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oliviameads's review against another edition
4.0
A really fascinating and gripping book, but I became skeptical after gangstalking was mentioned, as gangstalking has been debunked and is more like a moral panic. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though!
prcizmadia's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this made me keep reflecting on Heller: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." It sounds like the main protagonist (antagonist?) was stuck in this loop. But I also can't help but wonder, is this what happens when you let your friends wind themselves up on a flight of fancy? Especially when you are indulging the paranoid fantasies of an addict in the process of hitting bottom?
All that aside, it's a fairly entertaining read about the kind of proto-fascist skulduggery that typified the post-9/11, Patriot Act aughts that just seems so quaint now. I shouldn't feel nostalgia for that but I do, in a world where the Capitol was literally overrun by a legion of unmoored paranoid fantasists. But it really loses steam with all these verbatim transcripts and a far-too-credulous interview with a scientist that seems to close the matter for some... but certainly not for me.
But maybe that's the wider point: when you lose a connection with objective reality, it's very easy to self-refer you further down the spiral into deeper disconnection. That's definitely part of what I got out of this.
All that aside, it's a fairly entertaining read about the kind of proto-fascist skulduggery that typified the post-9/11, Patriot Act aughts that just seems so quaint now. I shouldn't feel nostalgia for that but I do, in a world where the Capitol was literally overrun by a legion of unmoored paranoid fantasists. But it really loses steam with all these verbatim transcripts and a far-too-credulous interview with a scientist that seems to close the matter for some... but certainly not for me.
But maybe that's the wider point: when you lose a connection with objective reality, it's very easy to self-refer you further down the spiral into deeper disconnection. That's definitely part of what I got out of this.
zgml06's review
1.0
If you like stories written by ultra credulous, thoroughly unlikeable people who are incapable of identifying manic behavior in a best friend as a clear sign of rampant mental illness, this book is for you! Bonus points if you can make it all the way through the interminably pointless telephone call transcripts between the writer and his delusional friend.
doctorwoofwoof's review against another edition
2.0
In the 90s, like so many other nerdy guys, I was all over THE X-FILES, esp. for Dana Scully-centric episodes! It was around that time that I got into conspiracies, from anything involving JFK to Roswell and MK-Ultra. The more puzzling the conspiracy, the better! I was gobbling up as much as I could find, and this was before DarkWeb or even just the regular web, with its extensive search engine capabilities.
My wife had told me about this book, that she'd heard something regarding on a podcast. "Invisible midgets"? What? Sold!
While it started out great, it ground to a halt at 45% in! The dialogue between the book's author and Dion, the book's "victim" (?), helped me to secure some much needed nap ignition the one afternoon. Outside of that, it was just a fluff-filled ride that went from being super-interesting and plausible as far as conspiracies to "Yeah, I just don't give a fuck how it ends!".
I'm giving it 2 Stars, simply because the first half was genuinely interesting. After that point, the train became seriously derailed. Sad.
My wife had told me about this book, that she'd heard something regarding on a podcast. "Invisible midgets"? What? Sold!
While it started out great, it ground to a halt at 45% in! The dialogue between the book's author and Dion, the book's "victim" (?), helped me to secure some much needed nap ignition the one afternoon. Outside of that, it was just a fluff-filled ride that went from being super-interesting and plausible as far as conspiracies to "Yeah, I just don't give a fuck how it ends!".
I'm giving it 2 Stars, simply because the first half was genuinely interesting. After that point, the train became seriously derailed. Sad.
bigs2021's review
2.0
One of my favorite authors Jacques Vallee recommended this book, so I of course read it immediately. But I am left wondering: what did I just read/listen to?! This is a bizarre, somewhat amateurish rambling tale that—honestly—at several points I thought might be a parody! Having finished it, I’m not sure if it was a bad and unfunny parody or just a goofy story.
Is it possible that Deon was really harassed? Sure! Is it possible that the government has invisibility suits? I guess! The ideas make sense for sure and it seems possible. But is it also possible that some or most of this was paranoid ranting by a drug addict? I think that is also possible.
Most importantly, even if everything is 100% true and as they hypothesize, where are we? In my opinion, we’re not really much further along. We know the government can do these things, right? I guess I just feel like I didn’t learn anything here.
Is it possible that Deon was really harassed? Sure! Is it possible that the government has invisibility suits? I guess! The ideas make sense for sure and it seems possible. But is it also possible that some or most of this was paranoid ranting by a drug addict? I think that is also possible.
Most importantly, even if everything is 100% true and as they hypothesize, where are we? In my opinion, we’re not really much further along. We know the government can do these things, right? I guess I just feel like I didn’t learn anything here.
fionak's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting material but Guffey's obviously not much for rewrites and his writing's really choppy.
daneekasghost's review
2.0
It wasn't self-aware enough to be satire, and it wasn't sceptical enough to be compelling. So I felt like I had to be sceptical to make up for it, and that ruined my enjoyment of this bizarre trip through a lived conspiracy theory.
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