Unexplained World of The Chestnut Ridge: A Hike through the Goblin Universe of the Laurel Highlands by Ronald L. Murphy Jr.

by Ronald L. Murphy Jr.

Delve into the mysterious phenomena happening in Western Pennsylvania with paranormal investigator Ronald L. Murphy, Jr. Unexplained World combines hard research and historical data with first hand accounts gathered by Murphy and his fellow adventurers as they experience the small towns and untamed wilderness known as The Chestnut Ridge. Murphy pierces the veil of the goblin universe all around us. In this guide he presents local folklore and compares anecdotes and news stories with ancient tales from around the world. Unexplained World looks carefully at each potential case of paranormal activity and determines which are easily explained by by mundane causes, which are merely the stuff of legends, and which events must be influenced by forces outside normal human understanding.

Mass Market Paperback

First published May 4, 2015

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I want to say that I had a lot of fun reading this book. I purchased it directly from the author, and I had a chance to talk with him a little bit. Ronald Murphy seems like a very nice man and is surprisingly down to Earth. Especially for a cyptozoologist.

This book mixes a bit of genuinely interesting Pennsylvania history with stories of the paranormal taken directly from local sources. Most of these stories are recorded, as they were told to the author with very little editing. After each story is recounted, Murphy suggests some possibilities usually (but not always) leaning toward a paranormal explanation. I like that Murphy doesn't seem to take things too seriously. I also appreciate the respect he seems to have for the people and places he investigates. That's something other Paranormal Investigators could learn from.

With all that said, the book has one major flaw: editing. There was no serious effort made to proofread this text for spelling and grammar mistakes let alone any developmental editing or peer reviewing. As the book progresses the mistakes become more and more frequent. At least twice I encountered a sentence that I couldn't even decipher. If you copy and paste this text into any half-decent word processor there would be hundreds of errors identified right off the bat. This is something I'm able to look past, but I know a lot of other people would be put off by it. With a little bit of professional editing, this could work its way up to a 4/5, but I think there was too much in need of correction to go that high.

[Kristen Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author did historical research to give the reader some insight into the areas in question. His research also includes folklore of cultures around the world, which I found interesting. I'd enjoy reading more, for instance, of the Iroquois tales mentioned in the Bigfoot section. The author seems to provide each account as he heard it but then weighs in on possible explanations, leading the reader to co sider possibilities both natural and paranormal as well.

However, more credible sources used for that research would help validate his points. There is a short bibliography in the back which lists wikipedia as a source, doesn't seem to follow any formal citation format, and doesn't cite everything (I don't see where he got his Iroquois tale, for instance). He could also have used some editing help for grammar as well as to help reign in some tangents.

[Marjorie Wertz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter of the book intrigued me because I live at the foot of the Chestnut Ridge. But the extremely poor editing of the book made it difficult to enjoy. If the author paid someone to edit his book, he wasted his money.

[Mitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable book

Murphy has written a most entertaining book on this spectacular area of the country. With a healthy dose of skepticism, he relates the stories emanating from this region. His own personal encounters are truly frightening and intense. A tremendously important book for those interested in the paranormal and cryptids.