What do you think?
Rate this book
Limbo of the Lost
"More than 1000 people, over 100 ships & planes swallowed up into the sea without a trace!"
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
6 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 1, 2019
Ok, so look, I’m going to tell you right up front that this is less a book review than it is a memorandum on a particular era in U.S. popular history. I’m just putting that right there out front, just in case you came here for a typical review. “Limbo of the Lost” is an awful book, light on theory, heavy on baseless speculation. It’s really not much more than a repetitive recitation and regurgitation of missing plane and ship cases within what is popularly known as “The Bermuda Triangle.” It’s only on the very last page of the book that the author posits his idea that at least some of the disappearances of people and machinery are “a conclusion that they are actually being taken away from our planet for a variety of reasons.” This after stating in a previous paragraph that he considers himself to be a “realist.” No, John Wallace Spencer’s book is a complete waste of time if you are looking for anything substantial in the way of information or entertainment.
And yet……….
And yet this is an important book, for no other reason that it is a true cultural artifact of the early 1970s in The United States of America, a reflection of a popular culture that had been overtaken by a fascination with the “occult.” This trend was seemingly everywhere back in the day. Movies like “The Exorcist” were bringing the diabolical to the big screen, while the pulp paperback horror industry was booming. Comics were fair game for oddball themes, witness the success of Marvel’s “Son of Satan” and DC’s “The Demon.” Writers like Colin Wilson were working within a realm of “true” occultism, with exposés of Wicca and Satanism. ESP was big time. Kirlian photography. UFOs. Bigfoot would make his small screen debut in a battle royale with none other than the Six Million Dollar Man, and “The Legend of Boggy Creek” hit theaters with a “real” monster from my very own neck of the woods, the Ark-La-Tex. This was all fertile ground for a kid like me, who was into science-fiction and fantasy. My friends and I gobbled all of this stuff up like fevered brain candy, and that fascination with pop culture occultism has stayed with me all these years, even though I eventually adopted the viewpoint of an educated skeptic. And, yeah, it’s still fun for me to collect and read this stuff even if I am something of a scientific rationalist. The beauty of science is that it’s flexible and open to new data, so if Randy Redneck drives up one day with a Bigfoot carcass in the back of his pickup truck, well then, science will just have to react to the new information.
Now I will firmly admit that “The Bermuda Triangle” was probably my least favorite of all of the weird news stories of the day. There seemed to be some sort of a UFO connection, and maybe that was kind of interesting, but for the most part it seemed to be a remote and VERY speculative area of investigation for me. There are plenty of rational explanations for why ships and planes disappear at sea, and all the stuff about energy crystals blasting energy beams from lost Atlantis didn’t add to the attraction of the whole phenomenon. Mostly it seemed kinda silly, but there were a couple of stories that held my attention.
One of those was the highly documented legend of Flight 19 in 1945. This famous case involved the loss of five TBM-3 Avenger bomber planes and a Martin Mariner PBM Flying Boat that was dispatched to look for the lost flight. All sorts of speculation continues to the present day as to what happened to this training flight, but the general consensus based on all of the available evidence is that the flight leader, one Charles Taylor, became disoriented and lost during the flight, eventually leading the squadron out over open ocean where they ran out of fuel and ditched into the sea. The rescue flight appears to have been a victim of an explosion, as the PBM Martin Mariners were known to have fuel line issues and were basically flying bombs. You can read more on the history of the flight on this Wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19
Part of what added to the mystery was several sensationalized and mostly fictionalized accounts of transmissions from Taylor that might have indicated some sort of a supernatural or extraterrestrial explanation for the loss of the mission.
