Customer Reviews

Transformation: The Breakthrough

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

 

 

This book is the most compelling book about Alien Encounters that I have ever read. It is a brutally honest account of one man's struggle for complete understanding of what is happening to him. I have been a critic of Strieber's more recent books. This, his second book of the Visitor Phenomenon, better captures his feelings while he still had an honest perception of them.

Whitley Strieber felt the compulsion to further explore the events he described in Communion and clear up some facts. He only makes the reader doubt him more. More hearsay and nothing truly concrete, unless you take the author's continual statements of truthfulness at face value. Will frustrate even the most forgiving of readers. I still found it interesting reading, but just barely.

This book was written concurrently with the author's international bestseller "Communion" and published just one year later. It turns out Strieber had always intended for his exploration of what happened to him with the visitors to become a publishing series, starting with "Communion" (which is genuinely worth reading) and continuing through further volumes, which sold far less well and are not so highly regarded.

Whereas "Communion" has a simple, visceral power and reads as a coherent, chronological narrative about the author's experiences with the visitors, "Transformation" is more a collection of recollections and speculations which didn't make it into the first book. It jumps from one idea to another and is less focussed than the first volume, though it does contain some interesting stuff. Further abductions both of Whitley and his son Andrew (whose real name is used in this book) are described, some of which do read as dream-like; their reality is degraded by the uncomfortable fact that, whereas thousands of abduction accounts from other abductees describe exactly the same beings and processes, Strieber's are in many details unique and different. This is usually a red flag, and lends support to the contention expressed by many that Strieber "has a hard time telling fact from fiction."

At the core of "Transformation" is the author's struggle to find the meaning of the experience, and here he goes way off the map. He journeys into metaphysical and rather new-age territory as he comes to believe the visitors recycle souls, and that the Earth is a kind of "school." There are echoes of Jim Sparks' writings in the self-indulgent, obsessively introspective narcissism which characterises much of the book's content.

Strieber is still a good writer though, and this is the saving grace of "Transformation." From the pen of a less competent writer it might read as a rambling incoherent mess, a meandering tract of new-age mumbo-jumbo. However the book is better than that: it's just nowhere near as good as "Communion" and doesn't make any lasting contribution to the understanding of what is going on with this pervasive phenomenon - though it pretends it does.

In summary, "Transformation" would be of interest mainly to the devotee of Strieber's writing (and he's admittedly a good writer), or to anyone who wants to read everything ever written about the abduction/visitor issue. It's OK, but not one of the better books on the subject.

I loved this book, it is full of revelations about the mysteries of the human soul, and reveals that the universe is much bigger and multifaceted than the average man or woman could have ever guessed. This book is very deep, and has a definite spiritual feel to it. The book is a non fiction but poetic account of a man named whitney streiber, who has been abducted by aliens, numerous times throughout his entire life, beginning when he was a young boy. Transformation is highly literate, and extremely well written. It is never dull, a true page turner. The book reveals how whitley strieber the most famous abductee in america has been transformed both mentally and spiritually by his abduction experiences. Highly recommended to anyone interested in ufos, the new age, freemasons, life on other planets, reincarnation, God and spirituality, as well as the deepest insights into the human psyche.

ISBN 0380705354 - I believe in life on other planets. I believe in life outside our galaxy and that there is little - if any - reason to think we are the most intelligent and technologically advanced creatures ever. I also think Whitley Strieber is a really good writer (Warday comes to mind). The problem is, I also think he's a nutjob.

In Transformation, Strieber basically tells the story of what happened while he was working on Communion (if there's another book about what happened while he was working on Transformation, I will not be surprised) as well as now claiming that he and his siblings had encounters of one sort or another throughout their childhoods. Not just them, either, but pretty much every single person who ever came into contact with the guy, and a few people who only came into contact with people who came into contact with him. That alone makes his story wildly suspect, but it isn't the reason for the 2 stars ranking.

Strieber seems to hop all over the place in this book, at times leaving a story half-told. When "predictions" from his visitor contacts don't happen as they were foretold, he bends what DOES happen to fit, much like the gullible do when crystal-ball wielding women bedecked in scarves tell them they will suffer a loss. Who WON'T suffer a loss? And who CAN'T bend reality to conform to a "prediction"? He creates theories that seem to have little basis in reality - even if you accept his visitors as reality. If it weren't laughable, it would be irresponsible. There are so many people who genuinely, and mistakenly, believe they've been abducted that there's no telling where they might run with the fantastic ball of theories laid forth by Strieber.

