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Desert Oracle: Volume 1: Strange True Tales from the American Southwest
The cult-y pocket-size field guide to the strange and intriguing secrets of the Mojave--its myths and legends, outcasts and oddballs, flora, fauna, and UFOs--becomes the definitive, oracular book of the desert
For the past five years, Desert Oracle has existed as a quasi-mythical, quarterly periodical available to the very determined only by subscription or at the odd desert-town gas station or the occasional hipster boutique, its canary-yellow-covered, forty-four-page issues handed from one curious desert zealot to the next, word spreading faster than the printers could keep up with. It became a radio show, a podcast, a live performance. Now, for the first time--and including both classic and new, never-before-seen revelations--Desert Oracle has been bound between two hard covers and is available to you.
Straight out of Joshua Tree, California, Desert Oracle is "The Voice of the Desert" a field guide to the strange tales, singing sand dunes, sagebrush trails, artists and aliens, authors and oddballs, ghost towns and modern legends, musicians and mystics, scorpions and saguaros, out there in the sand. Desert Oracle is your companion at a roadside diner, around a campfire, in your tent or cabin (or high-rise apartment or suburban living room) as the wind and the coyotes howl outside at night.
From journal entries of long-deceased adventurers to stray railroad ad copy, and musings on everything from desert flora, rumored cryptid sightings, and other paranormal phenomena, Ken Layne's Desert Oracle collects the weird and the wonderful of the American Southwest into a single, essential volume.
For the past five years, Desert Oracle has existed as a quasi-mythical, quarterly periodical available to the very determined only by subscription or at the odd desert-town gas station or the occasional hipster boutique, its canary-yellow-covered, forty-four-page issues handed from one curious desert zealot to the next, word spreading faster than the printers could keep up with. It became a radio show, a podcast, a live performance. Now, for the first time--and including both classic and new, never-before-seen revelations--Desert Oracle has been bound between two hard covers and is available to you.
Straight out of Joshua Tree, California, Desert Oracle is "The Voice of the Desert" a field guide to the strange tales, singing sand dunes, sagebrush trails, artists and aliens, authors and oddballs, ghost towns and modern legends, musicians and mystics, scorpions and saguaros, out there in the sand. Desert Oracle is your companion at a roadside diner, around a campfire, in your tent or cabin (or high-rise apartment or suburban living room) as the wind and the coyotes howl outside at night.
From journal entries of long-deceased adventurers to stray railroad ad copy, and musings on everything from desert flora, rumored cryptid sightings, and other paranormal phenomena, Ken Layne's Desert Oracle collects the weird and the wonderful of the American Southwest into a single, essential volume.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2020
167 people are currently reading
1284 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
December 30, 2020
Weird things still happen in the world. Pulled from the weekly radio show and periodical, "the Voice of the Desert" fills this book with strange curiosities from the American southwest. Joshua Tree, Yucca Man, Area 51, Edward Abbey, Scientology, Marty Robbins, and everything in between make up the pages of this book. The world is still full of wonder and mystery. From Amboy to Zzyzx, and across the Great Mojave Wilderness, and even over to me in Illinois, I cannot recommend this book enough.
June 22, 2021
I am now utterly curious about the desert- well the Mohave anyway. So many crazy and unexpected things have happened here. Linked in ways I hadn’t even comprehended. Yucca Man, Charlie Manson and his Cult, Aleister Crowley, L Ron Hubbard, U-FOs- Einsenhowers mysterious night and people just plain vanishing. You can send your outlaws and your mysterious rock paintings and your caves full of gold my way because I am here for them. And how could I forget Malinche/ La Llorona. Just the escape I needed- hot, arid and most definitely mysterious
January 2, 2021
Outstanding essays from the founder and editor of Desert Oracle magazine, to which I’m a subscriber. Not a mediocre piece in the lot.
March 14, 2022
4.5
Ken Layne is the best. Blending lore, history, geography, and more, he is always right on the money for “buffs” of many kinds. If you have not listened to the Desert Oracle podcast you are missing out.
