Our Haunted Planet

by John A. Keel

Since the beginning of recorded time, mankind has been plagued by unknown forces and beings, baffled by archaeological phenomena, and haunted by the inexplicable accuracy - and inaccuracy - of prophecies and "visions."

In the classic "Our Haunted Planet," John A. Keel brings into chilling focus strange truths about the earth and its mysterious inhabitants. Could an unseen, prehuman race have taken careful measures to remain hidden from surface dwellers? Are they still watching us from their secret hiding places, manipulating and misleading us, using us for their own entertainment, and controlling our actions?

"Our Haunted Planet" is an entertaining survey of anomalous "Fortean" events such as UFOs, enigmatic stone monuments, Men in Black, missing ships and aircraft, phantom radio broadcasts, teleportation, missing time, black magick, tulpas, angels, demigods, tricksters, and much more.

Unlike most ufologists, who settle on a literal interpretation of such phenomena, Keel is broad-minded and courageous enough to include all possibilities - including the impact of occultists and spies on the fields of ufology, conspiracy, and cryptozoology. Within these pages, modern "spooks" appear alongside the gods of the ancients, creating a mind-expanding pastiche that may either heal your soul, send you to the loony bin, or just keep you up all night as you ponder the meaning of its forbidden secrets.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, History, Occult, Conspiracy Theories, Mystery, Aliens

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1971

About the author

John Alva Keel (born Alva John Kiehle) was a Fortean author and professional journalist.

Keel wrote professionally from the age of 12, and was best known for his writings on unidentified flying objects, the "Mothman" of West Virginia, and other paranormal subjects. Keel was arguably one of the most widely read and influential ufologists since the early 1970s. Although his own thoughts about UFOs and associated anomalous phenomena gradually evolved since the mid 1960s, Keel remained one of ufology's most original and controversial researchers. It was Keel's second book, UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (1970), that popularized the idea that many aspects of contemporary UFO reports, including humanoid encounters, often paralleled ancient folklore and religious encounters. Keel coined the term "men in black" to describe the mysterious figures alleged to harass UFO witnesses and he also argued that there is a direct relationship between UFOs and psychic phenomena. He did not call himself a ufologist and preferred the term Fortean, which encompasses a wide range of paranormal subjects.

Reviews

[Dave Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audio-book through Audible.
The title is a little misleading, as from it you would think this is a study of ghostly apparitions and the spirit world.
In fact this is an in depth collation of otherworldly visitations and UFO sightings from prehistory to the 20th Century.
The author certainly weaves an intricate pattern across the world, tying together sightings across many lands and many cultures in an attempt to link the rise and fall of many societies with alien superior intellect/design.
I enjoyed the pace of the narration and the timbre of the narrators voice had a resonance to keep me interested in the subject matter (congratulations to Michael Hacker).
Although I'm sceptical about this subject, I am also one of those people who firmly believe we can't be the only planet in the entire Universe/Multiverse with life, whether that life is capable of sentience is another matter altogether.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a long time ago I last were this conflicted as what to rate a book. On one hand, if I measure a book's quality by how well it fulfils the purpose with which it was created, I have to declare "Our Haunted Planet" an absolute failure in my eyes at least. On the other hand, if I measure it by its sheer entertainment value and not just that which the author intended... let's make it clear that I've fully understood why this ostensibly non-fiction book was categorized as science-fiction by the public library system here in Denmark: It's certainly more entertaining than most such books that *know* they're fiction!

Basically, in this book John Keel tries to solve every mystery that plagued science and history at the novel's publication date by positing the existence of a pre-human highly technological civilization here on Earth that still survives in unexplored areas of the planet. These "ultraterrestrials", as he calls them, have supposedly shaped our cultures from when we lived in caves to this day even though most traces of their existence were wiped away by one of the Ice Ages.

I'm not sure what my "favourite" part is.

Maybe it's where he rightfully rails against most UFO investigators for their lack of scientific rigour, only to then provide source references for no more than half of his claims and also use a writing style that makes it impossible to tell how he arrived at his conclusions.

Maybe it's where he claims that the Roma people were created by the ultraterrestrials to act as their intermediaries among humanity, and that's the *real* reason the Roma have been persecuted so much through their history.

Maybe it's where he takes semi-literally the claims of certain royal dynasties to divine descent by taking them as the result of ultraterrestrial/human hybridisation.

