Majestic: Amazon.ca: Whitley Strieber: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Strieber, author of Communion and Transformation , continues to write on the implications of UFO sightings in this novel, a blend of fact and fiction. Working on a tip from an ex-CIA agent, reporter Nicholas Duke investigates a decades-long cover-up of a 1947 spaceship crash, in what PW termed a "very long, sensationalized story."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, Dec 6 2003

By	William J. Tychonievich (Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Majestic (Hardcover)

The problem here is that Strieber can't seem to make up his mind whether he's writing history or science fiction, and the two genres have very different requirements. As an historical account of the Roswell affair, it is largely useless because you can't tell which parts are real and which parts were made up. As a novel, it lacks coherence, and the plot is confusing and inconclusive. That sort of thing is acceptable in Strieber's non-fiction alien abduction stories ("Communion" et al.), but fiction requires more structure.

Readers familiar with the "Communion" cycle will notice that many episodes in "Majestic" are cut-and-pasted from Strieber's nonfiction -- but, somehow, told with less proficiency than in the nonfiction originals. Will Stone has some of the same childhood experiences as Whitley Strieber himself (I wonder if the similarity of the names is intentional?), but somehow those experiences have been drained of their poetry. Quotes from the Strieber's nonfiction are imported (repeatedly!) into "Majestic," but in clumsily paraphrased form (The haunting, "Why do you call on your Gods? It's only us," becomes the clunky, "Why do you call on your Gods? We're the only ones here.").

The human characters are flat, and often just don't act like real people. It's okay for the aliens to act like aliens, but he has the humans act like aliens too! This reaches its nadir in what is perhaps the most embarrassingly bad (and thoroughly unbelievable) sex scene I've ever been exposed to.

If you want to get into Strieber, read the "Communion" cycle. "Majestic" is only a poor imitation.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction, Oct 23 2003

By	J. M. Krassin (El Paso, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you want the facts on the Roswell Incident put in plain, matter-of-fact form, consult books by Stanton Friedman. If you want the facts of this UAP crash exposed in an enjoyable read--pick up Majestic. This book will maintain your interest and will be difficult to put down. Much more to this book than meets the eye--however--it is fiction. Also, be aware that the account of the Loosley incident is also fiction; apparently based on the childish prank of a David Langford. This book reads almost like a deathbed confession (ref. Jesse Marcel). Communion and Transformation are more like horror fiction novels, whereas this is an outstanding read. Enjoy.

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4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing interpretation of the roswell mythos, Jun 25 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Majestic (Hardcover)

I've read this novel several times, and have continued to find it intriguing and captivating. As someone interested in UFO's but who is generally skeptical of (the alleged alien nature of)the Roswell crash, I found it especially fascintaing. Interest or knowledge of UFO's/alien abduction, etc. is not a prerequisite for reading or enjoying this novel though, for it is still a ripping yarn no matter what you think of the subject matter.
The only flaw or drawback to this book is that the author uses
the largely discredited MJ-12 documents as a basis for his interpretation of the events of Roswell as depicted in the novel.
However, Strieber makes up for any shortcomings with his skill in writing eloquent, suspenseful prose that capture's the reader's attention and his masterful ability to easily combine fact, speculation and outright fiction (which may or may not tell us something about his nonfiction work.)

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Never Again
Don't tell anyone I read this book, my mother got it for me, although I have no idea why. So I had to read it. Read more

Published on April 9 2002 by John G. Hilliard

2.0 out of 5 stars Strieber's return to fiction lacks creative magic.
Whitley Strieber, after writing two non-fiction accounts of his experiences with apparent non-human intelligence, returned to the fiction arena with this rather uninspired novel... Read more

Published on May 1 2001 by Chadwick H. Saxelid

2.0 out of 5 stars Calling all aliens...Please come and abduct Strieber ...
and spare us from future dribble like MAJESTIC! For UFOlogists and Roswell fanatics, there's nothing really new here. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2001 by coachtim