Bottom line, though, The Bermuda Triangle was boffo business in pop culture in the early to mid 1970s. The unfortunate fact that “Limbo of the Lost” is a subpar example of the type of literature available to the public is kind of beside the point. The fact is that there are TONS of examples of bad publishing that deal with occult subjects, and that is just kind of the way it is. Publishers and editors were, and still are, quick to cash in on trends so it really can’t be much of a surprise when the turkeys begin showing up on the shelves. Serious scientists had begun jumping ship on UFOs and other supposed paranormal phenomena ever since the latter part of the 1960s, and the vast majority of writers who were working in the field were untrained in the legitimate sciences. There are a few notable exceptions, of course. J. Allen Hynek was still actively writing and researching, and NICAP was still attempting to do some sort of serious attempt at documentation and research in the world of UFOlogy, but most of the stuff that hit the paperback racks down at the dime store was absolute dreck.
So what the hell happened? The United States had seen massive scientific and technological progress throughout the decades of the 1950s and the 1960s. Maybe it was just inevitable that there would be a push back against these trends at some point. The late ‘60s saw a renaissance in more “organic” types of thinking. The expansion of the mind through transcendental meditation and hallucinogenic substances led to a sort of boom period for a wave of anti-science sentiment. Sociologists have been struggling with these questions for decades, of course. We are today faced with a populace that distrusts science and scientists in general, even as they devour every new technology that comes along. The number of people who don’t “believe” in the Apollo moon landings is shockingly high, and don’t even get me started on the “Flat-Earth movement.”
So what do I do with a book like “Limbo of the Lost?” From a value perspective it adds nothing to the supposed mystery of the “Bermuda Triangle.” Reading this as an adult leaves me no choice but to review it on content, and I’d give it a less than 1-star rating if I could. That said, there is still that little part of me that read this as an enthralled 10 year old, and for THAT kid this book was a gateway drug to a world of mystery and excitement. Missing ships! Missing planes!! UFOs!!! Who couldn’t get excited about THAT?
Modern science and statistical analysis have debunked “The Bermuda Triangle” as nothing more than a mostly contrived legend. The section of the sea that compromises the traditional borders of the region have been proven to be no more or no less dangerous than any other areas of highly traveled water, and even Lloyd’s of London doesn’t list it as one of the 10 most dangerous areas of open ocean. But the idea that there was a haunted area of the world that swallowed planes and ships leaving nothing but mystery behind sure was a fun idea while it lasted.
It really sucks to get old sometimes……..
And yet……….
And yet this is an important book, for no other reason that it is a true cultural artifact of the early 1970s in The United States of America, a reflection of a popular culture that had been overtaken by a fascination with the “occult.” This trend was seemingly everywhere back in the day. Movies like “The Exorcist” were bringing the diabolical to the big screen, while the pulp paperback horror industry was booming. Comics were fair game for oddball themes, witness the success of Marvel’s “Son of Satan” and DC’s “The Demon.” Writers like Colin Wilson were working within a realm of “true” occultism, with exposés of Wicca and Satanism. ESP was big time. Kirlian photography. UFOs. Bigfoot would make his small screen debut in a battle royale with none other than the Six Million Dollar Man, and “The Legend of Boggy Creek” hit theaters with a “real” monster from my very own neck of the woods, the Ark-La-Tex. This was all fertile ground for a kid like me, who was into science-fiction and fantasy. My friends and I gobbled all of this stuff up like fevered brain candy, and that fascination with pop culture occultism has stayed with me all these years, even though I eventually adopted the viewpoint of an educated skeptic. And, yeah, it’s still fun for me to collect and read this stuff even if I am something of a scientific rationalist. The beauty of science is that it’s flexible and open to new data, so if Randy Redneck drives up one day with a Bigfoot carcass in the back of his pickup truck, well then, science will just have to react to the new information.
Now I will firmly admit that “The Bermuda Triangle” was probably my least favorite of all of the weird news stories of the day. There seemed to be some sort of a UFO connection, and maybe that was kind of interesting, but for the most part it seemed to be a remote and VERY speculative area of investigation for me. There are plenty of rational explanations for why ships and planes disappear at sea, and all the stuff about energy crystals blasting energy beams from lost Atlantis didn’t add to the attraction of the whole phenomenon. Mostly it seemed kinda silly, but there were a couple of stories that held my attention.