Ken Layne is the best. Blending lore, history, geography, and more, he is always right on the money for “buffs” of many kinds. If you have not listened to the Desert Oracle podcast you are missing out.
dnf
January 30, 2021DNF - Some of the stories are incoherent due to the jumping between topics.
March 20, 2021
Perfect mix of desert history, myths, and culture.
December 18, 2023
The final chapter of this book poetically describes "transmissions" as everything from messages from god to aliens to radio signals - the way we internalize information that is shared with or sent to us. The desert captivates me, and I love creative retellings of myths and history, so this one meant a lot.
August 21, 2023
Not exactly “true tales” that the back cover describes. Some good short stories and then a lot of UFO sightings. Some stories really stretch to be related to the desert. Good for quick easy reading.
May 11, 2022
Overall I was disappointed with this collection of miscellaneous "weird" stories from the Mojave and other American deserts. I found the structure of the book, from its shoddy introduction through, to be lacking, and many of the pieces themselves felt unfinished. I really had hoped for a great collection here, but maybe it's just my dissatisfaction with Layne's voice. I'll seek my drive for desert lit elsewhere.
December 8, 2021
Found this gem in a dusty bookshelf at a Joshua Tree Air B and B. If you love Art Bell and the lonely, cryptic desert, this is for you. If the desert holds no appeal for you, skip it. I devoured it in one sitting.
May 16, 2021
Wide-ranging, engaging, and a little loopy. Just the right mix of wide-eyed wonder, critical intelligence, and a pervasive sense of danger.
July 22, 2024
when i moved to southern california from the midwest, a romanticized vision of the desert wrapped me up really quickly. it's so vastly different to the place i grew up and i've found its weird, stark beauty so stirring - it's one of my favorite places to escape to when i need space. the desert is also a place where a lot of crazy bullshit and danger have happened, which i find just as fascinating as the big skies and heat ripples in the air and red rocks. i'm a big desert oracle radio fan so much of this was just a new medium for old stories, but it was still a treat to read about all the multitudes the american southwest contains in ken layne's voice - probably also the most idiosyncratic speaking voice i've ever heard. it's really special to witness someone who's dedicated their life to gathering stories about a particular place and transmitting them, the wild and the simple and the scary and the lovely, to those to whom that place is alien. gotta drive up to vasquez rocks this weekend lol
April 29, 2025
I found many of the chapters in Desert Oracle entertaining and informative, while others felt like a drag. I think perhaps I would have preferred to hear this book read aloud (as a radio broadcast, podcast, or by a friend). I do think Desert Oracle is meant to be enjoyed in the desert (go figure) - I visited Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, and Anza Borrego multiple times during the month it took me to read this book and it really did enhance my appreciation (and unease) of the Mojave.
August 11, 2024
Read this book for fun and it ended up helping research for my play! The coincidences in this book between the characters I’m writing and names of real desert oddities was serendipitous and awesome. I loved the authors casual tone and anecdotes….it felt like a late night radio show between the author and I.
August 29, 2025
3.5 stars. Really liked the commentary on vast natural landscapes being beyond our control - these are sacred places to learn from and preserve rather than destroy and modernize. I thought the essay style worked well here but there were some I just didn’t care that much about. The last essay on the links between mysticism / manifest destiny / indigenous traditions and the conceptualization of the “desert” in our collective consciousness was fascinating. There is wonder all around us if we are willing to look for it.
July 28, 2024
Enjoyable, some material more solid than others a bit all over with the link being "the desert". Learned some new stuff and its nice to have some light hearted reading from time to time!
April 23, 2021
Desert Oracle is my favorite podcast, so I was predisposed to love this book.
July 9, 2021
Read it at night, as late as you possibly can.
March 2, 2024
A quick read detailing all sorts of mystery in the Mojave. Layne does a fantastic job mixing his own wit, historical aptitude, and a sense of wonder when it comes to describing the scenes and occurrences in North American deserts. From everything spooky, strange, and mysterious I’ve learned a lot about Southern California and the other arid regions of the West.
I’m a fanatic for this kind of thing, especially when it comes to the alien and UFO stuff. However, Layne even speaks on things like Zzyzx—Curtis Springer’s desert oasis church turned Dartmouth Stretch lodging (wink)—and Marty Robbins’s journey across deserts and music fame and glory.
