor do I agree at all with the leap of faith and logic he takes in bringing religion into the mix (believing in demons and a physical incarnation of heaven and hell etc.), but that's not to say this is a bad book. If you love the show it's a great read even if you disagree with some of what Bagans' says or how he approaches certain topics. I also liked how the last few pages were essentially given over to some of his collaborators so they could add their 2 cents as well. So, yeah, I recommend this to GAC fans as a nice companion to all these years we've stuck with the show. Now I would love to see Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin write books!

I must say that perhaps I had biases before reading the book based on my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed much of his commentary on paranormal phenomena, research, technical terms, future, etc., but I wanted to see more of "him" in this book. I'm an enormous Ghost Adventures fan and I've been so excited with the show and its mission to not only prove that ghosts/paranormal exist, but also to verify the paranormal as something that should be considered more than just Halloween entertainment. But in strictly reviewing the book as itself, it's not a strong read.
I constantly found myself wanting to know more; show me something other than what episodes of Ghost Adventures can tell you. His childhood history and his initial involvement with the paranormal was fascinating to learn about, but it was glossed over with telling statements rather than showing details. This pattern continues throughout the book. I want to know more about him and the experience. Each described paranormal experience was simply a summation of what he commentates on episodes of the show. Rather than just listing why you've had problems with ghosts and demons involved in your love life, take us to these moments. Show your reader instead of having us take your word for it. I wanted to really know what happened. And this is just one example.
Ultimately, it was a bit of a disappointment but it does provide some great perspective into the world of paranormal investigating. I hope he writes another book and satiates my appetite for a more specific look into "him" rather than just the paranormal. Oh, and by all means will I continue to watch the show and remain a die-hard Ghost Adventures fan.

If you have the least interest in ghost investigation, or just want to know a bit more about spirits, the afterlive, EVPs and so on, even if you are a skeptic or a non believer you should buy and read this book. Zak Bagans gives you his hand and takes you on an amazing trip through his world of ghost investigation and a life of wanting to help those lost souls who are trapped somwhere between this world and the next. You will get knowledge on everything from ley lines, to orbs, to Zak's reason to become a Ghost Adventurere. He wants you to have an open mind while you read this book and during he asks you some very good and interesting questions that sure makes you wonder and think about what You would answer. Throughout this book you are able too feel that this subject is so very important to Bagans, it's his life. Not just the capturing of ghosts, but also understanding the history behind the locations and their former residents. And with his great sense of humor, you cant help but smile while you read. All in all a fantastic book written by a fantastic man.

I was fascinated by this book. I have recently started watching Ghost Adventures. I was excited when I heard that Zak Bagans, the lead investigator of the group, was writing a book. He writes about how he got started and what he has went through getting there. However, I can say that I wish the book was longer and more detailed. There are several topics I just wanted to know more about like his childhood, his being in Michigan and having his first other world experience and how he started the GAC in Vegas. I also would have liked more details on locations that they visited although he gives you short bursts of information about those. He also talks about how the paranormal can become a science and what needs to happen in the future for it to be accepted. I enjoyed learning about the different equipment they use, however some of what he writes he has already said on his show. I really liked the book because it was different than anything I had read before, but I really wanted more details. I would recommend this book to a novice like me but not sure a true believer of the paranormal would get into this book.

It's a creepy good time for sure. But it's also a very well written, entertaining and at times humorous book! One of the best of this genre. Fans of the show will surely enjoy the behind the scenes ride.

Congratulations to Lead Investigator Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures and co-author Kelly Crigger on presenting very well written and easy to read journey into some of the "spookiest" locations on the planet. I enjoyed the attention to detail and explanation of procedure behind the experiences.

Having worked in one of the places toured in the series, I can testify to the occurrence of inexplicable phenomena that is not always benign. Whether one believes or not, the book is exciting, interesting and thought provoking and was a delightful volume to curl up with on a stormy night. Admittedly, I did go check the doors once in mid-read.

The subject history is enlightening, the first-person encounters are at times terrifying and the opportunity to learn more about what we don't know is fascinating. Hopefully, there will be a sequel!

A fascinating journey of the goings on of Zak Bagans and his crew, this delves into the paranormal world like a roller-coaster teetering at the top and then plummeting downward. Full of in-depth accounts of all things you would consider go hand in hand with ghost stalking, you feel like you are along for the ride.

A great read for the skeptic and believer alike, it pushes further that debate of is there isn't there.

Very well written by Kelly Crigger, who manages to capture the anticipation and suspense enough to conjure up that chill up your spine, or a sense that maybe, just maybe someone is reading over your shoulder...