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The UFO Diaries: Travels in the Weird World of High Strangeness
When postgrad student Martin Plowman became fascinated by the weird world of UFOs, alien abductions and conspiracy theories, he didn't realize that it would lead to an amazing seven-year journey that would take him thousands of kilometers across the world.
- GenresNonfiction
303 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 9, 2018
When I first started this book, I was excited by what it would contain, took quickly to the humour, and stopped every so often to share quick facts with whomever was in the room with me at the time. It was interesting and contained (for me) new information.
But as I continued reading I felt less and less enthusiasm; there were less fun facts and X-Filesy stories. These were replaced with personal stories of his travels following high strangeness in South America (it is called the UFO Diaries, after all) and the first-hand accounts of the people he met, which I just didn’t find that intriguing.
There was much social commentary: on the difference between Peruvians and Bolivians, or how he was treated by locals, ... (And how many times does he mention that Priscilla Jane is a librarian? We get it. Please, tell us something new.)
The author definitely has his own voice and writing style, I just wasn’t engrossed by the way he recounted his travels. They were either missing panache or went on too long. It felt as though he was leaning on fabrications to make his work interesting: imagining a sword fight with his professor, or recounting a strange dream he had, rather than actually having “high strangeness” content to recount, which is ultimately what I was hoping for from this book.
But as I continued reading I felt less and less enthusiasm; there were less fun facts and X-Filesy stories. These were replaced with personal stories of his travels following high strangeness in South America (it is called the UFO Diaries, after all) and the first-hand accounts of the people he met, which I just didn’t find that intriguing.
There was much social commentary: on the difference between Peruvians and Bolivians, or how he was treated by locals, ... (And how many times does he mention that Priscilla Jane is a librarian? We get it. Please, tell us something new.)
The author definitely has his own voice and writing style, I just wasn’t engrossed by the way he recounted his travels. They were either missing panache or went on too long. It felt as though he was leaning on fabrications to make his work interesting: imagining a sword fight with his professor, or recounting a strange dream he had, rather than actually having “high strangeness” content to recount, which is ultimately what I was hoping for from this book.
March 18, 2016
“НЛО дневници” е книга за уфолозите – такива, каквито са: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
Сигурно всеки е вярвал – или е искал да вярва – в НЛО като малък. Помня, че у нас имаше една книга със заглавие “Сериозно за НЛО” на Димитър Делян, която, разбира се, бе доста далеч от скептицизма. В България си имаме цели издателства, специализарани в издаване на псевдонаучна, конспиративна и откровено шарлатанска литература, а по темата за НЛО има чудовищно много заглавия, всичко до едно – недвусмислено сигурни, че истината е някъде там. Виж, книги като “Вярващият мозък” на Майкъл Шърмър или “Паранормалното” на Ричард Уайзман са си бели лястовици, макар ясно да обясняват как възникват тези субкултури и как се вкостенява една идея до степен, че никой факт – или липсата му – да не могат да повлияят на нечия убеденост.
Затова и толкова се зарадвах на излизането на “НЛО дневници” на Мартин Плауман, чийто автор години наред пише дисертация за уфолозите – той е, както сам казва, “уфололог”: обект на неговия интерес не е реалността на НЛО, а как се формират вярванията на хората в тях, както и различните причудливи форми, които приемат те.
Издателство Вакон
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
Сигурно всеки е вярвал – или е искал да вярва – в НЛО като малък. Помня, че у нас имаше една книга със заглавие “Сериозно за НЛО” на Димитър Делян, която, разбира се, бе доста далеч от скептицизма. В България си имаме цели издателства, специализарани в издаване на псевдонаучна, конспиративна и откровено шарлатанска литература, а по темата за НЛО има чудовищно много заглавия, всичко до едно – недвусмислено сигурни, че истината е някъде там. Виж, книги като “Вярващият мозък” на Майкъл Шърмър или “Паранормалното” на Ричард Уайзман са си бели лястовици, макар ясно да обясняват как възникват тези субкултури и как се вкостенява една идея до степен, че никой факт – или липсата му – да не могат да повлияят на нечия убеденост.
Затова и толкова се зарадвах на излизането на “НЛО дневници” на Мартин Плауман, чийто автор години наред пише дисертация за уфолозите – той е, както сам казва, “уфололог”: обект на неговия интерес не е реалността на НЛО, а как се формират вярванията на хората в тях, както и различните причудливи форми, които приемат те.
Издателство Вакон
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
May 14, 2016
This is more about travel than UFOs and the people who believe in them. It's essentially a travel memoir set in South and Central America.
March 16, 2011
Travels in the weid world of high strangeness, very apt indeed, and what could be stranger than aliens, other than the humans who hunt for them. Having been fascinated with dinosaurs as a kid, it was perhaps only natural that Martin Plowman would go on to take a phd in Ufology and become a Ufology Ologist. In his chronicle of searching for the truth, or as near as damnit, Plowman spent seven years travelling high and low, although probably not as high as he'd have liked, the Andean plateau aside.
Nonetheless in his engrossing tale of extraterrestrial existentialism, Plowman leaves no rock unturned and no stairway to heaven unclimbed. In what could best be described as a travelogue with a definative difference Plowman evokes shades of Theroux and Bryson co-piloting a flying train, while remaining ever alert to the imminent danger of abduction by publishers. 'The UFO Diaries' is a ripping (tripping) tale of insanity, logical argument, foodstands and how the Americas came to be conquered – which was after all, by aliens. Most likely in years to come 'The UFO Diaries' will be available in many different languages on many different inter-galactic bookstands, and it deserves no less. A must for those with the desire to be simultaneously probed and propositioned.
Nonetheless in his engrossing tale of extraterrestrial existentialism, Plowman leaves no rock unturned and no stairway to heaven unclimbed. In what could best be described as a travelogue with a definative difference Plowman evokes shades of Theroux and Bryson co-piloting a flying train, while remaining ever alert to the imminent danger of abduction by publishers. 'The UFO Diaries' is a ripping (tripping) tale of insanity, logical argument, foodstands and how the Americas came to be conquered – which was after all, by aliens. Most likely in years to come 'The UFO Diaries' will be available in many different languages on many different inter-galactic bookstands, and it deserves no less. A must for those with the desire to be simultaneously probed and propositioned.
July 28, 2011
Great. Clearly, Plowman knows his stuff but he's got his own view on the are they or aren't they question. Apart from all the UFO people he meets, the thing I really enjoyed about this book was the travel stuff. Made me want to go to all these places myself. Very evocative.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews