|
by Christopher O'Brien 
Too many trivial facts, not enough theory
This book is a good place to begin a study of the strange events which have taken place in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. It is not, however, a comprehensive study of phenomena in the region. Instead, the book amounts little more than a collection of unusual animal deaths, strange lights in the sky, and paramilitary operations which are denied by any known government agencies in the area, with a few accounts of Bigfoot and an unconvincing analysis of a glass skull, supposedly like that discovered by Mitchell-Hedges in Belize. Nor is it possible to derive from it lessons about paranormal phenomena as a whole. O'Brien mentions possible explanations, such as government conspiracy, extraterrestrials, paraterrestrials, and other current ideas about the origin of such strange phenomena, but he never attempts to fully explain their connection, or even state clearly that there may not exist any connection at all. Without such a clearly stated theory, however tenuous and qualified, the book becomes merely a list of odd events, however frightening they might be. O'Brien does suggest possible explanations for the phenomena throughout the book, but these explanations contradict each other, and none of them is expressed with any real conviction. The book also lacks a real grounding in the history of the region, and the importance that the valley had in the mythology of the indigenous peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans to the region. Instead, O'Brien makes references to bits and pieces of various mythologies, without showing that the place had true significance for these peoples. Only at the end of the book does he speak of the Navajo and Hopi views of the region, briefly. The book also lacks a map, which is very puzzling, considering that the book concerns itself with events within a definite geographical region. On the whole, I was disappointed by this book: it had great promise, but the author did not completely fulfill his responsibilities to his readers. I had hoped the book would have been a fascinating combination of event and theory, but it is instead a mere collection of odd events, with little to tie them together aside from a geographical location. I hope that the author is working on a revision--certainly the valley has not been silent all this time--and that he remove some of the accounts to make room for definitive conclusions and theories. |
