The reviews
are in:
From the Midwest
Book Review:
Could that shadow
in the corner be more than just a shadow? Was it really
just a kid knocking on the door and running away? Is it
the house only settling? Publicly we tend to write of
strange occurrences as imagination, or as having a good
explanation that we are just not aware of yet. However,
when we are alone or in like-minded company, it seems to
be human nature to wonder about the possibility of ghosts
and spirits. Some people even make a career out of ghost
hunting and/or paranormal investigation. Brad Steiger,
author of Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted
Places, brings the insight of nearly fifty years as a
paranormal researcher to the topic. As well as, his
experience of actually living in a haunted old farmhouse,
adding an authenticity to his writing that many other
research books of this type lack.
This is actually
the most extensive accounting of true stories that I have
ever seen. This all-encompassing work is a compilation of
true first person accounts of haunting and phenomenon
surrounding ghosts and spirits. Dividing the book into
thirty chapters and including 125 photographs, makes the
information easy to handle, regardless of if you want to
read the entire work, or are just interested in one
particular type of occurrence. Either way, the division
makes it a perfect reference, or captivating
read.
At first, you may
be thinking why is there so many chapters, but then you
begin to see just what an astounding collection Steiger
has compiled. It covers a plethora of area hauntings such
as, haunted houses, apartments, churches, cemeteries,
mansions, plantations, and burial grounds. His work also
breaks the types of occurrence down into categories such
as, glowing entities, poltergeists, attacking shadow
beings, possessions, animal ghost, and several
more.
The stories are
haunting, no pun intended, and their being true makes it
even more disturbing. Even though ghosts and haunting has
always been a fascination of mine, I still had to read
this with all the lights on, and there were several
occasions where I had to stop and allow the chills to
pass.
If you are an
enthusiast, just curious, or perhaps just love to read
ghost stories, you cannot miss out on Real Ghosts,
Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places. Without this
extensive, fascinating, definitive book on hauntings, no
paranormal collection will be complete.
From the
prestigious Library Journal:
Real Ghosts,
Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places--Brad
Steiger
This excellent
collection of ghost encounters will both warm the heart
and scare you out of your wits. Steiger (The Source:
Journey Through the Unexplained) has been a psychical
researcher for nearly 50 years and appears regularly on
television and radio programs. This is a collection of
his personal accounts as well as his associates'
experiences and stories collected from credible web sites
for paranormal researchers. While the experiences make
for interesting reading, the sheer number may become
daunting if read straight through. Readers who enjoy
books by John Edward (Hello from Heaven) or James Van
Praagh (Talking to Heaven) will enjoy the feel-good
selections in the chapter on ghosts that bid farewell,
while spooky-movie fans will enjoy the haunted house
tales. Excellent appendixes list haunted places in North
America, ghost hunters to contact, and a filmography of
the best Hollywood movies in the genre. Photographs
throughout enhance the appeal. Good for any collection
where the paranormal is popular, this is also an
outstanding choice for those who like short stories and
possibly for those hard-to-choose-for teens.- Jennifer
Kuncken, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA Copyright 2004
Reed Business Information.
From Steven
Wagner Paranormal
News
Author Brad Steiger
Compiles The Best Evidence
When a person says
he or she does not believe in ghosts, it's
understandable. Aren't ghosts, after all, just the
creation of horror and fantasy authors and Hollywood
filmmakers? Aren't they just Halloween figures designed
to delight and excite the imaginations of children?
Aren't they merely illusory figments of the mind? Aren't
they fantastic conjurings for which science has no
explanation?
Yes, ghosts can be
all of those things.
But the fact is,
the ghost phenomenon - which has been reported since the
beginning of recorded history - is quite real. And if a
person can say he or she does not believe in ghosts after
reading Brad Steiger's Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and
Haunted Places, he or she is in serious denial.
Steiger is one of
the most prolific authors on the subject of ghosts and
the supernatural - about 150 titles and counting - so
this is familiar territory for him, and there are few
people as qualified to write it. In this new volume from
Visible Ink Press, he has gathered some of the most
compelling evidence for ghosts and hauntings in the form
of photographs, first-hand accounts from people who
experienced them, and many of the best-documented cases
in history. As Steiger himself says, at 615 pages, this
is his magnum opus on the subject.
As any regular
reader of this website or of the supernatural knows,
there are many forms of ghost phenomena. These include
hauntings (which may be energy recorded on an
environment), apparitions, messengers, poltergeists
(noisy spirits) and other anomalies that defy
categorization. They are all well represented in this
book. It's difficult to know where even to begin when
reviewing this book because it is so chock full of
fascinating stories, encounters and facts. Any page you
flip open to will grab your attention and bring you
face-to-face with the unknown.
Steiger has left
nothing out. He has tapped paranormal researchers,
investigators and websites for some of their best case
studies. He even recounts several of his personal
experiences with ghosts, which he has seen, smelled and
felt. He takes us inside haunted houses and apartments;
into haunted churches, cemeteries and battlegrounds;
aboard ghost ships, planes and railroads; into
ghost-invested hotels, restaurants and theaters.
On the inspiring or
feel-good side, there are great stories of ghosts who
have come back to deliver messages to the living or to
say goodbye, animal ghosts and religious apparitions.
Many readers will also get a kick out of the chapter on
celebrities' ghostly encounters - as well as ghosts of
Hollywood stars themselves, such as Valentino and Marilyn
Monroe.
On the dark, scary
side, there are unnerving tales of mischievous (and
sometimes dangerous) poltergeists, mysterious shadow
people, hooded bedroom invaders and even "strange beings
that masquerade as humans." Steiger also includes a
chapter on ghosts from outer space!
Peppered throughout
the book are lots of terrific ghost photographs, some
classic and many that I have never seen in print before.
Some are more convincing than others, but all are
fascinating.
In short, Real
Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places is the best,
most complete collection of believable evidence for the
reality of these phenomena. When I was a kid, whenever I
went to the library I would look for books of good, true
ghost stories. This is the kind of book I always hoped
I'd find. It's a valuable reference work as well as an
entertaining source of spine-tingling, late-night
reading.