One of those was the highly documented legend of Flight 19 in 1945. This famous case involved the loss of five TBM-3 Avenger bomber planes and a Martin Mariner PBM Flying Boat that was dispatched to look for the lost flight. All sorts of speculation continues to the present day as to what happened to this training flight, but the general consensus based on all of the available evidence is that the flight leader, one Charles Taylor, became disoriented and lost during the flight, eventually leading the squadron out over open ocean where they ran out of fuel and ditched into the sea. The rescue flight appears to have been a victim of an explosion, as the PBM Martin Mariners were known to have fuel line issues and were basically flying bombs. You can read more on the history of the flight on this Wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_19
Part of what added to the mystery was several sensationalized and mostly fictionalized accounts of transmissions from Taylor that might have indicated some sort of a supernatural or extraterrestrial explanation for the loss of the mission.
Bottom line, though, The Bermuda Triangle was boffo business in pop culture in the early to mid 1970s. The unfortunate fact that “Limbo of the Lost” is a subpar example of the type of literature available to the public is kind of beside the point. The fact is that there are TONS of examples of bad publishing that deal with occult subjects, and that is just kind of the way it is. Publishers and editors were, and still are, quick to cash in on trends so it really can’t be much of a surprise when the turkeys begin showing up on the shelves. Serious scientists had begun jumping ship on UFOs and other supposed paranormal phenomena ever since the latter part of the 1960s, and the vast majority of writers who were working in the field were untrained in the legitimate sciences. There are a few notable exceptions, of course. J. Allen Hynek was still actively writing and researching, and NICAP was still attempting to do some sort of serious attempt at documentation and research in the world of UFOlogy, but most of the stuff that hit the paperback racks down at the dime store was absolute dreck.
So what the hell happened? The United States had seen massive scientific and technological progress throughout the decades of the 1950s and the 1960s. Maybe it was just inevitable that there would be a push back against these trends at some point. The late ‘60s saw a renaissance in more “organic” types of thinking. The expansion of the mind through transcendental meditation and hallucinogenic substances led to a sort of boom period for a wave of anti-science sentiment. Sociologists have been struggling with these questions for decades, of course. We are today faced with a populace that distrusts science and scientists in general, even as they devour every new technology that comes along. The number of people who don’t “believe” in the Apollo moon landings is shockingly high, and don’t even get me started on the “Flat-Earth movement.”
So what do I do with a book like “Limbo of the Lost?” From a value perspective it adds nothing to the supposed mystery of the “Bermuda Triangle.” Reading this as an adult leaves me no choice but to review it on content, and I’d give it a less than 1-star rating if I could. That said, there is still that little part of me that read this as an enthralled 10 year old, and for THAT kid this book was a gateway drug to a world of mystery and excitement. Missing ships! Missing planes!! UFOs!!! Who couldn’t get excited about THAT?
Modern science and statistical analysis have debunked “The Bermuda Triangle” as nothing more than a mostly contrived legend. The section of the sea that compromises the traditional borders of the region have been proven to be no more or no less dangerous than any other areas of highly traveled water, and even Lloyd’s of London doesn’t list it as one of the 10 most dangerous areas of open ocean. But the idea that there was a haunted area of the world that swallowed planes and ships leaving nothing but mystery behind sure was a fun idea while it lasted.
It really sucks to get old sometimes……..
January 22, 2013
More hokum of my youth - but easy to believe hokum when you are 11 years old and Sun Classics is putting movies about Bigfoot and Noah's Ark out in theaters and IN SEARCH OF is on every week, narrated by Mr. Spock no less!
