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The Real Men In Black: Evidence, Famous Cases, and True Stories of These Mysterious Men and Their Connection to UFO Phenomena
An investigation into the legendary black-garbed entities from the “Brit with a knack for ferreting out all the dope on outrageous subjects” (Jim Marrs, bestselling author of Alien Agenda ).
The Men in Black were elevated to superstar status in 1997 in the hit movie of the same name. Although the Hollywood blockbuster was fiction, the real Men in Black have consistently attempted to silence the witnesses of UFO and paranormal phenomena since the 1950s.
In The Real Men in Black , author Nick Redfern delves deep into the mysterious world of these mysterious operatives. He reveals their origins and discusses classic cases, previously unknown reports, secret government files, and the many theories that have been presented to explain the mystery.
Highlights of The Real Men in Black
The Men in Black were elevated to superstar status in 1997 in the hit movie of the same name. Although the Hollywood blockbuster was fiction, the real Men in Black have consistently attempted to silence the witnesses of UFO and paranormal phenomena since the 1950s.
In The Real Men in Black , author Nick Redfern delves deep into the mysterious world of these mysterious operatives. He reveals their origins and discusses classic cases, previously unknown reports, secret government files, and the many theories that have been presented to explain the mystery.
Highlights of The Real Men in Black
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2011
114 people are currently reading
990 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 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 31, 2012
Every now and then, I like a good UFO/conspiracy book. Generally, it's amazing that they can write so much and say so little.
This book actually says something, or tries to. Recounting lots of anecdotal evidence, sprinkled with a few photos and some official documentation, Redfern does a pretty good job of explaining the origins of the "Men in Black" phenomena and giving several possibilities for what has actually gone on.
Now, if you're like me, you never knew there really are (supposedly) "Men in Black" in the world. I had not heard the term outside of the movie with Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones. Apparently, there are people in the world who believe there really are "MIB", but there is a lot of debate among the believers as to what they are: aliens themselves? travelers from the future? demons?
Redfern does a good job of asking the questions and--unique for this kind of book--actually provides some answers. And not ALL of the people he interviews come across as kooks.
The writing is good and might deserve more stars, but I can't take the subject matter seriously enough to give the book a higher rating. Still, it was a lot of fun.
This book actually says something, or tries to. Recounting lots of anecdotal evidence, sprinkled with a few photos and some official documentation, Redfern does a pretty good job of explaining the origins of the "Men in Black" phenomena and giving several possibilities for what has actually gone on.
Now, if you're like me, you never knew there really are (supposedly) "Men in Black" in the world. I had not heard the term outside of the movie with Will Smith & Tommy Lee Jones. Apparently, there are people in the world who believe there really are "MIB", but there is a lot of debate among the believers as to what they are: aliens themselves? travelers from the future? demons?
Redfern does a good job of asking the questions and--unique for this kind of book--actually provides some answers. And not ALL of the people he interviews come across as kooks.
The writing is good and might deserve more stars, but I can't take the subject matter seriously enough to give the book a higher rating. Still, it was a lot of fun.
July 2, 2023
I decided to give Nick Redfern another chance. You may recall I didn't like his previous book, Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs & Ape-men, but after seeing him on various TV programs where he actually looked somewhat reasonable I wanted to give him a try. I'm happy to say that this book is better than the other. I'm sad to say it's not by much.
The thing I liked most is that Redfern, unlike many other people in the paranormal area, is perfectly happy to say "nope, this is not paranormal at all." He does have a whole chapter talking about where genuine FBI or military officers were mistaken for Men In Black (and if your only reference point is the movies, this may not be the book for you). I absolutely love the story of the researcher who went to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville to ghost hunt and was himself mistaken for a Man in Black because he was dressed nicely and had an EMF detector! This, I think, can account for 99% of the stories. If they say they're from the FBI or the military, they probably are, and if you're worried about it ask for their badge or ID numbers.
The stories of people being hypnotized by Men in Black don't surprise me. One of the first forms of hypnosis we learn about in hypnosis classes is the tendency of people to obey authority. Most early hypnosis induction relied almost exclusively on that fact, and it still works today. I'm also not surprised by people reporting odd smells and so on. I believe in UFOs far more than I believe in a dark force associated with them trying to hush people about them, and it doesn't surprise me that after an odd experience like a UFO suggestion would make people hypersensitive to unusual effects in the aftermath.
People are pattern finders. An odd light in the sky followed by questions is not so out of the question, and correlated but not caused migraines (which have odd odors associated with them - migraines aren't always painful!) can account for a lot.
