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Fire in the Sky: The Walton Experience by Travis Walton
On 11/5/1975 a group of loggers in the mountains of northeastern Arizona observed a strange, unusually bright light in the sky. One of them, Travis Walton, recklessly left the safety of their truck to take a closer look. Suddenly, as he walked toward the light, Walton was blasted back by a bolt of mysterious energy. His companions fled in fear. When they reported an encounter with a UFO--something they would have considered impossible if they had not witnessed it themselves--the men were suspected of murder. For five days authorities mounted a massive manhunt in search of Walton or his body. Then Walton reappeared, disoriented & initially unable to tell the whole story of his terrifying encounter. In Fire in the Sky Travis Walton relates in his own words the best documented account of alien abduction yet recorded, the story of his harrowing ordeal at the hands of silent captors & his return to a disbelieving world of hostile interrogators, exploitative press & self-styled debunkers. Travis recounts the struggle to get a fair hearing & confronts his detractors with a stinging rebuttal.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 17, 2014
I'm not going to lie, I skipped some of this one. He's a very pretentious and long winded writer. The most interesting thing about the story was the abduction and that's what he wrote the least about. Skip the book, rent the movie.
July 7, 2011
Captivating recounting of the author's alleged alien abduction, with particular focus on social reaction to the encounter and all of the ensuing difficulties. Unlike individual encounters, Walton's is more persuasive due to his six logging crew members verifying the initial sighting of the alien spacecraft and its attack on Walton. Later chapters of the book discuss Walton's frustrations as the book is turned into a screenplay and then a feature film.
I am normally very skeptical but I have to admit that his story is both compelling and evidence-based. If there is only one alien abduction that was not a hoax I think this could be it. I also found it interesting to read Walton's first-hand version of the alien abduction as the film adaptation makes a variety of noticeable changes.
I am normally very skeptical but I have to admit that his story is both compelling and evidence-based. If there is only one alien abduction that was not a hoax I think this could be it. I also found it interesting to read Walton's first-hand version of the alien abduction as the film adaptation makes a variety of noticeable changes.
June 24, 2013
Crazy! I thought I was reading a book on the controversial 1975 Alien abduction. Instead, I got a 400 page exposé on modern polygraph methodology. Other lowpoints include subtle evolution denial and jerking off to Ayn Rand. Stop after the first 180 pages to fully enjoy.
May 19, 2015
I saw the Fire in the Sky movie before I read the book about this unusually well-corroborated alien abduction case. Both are to be recommended to anyone interested in such matters.
Alien abduction stories themselves are rather common, as are stories of visiting other dimensions, meeting nonhuman intelligences etc. Most can be assigned to students of altered states of consciousness. What makes the Walton story different is that the original abduction was witnessed by so many. It is one thing for an individual to encounter the extraordinary, quite another for a host of persons to do so and to have substantial agreement in their accounts as in, say, the Fatima case in Portugal.
Alien abduction stories themselves are rather common, as are stories of visiting other dimensions, meeting nonhuman intelligences etc. Most can be assigned to students of altered states of consciousness. What makes the Walton story different is that the original abduction was witnessed by so many. It is one thing for an individual to encounter the extraordinary, quite another for a host of persons to do so and to have substantial agreement in their accounts as in, say, the Fatima case in Portugal.
February 28, 2019
We only watched the amazing movie. I didn't realize there was a book.
May 29, 2012
If you've only seen the movie, you MUST read the book. Parts are much more different than the movie. The most compelling case of alien abduction ever documented!
May 23, 2023
I decided to check this book out after listening to the “High Strange” podcast. They had an entire episode that was devoted to an interview with Travis Walton, and I found him to be settled, reflective, and articulate. His story is fascinating; and even if you’re a skeptic (like me), it’s hard to dismiss his account as a mere hoax.
Unfortunately, this book was written when he was much younger, and it definitely shows. I’m not sure how much he actually wrote, but the wording (particularly the dialogue) is so colloquial as to read like a yearbook article. He comes across as juvenile and jumpy, far from the mature, introspective man he is today. The other problem is that there isn’t enough material to fill a whole book. The meat of the story is only about thirty pages, and the rest is filler crammed in to justify selling it alongside Dianetics.
Your best bet, if you’re interested, is to listen to him tell the story himself in a recent interview. There are several floating around on the internet. He’s an incredibly compelling speaker, and he has a much more settled perspective now than he did when this book was written.