There’s far too much to detail here; give the damn thing a read. You’ll find something you can’t stop thinking about!
I’m a fanatic for this kind of thing, especially when it comes to the alien and UFO stuff. However, Layne even speaks on things like Zzyzx—Curtis Springer’s desert oasis church turned Dartmouth Stretch lodging (wink)—and Marty Robbins’s journey across deserts and music fame and glory.
There’s far too much to detail here; give the damn thing a read. You’ll find something you can’t stop thinking about!
March 12, 2024
really enjoyed this! lighthearted look at the paranormal in the desert southwest. very quick read, well written and engaging.
May 20, 2024
Liked the book a collection of short stories about the south west area. legends and myths.
February 28, 2025
the Mark Twain of weird Americana
May 6, 2022
Fun collection of stories for those connected to the desert. Mixes the occult, nature, and pop culture together for an interesting read
November 22, 2020
The book starts out very wisely in letting you know how to survive the desert – bring lots of water, more than you think you need. If you get lost, or your car breaks down, stay by your car! There are brief mentions of those who didn’t make it out…
The next section is about the Yucca Man, and other very short tales of a creature seen in the desert called by many names, such as Bigfoot.
A little boy is lost. A scout leader failed in his job.
It goes from there….
These are little vignettes…tales of quirky people and tales of mysterious things that may be true, or not (ghost bighorn sheep).
Most of the entries read like snippets, not complete stories, and the writing tends to jump from one thought to another, then end abruptly. But don’t let that dissuade you from reading this. It adds to the sense, a layer to the oddness that are desert dwellers.
As a compilation, there tends to be a few places where something is repeated. For myself, too much on UFO’s and aliens when considering the whole work, would have liked more on history of place, or characters, those were the better entries. The snippets are of varying length with one section about cowboy music being very long. The writing isn’t polished either, you take what you can get when you’re out on the desert.
The book also contains photos and line drawings, which adds to the character of the book.
You don’t have to love the desert, but if you do this book will thrill you!
3.5 stars rounded up
I'll read a volume 2, if/when that comes out.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.
The next section is about the Yucca Man, and other very short tales of a creature seen in the desert called by many names, such as Bigfoot.
A little boy is lost. A scout leader failed in his job.
It goes from there….
These are little vignettes…tales of quirky people and tales of mysterious things that may be true, or not (ghost bighorn sheep).
Most of the entries read like snippets, not complete stories, and the writing tends to jump from one thought to another, then end abruptly. But don’t let that dissuade you from reading this. It adds to the sense, a layer to the oddness that are desert dwellers.
As a compilation, there tends to be a few places where something is repeated. For myself, too much on UFO’s and aliens when considering the whole work, would have liked more on history of place, or characters, those were the better entries. The snippets are of varying length with one section about cowboy music being very long. The writing isn’t polished either, you take what you can get when you’re out on the desert.
The book also contains photos and line drawings, which adds to the character of the book.
You don’t have to love the desert, but if you do this book will thrill you!
3.5 stars rounded up
I'll read a volume 2, if/when that comes out.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.
February 16, 2021
This book is for those that have a natural curiosity and taste for the desert southwest of the U.S. Not only will you get a picture painted of the land that already seems mysterious, but the legends, myths, people, and connections to bigger stories are plentiful as sand in the Mojave Desert. If you did not have a curiosity about this area on our small blue marble, you would after reading this. It is a true potpourri of short and shorter tales/biographies/history of this land and is written by a professional storyteller, radio show host, and podcaster, Ken Layne. The art of his storytelling takes you on more turns than a sidewinder rattler.
I first began to pique my curiosity and longing of going to the desert southwest with Edward Abbey (also two short stories in here about him). This book has reinforced those urges. Every page feels like you are under the brightness of starlight on a cool desert night with a fire crackling and comfortable log to lean on, listening to a familiar voice (helps if you listen to the podcast/radio show), and not thinking about another damn thing that could be pulling you from the naturalness that we all seem to drift away from like some tired tumbleweed.