It's not a well-written book. He has a reputation for pushing them out, and The Real Man In Black feels rushed. It needed at least another editorial pass. This is where I was disappointed. I wish that the publisher had asked for another draft. Three of five stars.
The thing I liked most is that Redfern, unlike many other people in the paranormal area, is perfectly happy to say "nope, this is not paranormal at all." He does have a whole chapter talking about where genuine FBI or military officers were mistaken for Men In Black (and if your only reference point is the movies, this may not be the book for you). I absolutely love the story of the researcher who went to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville to ghost hunt and was himself mistaken for a Man in Black because he was dressed nicely and had an EMF detector! This, I think, can account for 99% of the stories. If they say they're from the FBI or the military, they probably are, and if you're worried about it ask for their badge or ID numbers.
The stories of people being hypnotized by Men in Black don't surprise me. One of the first forms of hypnosis we learn about in hypnosis classes is the tendency of people to obey authority. Most early hypnosis induction relied almost exclusively on that fact, and it still works today. I'm also not surprised by people reporting odd smells and so on. I believe in UFOs far more than I believe in a dark force associated with them trying to hush people about them, and it doesn't surprise me that after an odd experience like a UFO suggestion would make people hypersensitive to unusual effects in the aftermath.
People are pattern finders. An odd light in the sky followed by questions is not so out of the question, and correlated but not caused migraines (which have odd odors associated with them - migraines aren't always painful!) can account for a lot.
It's not a well-written book. He has a reputation for pushing them out, and The Real Man In Black feels rushed. It needed at least another editorial pass. This is where I was disappointed. I wish that the publisher had asked for another draft. Three of five stars.
August 9, 2014
Throughout the book, I had trouble trying to decide what exactly was the author's view of these mysterious Men in Black. I'm sure that Nick Redfern was contracted to write this book, and probably didn't have a particular view one way or the other, though it seems to me that when one approaches a subject like this it might be best to not keep ones thoughts on a subject (which one is devoting some time to) to be quite so ambiguous.
Also, on the onset it seems that the first two people to ever have witnessed these crazy characters, are almost immediately pegged as either slightly deluded or prone to storytelling. One then should find this reason alone to think that any later appearances of these men in black would also be nothing more than spurious accounts. For how could they, one would think, exist at all if the origins themselves were veiled in make believe.
However, the book does seem to redeem itself in the end with its analysis of possible solutions to the mystery -- Not all of them non-metaphysical.
Also, on the onset it seems that the first two people to ever have witnessed these crazy characters, are almost immediately pegged as either slightly deluded or prone to storytelling. One then should find this reason alone to think that any later appearances of these men in black would also be nothing more than spurious accounts. For how could they, one would think, exist at all if the origins themselves were veiled in make believe.
However, the book does seem to redeem itself in the end with its analysis of possible solutions to the mystery -- Not all of them non-metaphysical.
March 10, 2018
Nick Redfern, that "Brit with a knack for fretting out all the dope on outrageous subjects," to quote the late Jim Marrs on the back cover, turns those talents towards those enigmatic Men In Black who've come to be associated with the UFO phenomenon. The first half of the book looks at some notable cases involving the mysterious figures (including two which managed to be photographed) while the second half looks at various possible explanations behind them. The latter is perhaps the more interesting section and it shows how, much like the UFO issue, there may not be a single and simple solution to this particular enigma.
March 24, 2016
Nicky's an acquaintance of mine, so I often purchase his books - this one and another I bought for my sister. I met Nick in the UK in 2006 and got him to sign one of his other books that I own.
His books are interesting, but he has been known to colour the stories a bit with fiction - most notable his book 'Three Men seeking Monsters' - starring Nick himself, Jon Downes and Richard Freeman - who are now also friends of mine who I have seen often and been on expeditions with (Richard came with us to Tasmania to search for the Thylacine). In 'Three Men', the bizarre stories are real, but the road trip he, Jon and Rich took in order to make his book fun, was fiction.
This MIB book is his 2011 publication and it covers all the aspects of the MIB's. A few of his stories I have heard of before in his other books. I can already tell none of the stories in this book are 'coloured' - there is not a fictional adventure as a side story here. There were a few aspects of the MIB's that I've not thought of before, so I found this book an interesting read. I am about to take on his Sept 2015 publication about personal stories and sightings.
I've heard Nick publishes books rather quickly - writing is his full time job, so I suppose getting small publications out is the thing to do, especially if you are trying to get the paranormal thing out there and into the world before the MIB's come a-knocking...