Ah, but what if all of it was true and there was some kind of phantom zone sucking in ships and planes, some timeless, dimensionless space that probably looked like that "Little Girl Lost" episode of TWILIGHT ZONE? Instead, of course, getting ships and planes across vast bodies of water was always harder than anticipated, even in our technologically modern 20th Century, what with storms and lousy code inspections from easily bribed officials and captains waiting to scuttle ships and collect insurance money.
So here's to (flips book open randomly) the crew of luxury airliner "The Star Tiger" all 31 of whom "disappeared" on January 30, 1948. Aliens? Demons? Dimensional Warps? Atlantean death rays? Deros? maybe... but more likely they crashed into the ocean northeast of Bermuda and all died on impact or drowned. And that's terrible and awful and it is also kind of sad that they live forever because of flimsy paperbacks knocked out by cheap hacks and terribly researched, overly credulous, lazy or just dishonest television specials...
Ah, but what if all of it was true and there was some kind of phantom zone sucking in ships and planes, some timeless, dimensionless space that probably looked like that "Little Girl Lost" episode of TWILIGHT ZONE? Instead, of course, getting ships and planes across vast bodies of water was always harder than anticipated, even in our technologically modern 20th Century, what with storms and lousy code inspections from easily bribed officials and captains waiting to scuttle ships and collect insurance money.
So here's to (flips book open randomly) the crew of luxury airliner "The Star Tiger" all 31 of whom "disappeared" on January 30, 1948. Aliens? Demons? Dimensional Warps? Atlantean death rays? Deros? maybe... but more likely they crashed into the ocean northeast of Bermuda and all died on impact or drowned. And that's terrible and awful and it is also kind of sad that they live forever because of flimsy paperbacks knocked out by cheap hacks and terribly researched, overly credulous, lazy or just dishonest television specials...
June 2, 2016
Good book. A rather dated look at the Bermuda Triangle. At the time of publication, this was one of the books that pushed the Triangle into the public mind.
March 2, 2009
Supposed to be non-fiction and I'm sure there are a lot of actual facts in the book, but there's a lot of fringe stuff too. It's basicaly the same book as "The Bermuda Triangle." Interesting reading at the time, but not meant to be taken without a big grain of salt.
June 5, 2013
A classic from my youth. Pure cheese. Your decision to read it should be based purely on the font of the title alone.
August 6, 2017
Even by the dubious standards of Bermuda Triangle literature, Limbo of the Lost stands out for its unbearable, childish sloppiness. Spencer, a decidedly amateur writer, throws together a paper-thin volume recounting a few of the best-known Triangle disappearances (the USS Cyclops, Flight 19, etc.) in brief, affectless style that merely regurgitates other books' findings. Perhaps realizing this wasn't enough to bring his tome to book length, he pads the volume with irrelevant miscellany, like a long chapter on the Loch Ness Monster and a biographical sketch of Blackbeard. Worst of all, Spencer embraces even easily-resolved non-mysteries like the Rubicon (blown out to sea by a hurricane while its crew was ashore), VA Fogg (sunk by a boiler explosion) and Bill Verity (an explorer who never disappeared in the first place).
Like all paranormal mysteries, the Bermuda Triangle inspired works that are fun, trashy reads provided you don't take them too seriously (see Richard Winer's books The Devil's Triangle and Ghost Ships, in particular). Limbo of the Lost can't even achieve that much, being merely a transparent and shoddy cash-in that netted Spencer money before becoming a joke, doomed to haunt the shelves of second-hand bookstores for eternity.
Like all paranormal mysteries, the Bermuda Triangle inspired works that are fun, trashy reads provided you don't take them too seriously (see Richard Winer's books The Devil's Triangle and Ghost Ships, in particular). Limbo of the Lost can't even achieve that much, being merely a transparent and shoddy cash-in that netted Spencer money before becoming a joke, doomed to haunt the shelves of second-hand bookstores for eternity.
May 26, 2024
A UFOLOGIST LOOKS AT LOST PLANES/SHIPS IN THE “BERMUDA TRIANGLE”
The ‘About the Author’ section of this 1969 book (revised in 1973) explains, “John Wallace Spencer, born… in 1934, is a man of diversified interests and has been a UFOlogist for much of his life. During a 10-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, one of his jobs was to report all UFO activity to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He also is a former investigator for the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena… He also lectures for the Bantam Lecture Bureau.”
The first chapter states, “More than a thousand people and over a hundred ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared in an area of the Atlantic Ocean that I call the ‘Limbo of the Lost.’ Ghostly derelicts have been found floundering there, without a clue as to the whereabouts of the crews and passengers. Tragedies connected to this region continually occur without explanation, without pattern, without warning, and without reason. Extensive air-sea searches have been conducted without the satisfaction of finding enough evidence leading to a realistic answer. The few clues uncovered only add to the mysteries… Nobody so far has proclaimed the ‘Limbo of the Lost’ an official danger zone or is anybody apt to. What would happen to the tourist trade?... The major difference between other mysterious sea regions of the world and the ‘Limbo’ zone is that not only are ships engulfed but aircraft as well disappear far beyond the laws of chance.” (Pg. 3-5)
He says of ‘The Lost Training Mission’ of December 5, 1945: “Commander H.H.J. Benson of the U.S. 7th Naval District … was quoted as saying, ‘This s the first time a whole flight of planes ever disappeared without a trace.’” (Pg. 13) He continues, “Within informed circles, numerous theories regarding the unusual disappearance were advanced … These fell into several categories: 1. All six planes experienced engine trouble… 2. A mass air collision or a freak water spout which plucked planes out of sky… 3. Magnetic disturbance affecting all compasses, causing planes to fly in circles until fuel was exhausted… 4. Unknown type of atmospheric aberration swallowed all the planes… 5. Adverse weather conditions.” (Pg. 16-17) He concludes, “The Naval Board of Inquiry… expressed complete bafflement that all six planes could simply disappear without leaving a trace or clue. A board officer was quoted as saying, ‘This unprecedented peacetime loss seems to be a total mystery, the strangest ever investigated in the annals of Naval aviation.’ To this day, no logical solution to the disappearances has ever been found.” (Pg. 17-18)
Of the Navy Collier Cyclops on March 13, 1918, he recounts: “Explanations for the collier’s disappearance … covered a variety of suggestions. 1. Sub-raider or floating mine… 2. Hurricane or severe storm… 3. Hijacking… 4. Explosion… 5. Action by traitor… This circumstantial accusation was built upon the fact that … [the] captain of the Cyclops was German-born. Also, before he sailed on this last voyage he disposed of some property … including the home his wife and daughter lived in.” (Pg. 61-62) He concludes, “The U.S.S. Cyclops was modern, staunch, well-manned and equipped. To those who are familiar with the sea and navigation the disappearance of the big collier is inexplicable.” (Pg. 63)
Of the British Training Ship Atlanta in January 1880, he admits, “Experts agreed that the Atlanta must have encountered stormy weather, but so did scores of other vessels that crossed the Atlantic Ocean as the same time; yet the other vessels met with no mishaps other than slight delays. They pointed out that a British naval vessel was much safer than a merchant ship.” (Pg. 91)
He notes, “While talking to groups about the mystery of the ‘Limbo of the Lost,’ invariably someone asks about the ‘Flying Dutchman.’ Therefore I have included this section. As far as I can determine, the legend began in the mid-1600s… It was said that the Flying Dutchman gathered a collection of seaman as cursed as himself; all criminals, pirates, and cowards. For the mariner of those days and even until the late 1800s, the story was told and believed by many. I am the first to admit that anything is possible at sea, but I must also add, it is highly unlikely that there ever was a Flying Dutchman.” (Pg. 92-94)
He turns to theories of piracy, and in the case of the ‘Carol Deering’ in 1921, he says, “Many … ship owners, especially those familiar with sailing vessels and tramp steamers, gave credence to the opinion held by Washington officials that piracy was again being practiced, or that agents of Soviet Russia were seizing craft on the ocean.” (Pg. 111) He continues, “Senator Hale of Maine… advanced the theory that mutiny, not piracy, was the explanation of the sea mysteries… He said, ‘I think it will be found to be a plain case of mutiny in at least one of the cases. Possibly the mutinous crew of one vessel boarded the other to get a navigator.’” (Pg. 112)
In an interview between Spencer and Bantam’s editor, he admitted, “When the submarine ‘Scorpion’ disappeared, my original belief was that the Scorpion’s disappearance was connected with this region. But, after careful research, I uncovered the fact that the tragedy was one that could definitely be explained. There are thousands of photographs of debris that can be identified with the Scorpion. We were searching the whole area and were tipped off by the Russians, who were aware where the Scorpion had last been located through their own tracking.” (Pg. 134-135)
This book is written in a lively way, but it will be of interest mostly to those interested in “unsolved mysteries.”
