Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nick trips the dark fantastic again, August 17, 2008
As he did in his previous works, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter and Three Men Seeking Monsters, Nick takes the reader on a full-tilt, first-person narrative into the realm of the unknown, examining the beings that crouch and shamble there, and their possible origins and motives.
As he moves along in his investigations, Nick seems to be moving more toward examining the possibility of a human catalyst for the manifestation, or "summoning," of many such entities. His theories along these lines are quite sound and should give anyone who dabbles in the occult pause to consider just what they might actually be doing, knowingly or not. My only concern for Nick is that, in the course of his attempts to recreate such rituals and manifestations, he might himself some night fall victim to something that has no rightful place in our world (I have some advice for him concerning self-protection along those lines, which I'll be glad to share if he'd like).
Nick's books are an entertaining read, Hunteresque at times, but they are more than that--they are thoughtful and logical, presenting important clues and evidence regarding this very important arm of Fortean research, "monster hunting." Hopefully he'll continue on in this vein for years to come, and--who knows?--"bring one back alive" someday!
No--make that "some night."
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS...BUT WHERE?, December 2, 2008
"There's Something in the Woods" by Nick Redfern is a collection of fascinating stories that encompass ghosties, ghouls, UFO's, flying demons, and a host of other paranormal but extremely illusive creatures spawned in a bubbling vat of folklore, crypto zoology, and demonic things that "go bump in the night."
Although, Redfern gives the reader a wide variety of alleged incidents highlighted by verbal testimony of witnesses, he does not substantiate any of the sightings with on-going follow-up investigations which might include newspaper accounts, or other referrals which could inevitably help to substantiate or verify these unusual events.
For instance, in one story of Chapter 11 he tells the reader about the sighting of two very large "Harpies" type creatures with bat like wings that unexplainably came out through the cellar of large old house and into the night. These creatures were allegedly seen by a group of kids in the early months of 1946 in a small town just outside Lubbock, Texas. In addition, a motorist also reported seeing one of these creatures in the roadway several months later. This sounds like it could just as easily, be a scene from the horror movie, "The Hills Have Eyes." The incident is exciting to the readers mind, but...what town outside of Lubbock, Texas, What witnesses? What follow-up?
It appears that the author is leaning toward the possibility that these paranormal creatures and on-going events are of a real nature but, one hidden behind a veil of dimensional properties that only allows for these events to take place if, and when the time is right or, if, purposely conjured. He also seems to believe that these creatures and events are somehow... tied into the various ancient cultures of each area that he investigates.
Mr. Redfern no doubt has a real passion for the subject matter and is truly on a quest for some "real answers." However, although his plethora of stories is fun to read, they do little more than wet the appetite.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High Strangeness and Adventure Continues..., August 24, 2008
Nick Redfern has a solid reputation as a leading researcher and author of all things paranormal, especially the field of cryptozoology. He can present the facts, write the books, and speak across the globe with the best of them. But there is one thing he does better than all the rest, and that is get out there in the field, get his hands dirty, and actually look for the very things he writes about.
Not afraid to boldly go where no other researcher dares to, or even risk his neck, Redfern accumulates a book-full of new adventures (anyone who's read his past books knows he doesn't sit still for long) seeking monsters and things that go bump in the day and the night. This time, he focuses his transcontinental road trip on the United States and his home country, England, and trust me, there are more than enough creatures to chase to fill ten books.
Redfern, who lives in Dallas, Texas, picks up where his gonzo thrill-ride "Three Men Seeking Monsters" left off and bounces back and forth between strange and creepy locales on both continents. We follow Nick into the woods of the deeply historical region of Staffordshire, England where his monster quest begins in the Cannock Chase, searching out the "Cannock Nessie," a local legend of a beast, and ends up chasing werewolves, giant cats and Bigfoot-like man beasts, all while his poor wife looks on begging him to not mess with unseen forces he knows little about. Not that anything like that would ever stop Redfern, who plows forth on the trail of Devil-Monkeys, cryptic crop circles, potential UFO sightings and a host of other mysteries from the borderlands that exist in merry Old England.
Then it's soon off to the States where we get a first-hand account of the hunt for oversized winged insects, giant black cats, ghost lights, creepy "dark men" and a plethora of other local and regional legends that few Americans may be aware exist right in their own backyard...ok, well, in the WOODS behind their own backyard.
Much of Redfern's research focuses on cryptozoology, with giant black dogs and werewolf-type entities taking front and center, and the author never fails to both entertain and educate as he presents his own hands-on views as well as some cutting edge theories behind these entities, including the possibility that we are dealing with inter-dimensional creatures and not just flesh-and-blood beasties. As always, Redfern's book is peppered with humor, personal insight and plenty of pictures courtesy of the author's own well-traveled camera.
I consider Nick Redfern both a colleague and a friend, and anxiously await anything he does. He excels as a writer to be sure, but again, his forte is getting out on the road and in search of, to borrow from the TV series I grew up on, the stuff that others only talk and write about. He may seem a bit crazy in his approach, but who would expect anything less of a guy who once kissed a baby Chupa on the lips (I have proof in my book "PSIence"!!!). Rest assured, if there is something in the woods, Nick Redfern is no doubt the guy to find it.
Marie D. Jones - ParaExplorers.com
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