Customer Reviews

Poltergeist (Fate Presents)

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"Poltergeist: A Study in Destructive Haunting" addresses many issues concerning and related to poltergeist, treating the subject in a very serious - and non-sensationalistic - manner. The author uses a number of sources documenting poltergeist phenomena, addresses other author's (parapsychologists, ghost-hunters, and other interested parties) interpretations (i.e. speculations) of these events, and works to establish his own unified theory of poltergeist phenomena.

Those interested in poltergeists might also enjoy books written by Harry Price (author of "The Most Haunted House in England", and "Poltergeist: Tales of the Supernatural).

Colin Wilson has penned what may come to be regarded as THE book on the subject of poltergeist phenomenae. What impressed this reader most was the exhaustive research and documentation conducted by Mr. Wilson on history's more famous poltergeist cases. Though his conclusions are speculative, Mr. Wilson never loses his objectivity or credibility in this work, and the entire subject matter is given a boost as result. Though not for the uninitiated, "Poltergeist" still manages to send a few shivers up the spine, despite being a scientific work. This book is a MUST for any student of the paranormal.

Colin Wilson's unbiased investigations of paranormal phenomena spanned several decades. Every one is worth the reading for the person who's interested in actually learning about these mysteries, as opposed to merely finding crutches to support pre-concieved biases and beliefs.

I've read all of Wilson's works on these matters and I believe Poltergeist to be the best, most thorough of the lot.

At first, it seems hard to understand how the same man who wrote "The Outsider" could have penned this book; it has everything: faeries, daemons, ghosts, black magic, elementals, spirits of the dead, places of power -- everything. I was tempted to just ignore much of it and would have, but for the numerous detailed and well0documented cases of poltergeist hauntings that Wilson supplies. He eventually comes to the conclusion that Poltergeists are either elemental spirits or spirits of the dead and not merely the results of the unconscious mind of the the focus. It's still a bit hard to swallow (for example, when he suggests talking nicely to a stone that is going to be removed to appease the elemental spirits residing in it), but the whole account is so level headed that it is hard not to be convinced. Good for those interested in the subject, but not one of Wilson's more imressive books.

This book is very interesting! It describes and defines a poltergeist, and what they do. And it gives many differnt case studies about people associated with a poltergeist. It seems that certin people have effects on poltergeiste, as in anything they touch will be the objects that will be thrown across the room, or if a certin person is in the room, that will trigger an attack. It is all very interesting, and I would highly recomend it to anyone! Colin Wilson is one of the best authors on this type of subject ie. the occult, and strange behaviors/ghosts ect. I love every one of his books that I have read, and will continue to read them! If you have any interest in ghosts I would highly recommend you spend your money on this book, and not an "immitation"! ;)

Colin Wilson is a very intelligent person and a good writer. However,he is a classic example of the "slippery slope" arguement,that is,that if you step onto the slope you're liable to slide all the way into the ocean. This book is a first rate collection of testimony on poltergeist hauntings.But unfortunately when Mr. Wilson accepted the reality of poltergeists he lost a good deal of his critical judgement. Unlike most researchers,Wilson believes that poltergeists are independant entities, or spirits.(Most other researchers believe that the "agent" around which the phenomena occurrs is responsible for unconciously causing them.)Simply believing that spirits are the cause of the poltergeist syndrome seems harmless; but Mr. Wilson winds up proclaiming his belief in everything from witches' familiar spirits to the Cottlingly Fairy photos.There are other,more conservative accounts of poltergeist hauntings that are a little more credible.For example, a new book by Tony Cornell called "Investigating the Paranormal"(2002,helix press)is more carefully skeptical and rational.