The ‘About the Author’ section of this 1969 book (revised in 1973) explains, “John Wallace Spencer, born… in 1934, is a man of diversified interests and has been a UFOlogist for much of his life. During a 10-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, one of his jobs was to report all UFO activity to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He also is a former investigator for the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena… He also lectures for the Bantam Lecture Bureau.”
The first chapter states, “More than a thousand people and over a hundred ships and planes have mysteriously disappeared in an area of the Atlantic Ocean that I call the ‘Limbo of the Lost.’ Ghostly derelicts have been found floundering there, without a clue as to the whereabouts of the crews and passengers. Tragedies connected to this region continually occur without explanation, without pattern, without warning, and without reason. Extensive air-sea searches have been conducted without the satisfaction of finding enough evidence leading to a realistic answer. The few clues uncovered only add to the mysteries… Nobody so far has proclaimed the ‘Limbo of the Lost’ an official danger zone or is anybody apt to. What would happen to the tourist trade?... The major difference between other mysterious sea regions of the world and the ‘Limbo’ zone is that not only are ships engulfed but aircraft as well disappear far beyond the laws of chance.” (Pg. 3-5)
He says of ‘The Lost Training Mission’ of December 5, 1945: “Commander H.H.J. Benson of the U.S. 7th Naval District … was quoted as saying, ‘This s the first time a whole flight of planes ever disappeared without a trace.’” (Pg. 13) He continues, “Within informed circles, numerous theories regarding the unusual disappearance were advanced … These fell into several categories: 1. All six planes experienced engine trouble… 2. A mass air collision or a freak water spout which plucked planes out of sky… 3. Magnetic disturbance affecting all compasses, causing planes to fly in circles until fuel was exhausted… 4. Unknown type of atmospheric aberration swallowed all the planes… 5. Adverse weather conditions.” (Pg. 16-17) He concludes, “The Naval Board of Inquiry… expressed complete bafflement that all six planes could simply disappear without leaving a trace or clue. A board officer was quoted as saying, ‘This unprecedented peacetime loss seems to be a total mystery, the strangest ever investigated in the annals of Naval aviation.’ To this day, no logical solution to the disappearances has ever been found.” (Pg. 17-18)
Of the Navy Collier Cyclops on March 13, 1918, he recounts: “Explanations for the collier’s disappearance … covered a variety of suggestions. 1. Sub-raider or floating mine… 2. Hurricane or severe storm… 3. Hijacking… 4. Explosion… 5. Action by traitor… This circumstantial accusation was built upon the fact that … [the] captain of the Cyclops was German-born. Also, before he sailed on this last voyage he disposed of some property … including the home his wife and daughter lived in.” (Pg. 61-62) He concludes, “The U.S.S. Cyclops was modern, staunch, well-manned and equipped. To those who are familiar with the sea and navigation the disappearance of the big collier is inexplicable.” (Pg. 63)
Of the British Training Ship Atlanta in January 1880, he admits, “Experts agreed that the Atlanta must have encountered stormy weather, but so did scores of other vessels that crossed the Atlantic Ocean as the same time; yet the other vessels met with no mishaps other than slight delays. They pointed out that a British naval vessel was much safer than a merchant ship.” (Pg. 91)