Maybe it's where he rather early on admits to borrowing the central concept from a science-fiction novel. (H. G. Wells' "The Shape of Things to Come")

The funniest/weirdest/scariest part might be how "Our Haunted Planet" is to this day regarded among ufologists (or should that be ufoologists?) as one of the more sober and down-to-earth of the discipline's foundational texts. Considering how many of Keel's ideas are basically Theosophy repackaged for the Woodstock generation, though, it would however not surprise me if Hawkwind happen to have recorded a kick-ass song about it...

[William A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a big admirer of Keel and his attempts to rationalize all forms of paranormal and inexplicable phenomona under one "scientific" umbrella. A lot of what he has to say makes sense. I recommend this book as an excellent form of intellectual exercise. It is very well written, as is usually the case with Keel. Give it a ride... it might blow your mind.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read several of Keel's books back in the early 70s (the edition above is the wrong one, but I don't have the paper backs anymore). While I don't buy into Keel's view of "what's going on in the world", they make interesting reading. Sort of an indirect descendant of Charles Fort, Frank Edwards and others who have gathered stories of strange happenings and beings.

If you read Keel's books and follow his reasoning he eventually "reveals" his theory behind all these strange happenings. The odd beasts reported (Big Foot etc.), the strange unexplained disappearances, abductions, strange encounters with...odd beings. he ties it all together and comes up with a theory.

Not one I can buy into...and not one he reveals in all his books. I'll leave it to you whether you can agree or not. The books are still interesting. Maybe you class these with papers like The Weekly World News, maybe not but they can hold interest.

[Little Miss Esoteric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the point where paranoia seized Keel by the short and curlies. Also, wow, he REALLY didn't like gypsies, long hair on men, hippies, wrap around sunnies, drugs, witches, pagans, and quite probably, reclusive duck women, did he?

Better reading here: The Trickster and the Paranormal and here: Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alright, I signed up for speculative writing but this is pretty out there. If you want to theorize about mankind's past, that's great. There's definitely still a lot of room for that. However, the normal pattern for this book goes something like this:

"there's these pyramids that are so old that even the old cultures knew nothing about them. We can only conclude that BEINGS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION GOT TRAPPED IN OUR WAVELENGHT AND WAGED WAR WITH AN INVADING RACE FROM SPACE AND OLD TEMPLES WERE CERTAINLY AT THE BEHEST OF ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER IN THE ULTIMATE BID FOR THE PLANET EARTH!!!!!"

If you're going to be saying stuff like that, you'd better not just rip off Erich von Daniken (who suddenly looks restrained in his opinions) and ramp up the crackpot meter to 11. I like Keel a lot, but read Jadoo or The Mothman Prophecies again instead of this.

[Tom Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Of Keel's best. This book really makes your mind spin as he pretty much covers centuries of mysteries. I am not sure I believe his theories but they are certainly thinking outside the box.According to Keel it is possible that since pyramid like structures and large burial mounds are found all over the globe they might have been part of the same worldwide culture long ago. He mixes this in with the Atlantis theme. Archeologists scoff at such speculation but it is still interesting. He also goes on to discuss UFOs ,men in black conspiracies and other phenomenon.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book from a seminal Fortean researcher. Great starting point for the uninitiated, but full of lost tidbits for the more seasoned devotee of the generally fucked-up and unexplained.

[Sandrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion one of the best authors on the subject along Jacques Vallee.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some entertaining ideas but ultimately a little too paranoid for my taste...

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Keel started out as a magician with a knack for writing, and later developed an obsession for all things unexplained.
Coupled with his desire for travelling (as evidenced by his book Jadoo), Keel soon realized a prospect in implementing his writing and travelling, with researching the paranormal.
After many years of frustration at the injustice of his unpopularity among other authors who made a fame and fortune, Keel became more and more desperate to distinguish himself from the herd by coming up with a groundbreaking revelation about our very puzzling existence. What followed was a procession of books such as Operation Trojan Horse, Our Haunted Planet, and the Eight Tower, which more or less built on already established hypotheses with an added Keelian spin.

In Our Haunted Planet, John Keel expounded on his ideas discussed in Operation Trojan Horse in which he postulated that man's cultural and technological state mirrors his experiences with the paranormal and that the ultraterrestrial entities are projecting our current beliefs and fears and manipulating us accordingly for benefit unknown.

Our Haunted Planet-much like Operation Trojan Horse-presents the reader with an assortment of weird facts and phenomena and, with a little guidance, leads them to draw their own conclusion based on the 'evidence'.
Although it's quite noble of the author to trust the reader's intelligence by not shoving his theories down their throat, it eventually becomes apparent that Keel is simply playing it safe, that is as far as he can. Well, that's at least what the author himself admits to. In truth Keel's persuasive reasoning subtly steers the reader into accepting his underlining theory.

OTJ was a great book and I enjoyed it much. It dealt with possibilities of extra-dimensional influence on humankind from its very dawn. It presented various connections to our past and how we seem to have always fell victim to these machinations, from our erroneous religious beliefs to the ill-conceived conduct of our lives and societies, with the main focus of deception.
OHP, however, felt much more intrusive and pushing.
In this book it seems as though Keel was trying to get the point across that all our earthly affairs are somehow influenced and overseen by some interdimensional intelligence and that our very own existence hinges on this transcendental relationship. In it Keel was trying to wrap things up and explain that all unexplained and paranormal has a single source and that we've been barking up the wrong tree ever since we became conscious of these things.

There are patterns in everything and if you look closely enough, you might find the ones that you're looking for.

[B L Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to have many different interesting topics. From MIB to strange disappearances, it was packed with tons of things that I've never even heard of. With that, I found at times that Author John A. Keel's organization of the book caused confusion. Sometimes it felt as though he had so much to say, with so little room to say it. This truly might have been the case. This is why I gave it three stars. It's not that the book wasn't good, because in it's own right it truly was. It's just that with so much information, organization is key! I felt that ideas would get scrunched together, and I'd be siting there trying to figure out how these two different ideas related. There was talks of MIB, Strange Disappearances, UFO's, Stonehenge, Time lapses, and all kinds of different topics, and they weren't separated by chapters. Perhaps that's my simple minded way of wanting everything to be organized accordingly. But I just found it hard to keep focused, when we keep switching back and forth, almost in an excited rant! I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, because there's plenty of goosebump worthy stories in this book! In fact, I truly got freaked out by somethings. So although it hasn't been my most favorite read in a while, I still would recommend the book, because this is all subjective anyway. Something that was mildly okay to me, will be absolutely amazing to someone else! And I will admit, that as the book went along, the organization got better, and became more smooth! So thank you Author John A. Keel for an interesting book!

[Lori S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1971, John Keel's Our Haunted Planet is, quite probably, a more hilarious read than the author intended, especially when dealing with planet formation, outdated scientific knowledge, and unexplored areas of Earth and other planets.

All I could think while listening to this actually enjoyable book was how Keel would write such a book now with NASA having sent probes to Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, how the Hubble Telescope has given us visual evidence of pulsars and neutron stars (sources of radio signals) and the number of satellites which have given everyone access to the inaccessible parts of our own planet. All the guesses, based on dodgy science of an earlier era, made in this book, like the idea that Venus was actually a comet originally and that it was torn out of Jupiter's atmosphere (the source of the Red Spot) have been overturned by new, better theories about planet formation in recent years and that the realization that the Red Spot is actually a storm in Jupiter's atmosphere.

The rest of the book is a mix of ufology, MIBs and ultrahumans (paranormal), a conspiracy of world domination (called WoW - and I couldn't help but laugh at the initials because the narrator is very careful to say W-O-W and never "wow", but let's face it World of Warcraft is a more fun version of world domination) a bit like the Illuminati, and lots of rather random anecdotal information about alien abductions, etc.

All in all, a fun read.

[Lolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book that covers a lot of unexplained events arount the planet and offers the most usual occult theories about them. Understandably because each subject is approached briefly there are a lot of details that are left out and some conclusions or premises are wrong.

For example, most occultists that have studied the astral body (and more), know that memories are stored in the astral body and the akasha, but the author is stating that memories are stored in the physical brain.

He also confuses several occult meanings about religions around the world and their intentions, such as the "alpha" and "omega" groups which in reality are the other way around. The omega group is masquerading as the alpha group and the original alpha group (the original owner gods of this planet) are cast away as the omega group.

In general this book is great because it covers a lot of interesting occult subjects and most theories about them. The mistakes made by the author is by the lack of depth in some subjects or by the rarity of good (and pure unaltered) sources.

I would suggest this book to anyone interested in the occult and wants to get a general idea. This book refers many other books in order to further your research.

[D-train · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you listen to coast to coast religiously, then this book is for you.

[MacWithBooksonMountains Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picks up on Jacques Vallee’s ideas. Altogether well-written and convincing.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't a lot to say about this besides that it is fascinating to see what is and isn't out of date since the book's release. However, a lot of the stories and ideas presented still hold some weight, if only for what has still never been explained.

If you liked Mothman Prophecies, this isn't a bad follow up for more of Keel's work

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ‘FORTEAN’ AUTHOR LOOKS AT A VARIETY OF ‘MYSTERIOUS’ PHENOMENA

Author John A. Keel observed in the Introduction this 1971 book, “an enormous quantity of crank literature created by unqualified researchers who attempted to interpret the scientific material in their own ways. In many areas of the less popular sciences the crank material outweighs the scientific because few if any scientists have tackled those subjects. So 98 percent of all the available literature on Atlantis, flying saucers, Tibet, and prehistoric ruins falls into the crank category. The task of sorting all this out and developing a valid synthesis is a formidable one---one which I have undertaken with great trepidation… The crank also invents his own terminology… understood only by him and his closest allies… which are merely displays of pseudoerudition… )

“Over the years I have met the leaders of many peculiar cults and pseudoscientific factions of belief… this book is written in a style which discusses known facts with the popular and unpopular beliefs they have inspired. I am not supporting ANY of these beliefs. I am merely discussing them… Parts of this book are so obviously tongue-in-cheek that it shouldn’t be necessary to mention it… This book is based upon countless interviews, endless correspondence, many in-depth personal investigations, and hundreds of books covering everything from alchemy to zoology… I do not pretend to know any answers. After a lifetime of travel and study I am still learning the questions…”

He notes, “One of the most popular theories bandied about cultist circles is that man was seeded on this planet by some interplanetary group and that that group has kindly but remotely, observed and guided our progress ever since. If this were true, they have been doing a lousy job in recent centuries. We need a lot more help than they have been giving us.” (Pg. 18)

He reports, “In 1944… a science fiction magazine published Ray Shaver’s ‘I Remember Lemuria.’ Editor Ray Palmer was amazed when he was swamped by thousands of letters from people who swore then had experiences with … Lemurians. They often described things identical to the flying saucer phenomenon (which did not explode on the American scene until 1947.” (Pg. 27)

He observes, “although the ancient Egyptians left profusive record of everything else, no one has ever turned up even a single piece of papyrus describing the building of these massive monuments [pyramids]… When there is a mystery which can’t be logically explained by science, cults develop which create explanations on their own… Our UFO buffs claim they were built by the wonderful space people.” (Pg. 33)

He states, “In his definitive book, ‘Stonehenge Decoded,’ astronomer Gerald S. Hawkins … calculates that it took three centuries to build… There are [some]… who prefer to believe hat the early Britons didn’t build Stonehenge at all. To them, it is obviously the work of the Atlanteans or even the wondrous space people… there are several hundred of these stone circles scattered about the British Isles, many of them just as mysterious as Stonehenge. We must therefore assume that all the Stone Age Britons were frantically engaged in monument building for at least a thousand years.” (Pg. 51)

He recounts, “A colorful politician named Ignatius Donnelly was responsible for the revival of interest in Atlantis… Donnelly … advocated a theory claiming that a visiting comet had upset the balance of the Earth in earlier times and produced catastrophic effects… If a comet ever did strike the Earth, it might make life here rather uncomfortable… There are a number of large meteor craters, all very ancient, which prove that such collisions have taken place.” (Pg. 75)

He says, ‘Orthodox scientists have always sneered at the works of Charles Fort… who published four books of oddities and scientific anomalies, primarily because Fort delighted in attacking the scientific establishment. Now they tried to lump Velikovsky and generating the legend that he was just another crackpot. [Velikovsky]… just ignored them and went on writing books expanding his central thesis.” (Pg. 79-80)

He reports, “For years the flying saucer researchers who have encountered these Men In Black (MIB) believed they were secret agents of the CIA sent to harass them… There are hundreds of reports from all over the world in which these mysterious gentlemen have approached UFO witnesses and investigators, warning, even threatening, them to be silent about what they had seen.” (Pg. 91)

He states, “Scientists and doctors who have examined people claiming visions and visits with extraterrestrials have been puzzled by their apparent normality. In many cases the percipients have seemed too unintelligent, unimaginative, uneducated, and too sincere to have simply invented the complicated, detailed stories they relate. The contactee syndrome is not a form of insanity, but insanity---particularly paranoid schizophrenia---frequently develops after the contacts begin. Investigators… are still debating which came first in some cases---insanity or contact.” (Pg. 120)

He suggests, “The better-educated UFO enthusiasts usually recognized the similarity between UFO manifestations and psychic phenomena, and dropped flying saucers for the more intriguing field of parapsychology Only a slender of stubborn cranks struggled year after year with their bitter campaign to convince the world that flying saucers were real, were from a wondrous planet beyond the Earth, and were the subject of a massive governmental conspiracy of secrecy.” (Pg. 128)

He reports, “There is, in fact, a staggering amount of historical and archaeological evidence to support the seeded notions, while the evolutionists are obliged to fall back on a few fragments of fossils and a mountain of conjecture. The concept of supernatural creation is wholly dependent upon the religious text and the testimony of the ultraterrestrials.”

He states, “Astrology, the forerunner of astronomy, was a highly advanced science thousands of years ago… While the astrologers were putting mathematics to work, other men were delving into the mysteries of the physical Earth, cataloging metals, elements, and chemicals, and learning how to combine them into new forms. They were the alchemists.” (Pg. 163)

He records, “It is known that many men in Hitler’s inner circle were members of the ancient Rosicrucian-style order ‘Thule,’ a secret society… All kinds of kooks and cultists were welcomed into the Nazi inner circle.” (Pg. 214)

He concludes, “The ultraterrestrials are still running about in their black suits … whispering in our ears, Our modern witch doctors, the scientists, are planting atomic bombs in known earthquake faults on the floor of the Pacific to see what will happen.” (Pg. 222)

This book will be of keen interest to those seeking a survey of various kinds of unusual ideas.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Keel is one of my favorite researchers and reporters of paranormal phenomena. He died last month. Please read my article about him here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

This book is an excellent record of the contemporary Fortean take on the paranormal, including UFOs and all the mysteries surrounding them. Unlike Whitley Strieber, who settles on a definite (read literal) interpretation of this particular phenomenon, Keel is broad-minded enough to include all possibilities. Well-written and reads well. This book was published in 1970, which makes me wonder about all the weirdness there must be that goes unreported these days. Clearly NOT ghost-written by the CIA (unless they're smarter than I think).

[Lindsey Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite paranormal phenomenon author right here! The first paranormal author to acknowledge that all paranormal activity is one phenomenon. All abductions, Bigfoot sightings, Thelema, little green men, fairies, leprechauns, vampires, ghosts, demons and such are caused by an extraterrestrial phenomenon with alarming synchronism. John Keel examines his theory thru extensive anthropological, archeological research combined with historical timeline of weird sightings and events. Very compelling evidence and an overall great history of weird events through human history. My eventual attraction to this book was from watching the documentary Hellier on Amazon Prime those who have seen it know what I mean!! It was also fun to read this today because it was published in 1971. It is interesting to read prophecies for our future.

[Martin Upton-Eidland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, a great read

The author's style is easy to read, and the material is fascinating. The amount of research and facts presented are staggering. It's humorous that for the age of the book, that many of the views are relevant today, for example, the construction of the pyramids, and UFOLOGY are discussed and presented in a pragmatic and well founded way.
Even at that time scorn was poured on archeological suggestion that rock weighing tonnes were shaped using copper axes, and subsequently moved sometimes across mountains using trees and ropes... Ah, I can go on, it's a good book and I really enjoyed it.

[Elena Gaillard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Keel was a better writer than this, most of the time...gullible, but a decent writer. This is one of the worst woo-woo books ever, filled with sloppy assumptions and ridiculous stuff cut and pasted from old, badly-researched sources. (Like the David Lang & Oliver Lerch stories -- thoroughly discredited even at the time Keel wrote this.) I threw it away rather than subject a thrift store buyer to it.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and thought-provoking treatise on Keel's theory of "ultraterrestrials", a cosmology that really explains a lot of things about our planet and its history much more logically that pure science-borne suppositions. If you are interested in "quirky" things like Atlantis, UFOs. cryptozoology and the like. thus is a book you NEED to read.

[Charles]

I was amazed by Keel as I always am. I know it's his theory but I can see how he arrived at this belief. I've had a strange feeling for a long time that 'someone/something' is behind the odd, weird 'blips' interrupting everyday life. The perception is there and Keel explains it unlike no other.

[Rich Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book disturbed me. Again Keel the journalist digs deep into the strange creatures that inhabit our plant and share lives with the human race even if not always in the same dimension. A scary book considering that its not a work of fiction.

[Rhadaghast]

Science is financially invested in keeping the oddities that challenge the status quo out of the knowledge of humanity.

Great book.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keel has enough of a biting, sardonic edge to cross over 'the field' boundaries.

A few paragraphs, here and there, are musical. A quick, sharp read.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure, it's a bunch of bullshit, but it's a very entertaining bunch of bullshit.

[Apolinar Perdomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindless fun!

[Barb Czz]

This was very good. A bit dry, but worthwhile to read.