His books are interesting, but he has been known to colour the stories a bit with fiction - most notable his book 'Three Men seeking Monsters' - starring Nick himself, Jon Downes and Richard Freeman - who are now also friends of mine who I have seen often and been on expeditions with (Richard came with us to Tasmania to search for the Thylacine). In 'Three Men', the bizarre stories are real, but the road trip he, Jon and Rich took in order to make his book fun, was fiction.
This MIB book is his 2011 publication and it covers all the aspects of the MIB's. A few of his stories I have heard of before in his other books. I can already tell none of the stories in this book are 'coloured' - there is not a fictional adventure as a side story here. There were a few aspects of the MIB's that I've not thought of before, so I found this book an interesting read. I am about to take on his Sept 2015 publication about personal stories and sightings.
I've heard Nick publishes books rather quickly - writing is his full time job, so I suppose getting small publications out is the thing to do, especially if you are trying to get the paranormal thing out there and into the world before the MIB's come a-knocking...
October 12, 2024
The Real Men in Black
Author: Nicholas Redfern
Publisher: New Page Books
Publishing Date: 2011
Pgs: 256
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Why this book:
Because those guys, if they exist, are anything but the secret agents protecting Earth as portrayed in the movies. And I wonder at a connection with the Black-Eyed Children. Yes, I’m deep in the weeds on this stuff.
_________________
The Feel:
Creepy, as it should be. Redfern captures that well.
Character I Most Identified With:
Albert Bender getting obsessed with the Flight 19 disappearance. I remember a time in my teenage years when I was too. Lucky for me a squirrel walked by and my OCD took another path.
Overused Phrase/Concept:
Tried too hard to make every incidence of high strangeness into a Men In Black-related occurrence. We’re almost at “a black car drove past me while I had a migraine, and that’s when I knew it was the Men in Black” level of paranoia in print.
Tropes:
Too many “and if you think that one was creepy, wait until you hear about this one next, or later in the book.”
Hmm Moments:
The Woman in Black visitation to the Arthurian legend investigator is interesting. I was prepared to write this one off and scoff at it like the ones that claim ghosts, aliens, and ufos…and the resultant, or coincidental, MIB contacts are demonic. But this one, especially based on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch wormhole/portal investigations, hits a note that is very interesting.
Uhm Moments:
There is a simpler answer than Bender being an epileptic. His attic office probably had a gas leak. This would account for his migraines, the hallucinating, etc. Epilepsy wouldn't just affect him in his attic. He would have seizures out in the wider world too. People around him would either be informed or witness them. It's not as esoteric or hidden as some seem to think.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
The whole aliens-ghosts-MIB are demonic and there to drag “us” away from Gawd! Redfern could’ve left that bit on the cutting room floor. Not really part of the narrative, but then, I guess, I have a different perspective on the narrative than he does.
The Sigh:
Well, explained away part of it as hallucinating, now comes charlatanism, and then, mass hysteria.
The Colin Bennet quote about what the MIB are, “Like the UFO itself, the MIB and Bigfoot look like short media clips more than anything else. We can easily assume that any alien lifeform may well have evolved into pure media, leaving behind mechanical traces perhaps millions of years ago.” Sigh. Head desk. Double sigh. Double head desk. “...pure media…” c’mon man. This reads like someone has been online for too long. And is designed to dovetail with a belief in simulation theory, which is its own “c’mon man” in my book. Since we don’t have omnipresent awareness of the entirety of the universe the way that we see things beyond our immediate environs is through media. So, of course, everything beyond our immediate purview is observed through media. That doesn’t mean that the entirety of existence beyond our eyes and ears is pure media. Media is just a representation of live beyond your immediate senses.
Suspension of Disbelief:
Stepping out of the MIB sect, some of these instances sound almost like a microwave weapons test à la the Havana incident.
Juxtaposition:
In the chapter discussing Tulpas and Vampires, the author psychoanalyzes the MIB phenomena as rooted in fear. They suggest that the instant compliance of people with their dark visitors' instructions is a manifestation of this fear. However, this analysis implies that no one ever fully follows the MIB's warnings, ultimately distancing themselves from and forgetting about the cautioned circumstances.
The Unexpected:
Internal FBI documents from the 1950s acknowledging that the Men In Black weren’t their agents and wondering who they were. Would be fascinating to get a look at whether similar denial documentation exists for the CIA, Air Force and Naval Intelligence, and any other governmental organizations that may have been drawn into the UFO orbit in that era.
Missed Opportunity:
Sarah Key sounds very much vampire-like. The creature that accosted him on the road as well. The idea of vampires protecting the legacy of King Arthur and making sure that he can continue to hold the door to a portal beyond which are monsters, as described sounding almost Lovecraftian in nature, is a great book idea hidden in this other book..