He notes, “While talking to groups about the mystery of the ‘Limbo of the Lost,’ invariably someone asks about the ‘Flying Dutchman.’ Therefore I have included this section. As far as I can determine, the legend began in the mid-1600s… It was said that the Flying Dutchman gathered a collection of seaman as cursed as himself; all criminals, pirates, and cowards. For the mariner of those days and even until the late 1800s, the story was told and believed by many. I am the first to admit that anything is possible at sea, but I must also add, it is highly unlikely that there ever was a Flying Dutchman.” (Pg. 92-94)
He turns to theories of piracy, and in the case of the ‘Carol Deering’ in 1921, he says, “Many … ship owners, especially those familiar with sailing vessels and tramp steamers, gave credence to the opinion held by Washington officials that piracy was again being practiced, or that agents of Soviet Russia were seizing craft on the ocean.” (Pg. 111) He continues, “Senator Hale of Maine… advanced the theory that mutiny, not piracy, was the explanation of the sea mysteries… He said, ‘I think it will be found to be a plain case of mutiny in at least one of the cases. Possibly the mutinous crew of one vessel boarded the other to get a navigator.’” (Pg. 112)
In an interview between Spencer and Bantam’s editor, he admitted, “When the submarine ‘Scorpion’ disappeared, my original belief was that the Scorpion’s disappearance was connected with this region. But, after careful research, I uncovered the fact that the tragedy was one that could definitely be explained. There are thousands of photographs of debris that can be identified with the Scorpion. We were searching the whole area and were tipped off by the Russians, who were aware where the Scorpion had last been located through their own tracking.” (Pg. 134-135)
This book is written in a lively way, but it will be of interest mostly to those interested in “unsolved mysteries.”
April 9, 2012
I found this interesting enough, but it was still just ok. The book touched on a couple different subject, but just kind of mentioned it in passing; it didn't go into details. But still a fun, quick read.
December 3, 2022
Starts good, very well researched and fantastic data. Then, when it's about to get repetitive and monotonous, it changes gears to new topics, including pirates, how clever. That would give it a 4 but the ending drags it down to a 3 for me.
July 23, 2025
libro entretenido si tenes el tiempo y las ganas de leerlo y te interesan las desapariciones y conspiraciones. El limbo de lo perdido, hasta donde sé, es un clásico del misterio popular de los años 70 que se sumerge de lleno en el enigma del Triángulo de las Bermudas. Se recopilan decenas de casos de desapariciones de barcos y aviones en esta zona pero el libro peca de sensacionalista. entretiene pero se apoya en muchas suposiciones, exageraciones y omisiones de contexto científico. falta un enfoque crítico o fuentes sólidas en algunos relatos; hace que varias de sus conclusiones pierdan peso frente a investigaciones más rigurosas. Tampoco se actualiza frente a explicaciones meteorológicas, geológicas o humanas que hoy se entienden mejor (recordemos q se escribió en 1969 y se reeditó en el ‘75). además parece medio desordenado, salta de caso de hace 100 años a uno del 1850 para pasar a otro que ocurrió en 1960 y así todo el libro… además de hablar de cosas que no tienen ni que ver con el TdLB (menciona a la colonia de Roanoke?¿)
October 20, 2018
For such a colorful subject a surprisingly dull book.
January 5, 2021
Exhaustive investigation and very entertaining
August 9, 2022
A little light on facts but interesting nonetheless. Quick read.
Read
November 5, 2017I read this at some point during my childhood. What I remember of it still gives me shivers, even though I know it's mostly bunk.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews