Conan Doyle and an Enduring Mystery

There's one more new Mysterious Universe article from me. It's on a subject I have a great deal of interest in: mysterious and controversial "horse mutilations" that occurred in the early 1900s, and only a couple of miles from where I lived as a kid.

The article focuses on the man who the local police blamed for the crime, but who may well have been innocent. His name: George Edalji.

The reason I mention this now, and why it's the subject of my latest MU article, is because British TV have just made a major, 3-part fictional series on the Edalji affair, which begins next week. It will be broadcast in the US, too, in the near future.

Keep a look out for it, titled Arthur and George.

"Arthur" is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the creator of Sherlock Holmes - who was one of the key figures who helped ensure that Edalji was released from prison early.

There's a chapter in my Monster Diary book that addresses the very weird cryptozoology-themed aspects of the saga, which you can find here.

Lake Monsters Or Giant Eels?

My latest Mysterious Universe article focuses on the theory that at least some so-called "lake-monsters" may actually be giant eels. It starts like this:

"When it comes to the matter of lake monsters, two things can be said with a high degree of certainty: (a) sightings have been reported from pretty much all around the world; and (b) the theories for what they may be are as many as they are varied. Ogopogo, Champ, Morag, and the monsters of Loch Ness, Scotland have all captured the collective imagination of the public and the media, as well as the attention of cryptozoologists, the scientific community, and monster-hunters. But, if lake monsters really do exist – and I think they do – then what are they? That’s a good question…

"Certainly, and beyond any shadow of doubt (and particularly so when it comes to the matter of what lurks within Loch Ness) the most popular theory is that the creatures are plesiosaurs: marine reptiles that lived from the Triassic Period, thrived in the Jurassic Period, and finally met their demise at the end of the Cretaceous Period. If such beasts did survive extinction, such a discovery would not just be amazing – it would be beyond amazing!" (END OF EXTRACT)

The giant eel theory is one that has interested me for a long time and you can find other material on this very subject from me in my 2012 book Monster Diary (which includes an entire chapter on the subject, titled "The Great Eel Hunt"). The photo below relates to the story in the book.

Also check out this 2012 article from me (also at Mysterious Universe), one (from 2008) at my now-closed down blog, There's Something in the Woods, and a second one at the same blog, this one from 2007.

Goatman: Flesh or Folklore?

If you have read my books Memoirs of a Monster Hunter, There's Something in the Woods, Wildman, Monster Diary and (with Ken Gerhard) Monsters of Texas, you'll know I have done more than a few investigations into reports of so-called "Goatmen" across the United States.

Well, the good news is that in 2014, a full-length book on this subject will be published. You can find the info here.

PS: The photo above shows the Old Alton Bridge at Denton, Texas, which is home to a Goatman legend.

Anomalist Books: Hard-Cover Editions

This just in from Anomalist Books:

"Just as many audiophiles still prefer vinyl records to digital downloads for their music, some book buyers prefer hardback books to trade paperbacks or (horrors!) ebooks. In an effort to please this discriminating audience, we are making a selection of titles from the Anomalist Books catalog available in hardback editions. Those who have held these laminate hardbacks (no dust jacket) in their hands agree that the books are rock solid and beautiful. But please note: these hardback editions will only be available for a limited time."

 

And here's where you can find a list of those books (which includes two of mine: Monster Diary and Final Events), and their availability.  

Final Events & Monster Diary: Hardbacks

 

 

For those who may be interested, Patrick Huyghe and Dennis Stacy's Anomalist Books have just published two of my books in hardback that were previously only available in paperback.

 

They are Monster Diary and Final Events, both of which are available now.



 

Paranormal Cannock Chase

Here's some excellent news!

A new blog has been created by British paranormal researcher, Lee Brickley. The theme is the many and varied tales of paranormal activity, strange creatures, UFOs, and much more of England's Cannock Chase - an expansive and captivating area of very dense woodland and heath.

As you may know I've written extensively on the Fortean "things" of the Cannock Chase.

My book, There's Something in the Woods, has a chapter on the "Chase Werewolf of the German Cemetery" saga of 2007. Wildman includes a wealth of material on Bigfoot-type creatures seen on the Chase. One chapter of On the Trail of the Saucer Spies is devoted to a reported UFO crash somewhere on Cannock Chase in 1964. And Monster Diary delves into a strange saga filled with dark rituals and occult masses in the woods after sunset.

When, from the mid-80s to the early-90s, I worked as a van-driver and forklift driver for a local paint-and-wallpaper company, my daily deliveries often took me across the Chase, something which made me look at the place in a new light.

The reason being that every now and again I would hear tales of high-strangeness from some of the customers who knew of my paranormal interests. Sightings of big-cats, wallabies, and wild boar on the loose were typical topics of just a few of those tales.