Unfortunately, this book was written when he was much younger, and it definitely shows. I’m not sure how much he actually wrote, but the wording (particularly the dialogue) is so colloquial as to read like a yearbook article. He comes across as juvenile and jumpy, far from the mature, introspective man he is today. The other problem is that there isn’t enough material to fill a whole book. The meat of the story is only about thirty pages, and the rest is filler crammed in to justify selling it alongside Dianetics.
Your best bet, if you’re interested, is to listen to him tell the story himself in a recent interview. There are several floating around on the internet. He’s an incredibly compelling speaker, and he has a much more settled perspective now than he did when this book was written.
September 22, 2019
A work of great hubris and longwindedness which could have been a third as long as it was without losing anything (heck, it would even be better). Walton appears mortally offended that anyone could be dubious of his seemingly unlikely tale and dedicates a not insignificant portion of his book to ad hominem sneering, painting as irrational various people who doubt that men from beyond the moon might have plucked him out of the woods one day. The less said about his pretentious literary references the better, although it must be said that hitting his skeptics with "the lady doth protest too much" is a bold move for an author running defence from beginning to end.
Not being a believer as such in ET visitation to Earth, I am nonetheless enthusiastic about reading stories such as Walton's. However, it is a prerequisite that the author be in some way endearing and the writing be engaging (The Interrupted Journey is a fine example of an alien abduction experience being so adapted). On both these counts, Fire in the Sky fails miserably.
Not being a believer as such in ET visitation to Earth, I am nonetheless enthusiastic about reading stories such as Walton's. However, it is a prerequisite that the author be in some way endearing and the writing be engaging (The Interrupted Journey is a fine example of an alien abduction experience being so adapted). On both these counts, Fire in the Sky fails miserably.
January 18, 2011
This book highlights an alien abduction that happened where I grew up, so I like it mainly because the author talks about the town where I grew up and the areas I explored as a kid. Kinda nostalgic. The alien abduction part was very disappointing. The whole event took all of 15 minutes. The way the author built it up I was expecting a much more exciting story. The prelude and Chapter 1 were also written to make you feel like a bigot if you didn't believe his story. I thought it was a mildly interesting account but honestly, too boring for how much it was built up.
January 31, 2025
The first 1/3 of the book was awesome and a solid 5 stars for me. The detail he gives about his abduction put me right there with him, and it was fast paced. Also, the fact that I am a descendant of the Flake family and reading about the town I grew up going to was really fun for me. The last 2/3 were unnecessary and drawn out. I skipped a lot of the last two chapters. Giving this 3 stars solely based off the beginning of the book.
December 2, 2014
Finally finished this book. I feel like I've been aware of this encounter since I was born. I believe that what Mr. Walton wrote about is true. The book is good but does tend to be tedious in the appendix and when Mr. Walton attempts to speculate about the intentions of the aliens and investigators. Overall a good read and account.
October 15, 2019
great book! very detailed story and the art matches it perfect. my only complaint is the first 40 % is the story and its great, but the last 60% is a lesson in writing statistics and polygraph tests. only read the first bit if you want the story.
July 12, 2014
Is it possible for you to try to sound even smarter!? Ughhhh.
May 21, 2019
Interesting story but the writing was beyond boring.
May 13, 2024
THE REVISED EDITION AFTER THE ‘FIRE IN THE SKY’ MOVIE WAS RELEASED
Travis Walton wrote in the Preface to the 1996 edition of this 1978 book, “It was many years ago that I got out of a crew truck the national forest and ran toward a large glowing object hovering in the darkening Arizona sky. But when I made that fateful choice… I was leaving behind forever all semblance of a normal life, running headlong toward and experience so overwhelmingly mind-rending in its effect, to devastating in its aftermath, that my life would never---could never---be the same again… But what I didn’t know then, I think I know now… And with this new book I try to share those insights. When I first wrote ‘The Walton Experience’… the book which Paramount Pictures’ movie, ‘Fire In the Sky,’ is based on, I stated my desire that the book put the reader where we were when it happened. My hope was that if people could vicariously LIVE it… perhaps they could take a more open-minded and objective approach to their evaluation of it all.
“However, nothing approached the goal of allowing people to live someone else’s experience nearly so well as a movie. I think most people know better than to expect a documentary, and although some dramatic license was exercised, I believe that the movie succeeded in conveying the emotional essence of what we went through. Public response … satisfied my goal of imparting my experience on the gut level so I feel free now in this updating to emphasize other areas. I provide an accurate, undramatized chronicle of events, and I account for the main departures that the film took from what actually happened. I try to satisfy the interest which so many people have expressed concerning why, after all this time, I finally consented to a movie being made, and what the process of its creation was like.” (Pg. 4-5)
He admits, “The difficulties the interviewers had become even more understandable to me after I began this book. I had my own share of troubles in trying to achieve absolute accuracy---and I’m the one it happened to. In researching the facts, I found that people’s memories posed a problem… people tend to remember things a little differently as time goes y Ever if they remember something exactly as they experienced it, they might not have perceived it correctly… I dealt with this problem by eliminating versions that did not agree with the majority, and by checking with written records.” (Pg. 22)
He states, “There were inevitably demands for proof. With little or no remaining physical evidence, absolute proof was impossible to produce. However, as we shall see, the additional testimony by law enforcement officials and scientific researchers offered overwhelming evidence that it did indeed happen just as we reported it.” (Pg. 23-24)
Of the initial polygraph test of the crew, he recounts, “Allen spoke… ‘How do we know we can trust this guy?” We’ve heard that the government is always trying to hush these kinda things up. How do we know you’re not going to rig these lie-detector tests?’ The men began murmuring between themselves. They had nothing to lose if this guy was on the level, but if he was not, they could be tried for murder… [The polygraph examiner stated], ‘I’ll guarantee you one thing. If you guys are telling the truth, those charts will show it. And if you’re lying, I’ll find that out, too.’ … ‘Hell no, we’re not lying!’ Mike returned hotly. ‘We’re really only worried that you’ve been bought off. It’s not impossible, you know. We’ve heard that the government tries to keep these UFO things quiet.” (Pg. 69) The examiner reportedly told the man, “When I started testing you men this morning, I really expected to find that a murder had been committed… But none of the tests except Allen’s showed anything like that. Allen was must too agitated to be tested at all… he couldn’t have committed a crime and made up a story about a UFO without involving five other men whose tests corroborate what they reported.’” (Pg. 73-74)
Walton comments, “I guess many people’s concept of life is so mundane it can barely accommodate the fact that sometimes unusual things do happen… But when extraordinary things happen to extraordinary people, those people’s mind go into overload. The bottom line here: Duane passed two thorough series of polygraph test questions proving he had no knowledge of any hoax and had never even read a book on the subject. Later I offer additional disproof (as if it were needed) of the irrelevant ‘buff’ innuendo, with the polygraph tests I passed. And it actually is irrelevant, simply because it ignores so many other forms of specific evidence which speak directly to the central issue---what we saw and what happened.” (Pg. 127-128)
He argues, “Mike tried to talk me into joining him and Allen in being retested. I held firm, repeating my reasoning. But once Mike had been persuaded to commit himself to being retested, he became an avid proponent of broadening participation. He wouldn’t let up on me… My concerns were with getting dragged into defending against a new round of unfair attacks. I still felt I had nothing to gain… If there was ANY possibility of destroying yourself, with nothing to gain, why would any sane person play?” (Pg. 148)
Of his less successful test, he comments, “I have had a nurse take my pulse and comment in amazement on the slowness of my resting pulse…. The relevancy to my polygraph test is that if the examiner doesn’t know the examinee normally has a low resting pulse rate, he will be unable to note the significance of an elevated pulse rate caused by general agitation…. [I] sometimes skip a breath or two when physically inactive… McCarthy claimed in his final report that I ‘was deliberately attempting to distort’ my respiration pattern… I believe he had merely detected my respiratory quirk.” (Pg. 324-325) He adds, “Then [McCarthy] said: ‘Travis, your responses are deceptive.’ I was stunned… I said very emphatically, ‘THIS is what happened to me, as I see it, to the best of my knowledge.’ … McCarthy said: ‘Could it be that you have just, uh, made yourself BELIEVE that this happened to you?’” (Pg. 328)
He suggests, “If one wishes not to rely on my synopsis of the matter, beware of relying on the selective quotations PJK [Philip Klass] publishes. In can provide the opportunity to examine complete, unexpurgated copies for serious, respectable investigators, if any are THAT interested, of the whole frustrating exchange, with commentary (it amounts to an entire book in itself), so that a fully informed judgment can be made. Nearly everyone who followed the exchange … said it was plain to them that we were sincere and PJK was not.” (Pg. 346)
Personally, I am very skeptical of Walton’s account. (And I note that on March 19, 2021, crew leader and friend Mike Rogers posted the following statement on his Facebook page: “I, Michael H. Rogers, being of sound and rational mind, do hereby give notice that I am no longer to be considered a witness to Travis C. Walton’s supposed abduction of November 5, 1975.”) But ‘Caveat Emptor,’ for those who wish to read his book.
