SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS: From Government Files and the Paranormal [Paperback]

Nick Redfern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR A HIGH STRANGENESS STEW Mix two parts science fiction with one part high-level government secrecy. Add a liberal helping of the paranormal. Then let Nick Redfern heat and serve. The result is far, far stranger than anything that you could ever begin to imagine. SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS presents some mind-bending answers to a number of highly intriguing and thought-provoking questions, including: -- Did the U.S. Government secretly assist Steven Spielberg in the production of his groundbreaking science fiction movies "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial"? -- Why were special agents of the FBI so deeply interested in the life, career, and activities of science fiction author Philip K. Dick (of "Blade Runner" fame)? -- How did "The X-Files" spin-off series "The Lone Gunmen" anticipate months in advance the terrible tragedy of 9-11? -- Why was the top brass of the U.S. Air Force so secretly interested in, and concerned by, the UFO-related tales of a relatively anonymous 1950s science fiction movie-maker who died in poverty in the early 1980s? -- Did a nightmarish scenario presented in one of H.G. Wells' novels prompt Soviet Premier Josef Stalin to clandestinely embark upon a secret and diabolical experiment designed to create a super race of monstrous, half-human half-ape soldiers? -- Has the military managed to successfully perfect human teleportation of the type that was most graphically and famously shown in "Star Trek" and "The Fly"?

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Anomalist Books (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933665408
• ISBN-13: 978-1933665405
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science Fiction Secrets that will Short-circuit Your Mind, October 17, 2009

By 

Micah A. Hanks "Micah A. Hanks" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS: From Government Files and the Paranormal (Paperback)

I have to start by saying how immensely I enjoyed this book. Having skipped out of town for a "last ditch" retreat to the Isle of Palms off the coast of sunny South Carolina, I enjoyed this book in between jogs on the beach and the occasional swim. Cuba Libre' and cigar in hand, I lounged by the pool under a palm tree as I enjoyed this page-turner; and let me be frank, there's no better way to describe this book.

Nick Redfern's Science Fiction Secrets From Government Files and the Paranormal is one of my favorite new offerings from Britain's finest Gonzo journalist of paranormalia. From strange FBI tales involving the apparent paranoia of Sci-Fi writers like Phillip K. Dick, to weird parallels he draws between the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and television programs that predicted the disaster before it happened, this book is a mind bender in the first degree, and will leave you wondering how soon Anomalist Books will be asking for "round two."

One of my favorite chapters deals with Ray Palmer, a fascinating little dwarf who published the Sci-Fi pulp magazine Amazing Stories back in the late '30s and into the '40's. Palmer was perhaps known best for his publication of the long running and controversial "Shaver Mystery" stories, based on accounts (allegedly true in some capacity) related by a machine welder turned "psychic" named Richard S. Shaver. Palmer's support of the truth of Shaver's stories, which dealt with notions that the world is controlled subversively by wicket, inbred inhabitants of the hollow earth called Deros, was controversial in the science fiction community. Many felt Palmer published the stories because of the literal "shock value", although readers soon flooded the mailbox of Amazing Stories after the initial publication of Shaver's offerings, spinning their own yarns of assault and capture by real-life Deros from underground worlds.

Redfern brilliantly unveils a variety of parallels regarding Palmer's involvement in lapsing the realms of Sci Fi and reality, as well as the likes of Issac Assimov, and Arthur C. Clark. Rocket scientist Jack Parsons comes into question, as well as the infamous Roswell UFO crash of 1947. The old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind often when reading this gem, and if you ever doubted it, this will be the manuscript that will finally change that perception. Read it, enjoy it, and be prepared to never see the world around you quite the same way you once did.

4.0 out of 5 stars SiFi Secrets ; A fun read, April 11, 2011

By 

davejonespe - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS: From Government Files and the Paranormal (Paperback)

This was a lot of fun to read. And, as with all of Refern's books, well written. I really enjoyed this one and can recommend it to everyone, beilevers and skepitcs alike.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Look At Sci-Fi Links To The Paranormal And Science, March 25, 2010

By 

W. R. Stockstill Jr. ""Bill"" (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SCIENCE FICTION SECRETS: From Government Files and the Paranormal (Paperback)

I always enjoy Nick Redfern's books. I find his books well written and interesting. He shows up on the TV often, chasing monsters or aliens and seems to be a rather nice guy.

In this unique book Redfern looks at the back stories of sci-fi books and movies which although outlandish, may have basis in fact. He includes some interesting information on many authors that suggest they had inside knowledge of real events that translated into the science fiction they wrote. He also relates on how some sci-fi stories have accurately included facts not know to mankind until many years later. He covers lots of ground in this book including the Shaver Mystery, Roswell, the Philadelphia Experiment and 9/11. He looks at how some sci-fi themes may have been the inspiration of secret government scientific projects such as invisibility and teleportation.

One question Redfern asks that UFO investigators have been wondering about for years. Is the U.S. government encouraging Hollywood to produce alien sci-fi to acclimate the public for eventual disclosure that aliens are real and visiting? Look at the alien culture as seen on all types of merchandise and in common usage that blockbuster sci-fi movies and books have created. Conversely he shows how governments have appeared to use sci-fi to ridicule those that think ufos are real and also cover up secret events and projects.

If you are interested in this area of the paranormal (aliens and ufos) as well as science fiction, then you have to get this book. Even if you are well versed in some of the topics covered, you may be surprised at what Redfern discloses here (just like I did).