The LOL:
When Redfern, either on his own or repeating what Brad Steiger has called it, refers to Steiger’s UFO office as Steiger HQ, puts me in mind of Kevin Smith in the movie Life Free or Die Hard when Bruce Willis refers to Smith’s character’s “office” as his Mom’s basement and he responds, “It’s a Command Center.”
_________________
Author Assessment:
This could’ve stood a bit closer to the editor’s pen. The influence of a more strident editor could’ve brought this into a tighter narrative and pushed some of the ephemera out of the way, and the circuitous “and if you liked that, next or later in the book, we’ll talk about another even that was even stranger, more scary, etc” that seemed to close every chapter.
Author: Nicholas Redfern
Publisher: New Page Books
Publishing Date: 2011
Pgs: 256
=======================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Why this book:
Because those guys, if they exist, are anything but the secret agents protecting Earth as portrayed in the movies. And I wonder at a connection with the Black-Eyed Children. Yes, I’m deep in the weeds on this stuff.
_________________
The Feel:
Creepy, as it should be. Redfern captures that well.
Character I Most Identified With:
Albert Bender getting obsessed with the Flight 19 disappearance. I remember a time in my teenage years when I was too. Lucky for me a squirrel walked by and my OCD took another path.
Overused Phrase/Concept:
Tried too hard to make every incidence of high strangeness into a Men In Black-related occurrence. We’re almost at “a black car drove past me while I had a migraine, and that’s when I knew it was the Men in Black” level of paranoia in print.
Tropes:
Too many “and if you think that one was creepy, wait until you hear about this one next, or later in the book.”
Hmm Moments:
The Woman in Black visitation to the Arthurian legend investigator is interesting. I was prepared to write this one off and scoff at it like the ones that claim ghosts, aliens, and ufos…and the resultant, or coincidental, MIB contacts are demonic. But this one, especially based on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch wormhole/portal investigations, hits a note that is very interesting.
Uhm Moments:
There is a simpler answer than Bender being an epileptic. His attic office probably had a gas leak. This would account for his migraines, the hallucinating, etc. Epilepsy wouldn't just affect him in his attic. He would have seizures out in the wider world too. People around him would either be informed or witness them. It's not as esoteric or hidden as some seem to think.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
The whole aliens-ghosts-MIB are demonic and there to drag “us” away from Gawd! Redfern could’ve left that bit on the cutting room floor. Not really part of the narrative, but then, I guess, I have a different perspective on the narrative than he does.
The Sigh:
Well, explained away part of it as hallucinating, now comes charlatanism, and then, mass hysteria.
The Colin Bennet quote about what the MIB are, “Like the UFO itself, the MIB and Bigfoot look like short media clips more than anything else. We can easily assume that any alien lifeform may well have evolved into pure media, leaving behind mechanical traces perhaps millions of years ago.” Sigh. Head desk. Double sigh. Double head desk. “...pure media…” c’mon man. This reads like someone has been online for too long. And is designed to dovetail with a belief in simulation theory, which is its own “c’mon man” in my book. Since we don’t have omnipresent awareness of the entirety of the universe the way that we see things beyond our immediate environs is through media. So, of course, everything beyond our immediate purview is observed through media. That doesn’t mean that the entirety of existence beyond our eyes and ears is pure media. Media is just a representation of live beyond your immediate senses.
Suspension of Disbelief:
Stepping out of the MIB sect, some of these instances sound almost like a microwave weapons test à la the Havana incident.
Juxtaposition:
In the chapter discussing Tulpas and Vampires, the author psychoanalyzes the MIB phenomena as rooted in fear. They suggest that the instant compliance of people with their dark visitors' instructions is a manifestation of this fear. However, this analysis implies that no one ever fully follows the MIB's warnings, ultimately distancing themselves from and forgetting about the cautioned circumstances.
The Unexpected:
Internal FBI documents from the 1950s acknowledging that the Men In Black weren’t their agents and wondering who they were. Would be fascinating to get a look at whether similar denial documentation exists for the CIA, Air Force and Naval Intelligence, and any other governmental organizations that may have been drawn into the UFO orbit in that era.
Missed Opportunity:
Sarah Key sounds very much vampire-like. The creature that accosted him on the road as well. The idea of vampires protecting the legacy of King Arthur and making sure that he can continue to hold the door to a portal beyond which are monsters, as described sounding almost Lovecraftian in nature, is a great book idea hidden in this other book..
The LOL:
When Redfern, either on his own or repeating what Brad Steiger has called it, refers to Steiger’s UFO office as Steiger HQ, puts me in mind of Kevin Smith in the movie Life Free or Die Hard when Bruce Willis refers to Smith’s character’s “office” as his Mom’s basement and he responds, “It’s a Command Center.”
_________________
Author Assessment:
This could’ve stood a bit closer to the editor’s pen. The influence of a more strident editor could’ve brought this into a tighter narrative and pushed some of the ephemera out of the way, and the circuitous “and if you liked that, next or later in the book, we’ll talk about another even that was even stranger, more scary, etc” that seemed to close every chapter.
November 21, 2023
First half are different experiences and a brief history of Men in Black encounters. These are people, mostly men, who visit UFO witnesses, dressed in black clothing, and threateningly tell the witnesses to not look into or discuss their experiences. They often have a bizarre or non-human quality about them.
My favorite was of Dr. Hopkins in 1976 who performed a hypnotic regression on a UFO abductee. He received a call from a man who said he was from a UFO research organization and wanted to come to his house for a conversation about the case. Hopkins agrees and goes turn on his porch light and the man is already on his porch. Hopkins invites him in. He is emaciated, pale white, lacking any hair, wearing a black suit, hat and gloves, and had bright red lips. He later wiped his mouth with his hand, smearing what was evidently his lipstick. He spoke in a robotic voice as he asked details of the case. He then told Hopkins to take out a coin from Hopkins’ pocket and hold it out in the palm of his hand. The coin then turned blue and vanished. The man threatened that this is what happened to a now dead abductee’s heart and told him to destroy all his records on the case. The man then started slurring his speech and struggled to stand up and walk, saying he was low on energy, and then walked out to a parked car and drove off.
The second half discusses different theories as to what the Men in Black are. It spends a frustratingly large amount of time about whether the first case or two are hoaxes, since that does little to explain the overall larger phenomena. Theories include Federal agents, tulpas, hallucinations, aliens, and demons. Second half not as fun as the first.
My favorite was of Dr. Hopkins in 1976 who performed a hypnotic regression on a UFO abductee. He received a call from a man who said he was from a UFO research organization and wanted to come to his house for a conversation about the case. Hopkins agrees and goes turn on his porch light and the man is already on his porch. Hopkins invites him in. He is emaciated, pale white, lacking any hair, wearing a black suit, hat and gloves, and had bright red lips. He later wiped his mouth with his hand, smearing what was evidently his lipstick. He spoke in a robotic voice as he asked details of the case. He then told Hopkins to take out a coin from Hopkins’ pocket and hold it out in the palm of his hand. The coin then turned blue and vanished. The man threatened that this is what happened to a now dead abductee’s heart and told him to destroy all his records on the case. The man then started slurring his speech and struggled to stand up and walk, saying he was low on energy, and then walked out to a parked car and drove off.
The second half discusses different theories as to what the Men in Black are. It spends a frustratingly large amount of time about whether the first case or two are hoaxes, since that does little to explain the overall larger phenomena. Theories include Federal agents, tulpas, hallucinations, aliens, and demons. Second half not as fun as the first.
July 24, 2020
Okay. So. I've been into cryptozoology books for most of my life, and that necessarily led to books about UFOs and THAT led to books on government conspiracies. Out of those, I find the bigfoot books to be the most interesting, and altogether the most believable. The UFO books tend to be a bit more fun in a "what if" sort of way, but, depending on who is writing them, they tend to stray a bit off the farm, in my opinion. The conspiracy books are mostly fun for me when the writer just slams his foot down and goes full blown wacko and to HELL with "proof" he/she BELIEVES this stuff!
This book is weirdly somewhere between all three of those categories. It starts out with the first documented report, but then goes on to totally discredit the guy who reported it. AND to point out that you can't trust the SECOND guy who wrote about the FIRST guy, because the FIRST guy was crazy and the SECOND guy was not only a liar, but a straight up HOAXER to boot!
Then there are about 20 incidents in which ordinary people describe seeing someone on the street in dark clothes, and go, "oh my gosh! A Man In Black!"
Then, a witch's husband feels cold in their apartment, and the next day, the witch is playing frisbee outside when 2 men in suits leave a building across the street.
Connections like those^^abound throughout the book. I had to read certain reports 2 or 3 times to figure out just what miniscule thread the author was pulling at to try and claim a connection.
Oh yeah! The "creepiest" part of the witch encounter? The frisbee I mentioned? It had an ALIEN on it!!!! Oh my goodness! The Men In Black are REAL!
Look. I wanted to like this book. Really. But when one of the witnesses is a man who believes King Arthur was not only real, but that his grave is the gateway to a parallel dimension of winged humanoids, I'm not going to take his account of shapeshifting women seriously.
But that's on me.
Also, I have heard someone mention Walter Mitty, maybe 2 times, TOPS, in my entire life. Yet, Nick Redfern has managed to find not one, not two, not three, but FOUR separate witnesses on different sides of the Atlantic who repeatedly use the comparison. That, to me, also seems odd. More odd, in fact, than the bulk of these so called "encounters."
Oh yeah! There is also 2 pictures of thes Men In Black! One looks like some old dude standing in a doorway. The other is literally just some goofy looking guy in a white hat. The author seems to think that's all the proof we need.
So no. I didn't like this book. But I didn't hate it. But did I believe it? Did it make me want to take closer look into the phenomenon of Men in Black?
NOPE!
This book is weirdly somewhere between all three of those categories. It starts out with the first documented report, but then goes on to totally discredit the guy who reported it. AND to point out that you can't trust the SECOND guy who wrote about the FIRST guy, because the FIRST guy was crazy and the SECOND guy was not only a liar, but a straight up HOAXER to boot!
Then there are about 20 incidents in which ordinary people describe seeing someone on the street in dark clothes, and go, "oh my gosh! A Man In Black!"
Then, a witch's husband feels cold in their apartment, and the next day, the witch is playing frisbee outside when 2 men in suits leave a building across the street.
Connections like those^^abound throughout the book. I had to read certain reports 2 or 3 times to figure out just what miniscule thread the author was pulling at to try and claim a connection.
Oh yeah! The "creepiest" part of the witch encounter? The frisbee I mentioned? It had an ALIEN on it!!!! Oh my goodness! The Men In Black are REAL!
Look. I wanted to like this book. Really. But when one of the witnesses is a man who believes King Arthur was not only real, but that his grave is the gateway to a parallel dimension of winged humanoids, I'm not going to take his account of shapeshifting women seriously.
But that's on me.
Also, I have heard someone mention Walter Mitty, maybe 2 times, TOPS, in my entire life. Yet, Nick Redfern has managed to find not one, not two, not three, but FOUR separate witnesses on different sides of the Atlantic who repeatedly use the comparison. That, to me, also seems odd. More odd, in fact, than the bulk of these so called "encounters."
Oh yeah! There is also 2 pictures of thes Men In Black! One looks like some old dude standing in a doorway. The other is literally just some goofy looking guy in a white hat. The author seems to think that's all the proof we need.
So no. I didn't like this book. But I didn't hate it. But did I believe it? Did it make me want to take closer look into the phenomenon of Men in Black?
NOPE!
August 5, 2012
Okay where to begin. I thought it would be interesting to read about "The Real Men in Black" I figured that it would lend some diverting info into the satirical movie version. Well you can see where the movie came up with there plot reading this book but the way some of the info is presented it was just boring and just a little dijointed for me. I know the author was trying to give important info that is factual and also debunk some myths. I guess it just seemed that the info was much better seen in a documentary. I saw this author on a science channel and he seemed credible and I was very interested in anything UFO when I was younger and was ready to believe all sorts of conspiracys. Well now I guess I have gotten less interested and I feel that is probably why I didn't particularly enjoy this read. I have to say thought that the author was very good a pointing out what could be real and what can be explained in real way and not out worldly. So the author was very well researched and I believe very credable. If scifi with reality is your stick then maybe you might enjoy this book. I just realised that it is not mine.
December 30, 2016
3.5
To anyone who is interested and new to the MIB phenomenon, then this book is for you. The book starts of with the very 1st MIB encounter and from there, it continues as a series of timeline events.
The 2nd half of the book is filled with theories of who and what the MIB may be. It is left up to the person to decide what they believe.
However, personally, I agree with the theory that the Men and Women in Black are actually demonic forces sent out to decieve people, making them believe they are aliens and the like, in order to draw in more people into the occult. To draw people away from God and his truth. If u ask me, there is some great evidence that supports this, which of course is covered in the book.
To anyone who is interested and new to the MIB phenomenon, then this book is for you. The book starts of with the very 1st MIB encounter and from there, it continues as a series of timeline events.
The 2nd half of the book is filled with theories of who and what the MIB may be. It is left up to the person to decide what they believe.
However, personally, I agree with the theory that the Men and Women in Black are actually demonic forces sent out to decieve people, making them believe they are aliens and the like, in order to draw in more people into the occult. To draw people away from God and his truth. If u ask me, there is some great evidence that supports this, which of course is covered in the book.
April 14, 2020
I thought this was a silly book. There wasn't any mystery in it ... at least not in the first half before I gave up and stopped reading it.
