The Sibold Effect: Beyond Science, History, Ghosts, and the Appalachian Supernatural

by John David Miller

After the random purchase of a piece of property deep in the Appalachian Mountains, the author makes a startling discovery when he finds his mother’s maiden name written on the bottom corner of the plat. He now suspects it was no accident he came to be here and the adventure begins as he tries to figure out who brought him here and why.

The story is about the author’s quest to understand his family’s history and his purpose in the arbitrary purchase of an old mill site unexpectedly once owned by his ancestors. As Miller wrestles with the coincidences of his life and his strong belief that nothing happens by chance, the history of the Appalachian Region of Virginia where he’s made his new home begins to reveal its secrets.

Intertwined with Miller’s own discovery about his family’s past, artifacts are discovered on his property and paranormal activity begins. While not violent or threatening, this activity launches Miller on a quest to understand the true history of his family’s land in Clover Hollow, a sacred river and dam complex rich with artifacts and history going back thousands of years. The more Miller uncovers, the more he’s driven toward the belief that these events are all connected, and he is a crucial part.

Winner Reader's Favorite 2016 International Book Awards
Winner 2016 Hollywood Book Festival 
Winner 2016 Beach Book Festival
Winner 2016 San Francisco Book Festival
Winner 2016 New York Book Festival
Winner 2016 Paris Book Festival

318 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2016

About the author

Dave Miller spent every summer as a child playing in the caves surrounding Greenville, West Virginia, deep in the Appalachian mountains. This started a series of lifelong coincidences that one day would draw him back to very place he started his adventure. This life journey would prepare him somewhat for what he would find one day buried on the side of the mountain that contains the graves of his ancestors. Dave has been a contributor to Smithsonian Magazine, Ancient-Origins.net, and Paranormal Underground Magazine.

Reviews

[Denver Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of the material presented in this book through a series of articles titled "The Lost Tribe of Clover Hollow" on the Ancient Origins website. Long story short, the articles proposed that a lost civilization—exceedingly ancient—may have inhabited an area just north of Newport, Virginia in Giles County. We don't know who these people were, but they left traces of their presence in rock carvings, gate stones, artifacts and more. I was so intrigued, that I made the 3-hour+ drive and visited the area and saw some of rock carvings for myself. About ten months later, I got in contact with the author and then read his book.

Miller's book is a fascinating read and it chronicles his extraordinary journey. The book is filled with synchonicities, tales of paranormal activity, earth energy and more. Miller conveys to the reader that his property sits on sacred ground, yet he does not get flakey or try to oversell it. What is more, unlike most paranormal books, Miller's is very well written. I also appreacite all of the illustrations in the book and the research of other important sites.

Very well done.

[Diana Blick · Rating 4 out of 5]

One man's spiritual journey

There are many things covered in this book--a geological history of a specific area, an intensely detailed history of early western Virginia, an equally intense genealogical and historical study of this man's family, a quick overview of current thought on prehistoric encounters with ET, an also brief overview of a few spiritual sites he has visited, paranormal activity and how it relates to various cultures and their spiritual beliefs, and a detailed description of his home area and what he found there. But over all, this is an exceptionally detailed account of a man's spiritual journey and his link with a particular space that he is drawn to by spiritual forces.

There are times when I was impatient with him because the wealth of geological and historical detail is overwhelming, but I understand that he feels a link with the place--in fact with the spirit of the place--and with every person who has ever trod that space before him. It reads at times like a James Michener novel, beginning with the ancient geology of the space and moving forward in time, though without Michener's skill in bringing those historical characters to life. He does manage to communicate his intense connection with the genius loci--the spirit of the place itself--and with the spirits of his ancestors who appear to have brought him there as he randomly buys a property he has never seen. It turns out to be his ancestral home, so to speak, the home chosen by the first of his ancestors to come to the United States. His discovery of the paranormal activity at the site is very interesting since his property seems to be one of those places where the veil is thin and spirits allow themselves to be photographed and caught on EVP equipment.

He begins to lose me, however, with his contention that every rock and stone surface on the place has been carved and shaped to represent humans and animals. I certainly see a few, but most seem to have been a product of natural weathering, partly because these shapes would not have remained intact over so long a period as he asserts they have been. However, this does not diminish the importance of his find in my eyes since my interpretation of paradolia is a bit different from that of the scientific "experts". What I believe is occurring here is that the veil is so thin in this area that the natural spirits of the rock have revealed themselves in the material as they occasionally do in other places. This explanation to me makes his home even more important than if it were some ancient cultural site. We have cultural sites in abundance, but very few places where spirits are able to reveal themselves so readily. I agree that he has elementals and other nature spirits there, and probably any other type of spirit you can think of. All places do. But almost nowhere else are they able to be seen at that level, and I have never seen such a wonderful variety caught on film. What would interest me would be an examination of why this place is so special, partly in hopes of finding others. Unfortunately, Mr. Miller has not reached this level in his journey, and barely skims a few theories.

It would not be surprising if the author eventually finds hard evidence of even several cultures having lived there since prehistoric people were more interested in and able to work with such places. However, unlike him, I think that this is not the importance of the place and would hate to see it destroyed by an archaeological dig.

This book is not for everyone. It is for those who are interested in the spiritual, the odd, and the unusual. All of that is certainly here if you are willing to dig through the details of his spirit odyssey to find it.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of the goodreads first reads giveaway. This was a pretty interesting book. It has a bit of history, a bit of geology and a bit of the paranormal all rolled into one. I'm not sure I agree with the author on some of his theories, but it's a great read none the less. My only criticism is that the photographs in the book could be presented better, they are much clearer on the authors website virginiarockart.com I would recommend this book to fans of the paranormal.