In other words, the Cannock Chase is quite a place, which is why I'm very pleased that Lee has decided to create a blog solely devoted to studying, and reporting on, this particular locale - which is only a short journey from where I lived as a kid.

Lee already has three posts up at his blog (one on the werewolf controversy, a second on orbs and triangular-shaped UFOs, and the third being his introduction to the blog and its aims and goals).

If you are already familiar with the Cannock Chase, or are wondering what's really afoot, check out Lee's Paranormal Cannock Chase blog, which you can find right here...

 

All the photos above are from my own collection and show various places of paranormal interest on and around the Cannock Chase.

A Cattle Mute Caught in the Act?

You don't get to hear much about cattle mutilations in the UK. At least, I don't!

But, I do have one case in my files that wasn't so much a cattle mute, but nearly a mute. Perhaps. Maybe. I dunno!

Anyway, I have summarized the details in a new Mysterious Universe article which starts as follows:

"Back in January of this year I gave a lecture for the Orange County, California chapter of the Mutual UFO Network, MUFON. While there, a member of the audience asked me if there had ever been any reports of cattle mutilations in the UK, where I was born and brought up. When I asked the man if he meant mutilations of animals by what might be perceived as extraterrestrials, he replied: “Yes.” Well, that’s a tricky one to answer.

"In my books, There’s Something in the Woods and Monster Diary, I discussed a variety of highly disturbing animal mutilation events in the UK. Some of those cases involved sheep. In other cases, cats were the victims. And in a few, horses were the unlucky ones. Moreover, I have also discussed other such incidents from the UK right here, at Mysterious Universe. Here’s one example and here’s another. But, I have to say that all the cases of animal mutilation I came across in the UK seemed to be linked to occult sacrifice, rather than to UFOs, as the links above will demonstrate."

And here's the article in full...

The Paranormal Podcast

You can find a new interview with me - on the subject of my Monster Diary book - at Jim Harold's Paranormal Podcast. But, that's not all: the link will also take you to a new interview with Paul Kimball, of Red Star Films and the author of The Other Side of Truth.

Here's the link...

The Cult of the Moon Beast

Over the years I've done more than a few investigations into strange and disturbing mutilations of animals in the UK - much of which was prompted by the fact that, as a kid, I lived only about 5-minutes from where the very controversial saga of George Edalji (pictured below) went down. In other words, as the Edalji affair was known all across the little villages of the area I grew up in, I was exposed to the phenomenon from an early age.

But, we're not talking about attacks by so-called "Alien Big Cats" or anything along the lines of cattle mutilations.

Rather, we're talking about ritualistic sacrifice and the summoning up of strange and bizarre beasts as a consequence and result of those sacrifices.

In my 2008 book, There's Something in the Woods, I detailed a series of such events that occurred in Devonshire, England in 2006; and my 2012 book Monster Diary reveals my findings on an ancient Scottish group - the Taigheirm - that got up to similar things in centuries-past, and which may still exist.

One of the weirdest stories that falls into this category came to me in 2000 by a guy named Rob Lea. It's a very odd and lengthy saga filled with conspiracy, werewolves, slaughtered sheep, and much, much more.

And Rob's story is the focus of my latest Mysterious Universe post.

Sydney Squidney & Monster Diary

Over at Goodreads, there's a new review of my Monster Diary book from Sydney Squidney, keeper of Cryptid Chronicles.

In part, Sydney states: "In MONSTER DIARY, the ever-learning reader gets (re)acquainted with truths, conjectures and possibilities that could answer some of the strange and sinister experiences that people are and have been reporting across the world for centuries such as apparitional creatures, ghostly projections, giant flying 'things', and giant eels. But there's also a whole lot more strange phenomena to absorb."

Here's the full review.

That's Sydney below, looking remarkably calm as she is about to get eaten by King Kong.

Rather than save Sydney from the jaws of the mighty beast, I decided to take a photo instead!

A Monster Diary Q&A

Over at The Examiner there's a new Q&A with me about my most recent book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures, published by Anomalist Books.

The interview was done a couple of weeks ago with Jeffery Pritchett, and here's a taster of it, with an excerpt from the first question and answer...

You can find the complete interview right here.

1. Nick, in your book Monster Diary On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures, in your introduction you get into the Cryptozoologist's stubborn view of all creatures being flesh and blood and renouncing the paranormal. Sasquatch comes to mind. I agree whole heartily! Could you get into this with us?