His witnesses to MIB are not rational people. There isn't anything in the book that would lead me to think MIB are real.
The one good thing I can say is that he is fair in his biographies of these witnesses. They have no credibility and he doesn't give them more than they deserve.
His witnesses to MIB are not rational people. There isn't anything in the book that would lead me to think MIB are real.
The one good thing I can say is that he is fair in his biographies of these witnesses. They have no credibility and he doesn't give them more than they deserve.
June 4, 2020
Good intro book
The subject was interesting in the beginning but the farther I got into the book the less I was into it. It feels like a subject matter than could have been shorter but it was stretched out to book length. The stuff in the first have is interesting though and worth a read.
The subject was interesting in the beginning but the farther I got into the book the less I was into it. It feels like a subject matter than could have been shorter but it was stretched out to book length. The stuff in the first have is interesting though and worth a read.
October 27, 2016
Well researched
The book goes into not only all the stories surrounding theMIB but has layout different theories on what or who they actually are. A interesting read from cover to cover!
The book goes into not only all the stories surrounding theMIB but has layout different theories on what or who they actually are. A interesting read from cover to cover!
February 16, 2019
This book provides a history of the Men in Black phenomenon and provides possible explanations for the reports. It is intriguing and highly entertaining. It is surprisingly unbiased in its approach and allows the reader to come to their own conclusions.
July 20, 2021
A bit of everything
I thought the book tried to make too many connections between all of the subjects surrounding the MIB. Because so much ground was covered, a more concise picture of any one of the theories was not evident.
I thought the book tried to make too many connections between all of the subjects surrounding the MIB. Because so much ground was covered, a more concise picture of any one of the theories was not evident.
June 6, 2019
I love stuff like this. Super fun read.
May 24, 2021
like. 2.5? its not bad as an intro to the men in black, but the chapters aren't more insightful than a wikipedia article. Still a fun read.
February 23, 2025
I felt this piece was just a little rushed and not very in-depth. It felt like the last book in a contractual obligation without much heart and soul. But since I tend to disguise unsolicited opinion and prose in book reviews, allow me to take this one for a walk as well. When I used to go to AA, I would count any unsolicited opinion as a meeting (same thing really, sans the room full of egos and smoke) so feel free to shoot me an email and I can sign your court card if need be. I want to vent for a spell about the Hermetic Principle of Polarity. Most folks know it as divide and conquer and boys, are we being conquered these days. I blame it on the Dark Lodge who have technocratically dumbed down the masses by design and played on one of mankind’s most occulted and vulnerable vices: sloth. We are lazy by nature and would rather watch 12 hours of football every Sunday after staring at Facebook, Twitter and Netflix for decades before getting around to any shadow work, let alone researching the state of affairs in this post apocalyptic, panopticon, dystopian Serpent World we call life. Here’s how the Law of Polarity works. The Ocho-Boosted, Pfascist Pfizer-Compliant will never admit they were hoodwinked any more than the MAGA crowd will admit Mr. Warp Speed himself is rapidly bringing in the Beast System and still pushing mRNA poison at every press conference. The Obama crowd will always stick up for their Drone-Striking war criminal and most Republicans still don’t understand that the so called Patriot Act is being used mostly against themselves. Most everyone still thinks Israel is our greatest ally. Meanwhile, I am appalled at most of humanity, because it is my humble but strong opinion that there should have been a global revolution in 2020, when most every nation on earth manufactured consent to demolish the Nuremberg Code.
