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27 reviews for:
Unexplained: Real-Life Supernatural Stories for Uncertain Times
Richard MacLean Smith
3.5 AVERAGE
27 reviews for:
Unexplained: Real-Life Supernatural Stories for Uncertain Times
Richard MacLean Smith
3.5 AVERAGE
As a long-time fan of the podcast, whose only complaint is that they're too short, this book did not disappoint. Each chapter is a fascinating, smart, deep dive into science, physics, philosophy, theology, and more, and the connections made are as thought-provoking as the stories are terrifying. I really wish more "true paranormal" books were this insightful and well written, instead of the usual barely readable sludge. I look forward to reading pretty much anything else the author writes.
The premise of the book is really interesting, but the execution of such was a bit lacking in my humble opinion. He waffled on for WAY too long in the ‘round-up’ of each case - of which he went rambling on using long words to make himself sound, I’m assuming, clever and intelligent which made it hard to read, because it made me lose interest and concentration very quickly every time I opened up the book. I would have liked and enjoyed the book more, if he kept it simple. That way it would have been a more enjoyable and interesting read and I would have got through it way faster, and probably would have given it a few more stars. Don’t waste your time, or money. Just watch Buzzfeed unsolved they’re way better.
Firstly, I wish I could give half star reviews, because this is better than 3 but not quite 4. The writing here is excellent when recounting the unexplained events, a clear reportage style without any over dramatisation which makes the events recounted even more unsettling. However I did feel that the conclusions of each chapter were less clear. I would have liked more in the way of suggested explanations rather than mini philosophical treatise. Obviously some of the cases have no good possible explanations. However, both the case of Anneliese Michel, who was clearly suffering from some form of psychological illness, and the Hannath Hall Hauntings could have had some further exploration.
But I suppose that would make the title somewhat redundant. And I'm not sure I want to start googling demonic possession frankly.
Fun fact though, when searching for a picture of Hannath Hall online, I found it was for sale. In 2020. Yeah, no thanks...
But I suppose that would make the title somewhat redundant. And I'm not sure I want to start googling demonic possession frankly.
Fun fact though, when searching for a picture of Hannath Hall online, I found it was for sale. In 2020. Yeah, no thanks...
3.5☆
maclean smith is a very talented storyteller; i lapped this up about as quickly and incessantly as i did his podcast.
however, i understand this book may not be everyone's cup of tea. not because of the supernatural horror-ish stories but because the author tends to go off on tangents exploring some more general, wider ideas. true to the podcast genre where every episode tends to hit a similar runtime mark, each chapter is roughly the same length. unfortunately, that sometimes means that there is much more information on the author's general well-readness than the case itself. if you are after pure creepy stories, such chapters may leave you unsatisfied.
personally, i enjoyed this aspect in the majority of the cases. one of my favourite chapters focused on the slenderman attempted murder - however, the author took this chance to introduce ideas and questions regarding the internet's place in our daily lives, how it shapes and influences our ideas. and there are several threads i would like to - separately - follow up on.
i believe that part of the reason this worked for me is that 8/10 of the cases i was already familiar with due to them being popular among similar podcasts / youtube series (which i consumed a lot during my masters). this made them feel more different by not being a straight retelling of each of those stories.
following from that, i really appreciated the detail that the author went into in anneliese michel's possession. historically, i have always found maclean smith to be very respectful and humanising in stories where he has dealt with victims of such happenings, whether agreeing on them being of supernatural source or not (in fact, one of his best episodes, in my opinion, was on the whitechapel murders where he took the time to humanise and focus on the victims themselves - something most internet sleuths seem to rarely do). anneliese is someone who has become so synonymous with her possession that i feel the fact that she was a very real human girl has often gotten lost. i respect the author for allowing her - and other victims within the stories - her humanity.
beyond that, on a purely technical level, i would like to also commend the author on his ability to make familiar stories still feel suspenseful and chilling (several times i physically felt chills run down my back!). i think this demonstrates a great talent and inclination for the horror / thriller genres and it continues to keep me anticipating his next works, be it in podcast or literary format.
maclean smith is a very talented storyteller; i lapped this up about as quickly and incessantly as i did his podcast.
however, i understand this book may not be everyone's cup of tea. not because of the supernatural horror-ish stories but because the author tends to go off on tangents exploring some more general, wider ideas. true to the podcast genre where every episode tends to hit a similar runtime mark, each chapter is roughly the same length. unfortunately, that sometimes means that there is much more information on the author's general well-readness than the case itself. if you are after pure creepy stories, such chapters may leave you unsatisfied.
personally, i enjoyed this aspect in the majority of the cases. one of my favourite chapters focused on the slenderman attempted murder - however, the author took this chance to introduce ideas and questions regarding the internet's place in our daily lives, how it shapes and influences our ideas. and there are several threads i would like to - separately - follow up on.
i believe that part of the reason this worked for me is that 8/10 of the cases i was already familiar with due to them being popular among similar podcasts / youtube series (which i consumed a lot during my masters). this made them feel more different by not being a straight retelling of each of those stories.
following from that, i really appreciated the detail that the author went into in anneliese michel's possession. historically, i have always found maclean smith to be very respectful and humanising in stories where he has dealt with victims of such happenings, whether agreeing on them being of supernatural source or not (in fact, one of his best episodes, in my opinion, was on the whitechapel murders where he took the time to humanise and focus on the victims themselves - something most internet sleuths seem to rarely do). anneliese is someone who has become so synonymous with her possession that i feel the fact that she was a very real human girl has often gotten lost. i respect the author for allowing her - and other victims within the stories - her humanity.
beyond that, on a purely technical level, i would like to also commend the author on his ability to make familiar stories still feel suspenseful and chilling (several times i physically felt chills run down my back!). i think this demonstrates a great talent and inclination for the horror / thriller genres and it continues to keep me anticipating his next works, be it in podcast or literary format.
I had heard of all the supernatural stories that the author had written about. I liked that he went beyond the stories to talk about science, reality and how they relate to every day life. Some of it went a bit above my head or maybe the wording did. They could just be my current cognitive level.
Whilst the subject matter was certainly interesting, I just didn't find myself fussed about reading it.
have been a fan of his wonderful podcast for quite a while now, so decided to read the book as well. it was good but actually i probably should have chosen the audiobook version instead of the paperback.