THE PRESIDENT'S VAMPIRE is proof positive that an inordinate number of very strange things happen from sea to shining sea in the place known as the United States of America. It contains scrupulously documented accounts of ghosts, monsters, murderers, and hoaxes so improbable they will fascinate believers, skeptics, and anyone interested in the more obscure corners of American history and culture. "Robert Schneck is one of the best of a new breed of investigators into the relatively unknown byways of our cultural history. Because he is thoroughly familiar with his subject, writes with deceptive ease and a clarity that both amuses and educates, and because he never forgets that at the heart of even the strangest or most frightening of mysteries there are real human beings with a story to tell, I recommend him as a trusted guide." - Bob Rickard, Fortean Times Robert Damon Schneck is a freelance writer and contributor to Fortean Times, Fate, and other magazines. Friends describe him as a "loveable, nocturnal, monomaniac."
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Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
14 reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Abundant evidence for world of strangeness
Dec 8 2005
By Linda S. Godfrey
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The President's Vampire is unusual in that it succeeds in lining up many strange, seemingly unrelated happenings and making them all seem like part of some unguessed cosmic stage play. Marauding phantoms of every size and shade, a 19th Century vampire, an electric "God machine," these and more parade through Robert Schneck's colorful verbiage as vividly as images from an antique stereoscope. By the final chapter, which is guaranteed to make anyone think twice about Ouija Boards, readers will be convinced there is more this U.S. of A. than could ever be imagined in the mind of mortal man. Schneck does not force his own conclusions on these mysteries but provides something much more valuable...thorough investigations garnered from many different angles and sources. A must-read for those brave enough to stand at the corner of Reason and Enigma and see what may tiptoe down the crosswalk. - Linda S. Godfrey, author "The Beast of Bray Road, Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf," co-author "Weird Wisconsin, Your Travel Guide to Wisconsin's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets."
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real page-turner
Dec 13 2005
By Chuan Qin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I am not a fast reader, so I was really suprised that I finished reading President's Vampire within 12 hours! It is not that I read so fast, but PV is simply one of those books you can't put down once you start reading. The writer seems to have done a real thorough research of every story in the book. The one thing I particularly like about this author is the way he tells a simple but fascinating story without letting his ego getting in the way. There aren't many writers like him nowdays. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a thrilling reading experience. Two thumbs up!
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece of American Forteana
April 17 2006
By J. Durwin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The President's Vampire is one of the sort of outstanding Fortean collections that only comes out every quarter century or so: original, penetrating, and I dare say, standard- setting. For while Schneck in his introduction describes his guilty affection for the "gee-whiz"/ "Strange but true" tomes penned by such as Frank Edwards, that is not at all what this book is about. Instead, the author takes on 8 chapter length treatments of obscure American tales and curiosities, lavishing each with miles of rigorous research, commentary and comparison, leaving no stone unturned to bring together an almost flawlessly complete series of case studies, each of which is put into as much context as the sheer uncertainty and intermediateness of the world will allow.
All of this is maintained and carried throughout by a clean, insightful and witty narrative voice, and prose so smooth and engaging that each page seems to draw you in deeper, not only into the book, but into the bizarre world of Fortean phenomena itself, finally leaving you excited, entertained, occasionally frightened, and perhaps even wondering about more aspects of history and reality than you were before.
I heartily recommend this tome to everyone, from the seasoned historical researcher, the paranormal buff, or simply anyone who likes a good scary story.
All of this is maintained and carried throughout by a clean, insightful and witty narrative voice, and prose so smooth and engaging that each page seems to draw you in deeper, not only into the book, but into the bizarre world of Fortean phenomena itself, finally leaving you excited, entertained, occasionally frightened, and perhaps even wondering about more aspects of history and reality than you were before.
I heartily recommend this tome to everyone, from the seasoned historical researcher, the paranormal buff, or simply anyone who likes a good scary story.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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