May 31, 2023
Nick Redfern is one of the most active researchers and writers working today on all sorts of unexplained phenomena and has an extremely high turnover of books being released especially on cryptids. I first read the flawless (Investigating the truth behind the MIB phenomenon) by Jenny Randles so this book had big shoes to fill which it did in its own way but simply couldn't equal the book which came years before by Jenny Randles. Many of the cases covered by Redfern had already been covered by Jenny years previous which isn't any fault of Nick's of course but what Redfern did add were MIB cases from Bath in the United kingdom which was a pleasant surprise as I hadn't heard of these cases so kudos to Nick in archiving and presenting these obscure MIB cases in his book. As with many of Redferns books, he writes with passion which truly comes across in this book and with the majority of his works but this one just fell a little short of Jenny's ground-breaking book on the phenomena which isn't a dig at Nick it's just that Jenny Randles beat you to it and came long before. Get this if you want a handful of some obscure never before covered cases, if that doesn't tempt you then I suggest you get the flawless MIB book by Randles.🕵👍
February 9, 2025
Nick Redfern is one of the most active researchers and writers working today on all sorts of unexplained phenomena and has an extremely high turnover of books being released especially on cryptids. I first read the flawless (Investigating the truth behind the MIB phenomenon) by Jenny Randles so this book had big shoes to fill which it did in its own way but simply couldn't equal the book which came years before by Jenny Randles. Many of the cases covered by Redfern had already been covered by Jenny years previous which isn't any fault of Nick's of course but what Redfern did add were MIB cases from Bath in the United kingdom which was a pleasant surprise as I hadn't heard of these cases so kudos to Nick in archiving and presenting these obscure MIB cases in his book. As with many of Redferns books, he writes with passion which truly comes across in this book and with the majority of his works but this one just fell a little short of Jenny's ground-breaking book on the phenomena which isn't a dig at Nick it's just that Jenny Randles beat you to it and came long before. Get this if you want a handful of some obscure never before covered cases, if that doesn't tempt you then I suggest you get the flawless MIB book by Randles.🕵👍
June 22, 2022
It is an excellent addition to Man in Black lore. Nick Redfern does a perfect job of collecting all available stories and tries to put them into perspective. So it is much down to a ground book than the dreamy and hypnotic Mothman prophecies from John Keel. While Keel wants to tell the story first, Redfern works more like a researcher, collects witnesses sightings and tries to speculate who or what is behind The Man in Black phenomenon. Overall it is a very fun read if you are into "The Real" MiB.
January 29, 2025
All About the MIBs
This was a great overview about the MIB phenomenon. The author is a noted researcher and has written many books about the strange and unusual, so he is well versed in the subject matter. He shares stories of other researchers who experienced the frightening visits and offers speculation on what they are and where they come from. Lots of interesting info and his books are always well written.
This was a great overview about the MIB phenomenon. The author is a noted researcher and has written many books about the strange and unusual, so he is well versed in the subject matter. He shares stories of other researchers who experienced the frightening visits and offers speculation on what they are and where they come from. Lots of interesting info and his books are always well written.
July 30, 2025
3,5/5,0
IF and only if you have no idea exactly of what the MIB phenomenon is, this is the book for you.
But if you listen to podcasts on the forteana, then... Most of what is here, you know.
Been listening, studying the forteana for decades, so... Nothing new here. Literally.
Love Nick on a lot of interviews, but... This isn't it.
Don't know if it's the topic, but I found it boring, a bit on the academic side.
IF and only if you have no idea exactly of what the MIB phenomenon is, this is the book for you.
But if you listen to podcasts on the forteana, then... Most of what is here, you know.
Been listening, studying the forteana for decades, so... Nothing new here. Literally.
Love Nick on a lot of interviews, but... This isn't it.
Don't know if it's the topic, but I found it boring, a bit on the academic side.
February 15, 2023
One of the most entertaining and intriguing books I’ve ever read on the subject of the paranormal. It’s incredibly well-cited and researched, and Redfern’s clear enthusiasm for the subject is ever-present. I think even the most skeptical readers that are still at least interested in the paranormal will at least find the book entertainingly spooky.
October 14, 2023
This begins with accounts of MiB encounters. Then it debunks them. And then it's the wildest ride anyone can have trying to explain this phenomenon, from the most mundane to the most bonkers of theories. If you love or don't this particular aspecto of the UFO phenomenon, this book is going to fire up your imagination to levels unheard of.
May 29, 2025
One of the best MIB books!
Great overview of the MIB phenomenon, replete with excellent cases, crucial background material on what started the MIB mythos in the UFO era, and helpful discussions of a litany of hypotheses of their origins. This and Jenny Randles’ book on the MIB should be required reading for serious students of ufology.
Great overview of the MIB phenomenon, replete with excellent cases, crucial background material on what started the MIB mythos in the UFO era, and helpful discussions of a litany of hypotheses of their origins. This and Jenny Randles’ book on the MIB should be required reading for serious students of ufology.
July 7, 2019
What an in-depth book on a very complicated subject. Very thoroughly researched. There is so much more to this subject than meets the eye. Bravo Nick Redfern!
Thank you for the loan Franklin Public Library.
Thank you for the loan Franklin Public Library.
May 11, 2023
Haha! Pretty fun to read some of these encounters and think how imaginative and/or paranoid some must be. I’m glad this book at least explored real, plausible reasons for MIB encounters otherwise it’d get a 1. Easy read though. Do I think MIB are real? No. Do I wish they were? Fuck yeah!
April 8, 2022
Entertaining overview of the MIB lore.
September 3, 2022
Definitely interesting. I tried to read this years ago but didn't finish until now.
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