It’s now been about 16 years since the
event that literally changed my life. Before that time,
I was one of those folks that had a passing interest in
the paranormal. Aside from a pair of UFO sightings, I
didn’t have much interest other than passively
viewing old reruns of Rod Serling documentaries. Then
came the low point of my life, where on that fateful
evening, I had the barrel of an 8mm Mauser pressed to the
bottom of my chin, ready to pull the trigger. Something
wouldn’t allow the action, and over the next month,
I became acquainted with my spirit guide (my own personal
guardian angel), a she-wolf named Stardancer. From that
point onward, as you may imagine, my interest in anything
and everything connected to the realm of the paranormal
has become an obsession.
Aside from living on the border of many Native
American reservations and having many friends on those
reservations with whom I could speak about my
experiences, I began to acquire a rather large library on
the topics of spiritualism, UFO’s and every aspect
of paranormal phenomena. One thing became noticeable:
among the best of those books I had collected, the most
repetitive author was Brad Steiger. Eight years ago, on
a whim, I wrote to Brad, expecting like so many other
authors, not to hear back, but I did, and from there on
in, Brad has become not only an indispensable mentor and
cherished colleague, but one of my most treasured
friends.
For those of you less familiar with Brad Steiger, Brad
has not only had multiple personal experiences with
paranormal phenomena, but is one of the most prolific
authors and chroniclers of all things beyond the
understanding of academic science. He has authored over
160 books since the 1960s, several of which are
considered groundbreaking in their scope. Brad has
become known for his style of straight forward reporting
of incidents, without much of the interjected commentary
leading to a specific conclusion that is depressively
common in the genre. Brad writes straightforward account
as experienced by those relaying their accounts, never
assuming its origin. When Brad does comment or classify,
it’s well worth attention, for his experience in any
discipline of the research is golden.
Recently, many of Brad’s publishers have begun
republishing his seminal works, which should be viewed as
indispensable for any student researcher of the esoteric.
Most recently, Anomalist Books has re-issued Shadow
World, which was first published in 2000. Shadow World
is a chilling sojourn through the realm of the spirit
world, and once again challenges our perception of where
and why spirit beings originate.
No, this is no mere gallery of ghosts and ghouls; it
provides a panoramic painting of the motives and
classifications of ethereal beings, as well as
questioning from where these entities come. You need not
be an expert on ghosts, but merely love ghost stories.
Here is a mere thumbnail of the material you will find
within:
*Spirits of the Dead: What we traditionally refer to
as ghosts… spirits of those who have passed on, but
in some manor, have not been able to shed their earthly
attachments. Some have benevolent attachments, helping
or guiding family members or living occupants of a house,
others malevolent, intent on revenge or harm to the
living.
*Poltergeists: As translated from German,
“Throwing Spirit”…an entity that disrupts
a house or designated place, often levitating or hurling
objects about…usually bringing harm to the
living.
*Phantoms: Ethereal apparitions seen by many people.
Often known for preying on the fears and emotions of the
living around them.
*Animal Spirits: Most often pets that return to say
their last good-bys to their cherished human partners,
but also cases of animal spirits guarding lands, and some
with grievous harm on their “minds”. Do
animals possess souls? From the abundant stories (and
many of my personal experiences), this matter is without
question!
*Nature Spirits: Down thorough the ages, also called
Devas, Fairies, Gnomes and Elves. Often more mischievous
than harmful, these spirit beings are known to protect
certain historical areas, and there are many who, to
their discontent, have learned the hard way not to
violate certain protected areas.
*Deiform Spirits: Protectors and haunters of ancient
ruins, burial grounds and archaeological digs. These are
the spirits once worshiped as gods...whatever they are,
they are supernatural in origin.
*Spirit Parasites: Most likely, beings that are
historically known as demons. These beings are often
grotesque in appearance, and have nothing good in their
motives. They are often present in areas that have a
history of violence, murder or demonic worship. These
are the entities usually linked to houses or rooms that
appear to be evil.
*Spirit Mimics: Beings that assimilate a solid form,
sometimes mimicking known living people, some just
assimilating people. They often mimic human form and
voices, but usually speak in outdated lingo and have
strange mannerisms.
*Spirit Residue: What is thought to be psychic
impressions left on a room or area, linked to a tragedy
from the past; usually viewed as a spirit “film
loop,” continually replaying a tragic moment from
the past.
Brad proposes these classifications in the beginning
and separates several example stories by these
classifications…beyond this, this book is an example
of what Brad does best…put true stories down on
paper for the rest of us to enjoy. These classifications
may soon expand, may at some time be explained, but then
again, one point both Brad and I agree upon…some
aspects of the unexplained may just remain
that…perhaps the creator intends that we never know
the basis for such phenomena, which is why we refer to
this as “the Great Mystery.”
Any way you look at it, this is a truly eerie read.
This book is guaranteed to chill you to the bone while
you lay in bed reading this. That’s a hard thing to
do to me personally. I’ve been attacked by a
malevolent entity, have had to battle a demon that had a
hold of me in the past, and through my spirit walks and
visions with my spirit guide, I’ve seen things so
horrid, I haven’t had a good scare moment from a
horror movie in over a decade. Keep in mind as you read
this book…this is not the fantasy from the mind of a
very imaginative fiction writer…these are all
stories that are real!
Once again, my hat goes off to Brad for expanding our
knowledge, challenging our perceptions, and on a personal
note, being able to make me personally feels chills once
more! Even if you are not a paranormal buff and just
merely like scary ghost stories as bedtime entertainment,
Shadow World is a must for your personal library!
- “Wolfman”
Dan Allen
- Writer / illustrator, Studio Ronin