In Alien Heat: The Warminster Mystery Revisited

by Steve Dewey, John Ries

There has probably never been anything like it in UFO history, but the UFO fever that gripped the small British town of Warminster for about a decade is now largely forgotten. It was one of the largest UFO flaps ever to occur. Thousands of witnesses reported seeing the "Warminster Thing." The hilltops around the town attracted a loyal band of followers, all waiting for the magic sighting, the landing, the contact. The authors were themselves among the skywatchers and spent nights on Cradle Hill, the center of the phenomenon, watching and waiting for UFOs, but also watching and listening to the witnesses and ufologists. IN ALIEN HEAT introduces the Warminster phenomenon to a new generation of readers. It contains a short history of the phenomenon, places it in its social and historical context, and examines the possible mechanisms that initiated and sustained this remarkable UFO flap. "Some of the dullest books ever published have flying saucers on their cover. This book isn't one of them. Since 1947 UFO related beliefs have spread across the world like a modern legend. Stories about objects in the sky and alien contacts have become part of popular culture. But virtually all discussion about UFOs has been confined to either belief in 'alien visitors' or debunking ET claims. IN ALIEN HEAT takes a fresh approach to the subject. Steve Dewey and John Ries take a microcosm of the UFO phenomenon - the Warminster Mystery - and examine it as a social and cultural phenomenon akin to modern folklore. This is a fascinating and absorbing book which should be read by everyone who wants to know 'the truth' behind the UFO mystery." - Dr. David Clarke, National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield First time in print! From ANOMALIST BOOKS.

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2005

About the author

I am a native of Warminster, in Wiltshire, and grew up with UFOs on my doorstep. From the age of 14 I began to walk with my friends to Cradle Hill to see what was happening there. What happened there was not what I thought - hence, the idea that would become In Alien Heat was born.

Sadly, In Alien Heat took about 25 years to complete, and yet still seemed to suck up an awful lot of writing and research time. So the novels, short stories and poems that should have been written never were.

I have, however, managed to write some poetry and short stories in between working and In Alien Heat.

However, since 2006, I've decided to spend much of my free-time working on as-yet unpublished novels. Some of these novels are co-written with my friend, Kevin Goodman, with whom I co-authored UFO Warminster Cradle of Contact. These novels are, perhaps unsurprisingly, set in and around a small town in Wiltshire that might or might not be visited by UFOs. However, the novels play with the anticipated narrative tropes, inverting them and transposing them, bringing in spies, hippie boys and girls, more mad spies, occult rituals, drugs and nervous breakdowns, bands, and love and relationships. Oh, and aliens. Perhaps. The novels move between the science fiction, paranormal, psychothriller and spy genres, and are all loosely connected by the fictional town of Dereham and what happens there.

I am by trade a technical writer, and have been for over thirty years, so have a lot of experience of writing and editing.

I went to Middlesex University when it was still a Polytechnic. My first degree is a BSc (Hons) in Society and Technology. I have an MA in Cultural Studies, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Science Studies. I am currently studying with the OU for a BA (Hons) Humanities with Creative Writing.

I still live in the West Country where I read, write, make and listen to music, and photograph birds and landscapes.

Poems and short stories can be found at the Web site shown in my profile.

Reviews

[Duncan Barford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly readable and compelling. Not a narrative chronology of Warminster, but it steps back to take various stabs from various directions at the phenomenon. Cumulatively, these seem to prove fatal. The authors' final conclusion homes in on the idea that Warminster was a form of 'mass hysteria', whipped up by an initial genuine mystery (unexplained sounds), but then colliding with the zeitgeist and environmental factors, focused and disseminated through a central figure who came to take on an almost messianic function, albeit perhaps unwittingly: Arthur Shuttlewood.

At the conclusion, I wasn't quite convinced that 'mass hysteria' really does justice to the type of experiences people had. What does 'mass hysteria' really tell us, as an explanatory term, about why normally rational people begin to interpret what were probably ordinary experiences in an extraordinary way? I don't disagree with their thesis, but I didn't feel the authors really got into the heads and hearts of the people who had the experiences. Even Shuttlewood remains a complete enigma at the end.

A very satisfying read, though, and generally very well argued. Loved it!