NR: Yeah, sure. Basically, there are many creatures within Cryptozoology that appear to be something less - or more - than mere flesh and blood, at least as we understand it. Granted, it's an aspect of the subject that many researchers ignore or dismiss. And even though these cases - rogue cases might be a good term to use - are certainly not in the majority, when you have reports, even if it's only in the several dozens or thereabouts, of Bigfoot seen at the same time and place as strange lights in the sky, or when the creature vanishes in a flash of light, or monster hunters begin to have weird synchronicities when they look for these things, I think we have to start looking into other realms. Most of these things are so elusive it almost defies belief for them to be regular animals. But, there's no doubt these things exist. It's just the nature of that existence I question, not whether they are real or not. Only a nut, an oaf - I like that word - or a weak and unsure mind in total denial would deny the tremendous body of data in support of their existence.

Magonia Reviews Monster Diary

Over at the Magonia blog, Peter Rogerson reviews my Monster Diary book and definitely captures the flavor of the story!

You can find the review right here.

There is one issue I have with the review, however, and it's spelled out in the statement below, which I have also posted in the Comments section of the review at the Magonia blog.

My comment reads as follows:

"Hey Peter,

"Cheers for the fine review!

"Just one quibble: Re the interviewees and the matter of '...I leave it to the reader’s imagination as to whether these characters are fictions created by Redfern for dramatic effect...', it's worth noting the following:

"Every interview/interviewee was digitally recorded. Plus, all the interviewees have to sign waivers to avoid 'trouble' with the publisher, and to confirm they are fine with the way they are presented. So, each and every one is indeed a real person with waivers kept on file etc.

"And where you say of the interviewees, '...they have an uncanny knack of sharing Nick’s interests and beliefs...', it's worth noting that I interview plenty of people every year who don't agree with me on Fortean topics. But, as they are wrong, I don't use their data.

"So, it's more correct to say I don't just get endless accounts of what I want to hear, but I also get numerous accounts that I massively disagree with, but that don't see the light of day."

Cryptozoology vs. Parapsychology

Over at his blog, Matt Bille has a new post that discusses my Monster Diary book, in relation to the high-strangeness cases I present in its pages, and with specific regard to the matter of things such as a spectral sabre-tooth tiger (a case I describe in the book), and whether or not rogue cases like this should have a place in Cryptozoology or Parapsychology.

You can find Matt's post here, and here's my comment to the post:

"Hey Matt,

"Yes, it may well be argued that if a creature exhibits phenomena that is far more paranormal in nature (however we define that term), it may not technically be considered a creature of cryptozoology.

"But, here's the thing: many creatures that are widely accepted as being part of cryptozoology do exhibit such paranormal (or perceived paranormal) traits.

"Whether people agree with the data and witness testimony or not, there are a lot of Bigfoot reports that are steeped in high strangeness.

"Take, for just one example, Stan Gordon's 2010 book, Silent Invasion, that chronicles very weird Bigfoot activity in Pennsylvania in 1973.

"Tales of the Yowie in Australia are also saturated with odd overtones.

"FW Holiday, while investigating the Loch Ness Monster, began to experience a lot of high-strangeness, including a MIB sighting at the loch and strange synchronicities.

"Tim Dinsdale alluded to the possibility of a paranormal explanation for Nessie.

"There's Britain's Owlman, West Virginia's Mothman, the 'pterodcatyls' of the Texas-Mexico border - all steeped in high strangeness.

"Merrily Harpur's book, Mystery Big Cats, places the UK's Alien Big Cats into a non-physical category, a book well worth reading.

"So, if even just one example of high-strangeness in all these cases is valid, using your criteria for what passes as a creature of cryptozooloogy, would we not have to remove all the above 'things' from cryptozoological study and hand the data over to paranormal researchers?

"Or, perhaps, we should modify what cryptozoology is and represents."

A Monster-Themed Night at the Museum

On Saturday, January 26, I'll be speaking about my books Monster Diary and Wildman at the Austin, Texas-based Museum of the Weird.

And I won't be the only one lecturing either!

Here's the full schedule (from the organizer), below, with a link at the foot of the post where you can find out more about the event.

A CRYPTOMUNDO NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Saturday, January 26th, 2012
3:00pm to 10:00pm

Museum of the Weird, in conjunction with the world's foremost website on all things cryptid, Cryptomundo.com, will be hosting a very special event on January 26th at the Museum of the Weird in Austin, TX:

Cryptomundo Night at the Museum!

Featuring an all-star line up of world famous cryptozoologists, experts and authors, it's sure to be a night of entertainment, intrigue and mystery as we explore the unknown creatures that lurk in the darker corners of the world we live in!

Please come out and join us for the festivities!

Speaker presentations and author book signings include:

Lyle Blackburn, frontman for rock band Ghoultown, writer for Rue Morgue magazine and author of The Beast of Boggy Creek.

Nick Redfern, author of Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures, The World's Weirdest Places, and Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.

Ken Gerhard, author of Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters and  Monsters of Texas.

Dave Coleman, author of The Bigfoot Filmography.

The event starts at 3:00pm and goes until 6:00pm, then a break for dinner and to explore 6th Street and downtown Austin.

