Sightings

by Susan Michaels

Book Overview

Carried in syndication in 93 percent of the country, the popular syndicated series Sightings has generated much excitement and enthusiasm in its first year. Now, for its fans, and the millions likely... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684823691
• ISBN13: 9780684823690
• Release Date: May 1996
• Publisher: Fireside Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Much better than I anticipated

The haunting section of this book truly creeped me out. Particularly the section about "Voices of the Dead". For some reason it brought to memory snippets from the ultra-spooky "Session 9" film (based on a true story as well). "The Ghosts of Gettysburg" made me sad rather than scared. To think of all of those young men lost forever really struck a nerve. "The Blue Lady" was a fascinating tale of co-existing between human and ghost/spirit that I found pretty nifty. Most of the tellings had to do with terrified humans being haunted by malevolent spirits that sometimes physically hurt them so the "blue lady" was a nice change of pace here. I saw the movie based on the story of "The Entity" so I knew what it was about going in and didn't learn anything all that new here though it did scare the life out of me when I was a young girl. I was hoping the "Sightings" crew would've dug up some fascinating proof or adding something new to the story but all in all this one seemed the least effective of the bunch. "Ghost Writer" was flat out creepy as I've seen (often) a figure out of the corner of my eye both at home and when alone at work. I chalk it up to an over-active imagination and a wee bit of paranoia but now I have to wonder . . . I wish I had caught this show when it was on the air. My only complaint are the pictures documenting the proof of each story are stuck smack in the center of the book so I have to keep flipping back and forth when a picture is referenced. It's a bit of pain but then again maybe I'm just lazy. I could take or leave the UFO abduction stories as they all seem to be more of the same type of story I've read time and again (people see odd lights, black out, are missing huge chunks of time,etc.) None have turned me into a believer just yet . . . Many of "The Unexplained" stories were emotionally moving. Especially "A Child's Premonition" and particularly "School Room Angels" which was a new case to me. It's sad and tragic that the children in Beslam didn't have the same experience. I recommend to this to anyone with an open mind and curiousity about the unknown.

Sightings: UFOs

The second Sightings book, this one is devoted solely to the UFO phenomena. As with the first book, it's actually quite good. The writing is excellent, and the stories convincing. I rank myself among the sceptics when it comes to the "paranormal," but this book has led me to reassess my stance to a certain degree. I still think that the vast majority of these stories are bogus--but do I think that we haven't been visited by beings from outer space? That may just be the case.

No mystery is closed to an open mind

Susan Michaels was the one and only writer for the television series Sightings, and this book recounts some of the more interesting topics covered by the groundbreaking show. Whether you believe any or all of the accounts presented here is not crucial to your enjoyment of the book because Michaels is a talented writer who knows how to tell stories in a fascinating yet concise manner. I myself am pretty open to all kinds of paranormal possibilities, and there are a couple of stories here that don't seem to merit inclusion in my opinion; nevertheless, they are interesting and who can say where the truth lies in each case? The book itself is broken up into three main sections: Hauntings, UFOs, and the catch-all Unexplained. While the book cannot even begin to give a detailed treatment of the subjects addressed, it does present a wonderful cross section of unexplained happenings, many of them quite familiar to those of us interested in such topics-e.g., the death of Thomas Mantell, the mass UFO sightings in Mexico City during the 1990s, the haunted castle of Berry-Pomeroy, and the Iranian UFO incident of 1976. There are stories on cattle mutilation, past life memories, psychic detectives, spontaneous human combustion, alien abduction, crop circles, and a number of additional fascinating topics. Most esoteric among the chapters is the story of the reputed curse that stunted a young Orson Welles' future career in the field he had already mastered. The ghost section is particularly impressive, highlighting some incredible investigations that I remember quite vividly from the Sightings television series. New evidence discovered by the Sightings teams is mixed with long-debated incidents and events that have achieved classic status among students of the unexplained. You don't have to believe all of the stories you read here; in fact, you should not believe them uncritically. Susan Michaels gives you the objective facts of the cases in question; in the tradition of the Sightings television show, she leaves the answers open and subject to thought and interpretation on the part of the audience. Few books explore such a rich cross-section of unexplained phenomena as effectively as this book does, and I recommend it highly to all those open-minded enough to accept the possibility that the impossible sometimes happens.

Well-Written And Interesting.

"Sightings" is a very good book companion to the television series. Like the show, this book presents convincing evidence for UFOs, ghosts among other things. I didn't really come out a believer, but the book is very enjoyable. The areas that study ghostly hauntings are chilling at times and the sections on UFOs will have you raising new questions to what lies out there, or what is it that the government is doing, or hiding regarding these matters. There are interesting photographs and the writing is fast-paced and seeks more to inform the reader rather than make a sensation of the subjects. That's one thing I admired about the TV show, and this book, it doesn't make some big spectacle about the unexplained, but simply reports the facts and presents the evidence and testimony. That makes it more effective (and sometimes scarier) still. This book documents these events, for sensation watch "Independence Day" or read some science fiction novel. A really good book. Wether you're a believer, a non-believer, or just a person who likes to read on many different subjects, "Sightings" deserves a peak.

Don't read alone...

You will definitely love to read "Sightings" if you are a fan of the TV Series, "Sightings". Basically, the book tells of the cases that the TV series have shown.There are three sections in the book: Hauntings, UFOs and The Unexplained. There is a very touching story in The Unexplained section, A Mother's Love. It tells the story of a mother who even in death could not forget her children and want to see how they have fared in life. So she carried the memories of her beloved children with her into the next life. When she had enough money to travel to the location where she had lived in her previous life, she packed up to look for her "old" children. Not all stories are touching like this one. Some are pretty eerie, so you have got to have the nerves to read this alone. =)There are even photographs in the book where you can see some of the unexplained phenomena. Overall, the book is pretty easy to understand and enjoyable to read. A MUST-READ for lovers of the Unknown.