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5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for the beginning UFO researcher, April 25 2011
This review is from: Communion (Mass Market Paperback)
Whitley Strieber claims to be an abductee -- a person taken by aliens against their will for their own unknown reasons. Strieber, a talented author in both fiction and non-fiction, admirably peels back the layers on a few mysterious evenings in his life and finds a lot more than he bargained for. Strieber previous to this was not interested in the subject of UFOs at all. In order to read this book, one must accept Strieber at his word. He is the first to admit that his recollections may be flawed, but here they are stripped bare. I found the most chilling aspect of Communion to be the transcripts of hypnosis sessions. These are truly terrifying and it is easy to imagine what Strieber saw on those nights, so clear are the descriptions. Most important here are the descriptions of Strieber's actual encounters. When taken at face value they mesh perfectly with other accounts, and are hard to dismiss. If one digs deeper, there is very little here to sooth the questioning mind -- merely more questions. Strieber never discerns his visitors' intentions. There is a common theme of apocalyptic warning (which apparently inspired Whitley's earlier novel, Warday) but not much else to divine exactly what these visitors are here for, or even where they come from. The other books in this series are not essential. This is the one. Get it. You should be able to polish it off in a couple days, it is a page-turner! 5 stars.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, Questionable, and ....Believable?, May 25 2004
This review is from: Communion (Mass Market Paperback)
It is important to go into this book with an open mind. For me, the entire premise seems to exist outside of the realm of fiction and nonfiction, as both of these genres connate a certain type of book. Communion is neither. It is to be read and absorbed, not analysed or debated for its veracity. The premise of the story, for me, exists outside of what is "true" and what is not. Rather than being a story about an alien abduction, it is much more about Strieber's own journey of realisation, discovery, and healing. The reviewers who say that this book frightened them, I can see why: The first fifty pages or so are fairly frightening. However, the other threehundred-odd pages deal with Strieber's grappling with how to heal himself, how to deal with what he had perceived to have happened. It is important to read this book not as a science fiction or science fact book, but rather as a man's struggle to heal. I found some parts of this book to be slow and occasionally confusing. Additionally, Strieber's writing can be difficult to follow and repetitive. Finally, he tends to get a bit too "new-agey" for me at points. Despite this, however, you cannot help but to feel the resurgance of hope, the renewed faith and tenacity which he experiences with his facing of the unknown. This book is not meant to be frightening, it is meant to be a testament to inner strength.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep an open mind, May 5 2004
This review is from: Communion (Mass Market Paperback)
The events described in the book are hard to believe, the author admits as much. But what you learn from Communion is that there is a lot to learn if you can keep an open mind. Give the story a chance and you may come away with a different way of thinking than you had before. I think thats all the author really wants people to do. I loved the book.
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