Travis Walton wrote in the Preface to the 1996 edition of this 1978 book, “It was many years ago that I got out of a crew truck the national forest and ran toward a large glowing object hovering in the darkening Arizona sky. But when I made that fateful choice… I was leaving behind forever all semblance of a normal life, running headlong toward and experience so overwhelmingly mind-rending in its effect, to devastating in its aftermath, that my life would never---could never---be the same again… But what I didn’t know then, I think I know now… And with this new book I try to share those insights. When I first wrote ‘The Walton Experience’… the book which Paramount Pictures’ movie, ‘Fire In the Sky,’ is based on, I stated my desire that the book put the reader where we were when it happened. My hope was that if people could vicariously LIVE it… perhaps they could take a more open-minded and objective approach to their evaluation of it all.
“However, nothing approached the goal of allowing people to live someone else’s experience nearly so well as a movie. I think most people know better than to expect a documentary, and although some dramatic license was exercised, I believe that the movie succeeded in conveying the emotional essence of what we went through. Public response … satisfied my goal of imparting my experience on the gut level so I feel free now in this updating to emphasize other areas. I provide an accurate, undramatized chronicle of events, and I account for the main departures that the film took from what actually happened. I try to satisfy the interest which so many people have expressed concerning why, after all this time, I finally consented to a movie being made, and what the process of its creation was like.” (Pg. 4-5)
He admits, “The difficulties the interviewers had become even more understandable to me after I began this book. I had my own share of troubles in trying to achieve absolute accuracy---and I’m the one it happened to. In researching the facts, I found that people’s memories posed a problem… people tend to remember things a little differently as time goes y Ever if they remember something exactly as they experienced it, they might not have perceived it correctly… I dealt with this problem by eliminating versions that did not agree with the majority, and by checking with written records.” (Pg. 22)
He states, “There were inevitably demands for proof. With little or no remaining physical evidence, absolute proof was impossible to produce. However, as we shall see, the additional testimony by law enforcement officials and scientific researchers offered overwhelming evidence that it did indeed happen just as we reported it.” (Pg. 23-24)
Of the initial polygraph test of the crew, he recounts, “Allen spoke… ‘How do we know we can trust this guy?” We’ve heard that the government is always trying to hush these kinda things up. How do we know you’re not going to rig these lie-detector tests?’ The men began murmuring between themselves. They had nothing to lose if this guy was on the level, but if he was not, they could be tried for murder… [The polygraph examiner stated], ‘I’ll guarantee you one thing. If you guys are telling the truth, those charts will show it. And if you’re lying, I’ll find that out, too.’ … ‘Hell no, we’re not lying!’ Mike returned hotly. ‘We’re really only worried that you’ve been bought off. It’s not impossible, you know. We’ve heard that the government tries to keep these UFO things quiet.” (Pg. 69) The examiner reportedly told the man, “When I started testing you men this morning, I really expected to find that a murder had been committed… But none of the tests except Allen’s showed anything like that. Allen was must too agitated to be tested at all… he couldn’t have committed a crime and made up a story about a UFO without involving five other men whose tests corroborate what they reported.’” (Pg. 73-74)
Walton comments, “I guess many people’s concept of life is so mundane it can barely accommodate the fact that sometimes unusual things do happen… But when extraordinary things happen to extraordinary people, those people’s mind go into overload. The bottom line here: Duane passed two thorough series of polygraph test questions proving he had no knowledge of any hoax and had never even read a book on the subject. Later I offer additional disproof (as if it were needed) of the irrelevant ‘buff’ innuendo, with the polygraph tests I passed. And it actually is irrelevant, simply because it ignores so many other forms of specific evidence which speak directly to the central issue---what we saw and what happened.” (Pg. 127-128)