It resumes again at 8:00pm with a special screening in the Museum's Weird Theater of the '70s drive-in classic Creature from Black Lake.

The event is $10 and includes admission to the Museum of the Weird and the movie (dinner and drinks not included).

Space and seating is extremely limited, so we recommend buying your tickets early!

And here's where you can find out more...

Monster Diary Gets Loren's Vote

Loren Coleman votes my Monster Diary book as the "best autobiographical cryptozoological book of the year."

And here's the link where you can find Loren's top books in a wide range of other crypto-themed categories.

That's me and Loren above, photographed in October of this year.

Brad Steiger Reviews Monster Diary

 

 

Author Brad Steiger gives the thumbs-up to my new book, Monster Diary:

 

"Nick Redfern has produced another excellent title that we will all wish to add to our Redfern Library of Monsters, Weird Creatures, and Perplexing Paths of the Paranormal. In Monster Diary Redfern takes to the road to search out 'strange and sinister creatures,' and the literary style of diary entries serves the subject matter very well.

"I always enjoy reading his take on some of the classic monsters which have haunted the British countryside for centuries. What he adds to his usual reportage of monsters of the moors is a theory that some of these entities may well be spectral memories and ghostly projections. To me, this theory makes a great deal of sense. I have always wondered just where the Brits got the notion that black panthers were terrorizing their roadways when no panthers have ever existed in Great Britain in known history. Psychic projections do make for better explanations.

"Redfern expands this thoughtful theory to extend to Bigfoot and other such creatures. Perhaps the paranormal will not be welcome in this territory by those who faithfully search the woods for signs and proofs of Old Daddy Bigfoot's actual, physical reality. After suggesting a paranormal explanation for a good many Bigfoot sightings, Redfern contends that some of those witnesses who have reported encountering Mammoths, Loch Ness-type water beasts, and saber-toothed tigers may have actually seen ghosts of these prehistoric beasts. And why not? In our Miracle series, my wife Sherry and I have recounted dozens of our correspondents' sightings of the ghostly forms of their beloved dog or cat. The mysteries of life and death may be even more mysterious than we have supposed.

"As a major Redfern fan, I definitely recommend this book as one of his best."

Monster Diary: Sunday Radio

On Sunday night, I'll be on Ken Gerhard's Search for Hidden Beasts show where I'll be talking about my latest book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

Here's the link to Ken's show, where you can find all the info.

Monsters of the Midlands

There's a new post from me at Mysterious Universe that delves into a number of stories I've collected over the years of what may be large eels roaming the waters of the UK, and specifically the Midlands area. In fact, very large eels!

The article begins likes this:

"Any mention of large, serpent-like monsters lurking in the waters of the British Isles inevitably conjures up imagery of the nation’s most famous cryptozoological creature, Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Or monsters. Indeed, if not some strange Fortean phantasm (which I don’t actually rule out), then there would have to be an entire colony of such things in the loch, given that sightings have been reported for many a year. But, regardless of the true nature of Nessie, sometimes it’s not necessary to travel to ancient lochs to find tales of terrible things lurking in the dark depths. Sometimes, you can find them right in the heart of the city, which is something I note in my new book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

"Back in the late 1980s, when I was working as both a fork-lift and a van driver for a company in the West Midlands, England town of Walsall, I heard a number of noteworthy stories pertaining to sightings of huge violent eels, which were said to roam the dark, winding canals of both the nearby city of Birmingham, and certain rural areas of the adjacent county of Staffordshire. Rather like some 1950s era street gang from the Bronx, they seemed to travel in packs, prepared to take on just about anything and everything that had the misfortune to cross their path."

And here's the complete article.

The photo above - taken by me a couple of years ago - shows one of the stretches of Birmingham canal in question where at least one of the eels was reportedly seen back in the '80's.

Lair of the (Very Weird) Beasts

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com expands on some of my ideas concerning the Fortean overtones present in many cases of a cryptozoological nature that I've investigated over the years. And they amount to many of the cases that I detail in my just-published book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures...

The Weirder Side of Cryptozoology

There's a new post up from me at Mysterious Universe that digs into some of the weirder cryptozoological/strange animal stories that appear in my new book, Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures.

As I note in the article:

"The book is written in definitive road-trip style, and covers my many and varied investigations of strange creatures from early 2009 to late 2011. But, there’s something else, too. It’s something that will likely get mainstream Cryptozoologists, Ufologists, ghost-hunters, and investigators of the paranormal in states of fury. And, no doubt, it will provoke a great deal of eye-rolling and head-shaking, too. What is it? I’ll tell you! The numerous examples I cite in the book where bizarre beasts, supernatural phenomena, and UFOs have all crossed paths; time and again, and to deeply significant degrees."

Here's the link...