There are some things in the book that made me wonder... for example, this adult male parent of a young child has a house in the woods that is frequently visited by aliens and his son sleeps a floor away, closer to the entrances to the house than his parents. What? Like Al Gore and his famously stupid internet-creation claims, Strieber states "I realized the seriousness of the ozone crisis long before most others", an "indisputable" fact - and one that I'm pretty sure is easily disproven. In the end, Strieber ends up sounding mildly disturbed and a bit like a guy with an inflated ego. His credibility is irrelevant, since he's usually writing fiction and aware that it IS fiction; the only difference I think there is here is that Transformation is less well-written and he thinks, genuinely believes, it's real.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This book was written concurrently with the author's international bestseller "Communion" and published just one year later. It turns out Strieber had always intended for his exploration of what happened to him with the visitors to become a publishing series, starting with "Communion" (which is genuinely worth reading) and continuing through further volumes, which sold far less well and are not so highly regarded.

Whereas "Communion" has a simple, visceral power and reads as a coherent, chronological narrative about the author's experiences with the visitors, "Transformation" is more a collection of recollections and speculations which didn't make it into the first book. It jumps from one idea to another and is less focussed than the first volume, though it does contain some interesting stuff. Further abductions both of Whitley and his son Andrew (whose real name is used in this book) are described, some of which do read as dream-like; their reality is degraded by the uncomfortable fact that, whereas thousands of abduction accounts from other abductees describe exactly the same beings and processes, Strieber's are in many details unique and different. This is usually a red flag, and lends support to the contention expressed by many that Strieber "has a hard time telling fact from fiction."

At the core of "Transformation" is the author's struggle to find the meaning of the experience, and here he goes way off the map. He journeys into metaphysical and rather new-age territory as he comes to believe the visitors recycle souls, and that the Earth is a kind of "school." There are echoes of Jim Sparks' writings in the self-indulgent, obsessively introspective narcissism which characterises much of the book's content.

Strieber is still a good writer though, and this is the saving grace of "Transformation." From the pen of a less competent writer it might read as a rambling incoherent mess, a meandering tract of new-age mumbo-jumbo. However the book is better than that: it's just nowhere near as good as "Communion" and doesn't make any lasting contribution to the understanding of what is going on with this pervasive phenomenon - though it pretends it does.

In summary, "Transformation" would be of interest mainly to the devotee of Strieber's writing (and he's admittedly a good writer), or to anyone who wants to read everything ever written about the abduction/visitor issue. It's OK, but not one of the better books on the subject.

This is one of 3 of Mr Strieber's books that I had to turn to in my hour of need. I re-read two or three times in a row making comparisons. My main question was were the visitors really a threat or higher spiritual beings. They are the most terrifying books read when encountered for the first time thinking they could be evil. The heart is petrified. Every encounter is so overwhelming at first.

I had never heard of the Nine Knocks. Thank God that you knew the real meaning. That helped me so much! Thanks for writing about it!

The chapter on "Glimpses of a New World" blew my socks off. I had an experience like one that you mentioned. I had never told anyone and you are the first to describe it. Thank you! You gave me new insight into what it meant.

I enjoyed your mentioning of the little people. What a blessing from the Lord! I also didn't know about the Free Masons. I was so glad to hear that as my grandfather and uncle are in that society.

I find it very interesting that everything you mention is happening now in our life times. Wow! You have done such a great service to mankind!
There is no doubt in my mind that this bunch is good and that is such a great relief. So mote it be!

Highly recommended book and like always well written. Your books are adding up and taking us with you on a wonderful journey. Keep giving us more information. It is much appreciated and needed.

I thought "Communion" was interesting; it was written in a manner as if Whitley Streiber was saying, "Hey, look. I don't believe in ANY of this UFO stuff, but this is what happened to the best of my knowledge and I'll try to explain it to you as best I can. Mind you, I'm still trying to figure it out myself, so please bear with me." Now, THIS book, on the other hand has him seeing aliens all the time even in "the city that never sleeps." and that's just one place in this book where he lost credibility as far as I'm concerned. Are we really expected to believe that aliens have a way of coming to visit him in New York City and no one else sees the saucer? It seems that the only thing Whitley doesn't tell us is how he has pizza and beer with the aliens on Superbowl Sunday and goes out cruising the main drag and hitting the bars with them. Lest you wonder, I myself do believe in UFOs, but I don't believe this. On a lighter note, this book gave me a perfect example of the fact that just because something is listed under NonFiction and says so on the book's spine, that's not always true. I wonder how many other first hand accounts of anything whatsoever are also like this.