![]() ![]() Keel is unarguably a fluent and engaging writer, and his persona as an “objective” outside journalist, a la Capote circa In Cold Blood, suits the story perfectly. There’s one problem, though: like a five-star appetizer followed up by a bowl of prison slop, the premise is far superior than the actual product, and Keel is just too damn subjective and matter-of-fact about the most wide-eyed of theories that it’s hard to shelve this book anywhere but the “General Loony Bin” section. ![]() ![]() For paranormal junkies, the book’s appeal is undeniable, and even for those of us wavering on the mystical fence, the concept is compelling enough to keep those pages turning. In terms of premises, few books of the past three decades are more alluring: it’s 1966, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia experiences a series of bizarre, supernatural events straight out of The Twilight Zone – UFO encounters, sightings of an otherworldly winged mammal, run-ins with aliens masquerading as earthlings – that propel the town towards hysteria and ultimately culminate in disaster. Thirty five years after its UFO-packed pages first beamed their way onto bookshelves worldwide, John Keel’s The Mothman Prophecies remains a sacred cow in the world of metaphysical nonfiction – even if smarmy naysayers will discount the entire genre as an oxymoron. ![]()
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