Customer Reviews

Searching For Ropens: Living Pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea, 1st Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One thing about books on Cryptozoology is that no two cryptozoologists agree on very much. And that's fine, indeed, helpful, in its way; it keeps things dynamic. But living pterosaurs as proof of Creationism? I have difficulty imagining a good case being made for such an idea, and this book sure ain't it. As with most all Creationism, you have to start off believing in Jesus, and if you don't happen to, well, there's nothing in the theory for you. Science certainly has its dogmas, and that's bad, but how replacing them with other dogmas is supposed to fix anything, I've no idea. Not recommended to anyone who isn't already a creationist.

I was pretty dissapointed by this book.
The title is good and the subject interresting, i have worked and lived in Papua new Guinea myself.

But the content is not well focused,it talks about different "ropens" not only in PNG but also of sightings in the US and Australia, something that seems more and more unlikely to me, especially considering the sizes of these animals in the book.

Also all the talking about how God created the world(and the ropens),christianity etc gets pretty tiresomme after reading it for the fifth time....

My advise ?
Do not buy it.....

Here is a synopsis of the book: 1)As a child, author raises crocs and prays. 2)Author grows up and prays. 3) Author becomes interested in pterosaurs and plans a field trip (and prays). 4).The search for ropens is a failure but he still prays. YAWNNNN Author interviews supposedly eye witnesses of ropens and then manipulates the informatin to suit himself. Read BIG BIRD! - MODERN SIGHTINGS OF FLYING MONSTERS (Paperback)
by Ken, Gerhard (Author), Jonathan, Downes instead of this.

I like to read books on cryptids but this one is not one that I recommend. I give it 2 stars. The book seems more like a book trying to convince you of creationism over evolution. I'm not saying this is wrong but just not what I was looking for. It does have some interesting eye witness acounts, that's about all I can say good about it. I got about three quarters of the way through it until I stopped reading it and that took some work. Just couldn't keep interested.

I bought this book some time ago expecting nothing but the typical, boring cryptozoology book. However, what I found was that it contains a wealth of INTERESTING information on a cryptid that until now, I had known relatively little about. Mr. Whitcomb's way of storytelling was captivating to say the least. His scientific procedures also impressed me. Normally, when Creationists study cryptozoology, there are very little facts presented: mostly just a bunch of reports of "sightings" without going too much into detail.

In this book, you will be presented not only with an entertaining "search for a lost animal" story, but you will also come across very specific details... all the way down to the exact silhouette of the creature, its diet, size, etc. I also appreciated the section on other types of flying cryptids.

I am a Creationist, so I really appreciate the chapter that exploits a bunch of pitfalls of evolution, but the book itself is not as much ridden with Mr. Whitcomb's Creationist worldview as some of the other reviews claimed.

All in all, a very satisfying, captivating read on a little known animal. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

I'm a lover of Cryptozoology Books, but this one is the worst I ever read.
This book is more about religion and believing, and not a serious research about Ropens.
The Investigator did spend only four weeks in Papua New Guinea. At this time, he just made some interviews with local people. The interviews where made without any deeper knowledge of the Pidgin language. His description how he made a video-movie, filming with one hand, trying with the other one to show in sign langguage what he want to ask, is more funny as serious.
If there is something out there like a Ropen, you can't believe in it anymore, after you finish this book.
The only thing that is sure in this book, the journey cost's him a lot of money, because he paid overchcharged prices for everything he did in P.N.G.
Spend your money for other good Cryptozoology books, like the new one from Matthe Bille "Shadows of Existence".

Mr Whitcombs book is well written and well researched to the best of my knowledge. Readers may be disappointed in his lack of apparent accomplishment in discovering Ropens, but he self-funded his expedition and as a man with family commitments was only able to spend limited time in New Guinea. I applaud his commitment to achieve as much as he has for an ordinary man of modest resources - if only more people had his passion and zeal to accomplish dreams. The book relies a great deal upon circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony in regards the existence of Ropens - but so does so much that is cryptozoological. Mr Whitcomb presents some interesting and not implausible theories about the geographic range and biology of the Ropen.