So envelop yourself in this book and hope there is a second volume, it goes fast. It isn't meant for academics, it is meant for genes long dormant in us that went to sleep with the invention of the television and the modern hyper rat race. If you can't wait, then I suggest and would recommend going to see the desert southwest until you can get your itch scratched. Wear a mask, if necessary. Hopefully, it wouldn't be. Get in touch with the side of yourself that not one group of people can wholly put a finger on, but they try.
"Philip K. Dick called it VALIS: Vast Active Living Intelligence System. Carl Jung named it the collective unconscious. We don't know what it is, and we don't know if it's divinely inspired, because we can't agree on what "divine" means. But it's real and it's there and if you're hungry for knowledge, the gates will be found open, eventually, maybe when you're looking for it least--every door in the house of wisdom, open to all those who take the trouble to try the lock, twist the doorknob. The Kingdom of Heaven, the Earthly Paradise, is here among you, and so many cannot see it."
5/5
I first began to pique my curiosity and longing of going to the desert southwest with Edward Abbey (also two short stories in here about him). This book has reinforced those urges. Every page feels like you are under the brightness of starlight on a cool desert night with a fire crackling and comfortable log to lean on, listening to a familiar voice (helps if you listen to the podcast/radio show), and not thinking about another damn thing that could be pulling you from the naturalness that we all seem to drift away from like some tired tumbleweed.
So envelop yourself in this book and hope there is a second volume, it goes fast. It isn't meant for academics, it is meant for genes long dormant in us that went to sleep with the invention of the television and the modern hyper rat race. If you can't wait, then I suggest and would recommend going to see the desert southwest until you can get your itch scratched. Wear a mask, if necessary. Hopefully, it wouldn't be. Get in touch with the side of yourself that not one group of people can wholly put a finger on, but they try.
"Philip K. Dick called it VALIS: Vast Active Living Intelligence System. Carl Jung named it the collective unconscious. We don't know what it is, and we don't know if it's divinely inspired, because we can't agree on what "divine" means. But it's real and it's there and if you're hungry for knowledge, the gates will be found open, eventually, maybe when you're looking for it least--every door in the house of wisdom, open to all those who take the trouble to try the lock, twist the doorknob. The Kingdom of Heaven, the Earthly Paradise, is here among you, and so many cannot see it."
5/5
August 17, 2025
Bought this at The Station, on my first trip to Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley with my pal Anna after flipping through her copy at our hotel the night before. This trip spawned a sudden interest in the deep California Desert, I've been fascinated by the lore around the ghost towns surrounding the Salton Sea and Bombay Beach, Salvation Mountain etc etc, and have been taking in as much as I can about those areas. This book didn't really have anything about those zones, or about any specific modern-day phenomena, but I can't fault it for that!
Lots of dreamy and disjointed stories about aliens, endangered species, ghosts, UFOs, etc from the 1800s through the 1990s. I didn't realize until finishing that this book's original format is a series of smaller quarterly rags, which makes a whole lot more sense now that I know that. I crushed this in two weeks but sometimes more to get it over with than out of fascination. All that said, I enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone looking for a breezy read. I'm good on a subscription to the rag but will enthusiastically pick up Volume 2 the moment it comes out, and am glad I spent my $25 on this book and not a blacklight poster at The Station.
Lots of dreamy and disjointed stories about aliens, endangered species, ghosts, UFOs, etc from the 1800s through the 1990s. I didn't realize until finishing that this book's original format is a series of smaller quarterly rags, which makes a whole lot more sense now that I know that. I crushed this in two weeks but sometimes more to get it over with than out of fascination. All that said, I enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone looking for a breezy read. I'm good on a subscription to the rag but will enthusiastically pick up Volume 2 the moment it comes out, and am glad I spent my $25 on this book and not a blacklight poster at The Station.
April 15, 2021
What a fun read. Came across this while preparing for a week near Joshua Tree, then as expected, it was stocked at my Airbnb, and I had the pleasure to read it in a hammock while gazing at Joshua trees, quails, and jackrabbits foraging by me.
I was a bit turned off in the first 'chapter' / essay, about Yucca Man, which I hadn't heard of and had no interest in, but the rest of the book was full of fascinating history and lore so specific to the American southwestern deserts that it's hard not to be enamored. Some parts were a little bereft of context for me, but I'm not sure a person unfamiliar with the desert is the target audience here.