He argues, “Mike tried to talk me into joining him and Allen in being retested. I held firm, repeating my reasoning. But once Mike had been persuaded to commit himself to being retested, he became an avid proponent of broadening participation. He wouldn’t let up on me… My concerns were with getting dragged into defending against a new round of unfair attacks. I still felt I had nothing to gain… If there was ANY possibility of destroying yourself, with nothing to gain, why would any sane person play?” (Pg. 148)
Of his less successful test, he comments, “I have had a nurse take my pulse and comment in amazement on the slowness of my resting pulse…. The relevancy to my polygraph test is that if the examiner doesn’t know the examinee normally has a low resting pulse rate, he will be unable to note the significance of an elevated pulse rate caused by general agitation…. [I] sometimes skip a breath or two when physically inactive… McCarthy claimed in his final report that I ‘was deliberately attempting to distort’ my respiration pattern… I believe he had merely detected my respiratory quirk.” (Pg. 324-325) He adds, “Then [McCarthy] said: ‘Travis, your responses are deceptive.’ I was stunned… I said very emphatically, ‘THIS is what happened to me, as I see it, to the best of my knowledge.’ … McCarthy said: ‘Could it be that you have just, uh, made yourself BELIEVE that this happened to you?’” (Pg. 328)
He suggests, “If one wishes not to rely on my synopsis of the matter, beware of relying on the selective quotations PJK [Philip Klass] publishes. In can provide the opportunity to examine complete, unexpurgated copies for serious, respectable investigators, if any are THAT interested, of the whole frustrating exchange, with commentary (it amounts to an entire book in itself), so that a fully informed judgment can be made. Nearly everyone who followed the exchange … said it was plain to them that we were sincere and PJK was not.” (Pg. 346)
Personally, I am very skeptical of Walton’s account. (And I note that on March 19, 2021, crew leader and friend Mike Rogers posted the following statement on his Facebook page: “I, Michael H. Rogers, being of sound and rational mind, do hereby give notice that I am no longer to be considered a witness to Travis C. Walton’s supposed abduction of November 5, 1975.”) But ‘Caveat Emptor,’ for those who wish to read his book.
April 30, 2021
Real or not, this is a terrifying story about a violent encounter with aliens.
August 7, 2017
Really sorry I wasted my time reading this poorly written book. Everything that was dialogue ended in a question mark, causing me to wonder if the author himself was sure about writing this book or not. Dont waste your time.
April 8, 2015
Coupled with the movie of the same name, a fascinating look at an (alleged) alien abduction.
December 20, 2019
I am struck by what a wonderful gift it is to be able to read a book. In this age of rapidly decreasing attention spans it’s becoming an increasingly rare talent to be able to plow through a 300+ page book to satisfy your curiosity on a particular issue … but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me go back and explain how I came to be reading “Fire in the Sky : The Walton Experience by Travis Walton.
I was perusing Podcasts, looking for something to listen to when I came upon and episode of ”Last Podcast on the Left” dealing with Travis Walton. I was familiar with the basic story of Travis Walton so I decided to give it a listen. The Podcast was done in the standard “Frat Boy” style: Three guys ostensibly discussing an issue but spending 25% of the time making what they think are witty and clever remarks (none of which were actually funny) and 70% of the time laughing at their own jokes. That left little time actually discussing Travis Walton. I turned it off after 6 minutes.
I then searched YouTube for Travis Walton. I found a few things, but the Frat Boys showed up here too as well.
Then I remembered that I had bought this book years ago – the story of Travis Walton as told by Travis Walton, so I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth and read “Fire in the Sky : The Walton Experience”.
In brief Travis Walton’s is a story to UFO Abduction. He was part of the crew of lumberjacks driving home from work in November, 1975 when they were confronted by a UFO. Walton ran toward the UFO and was knocked to the ground by a beam from the craft. At that the rest fled in terror but returned later to look for Walton and found nothing. They went to town telling this incredible story and an intense search ensued. Five days later Walton showed up in a nearby town recalling incidents with various aliens (some looking human) and thinking he’d just been away for 2 hours.
