Sight Unseen: Science, UFO Invisibility, and Transgenic Beings (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Carol Rainey (Author) "WHEN DETAILS OF THE FIRST thoroughly investigated UFO abduction report-the now famous Betty and Barney Hill case-came to wide public attention in 1966, researchers made..." (more)
Key Phrases: transgenic beings, small gray aliens, cow oocytes, Cape Cod, New York, Budd Hopkins (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rather than discrediting UFO abduction stories, recent scientific developments make them increasingly plausible, argues this intriguing volume. Hopkins (Intruders) and documentary filmmaker Rainey touch on everything from mind control to teleportation, but focus on two areas of progress that they say give clues as to how and why UFOs abduct their victims. The first is invisibility, now almost feasible on earth via NASA's "adaptive camouflage" technologies and presumably old hat for space-traveling extraterrestrials, which, they say, explains why abductions so often go unnoticed. The second is the burgeoning field of genetic and reproductive engineering, whose methods resemble the medical procedures that those who claim to have been abducted by extraterrestrials report they experienced. The resulting "transgenic" offspring can pass for human while serving the aliens, the authors argue, and nonhuman beings live among us, often distinguishable by their social unease and unfashionable clothes. The authors invoke everything from quantum mechanics to parallel universes to lend a scientific aura to their theories, but the operative paradigm behind UFO phenomena seems not so much physics as psychoanalysis, with alien abductions playing roughly the same all-purpose explanatory role as the Oedipal conflict. This becomes clear in the many riveting first-hand accounts of abductions, in which abductees evoke an inchoate, Kafkaesque sense of anxiety and misplaced reality that resolves itself, under hypnosis, into the harrowing specifics of psycho-sexual trauma at the hands of little gray men. Full of subtle, naturalistic detail and dense, complex, novelistic portraits of transgenic characters, these stories demonstrate that the folklore of UFO abductions-ostensibly about aliens but perhaps really about alienation-has developed into one of the richest psychological literatures of our time. Photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Whitley Strieber

"Sight Unseen" is truly extraordinary, by far the most powerful and convincing book about the abduction phenomenon ever written.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Atria (September 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743412184
• ISBN-13: 978-0743412186
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #111,499 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #84 in	Books > Science > Astronomy > UFOs
  #84 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > UFOs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sadly necessary, February 3, 2006

By	Scott Burright (Laramie, WY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a perfect world, we would not yet be entertaining the question, "how did extraterrestrials get here," since we have yet to establish a general consensus that they are here. Sadly, when the evidence is presented, many otherwise reasonable people find it necessary to respond that extraterrestrials couldn't possibly be here, and couldn't possibly do the things they are alleged to do-- hardly a scientific attitude-- and therefore UFOs must be swamp gas, mass hysteria, hallucinations, sleep paralysis, lies, conspiracy, weather balloons, or the planet Venus. So the cart is put before the horse: We have to discuss how they could be here and do what they do before we can even entertain whether or not they're here and, if so, what they're doing.

Worse, we waste a lot of time speculating why extraterrestrials would behave as witnesses describe, as if not knowing their motives permits us to dismiss the idea that they exist. I wish the final answer were "we have no idea why. First, let's establish 'if' and 'what.'"

But it isn't. "We don't know how or why extraterrestrials would do what they reportedly do; therefore, they don't exist." This flawed logic flies surprisingly well with the general public (and examples can be found among the reviews here), and so books like this are necessary to offer some plausible "hows" and "whys."

Carol's part in the book is to entertain such conjectures. Her speculations are the sort that should occur to any reasonably bright person who is interested in both science and UFO phenomena-- in other words, anyone who has any business dismissing UFO reports on scientific grounds. But again, it's an imperfect world. For me, Carol's contribution felt mostly superfluous and the delivery corny, but for the level of thinker who assumes that science rules out the truth of all UFO reports, I think it's appropriate.

Budd's contribution is, as usual, gripping, even if you think he and his sources are making it all up. I find his style clear, coherent, witty, and even insightful. The subject matter is admittedly outlandish, and it's tempting to approach it armored in irony and sarcasm. "Hey, I'm readin' the crazy UFO guy!" Sure, that's fun. But it's not just one crazy UFO guy. To summarily dismiss UFO phenomena as laughable, you basically have to call all the witnesses a bunch of crazies and liars. Keep in mind that this list includes not only ordinary, otherwise sane individuals, but on-duty police officers, RAF aircraft spotters, pilots and their flight crews, security personnel at military bases where nuclear weapons are housed, and governments of NATO powers, among many others.

With this in mind, Budd doesn't seem quite so crazy.

Some have decided that Budd must be implanting suggestions in his hypnotic subjects, making them imagine "memories" that conform to Budd's idea of UFO abductions, but I have never seen anyone offer a single reason to think so, other than the fact that it's theoreticaly possible. Indeed, Budd provides transcripts of his hypnotic sessions in this book and elsewhere; so you'd think that if hypnotic suggestion were responsible for these abduction reports, we'd have plenty of examples of Budd leading the witnesses. I haven't noticed any, and the critics have so far failed to supply any. In fact, I'd say Budd goes to pains to avoid leading his subjects and takes measures to test the credibility of their recall. Furthermore, his witnesses report their abduction experiences before undergoing hypnosis, and many never do undergo hypnosis. They report these experiences, and then some undergo hypnosis to aid recall, not the other way around. Therefore, I fail to see how hypnotic suggestion could be the primary culprit, unless the effect is said to precede the cause.

Again, it shouldn't be necessary to make these points, but such is the level of public discourse on UFOs. So this book addresses a real need, and it's a page turner, too.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific Explanations of the strangest of UFO Events., May 4, 2005

By	Robert S. Vannrox (wrentham, ma United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I read the book I become amazed at the technological issues that the UFO occupants have mastered. This book is a wonder. How can one become invisible? Is it possible? Well, the answer is yes, and not simply due to the quantun physics angle of study. Tear into this book and unleash a world of possibility and eye opening experiences that will greatly enhance your understanding of the UFO events. I did really enjoy this book, and I plan on purchasing another of his books to read as well. It was very enjoyable. Well written. And it was noteworthy. I have nothing but praise for this book. It should be on the book shelf of everyone studying the UFO experience. He opens up such a world of understanding, I can't help but think that the UFO community has made an significant increase in our understanding of their technologies, purposes, and intent. THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOLID AND DEDICATED RESEARCHER WITH SCIENTIFIC WIFE!!, October 14, 2004

By	Margaret C. Jacob "grail buff" (Dallas, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We heard these two at our last convention, and they are very dedicated researchers. His best comeback is for sceptics: Budd says they are the "true believers" because they know a-priori the facts and don't need to consider the truth of the information!! Of course, some people's minds are so pre-programmed that their perception is severely compromised even when they try to read anything!! Too bad; but the majority of UFO researchers are coming to the conclusion that what we are dealing with here in an INTERDIMENSIONAL phenomena. So get ready to hear more about quantum levels known to be there but not seen by physical eyes!!