Chad Lewis (1)

An almost exhaustingly detailed examination of an unusual, little-known cryptid that haunted a small town in Iowa for three days in 1903. Lewis, Voss and Nelson have really jumped into the story of the Visitor waist-deep.

The book begins with a short history of the town of Van Meter, along with an exact chronology of the events surrounding the Visitor sightings (as detailed by newspapers of the time, anyway) and brief, but detailed biographies of all the principle witnesses.

The second part of the book explores theories as to what the mysterious creature might have been. Ideas range from a deliberate hoax, to mass hysteria fed by a few odd, but naturally-explained events, to misidentification of large birds (though the writer of that particular essay dismisses all possible culprits) to the possibility that the Visitor was an alien or perhaps something even more bizarre.

My personal favorite (from a speculative fiction standpoint, anyway) is Nelson's theory that the creature may have been an ultraterrestrial- a term originally coined by paranormal investigator John Keel which refers to a being from a dimension adjacent to ours that temporarily slipped into our reality through a "window" in space and time. It's a really interesting idea and even if I don't entirely believe it, the concept of ultraterrestrial beings makes for great story material.

If there is anything negative to say about the book, it is only that the writers seem to have concluded from the beginning that the Visitor was indeed a real, probably supernatural creature and not something with a more mundane explanation such as a hoax (stories of bizarre flying monsters in the American West were actually fairly common in newspapers of the 19th and early 20th century, and were widely known to be fabrications made to drum up interest in the paper, much like the weird stories from the old Weekly World News tabloids).

Regardless, the authors obviously have a deep love for what they do, and an admirable respect for the people of Van Meter. Which translates to an enjoyable read about an intriguing, obscure bit of cryptid lore.… (mais)

A quick read, this slickly produced little book makes a good introduction to the allegedly haunted locales of St. Paul, Minnesota, one of my favorite cities. Chad Lewis has exhaustively researched the landmarks he includes in "Haunted St. Paul," beginning with their histories and then moving on to the ghostly and paranormal activity associated with them. This background provides a nice base for Lewis' slightly breathless descriptions of legends and stories of the city's ghosts, drawn from his own explorations as well as those of other ghost hunters and writers (sadly, however, there is no bibliography included). As many "real" accounts of paranormal events, the stories themselves are not really that interesting (things being moved while people's backs were turned, "eerie feelings") but Lewis does a good job emphasizing the mysterious in these everyday locales, most of which are open for the public to visit. As he points out, part of the "adventure" of haunted locations is making the trip to "see for yourself," and he certainly provides inspiration for some fun stops, especially for locals who have yet to have visited many of these cool places. A nice local travel guide for the weeks going into Halloween, I think.… (mais)

Fun road guide with travel guide with descriptions of places that are supposed to be haunted. The guide divides the state into 4 areas: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest, so the reader can focus on an area of interest. Each haunted location includes contact information, directions, and a disclaimer if appropriate. Each entry also includes history, ghost lore, an investigation report, and black and white photos. The most intesting part of the book are the dares which are included for some locations. An entertaining read for all.… (mais)