This was not an easy read – but I’ve read The Bible, Moby Dick and Ulysses so I took it all in stride. What made it difficult was not the material. It was that Travis Walton is not a very good writer and he seems very intent in showing you how intelligent he is. For example each chapter is prefaced by a quote from someone like Emerson or George Bernard Shaw however nowhere in the text does he show evidence of having read such writers. Mind you I don’t regard that as being important – but its results in a self-consciously wordy prose that’s hard to get through.
But I can sympathize. His story has opened him the wide-spread ridicule and disbelief. Also if you can get past the long pages where he’s justifying himself and attacking those that have attacked him it’s makes for an interesting read.
The part that describes in detail the original incident is a real nail biter. Also the endless attempts to get the movie “Fire in the Sky” made are fascinating. He describes the nickel-and-diming that occurred over the script, which explains the differences between the movie and what actually happened. He described what it was like on the shoot, for the few days he was invited and confirms what I always felt about James Garner.
All in all an interesting read, if not particularly well-written.
I was perusing Podcasts, looking for something to listen to when I came upon and episode of ”Last Podcast on the Left” dealing with Travis Walton. I was familiar with the basic story of Travis Walton so I decided to give it a listen. The Podcast was done in the standard “Frat Boy” style: Three guys ostensibly discussing an issue but spending 25% of the time making what they think are witty and clever remarks (none of which were actually funny) and 70% of the time laughing at their own jokes. That left little time actually discussing Travis Walton. I turned it off after 6 minutes.
I then searched YouTube for Travis Walton. I found a few things, but the Frat Boys showed up here too as well.
Then I remembered that I had bought this book years ago – the story of Travis Walton as told by Travis Walton, so I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth and read “Fire in the Sky : The Walton Experience”.
In brief Travis Walton’s is a story to UFO Abduction. He was part of the crew of lumberjacks driving home from work in November, 1975 when they were confronted by a UFO. Walton ran toward the UFO and was knocked to the ground by a beam from the craft. At that the rest fled in terror but returned later to look for Walton and found nothing. They went to town telling this incredible story and an intense search ensued. Five days later Walton showed up in a nearby town recalling incidents with various aliens (some looking human) and thinking he’d just been away for 2 hours.
This was not an easy read – but I’ve read The Bible, Moby Dick and Ulysses so I took it all in stride. What made it difficult was not the material. It was that Travis Walton is not a very good writer and he seems very intent in showing you how intelligent he is. For example each chapter is prefaced by a quote from someone like Emerson or George Bernard Shaw however nowhere in the text does he show evidence of having read such writers. Mind you I don’t regard that as being important – but its results in a self-consciously wordy prose that’s hard to get through.
But I can sympathize. His story has opened him the wide-spread ridicule and disbelief. Also if you can get past the long pages where he’s justifying himself and attacking those that have attacked him it’s makes for an interesting read.
The part that describes in detail the original incident is a real nail biter. Also the endless attempts to get the movie “Fire in the Sky” made are fascinating. He describes the nickel-and-diming that occurred over the script, which explains the differences between the movie and what actually happened. He described what it was like on the shoot, for the few days he was invited and confirms what I always felt about James Garner.
All in all an interesting read, if not particularly well-written.
February 6, 2024
Sometimes, I have nothing much to say about a book and stars will do. Sometimes I have plenty to say, maybe too much. I don't talk to anyone in real life, being hard of hearing makes a person avoided. So I will share my thoughts here instead. This is one of my all-time favourite reads, and this latest re-read must be my tenth or so. When I was a kid, age 9 or 10, I hated the world. I was obsessed with all things off planet, the universe, and aliens. I liked to sneak outside into the back garden at night and look for UFOs. I think I was around 12 or 13 when the movie, Fire in the Sky came out and I begged my grandad to take me to see it. Eventually, he relented and we went. I loved the movie so much and it only made me more obsessed. It did make me stop sneaking into the garden to look for them at night mind. Fast forward some years and I was part of a skywatch group, again, looking for UFOs and still not finding any. Through them, or maybe it was in Fortean Times, I heard Travis was giving a talk in London. I decided to go. Back then, 20-plus years ago, I was relatively normal. Of course, me being me, I got lost in the underground, several times, got distracted by doughnuts and I missed the entire talk. When I finally arrived at the place, very late, I fell over a large plant in the foyer and made a complete fool of myself. Someone took pity on me and I was allowed to rush inside and buy a signed book. So, likely covered in soil and a few random leaves, I met Travis and got the book. It became one of my most treasured possessions and still is. It's battered, pages are loose but it's still readable. The book IMO, is far better than the movie, far more detailed and a lot more about the fallout and emotional impact of the actual event. I love it. The thing is, I read a large amount about alien abductions, and I'm always full of doubt for most accounts. I'm no expert in anything, I only read a lot and think a lot but I've never doubted Travis Walton, not for one moment. I've always believed him 100%. I don't need to see or experience something myself to believe it. Anyhow, this book is very special to me and it's been wonderful to read it yet again. Copies are hard to get hold of now, and mine will have to be forced out of my cold dead hands.
May 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't read it cover to cover because I wasn't really as interested in some of the details he chose to get into. I read the beginning about his background (a bit braggadocios but still interesting enough), the lead-up to the incident (the work they were doing), the incident itself, and some of the aftermath. After that I skipped ahead to read a bit about the casting of the movie and that was it.
I think some of the detail was a bit tedious but I understand why it was this way. He wanted to set the record straight and he wanted to be thorough. I myself have been accused of being long-winded when I'm really just trying to be thorough as well. He wanted everyone to have the full picture. So if you find as I did that some of the writing is excessive then skip around. There's still a lot of great material in here that is worth the read.
I'm a skeptical but open minded person. In the end, I tend to believe these guys. That is to say that I believe that they told the truth about what they perceived to be happening. It's entirely possible (though unlikely) that this was a government operation that they stumbled on. But I think they are credible guys and didn't have a reason to make this up.
I think some of the detail was a bit tedious but I understand why it was this way. He wanted to set the record straight and he wanted to be thorough. I myself have been accused of being long-winded when I'm really just trying to be thorough as well. He wanted everyone to have the full picture. So if you find as I did that some of the writing is excessive then skip around. There's still a lot of great material in here that is worth the read.
I'm a skeptical but open minded person. In the end, I tend to believe these guys. That is to say that I believe that they told the truth about what they perceived to be happening. It's entirely possible (though unlikely) that this was a government operation that they stumbled on. But I think they are credible guys and didn't have a reason to make this up.
May 21, 2023
The single most credible case ever recorded in my personal opinion and this beautifully written book makes you feel as though your experiencing the experience with Travis himself even down to daily life in the forests of snowflake Arizona as he's logging. It's as if your with the logging crew taking in the sights and smells of the forest he's in as it's so wonderfully written. Of course we all know of the movie and how well acted it was along with one of the most intense abduction scenes in film but we must also remember that it's Hollywood and it's for entertainment purposes only so if your truly interested in the subject matter then I strongly urge you to read the book and pick up this incredible account of Travis Walton where it gives you the inquisitor the real story of what actually transpired and not just 90 minutes of Hollywood. Beautiful artwork renditions by talented artist and Waltons best friend Mike Rogers have been included on nice glossy paper in between chapters to accompany the amazing events which allegedly took place and are extremely pleasing to the eye. Wonderfully written and eye catching artwork awaits you, a must for all UFO enthusiasts, if you don't own this bible of ufology then you really need to ask yourself why.
February 9, 2025
The single most credible case ever recorded in my personal opinion and this beautifully written book makes you feel as though your experiencing the experience with Travis himself even down to daily life in the forests of snowflake Arizona as he's logging. It's as if your with the logging crew taking in the sights and smells of the forest he's in as it's so wonderfully written. Of course we all know of the movie and how well acted it was along with one of the most intense abduction scenes in film but we must also remember that it's Hollywood and it's for entertainment purposes only so if your truly interested in the subject matter then I strongly urge you to read the book and pick up this incredible account of Travis Walton where it gives you the inquisitor the real story of what actually transpired and not just 90 minutes of Hollywood. Beautiful artwork renditions by talented artist and Waltons best friend Mike Rogers have been included on nice glossy paper in between chapters to accompany the amazing events which allegedly took place and are extremely pleasing to the eye. Wonderfully written and eye catching artwork awaits you, a must for all UFO enthusiasts, if you don't own this bible of ufology then you really need to ask yourself why.
February 6, 2022
I’ve been a fan of the movie for years, and just recently found out there was a book by Travis Walton. My husband recently got it for me for Christmas. The book starts off very interesting and sucks you in right away, but the actual experience is only a short part of the book. The rest of the of the books is about Walton’s fight for legitimacy and belief. He went into more detail about the origins and rules of a lie detector test more than anything. I get it, I understand being believed is the most important to him, but I feel like going into to detail about “his experience” would’ve answered so many questions and helped people believe his story. There’s still so much I am curious about, my main question being “Why was he returned?”. Whether you believe Travis’s story or not there is one thing we can all agree on, this is still a scary story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2025
I am a female and the voice is a lot about the bureaucracy and the voice is male so I paged through seeking some info about THE GOO, that is used in the movie… wondering if there was a disembodied womb like material. Like stem cells i guess.
Ok so what you need out of this book is there was a ufo group that was in the tone of milab stuff, so like really pushy people. And then rolling out info was touch and go to the nth degree. I will try to catch some other books, but I did read whitley… and that was the spookiest stuff, and maybe even the very good but very different fire in the sky movie was more like whitley level horror. I didn’t get the movie magic in this book, but I didn’t not have a stuffy library dad, so I gloss over a bit on the revelations. I am pretty scared of fame stuff like meet and greets and press conferences. I am a torture victim.
Ok so what you need out of this book is there was a ufo group that was in the tone of milab stuff, so like really pushy people. And then rolling out info was touch and go to the nth degree. I will try to catch some other books, but I did read whitley… and that was the spookiest stuff, and maybe even the very good but very different fire in the sky movie was more like whitley level horror. I didn’t get the movie magic in this book, but I didn’t not have a stuffy library dad, so I gloss over a bit on the revelations. I am pretty scared of fame stuff like meet and greets and press conferences. I am a torture victim.
August 2, 2020
This is a very interesting case, and advertised as a well documented case also. The documentation is based on polygraph tests, police depositions, medical and psychological evaluations, etc. None of this information is provided in the book, but it is mentioned. The book narrates the experience that Travis Walton and his crew went through when encountering a UFO, as how it changed his life. I would have preferred if the book was dedicated to this shift in personality, but Walton prefers to spend the reader's time in a direct battle with a "debunker" who attacked his character. My opinion on this matter:"Not Worth it". A nice read with twists and lots of information, as well as appendix that narrates the ugly side of "debunkers".
January 12, 2026
I expected much more from Fire in the Sky. Given how famous Travis Walton’s abduction case is, I was hoping for a tense and exciting story. Instead, the book is written in a very dry style, which makes it surprisingly dull.
The narrative feels repetitive and emotionally distant, especially in the second half, which drags on and becomes quite tedious. Even the abduction experience, which should be the core of the book, is described in a flat and uninvolving way. Personally, I’m very skeptical about the case, but I still wanted to see what it was about.
This book might work for readers interested in the case as a historical, potential UFO encounter, but as a reading experience, it was disappointing.
The narrative feels repetitive and emotionally distant, especially in the second half, which drags on and becomes quite tedious. Even the abduction experience, which should be the core of the book, is described in a flat and uninvolving way. Personally, I’m very skeptical about the case, but I still wanted to see what it was about.
This book might work for readers interested in the case as a historical, potential UFO encounter, but as a reading experience, it was disappointing.
July 4, 2021
Absolutely fantastic book if you're interested in UFO's or Aliens - as this is the most credible & documented case of a UFO abduction.
It's well written, well researched, and has all the content you could ever want.
I've rated it 5 stars, but that's not to say the book is perfect. For me, there were a few sections in the book where I lost interest, and skim read in order to get to parts that were more relevant to me. I would rate the book lower for this - however, I don't think that's fair to do for a non-fiction - more content is better.
It's well written, well researched, and has all the content you could ever want.
I've rated it 5 stars, but that's not to say the book is perfect. For me, there were a few sections in the book where I lost interest, and skim read in order to get to parts that were more relevant to me. I would rate the book lower for this - however, I don't think that's fair to do for a non-fiction - more content is better.
January 26, 2025
I feel really lucky to have read this book after trying to get my hands on it for years, but some of it was a snoozefest and also annoying. however i do think it is worth reading if you loved the movie and are super interested in travis walton’s abduction in particular because the actual abduction is totally different than what happened in the film. overall i’m glad i read it.
December 8, 2019
Read this book a while ago, sure sounded like this experience was the real thing!
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