Customer Reviews

Season of the Witch

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With a major motion picture soon to be released on the Bell Witch incident (An American Haunting, starring Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek), you will want to get the facts on this bizarre chapter in early American history. Season of the Witch by Troy Taylor is a compelling account of the events surrounding the Bell Witch haunting. This well-researched book chronicles the history of the John Bell family and the area around Adams, Tennessee, and then proceeds to delve into the Bell Witch legend that has baffled researchers and historians for nearly 200 years. Taylor does an excellent job of attempting to separate fact from fiction - not an easy task here, since the story has been passed down by so many people for so many years. Season of the Witch contains much historical information (Andrew Jackson even makes an appearance), and at the same time discusses paranormal phenomena in a straightforward, non-sensationalistic manner. The author presents various theories on the Bell Witch haunting, and ultimately lets the reader decide what to believe. A fascinating and informative read.

Troy Taylor has done a good job of telling this legend and providing interesting insights into what might have caused the Bell Witch to come about. I buy into the "portal" theory and think he did an excellent job of explaining it. The only real problems I had with this book is that the type is hard to read, and that some of the sections lack a smooth transition. All in all, this is still a good read.

Troy Taylor did a wonderful job on this book. It shows many pictures of the area in Tenn. where the Bell Witch is located and helped me when I traveled there to find it. This book was the most informitive book I have read on the Bell Witch. He also wrote a book I bought on Spirits on the Civil War, which will be my next trip. It was easy reading and I could not put book down. If you are interested in anything Paranormal, Troy Taylor is the way to go!

Though it's always commented that Troy could do with better editing, he is the only author on this subject who seems to get it right.
One author wrote the book as it was being channeled to her by the spirit world. I have no idea whether she is cracked, thinks we're cracked, or was simply writing fiction.
Another author did.
A third author had a caveat at the beginning, stating that while he usually writes fiction, he is serious this time.

Troy Taylor supplies copious amounts of drawings, maps, pictures (not photos, which were non-existent, and enough info to be truly the King of the Bell Witch Authors.

Despite grammatical errors, he is very readable. He doesn't treat the reader as a fool, nor does he think we are so clued in that he need not explain things.
When I usually hit off on a subject I might order a dozen or more books until I have exhausted the subject or the available books. With Taylor's book, I am ending my search. I don't think it gets any better.

GREAT STORY OF THE BELL WITCH OF TENN ,BEING FROM TENN MYSELF AND NOT FAR FROM WHERE THE STORY TAKE PLACE IT WAS A MUST FOR ANY ONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE .THE WAY THE STORY IS TOLD IS GREAT.

If you are a Troy Taylor fan, you'll love this book! As usual, Mr. Taylor is thorough and entertaining (but unfortunately also as usual, editing is poor, with too many spelling, grammar, and typo errors). This is still a great telling of an unusual story that ranks right up there with the Winchester House and Resurrection Mary in America's history of mystery, and I give it 5 stars!

This is the type of book you find in the bottom of a box at the flea market. I read it, but felt like I wasted my 50 cent. I suppose if you are into this whole kid of Blair Witch stuff it would be interesting...but I was just plain bored.
If you feel you have to read it, look really hard for it at your public library. It isn't even worth the shipping it would cost me to sell the thing on Amazon.

Troy Taylor is without doubt an inept writer. He rambles constantly about unimportant minute details while letting big concepts pass by. His depiction of the witch varies from page to page. At times she is nice, and at others she is cruel. However, while reading, we get the impression that Kate is great fun to have around. At one point, he goes into a complete tangent about Andrew Jackson that adds little the story, and more importantly, the story is hearsay that has never been substantiated. Also, this book has little merit as a historical work due to the author's unending bias against debunkers. Many of the stories that he presents are postulations on "what people must have thought," and he makes his rather negative opinions of debunkers quite well known. I will admit that he did do a fair job of presenting the most basic aspects of the Bell Witch story, but beyond that, he screwed the story up. Also, for the love of God, he needs to learn to have someone besides a trained chimp proof read his work. These are mistakes that a fourth grader could have corrected.

If you are a Troy Taylor fan, you'll love this book! As usual, Mr. Taylor is thorough and entertaining (but unfortunately also as usual, editing is poor, with too many spelling, grammar, and typo errors). This is still a great telling of an unusual story that ranks right up there with the Winchester House and Resurrection Mary in America's history of mystery, and I give it 5 stars!

If you are a Troy Taylor fan, you'll love this book! As usual, Mr. Taylor is thorough and entertaining (but unfortunately also as usual, editing is poor, with too many spelling, grammar, and typo errors). This is still a great telling of an unusual story that ranks right up there with the Winchester House and Resurrection Mary in America's history of mystery, and I give it 5 stars!