Much of the book is then given to Mr Whitcombs belief that the Earth was created by God and again makes a not unreasonable scientific case for this. He also talks intelligently about 'Scientific Dogma' which I found interesting and believeable. Persoanlly I am in a sort of agreement with Mr Whitcomb - I believe that much of science is now bogged down in dogma and is as fundamentalist as certain branches of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There is no tolerance for a different perspective. If it cannot explain anything it demeans it as superstition and folklore.

For me personally although I am interested in Mr Whitcombs Creationist arguments I feel that they belong in another book that he should obviously write. Not that his Creationist theories are not valid theories for explaining the case for Pterosaur survival; but I cannot help but feel duped into buying what I believe was ultimately about making a case for Creationist Theory rather than a book of cryptozoological interest.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but then again I hadn't read the reviews before I bought it - my mistake. It does not pretend to be anything it isn't in all honesty, but the title I found misleading. I was expecting - and hoping for - a cryptozoological account and case for of a supposed surviving pterosaur (Ropens) in the southwest Pacific. What I got was that in part, but in the context of this book it was used to support the authors 'Creationist' view of nature and the universe: in other words it was all made by God.

I am not a Christian, but neither am I anti-Christian. Neither am I a convinced 'Evolutionist' - that all life on Earth is the result of small changes over aeons of time. OK, so some scientists will hate me for saying this, as will some Christians - but I find the General Theory of Evolution no more convincing an argument for the creation of the universe than I do the Jewish/Christian/Islamic standpoint. For that matter no indigenous or other religious standpoint seems any more or less outlandish than any other. As far as I'm concerned, I don't know, I'm content in that lack of knowledge and really am just happy to be here - and I don't care how got here.

Ropens are large flying creatures that resemble giant bats or prehistoric pterosaurs, as reported by various witnesses from Papua, New Guinea. Searching for Ropens is the true story of one man's adventure searching for these unusual creatures.

Author Jonathan Whitcomb makes no bones about approaching his subject from the viewpoint of a born-again Christian, filled with contempt for what he calls G.T.E. (General Theory of Evolution). But?Searching for Ropens is no mere Biblical screed, railing against the march of Darwinism. It is a strange and sobering fact that some of cryptozoology's best-known spokesmen are "young Earth" creationists, devoted to the principle that our world is barely 6,000 years old. They search for living dinosaurs and other oddities of nature in the wild as much to validate their faith as to reveal new species, forcing us to wonder--does the searcher's motives matter if legitimate discoveries result?

In this case, no surviving pterosaurs are captured on film or in the flesh, but the point must be that Whitcomb tried. While so-called mainstream scientists lounge in their offices and mock, he traveled halfway around the world at no small risk and personal expense, to see what might be found.

Readers of a scientific mind may find much to criticize in Whitcomb's philosophy, but he still deserves kudos for trying.?And to date, this is the best book to have been published on this intriguing subject.
Mysteries Magazine

I read the book cover to cover in the first 48 hours after I received it (it was hard to put down). The author does a great job of laying out the known facts about the Ropen. I was equally fascinated with his personal account of summoning up the courage to go on the trip in the first place. The book was as much to do about finding the courage within you to do something extraordinary as it was about a possible cryptozoological event. I might see some readers being put off by the author's personal beliefs (not me at all) but I feel it was appropriate in discovering the author's motivation for the quest. Great read that I recommend to anyone interested in cryptozoology.

I can hardly put this book down. It is quite astonishing to read of creatures so large that they can lift a human up into the air or rob a corpse from a new grave. They even glow at night with bioluminescence.
It is understandable how eyewitness are somtimes reluctant to tell their stories because of ridicule they experience - fueled by Western evolutionary superstition. How sad we in the west are so blinded by wrong assumptions fed to us by the 'scientific' mainstream.
This book is so refreshing. Jonathan Whitcomb is to be congratulated for giving us a glimpse of our world denied us by the wildlife 'experts' from western countries.