I loved Layne's writing style and frankness. He clearly sees inspiration in Art Bell, of Coast 2 Coast AM fame, and maybe some Hunter S Thompson in there too? In any case, the late night weirdness comes off perfectly and I learned a ton about the various aspects of desert culture that make the West truly the West.
I was a bit turned off in the first 'chapter' / essay, about Yucca Man, which I hadn't heard of and had no interest in, but the rest of the book was full of fascinating history and lore so specific to the American southwestern deserts that it's hard not to be enamored. Some parts were a little bereft of context for me, but I'm not sure a person unfamiliar with the desert is the target audience here.
I loved Layne's writing style and frankness. He clearly sees inspiration in Art Bell, of Coast 2 Coast AM fame, and maybe some Hunter S Thompson in there too? In any case, the late night weirdness comes off perfectly and I learned a ton about the various aspects of desert culture that make the West truly the West.
May 27, 2022
This book is a a read around the campfire book for adults:). It has tales that are myth, true, and fantastical. These are from the author's periodical that was carried by several Indi style bookstores in 2015 and also from a radio show titled "Voice in the Desert" which can still be heard this day.
These little stories come mostly from the Great Mojave Desert and span from pioneer times to modern day.
I especially enjoyed the ones that touched on music and musicians from the 1930's and 1940's. I learned alot about music and music styles in general. "The Murder King of Western Swing", was a good one.
I also liked tales of petroglyphs, "Marty Robbins on the Cowboy Trail from Phoenix to El Paso".....
This is volume one so I'll be on the hunt for volume two. This might make a nice gift for someone who sits on the "porcelain throne" and needs some short stories to entertain them:)
These little stories come mostly from the Great Mojave Desert and span from pioneer times to modern day.
I especially enjoyed the ones that touched on music and musicians from the 1930's and 1940's. I learned alot about music and music styles in general. "The Murder King of Western Swing", was a good one.
I also liked tales of petroglyphs, "Marty Robbins on the Cowboy Trail from Phoenix to El Paso".....
This is volume one so I'll be on the hunt for volume two. This might make a nice gift for someone who sits on the "porcelain throne" and needs some short stories to entertain them:)
April 19, 2025
The more people descend into "America is the best!" rhetoric, the more I delve into folklore.
I read this book on a plane ride, here are my unhinged phone notes:
DESERT ORACLE
Desert people are bizarre / Is it the landscape or the person
I am drawn to the occult
Could Manson have broken me down in his Death Valley hideaway?
Parsons was an occultist (founded Jet Propulsion Lab & was Hubbard bff)
Many Astronomers were astrologists first
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt campaigned for Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Anza-Borrego
Alan Cranston translated all the insane parts of Mein Kampf & Houghton Mifflin sued Cranston
Amargosa Opera House: Desert Junction in Death Valley, creepy as hell
Oppenheimer: “my two great loves are physics and New Mexico”
Burroughs was sent to the desert
It’s 2025 & I can’t believe I have to go to 15 ENT appointments instead of just being sent to live in the desert.
Giuseppe Mercalli (Italian geologist priest)
Album: gunfighter ballads and trail songs
I read this book on a plane ride, here are my unhinged phone notes:
DESERT ORACLE
Desert people are bizarre / Is it the landscape or the person
I am drawn to the occult
Could Manson have broken me down in his Death Valley hideaway?
Parsons was an occultist (founded Jet Propulsion Lab & was Hubbard bff)
Many Astronomers were astrologists first
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt campaigned for Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Anza-Borrego
Alan Cranston translated all the insane parts of Mein Kampf & Houghton Mifflin sued Cranston
Amargosa Opera House: Desert Junction in Death Valley, creepy as hell
Oppenheimer: “my two great loves are physics and New Mexico”
Burroughs was sent to the desert
It’s 2025 & I can’t believe I have to go to 15 ENT appointments instead of just being sent to live in the desert.
Giuseppe Mercalli (Italian geologist priest)
Album: gunfighter ballads and trail songs
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews