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Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs & Ape-men
They sought out the strange.
They investigated the inexplicable.
They had one hell of a hangover.
On an odyssey of oddities that would take them all to the very limits of their imagination (and inebriation), bestselling author Nick Redfern teamed up with professional monster-hunters Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman. For six weeks in the summer of 2001, the intrepid-yet-hard-partying trio rampaged across the remote wilds of Great Britain in hot pursuit of werewolves, lake monsters, giant cats, ghostly devil dogs, and ape-men. Their adventures led them deep into ancient forests, into the dark corridors of a mansion hiding a wild man, and to the shores of the legendary Loch Ness -- along the way encountering all manner of curious characters, including witches, government agents, and eyewitnesses who claim to have seen monsters firsthand. And only at journey's end did the hard questions posed at the start of their quest begin to reveal some mind-bending answers. That monsters truly do exist in our world. And that we are responsible for their existence!
Whether you're seeking a glimpse into the bizarre reaches of reality, or just looking for a good time, Three Men Seeking Monsters is a uniquely gonzo trek with a trio of adventurers who pushed themselves to the edge -- and went right over it.
They investigated the inexplicable.
They had one hell of a hangover.
On an odyssey of oddities that would take them all to the very limits of their imagination (and inebriation), bestselling author Nick Redfern teamed up with professional monster-hunters Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman. For six weeks in the summer of 2001, the intrepid-yet-hard-partying trio rampaged across the remote wilds of Great Britain in hot pursuit of werewolves, lake monsters, giant cats, ghostly devil dogs, and ape-men. Their adventures led them deep into ancient forests, into the dark corridors of a mansion hiding a wild man, and to the shores of the legendary Loch Ness -- along the way encountering all manner of curious characters, including witches, government agents, and eyewitnesses who claim to have seen monsters firsthand. And only at journey's end did the hard questions posed at the start of their quest begin to reveal some mind-bending answers. That monsters truly do exist in our world. And that we are responsible for their existence!
Whether you're seeking a glimpse into the bizarre reaches of reality, or just looking for a good time, Three Men Seeking Monsters is a uniquely gonzo trek with a trio of adventurers who pushed themselves to the edge -- and went right over it.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Nick Redfern
135 books224 followersNick Redfern is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist who has been an active advocate of official disclosure, and has worked to uncover thousands of pages of previously-classified Royal Air Force, Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence files on UFOs dating from the Second World War from the Public Record Office.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
He has has appeared on a variety of television programmes in the UK and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon. He is also a regular on the History Channel programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channels's Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive.
Redfern now lives in Texas and is currently working as a full-time author and journalist specializing in a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFO sightings, government conspiracies, alien abductions and paranormal phenomena, and also works as a feature writer and contributing editor for Phenomena magazine and writes regularly for other magazines and websites.
In 2007 Universal Studios bought the rights to Redfern's book: "Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 11, 2015
Ever since I read this book, Scribd has said "Since you liked this, you might like..." and listed books. Every time I see that, I keep thinking "'Like' is such a strong word for how I feel..."
It's not that Three Men Seeking Monsters is a bad book. It's fun, it's playful, and Redfern clearly doesn't mind poking fun at his friends when they earn it. At the same time, there was more drinking in this book than in The Great Gatsby and more eating than The Hobbit. I was less than thrilled about the way a witch is described and I can only listen to people make fun of fat people so much before it gets old. Redfern is, alas, not as funny as he thinks he is.
The premise of the book is simple and purports to be nonfiction: Redfern, a UFO investigator, is getting married and moving from the UK to the US. He borrows a RV and goes out with two paranormal investigator friends on one last spree of investigation across the island. They will look at just about anything and everything, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the aforementioned drinking and eating. In a very real sense, this is a cross between a demented version of Monsterquest, a road movie, and a bachelor party. If that appeals to you, you may well enjoy this book far more than I did.
I sincerely doubt just about anything in this book ever happened, except maybe the trip itself with its attendant nonsexual debauchery and friends arguing over the journey playlist. I did enjoy the practical joking at Loch Ness, but other than that I primarily found myself bored as much as anything and the description of summoning rituals left me cold. There were a few places where I found myself intrigued by a story, but only the story itself is mentioned. Then there are the bits where things happened, but have a lot of alternate explanations.
For example: At one point, Redfern claims he and his friends were invited by an old man who knew something about degenerate wildmen in the UK to stay a few nights in his country manor with secret passages. After being warned away from certain passages for safety reasons, they go ahead and go where they were told not to go. Nothing happens and they deny ever going to the host, but then the host tells them they have to leave and refuses to say why. They leave and are passed by the police heading up to the manor. Redfern claims this must be because their host is being forced to make them leave by the Powers That Be - because they might be on to something!
Assuming this happened at all, I can think of a very good reason that they would have been told to leave: they trespassed where their host told them not to, and he kicked them out. He was an elderly gentleman and it makes sense a) that he would not give a reason in case they got violent, and b) that the police would be called to come and check in case they refused to leave! Hello, common sense!
I give this two stars for basic entertainment value, but there's not a lot to it.
It's not that Three Men Seeking Monsters is a bad book. It's fun, it's playful, and Redfern clearly doesn't mind poking fun at his friends when they earn it. At the same time, there was more drinking in this book than in The Great Gatsby and more eating than The Hobbit. I was less than thrilled about the way a witch is described and I can only listen to people make fun of fat people so much before it gets old. Redfern is, alas, not as funny as he thinks he is.
The premise of the book is simple and purports to be nonfiction: Redfern, a UFO investigator, is getting married and moving from the UK to the US. He borrows a RV and goes out with two paranormal investigator friends on one last spree of investigation across the island. They will look at just about anything and everything, as long as it doesn't get in the way of the aforementioned drinking and eating. In a very real sense, this is a cross between a demented version of Monsterquest, a road movie, and a bachelor party. If that appeals to you, you may well enjoy this book far more than I did.
I sincerely doubt just about anything in this book ever happened, except maybe the trip itself with its attendant nonsexual debauchery and friends arguing over the journey playlist. I did enjoy the practical joking at Loch Ness, but other than that I primarily found myself bored as much as anything and the description of summoning rituals left me cold. There were a few places where I found myself intrigued by a story, but only the story itself is mentioned. Then there are the bits where things happened, but have a lot of alternate explanations.
For example: At one point, Redfern claims he and his friends were invited by an old man who knew something about degenerate wildmen in the UK to stay a few nights in his country manor with secret passages. After being warned away from certain passages for safety reasons, they go ahead and go where they were told not to go. Nothing happens and they deny ever going to the host, but then the host tells them they have to leave and refuses to say why. They leave and are passed by the police heading up to the manor. Redfern claims this must be because their host is being forced to make them leave by the Powers That Be - because they might be on to something!
Assuming this happened at all, I can think of a very good reason that they would have been told to leave: they trespassed where their host told them not to, and he kicked them out. He was an elderly gentleman and it makes sense a) that he would not give a reason in case they got violent, and b) that the police would be called to come and check in case they refused to leave! Hello, common sense!
I give this two stars for basic entertainment value, but there's not a lot to it.
August 21, 2012
Immensely readable in a very pulpy sort of way.
First off, don't read this book for deep meaning or understanding about the mysteries of Fortean Zoology. This is Nick Redfern writing for himself. Nick is naive in a very good-natured sort of way, who believes wholeheartedly in conspiracies and paranormal explanations for even some of his most mundane experiences.
This is a story of three friends who share a love for the unknown and unexplained, who decide to take a one and done trip throughout England to explore some of these mysteries. They are very gullible but likeable people who meet some crazies who are a bit more far out than themselves.
At times it is very comedic, but still has enough tension to keep the mysterious feel of the English countryside lore. The stories of some of the sites they visit had me repeatedly copying and googling names and places, to learn more about the legends. In the end, it was an epic journey of friendship forged in paranormal investigation that many of us either can relate to, or wish we had been along for the ride.
First off, don't read this book for deep meaning or understanding about the mysteries of Fortean Zoology. This is Nick Redfern writing for himself. Nick is naive in a very good-natured sort of way, who believes wholeheartedly in conspiracies and paranormal explanations for even some of his most mundane experiences.
This is a story of three friends who share a love for the unknown and unexplained, who decide to take a one and done trip throughout England to explore some of these mysteries. They are very gullible but likeable people who meet some crazies who are a bit more far out than themselves.
At times it is very comedic, but still has enough tension to keep the mysterious feel of the English countryside lore. The stories of some of the sites they visit had me repeatedly copying and googling names and places, to learn more about the legends. In the end, it was an epic journey of friendship forged in paranormal investigation that many of us either can relate to, or wish we had been along for the ride.
April 29, 2020
I'll say this for the book, it's unlike any other one I've read about cryptids and strange sightings in a given region. Whereas most of those books give a little history of the region and legends, and then describe conversations with witnesses or regale historical notes, this book spends a lot of time with banter between the three knucklehead investigators and frequently has them reciting historical records rather than reproducing conversations with witnesses. When they actually meet someone, they describe more about the people themselves than what they claim to have seen and its relevance. There are much better books out there about these kind of subjects.
May 28, 2009
There were several parts of this book that were laugh-out-loud funny and a couple that were scary enough to made me move to a well-lit room with other people. The whole premise of the book, that our world is inhabited by Cormons - demons from another dimension- that appear to us as phantom cats, Bigfoot, sea monsters and ape-men and feed on our fear, is really creepy. Really, really creepy. However, the fact that the three sat down to a breakfast of eggs, bacon and sliced tomatoes is pointless and irrevelant. So is the explanation of what each man ate at the pub. Unfortunately, Redfern likes to tell his readers these facts. I really don't care. Tell me about the invocation of monsters instead of just mentioning that you did it. Save the food for a cook book. It was entertaining and makes me wonder about those shadowy things I see out of the corner of my eye, however.
April 19, 2015
This wasn't an awful book but the description is pretty misleading. It is really more a description of three decidedly odd Brits who take a road trip to drink and, incidentally, do a very cursory investigation of some local legends.
Not creepy at all and more humor than horror but not in a particularly great way. If you can find the book for a good price it's worth a read but I wouldn't ever be likely to read it again and I'm a voracious re-reader.
The book just didn't seem to click with me on any level. The writer is pretty good as far as style and I wouldn't mind reading something else by him but I think this premise just wasn't worth the time.
Not creepy at all and more humor than horror but not in a particularly great way. If you can find the book for a good price it's worth a read but I wouldn't ever be likely to read it again and I'm a voracious re-reader.
The book just didn't seem to click with me on any level. The writer is pretty good as far as style and I wouldn't mind reading something else by him but I think this premise just wasn't worth the time.
July 2, 2017
If you're interested in stories about cryptids, this is a book for you! Redfern's chronicle of his trip is filled with a number of strange creatures. It's not necessarily my favorite read, but it will take up a rainy afternoon.
December 29, 2017
I can never get enough of the sci-fi/supernatural genre but I lost interest in the book about halfway through. I felt as though the story took too many different turns, which I understand that in this situation that is highly plausible but it just wasn’t for me.
March 6, 2021
This reminds me of the 'ghost huntjng,' we did as kids. Tell spooky stories by candlelight or by the light of a candle, hunting for it and running like hell at the first sound. Lots of good ghost and crypid stories
January 14, 2018
An excellent overview of paranormal investigation. Redfern documents his work extremely well, and isn't afraid to delve into the strangest of stories.
January 13, 2016
Excellent entertainment!
There is something highly poetic about these three characters, a bit of a flawed self-sabotage in drinking while investigating.
Nick's writing style is a little dry.
They meet an old witch who tries to educate them, then hurls curses. They explore the great mansion of some notable, who allows the access to his library, etc. Explore his dungeons, etc.
They never find anything until the surprise at the end, which is a bit of a Deux Ex Machina that saves the book from lack of monster-finding results! (Reads like a nightmare experience). The monsters, in Nicks' mind are more like spirits, but Jonathan, the big guy, thinks they could be cryptoids.
The book is also packed with Nick's excellent perspective and paranormal experience/education.
Read it in 2012, gave it 9/10 which equates to 5 stars. Will read again, as well as his other books!
Charles Kos, author of "In Search of the Origin of Pyramids"
There is something highly poetic about these three characters, a bit of a flawed self-sabotage in drinking while investigating.
Nick's writing style is a little dry.
They meet an old witch who tries to educate them, then hurls curses. They explore the great mansion of some notable, who allows the access to his library, etc. Explore his dungeons, etc.
They never find anything until the surprise at the end, which is a bit of a Deux Ex Machina that saves the book from lack of monster-finding results! (Reads like a nightmare experience). The monsters, in Nicks' mind are more like spirits, but Jonathan, the big guy, thinks they could be cryptoids.
The book is also packed with Nick's excellent perspective and paranormal experience/education.
Read it in 2012, gave it 9/10 which equates to 5 stars. Will read again, as well as his other books!
Charles Kos, author of "In Search of the Origin of Pyramids"
June 17, 2015
This book is stupid to the extreme. Only anti-vaxxer nonsense is worse than this.
Let me spoil it for you. Three men, drunk all the time (and openly admitting to it) travel all over looking for various cryptids. And of course, because they're drunk to the point where they're likely to hallucinate, the find them! The author ends up with the fundamentalist "Christian" conclusion that all aliens, Big Foot, Nessie, etc are demons out for our eternal souls. Though from the way these three drink, their souls are already property of Jim Beam.
Seriously, this book is more moronic than "The Psychic Sasquatch and their UFO Connection." Yeah, it's THAT bad.
Let me spoil it for you. Three men, drunk all the time (and openly admitting to it) travel all over looking for various cryptids. And of course, because they're drunk to the point where they're likely to hallucinate, the find them! The author ends up with the fundamentalist "Christian" conclusion that all aliens, Big Foot, Nessie, etc are demons out for our eternal souls. Though from the way these three drink, their souls are already property of Jim Beam.
Seriously, this book is more moronic than "The Psychic Sasquatch and their UFO Connection." Yeah, it's THAT bad.
February 11, 2009
A humorous and very earnest (if not scientific) account of three guys who backpack across England, investigating various paranormal stories. It's been years since I read it, but the story about the witch still stands out in my head as being thoroughly creepy.
October 13, 2009
A weird journey from a frequent contributor to Fortean Times who travels around Britain looking for "monsters", aliens, anomalous big cats and "other" strange things, but mostly just sits in a pub with his mates getting hammered.
September 16, 2012
Brilliant! A fascinating tale of three blokes travelling around the UK in search of, well, monsters. The author explains the journey in depth which allows you to really immerse yourself in their six week trip.
May 22, 2008
This book is hilarious and compelling.
December 26, 2010
This one is good, but not as good as his others. It moved slowly and dealt more with his friends, imho, than it did searching for monsters.
September 12, 2011
Interesting read and real quick. It's a humorous book filled with interesting bits of lore and myths, or truths possible depending how you look at it.
March 13, 2012
This is funny, intriguing and spooky. Lots of fun!
May 20, 2012
Not what I expected, but very funny parts. Boy they like to drink alot :)
February 14, 2015
One of my favourite books ever, makes you laugh one minute, then sends shivers down your spine the next.
Makes me want to get out there and find out what it really is that goes bump in the night!
Makes me want to get out there and find out what it really is that goes bump in the night!
July 23, 2015
Gave up halfway through. I don't know how a book about three guys chasing monsters becomes tedious, but it really, truly was.
September 5, 2015
Fun and highly entertaining account of three eccentric paranormal investigators' search for the unknown across the UK.
November 11, 2016
More a travelogue than anything else, an entertaining peek at paranormal research in the UK. It's been about 30 years since I read this kind of book, so I found it entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews