Mothman and Other Curious Encounters

by Loren Coleman

A new Hollywood blockbuster, an amazing documentary, and thousands of web pages in its honor. What's the fuss? In a word--Mothman! A famous investigator examines the reports of this huge, red-eyed creature with wings seen over Point Pleasant, West Virginia on November 15, 1966?and the spawn of Mothman seen before and after that date.

Genres: Cryptozoology, Nonfiction, Cryptids, Folklore, Paranormal, Monsters, Pseudoscience

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Loren Coleman is one of the world's leading cryptozoologists. An honorary member of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, and several other international organizations, he is also a Life Member of the International Society of Cryptozoology. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursue of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969.

Coleman has written seventeen books and more than three hundred articles, has appeared frequently on radio and television programs, and has lectured throughout North America, as well as in London and at Loch Ness.

Reviews

[Dee Eisel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by Mothman. I knew the author had consulted on one of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows, Lost Tapes. I'd hoped for some new information on the Mothman legend, or at least some interesting takes on the stories I'd already heard.

What I got instead was a recap of some - not all - of the classic Mothman stories. I got a somewhat more interesting chapter or two on the thunderbird legends, mostly in the middle of the US. I got some rather confusing "clarifications" on some theory or other that was never really presented in this book, but the author clearly expected me to know. There was some information on lizard men, a lot about John Keel, who apparently writes a lot of Mothman stuff, a marginally interesting chapter on flaps over the last century, and then a bit of speculation on the association of place names and supernatural events.

If the "other close encounters" had been in bigger font, I wouldn't have minded so much. But there's nothing new here. It's almost a book of fanwank about John Keel, since he shows up in chapter after chapter but wasn't actually even interviewed for this work. The "name game" chapter is particularly boring. Yes, of course, places with names like "Devil's X" have a link to supernatural stories. But which causes which?

I love a good cryptid book, but feel free to skip this one!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrative writing in this is really good, though when it’s focused on the more academic aspects it does get a bit dry. I would have preferred more focus on the cryptids, not theory.

The writing also jumps around a lot, which makes the pacing feel off at times. It made it hard to follow the point Coleman was trying to make at times, since he changes topics in the middle of a section to repeat something from a previous one.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, though not exactly what you would expect at first glance. It was as much about John Keel and his ideas as it was mothman or related beasties. There was enough in it to help you get through despite it not being what I expected.

As far as content, I was surprised at some inclusions, like the Flatwoods Monster. Maybe it's because it's 17 years after the book was written, but I was of the impression that this has been dismissed as pure BS or an outright hoax, but Coleman seems to accept it as fairly legitimate, if unexplained. Maybe I am dealing with a lack of info on the case though. But it was one of several instances where it seemed like he was almost gullible, which I was not expecting.

Beyond that, like others I was annoyed by many obvious typos and such. The book could have used a good once over to address that.

[Your Common House Bat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Cryptids (especially Mothman) is a topic I always enjoy reading about. And I think that this book did a good job at discussing a variety of cryptids as well as sharing cases about them and facts. It was also neat to read about John Keel and his contributions to Crypid study.

[Kirsty Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly as of 2025 (book was published in 2002) this book is outdated. But despite that the author brings forth some interesting theories that if you’re interested in the subject of mothman and other unexplained phenomena you might just find some food for thought. It’s an intellectual journey more than simply a ‘fun read’.

[Thomm Quackenbush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a really satisfying read. It does seem to be a quick cash grab because the Mothman Prophecies was coming out - as a working author, I have no problem with the cash grab - and he just threw together some loose chapters he had lying around. There isn't a cohesive theme. Even as I think it is silly and unlikely, I could have stood to read a whole book on how supernatural events cling to certain surnames or days of the year. I definitely would have enjoyed more about the Mothman (and other curious encounters). However, I got a quick, sub-Wikipedia overview of a few well known cases, a few of Coleman's theories, and thirty pages of references and movies I might want to watch that seemed to be mostly padding.

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm waffling between 2 stars and 3 stars...

It was really interesting to read about all of these strange encounters that have happened in North America over the years--UFOs and cryptids and whatnot. There were two problems for me, though.

1. Coleman needed a f'kn editor. There were so many glaring typos and errors in the text that it made me cringe.

2. There were places that offended my mathematical sensibilities. I'm pretty certain after reading this that Coleman suffers from innumeracy. The man needs to take a basic course in probability and statistics.

[Paranorm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loren Coleman has written fantastic book after fantastic book on cryptozoology and other Forteana, but this may be one of his best works. While the title is misleading, this book has nearly everything you need to know about John Keel, his ideas about various creatures, and patterns known as flaps and windows. Plus, like nearly every other Coleman book, the lists at the end is the best part of the whole book. Worth the price for the lists alone.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is worth laying hands on for its bibliography of Mothman publications.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little collection of tales of odd creatures like Mothman and bigfoot. Coleman is king of the cryptids.