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The Triangle of Belief
In January 2018, best-selling authors Brian Keene and Mary SanGiovanni witnessed a group of unidentified flying objects over their home. That encounter with the unexplained forms the basis for this honest, revealing memoir-styled treatise on faith, religion, the occult, atheism, agnosticism, science, and the supernatural, as World Horror Grandmaster Award-Winner Brian Keene takes the reader on a journey through his own belief structure, revealing how it has influenced him as both a person and as a writer, impacting everything from his lifestyle choices to the books he's written. Regardless of your own individual experience, you'll find yourself pondering The Triangle of Belief.
- GenresHorrorNonfiction
68 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 5, 2020
12 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Brian Keene
384 books2,976 followersBRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 25, 2020
Just wow. Brian Keen gives us an honest account of not just a bizarre sighting outside his home one dark night, but a glimpse into the journey that I feel prepared him for that moment. Life is always stranger than fiction, complete with ambiguous endings and more questions than answers. In this case, Keene's tale hit so close to home, I found myself shivering and reliving my own trials and tribulations of coming to terms with a life changing event. This is more than just a UFO book about a sighting. It's about how what we deem the paranormal can permanently alter our very human condition that let's us know we are just an infinitesimally small part of a vast, perhaps unknowable - for now - mystery.
June 28, 2020
This is a very short and quite interesting non-fiction book of Keene's philosophy and belief system, with anecdotal autobiographical detail as to how he arrived with it. He recounts a series of events that seem to have no rational scientific explanation, offers possible explanations, and then states his conclusions and reasoning most convincingly. As he explains, even as he maintains the truth of everything he writes, everything comes down to belief and faith. I can't claim to know the author beyond his public persona, but I've been reading his books for years, listen to his two podcasts every week, and have had occasion to chat with him a few times. I once chaired a convention at which he was a Guest of Honor and we had dinner, and I have attended a few of his readings and signings. My impressions from all of that is that he seems to be an honest, straight-forward and stand-up guy, which leads me to believe that he believes the truth and value in this book. I think it's possible that he might have improved a detail of a story here or there in order to improve it (after all that's his day job), but overall I have faith that he's setting down what he believes to be the truth here, not just letting loose his inner Richard Shaver. (I guess that should be Whitley Strieber for his generation.) Also, another compelling reason to accept the sincerity of this is that he must have known that publishing it would leave him open to cynical criticism; if it wasn't important to him to set this down, he knew that he could have made a lot more money using the time to write a zombie Sasquatch sexcapade. I found the book to be worthwhile and thought-provoking, even though I couldn't embrace all of the content. It's obviously of particular interest to Keene fans, but I think most open-minded readers would find it challenging and enriching.
March 27, 2020
An interesting book on the Brian's history and belief system.
October 13, 2020
When I first saw this book on Twitter I thought the title was “Triangle of Beef.” I said as much and Keene himself chimed in to joke about it, which was pretty cool. We run in the same circles, but I’m the new kid on the block, so I don’t get the chance to interact with the bigger names all that often.
Anyway,
I’m a sucker for non-fiction paranormal stories.
I grew up near Fort Drum, and it seemed like everyone had a story about something in the sky. I have a few myself, one of which I’ll share at the end of this review.
I also grew up in a family that was big on ghost stories (on my mother’s side). My eyes still water whenever I hear a true story that freaks me out, which is rare these days, but sometimes someone will catch me off guard.
This book isn’t just a collection of experiences that the author had with the paranormal it is an exploration of belief itself, and how belief changes over time. It is a book a bout the magic of continuing to believe.
But it never gets too philosophical. It reads fast and stays interesting the entire time.
It is a good book. I recommend it to anyone into the paranormal.
So here’s my story:
One night me, my friend, and my sister were on our front porch. We heard a pack of coyotes in the woods. Nothing unusual. We were in the foothills of the Adirondacks.
We keep listening and they sound close, like half a mile or so across the road, just past an open field where the trees begin.
The dogs go from yelping, like they do when hunting, to crying. More than one sounds like it is being hurt.
Then this huge light flares up. At first we think maybe it is a flare (pardon the redundancy) from a Ft. Drum dog fight. But it gets brighter and brighter. Like stadium light bright cutting through the trees and radiating through the sky.
It isn’t a flare. It’s in the woods.
The dogs really start crying in pain. Not just crying, but yelps cut short mid cry.
Then they all go silent.
And the light dies down.
And it is over.
And not one goddamned dog makes a sound.
Crickets are going.
It is like nothing happened.
Just silence.
That is quite possibly the most creeped out I have ever been in my life.
Anyway,
I’m a sucker for non-fiction paranormal stories.
I grew up near Fort Drum, and it seemed like everyone had a story about something in the sky. I have a few myself, one of which I’ll share at the end of this review.
I also grew up in a family that was big on ghost stories (on my mother’s side). My eyes still water whenever I hear a true story that freaks me out, which is rare these days, but sometimes someone will catch me off guard.
This book isn’t just a collection of experiences that the author had with the paranormal it is an exploration of belief itself, and how belief changes over time. It is a book a bout the magic of continuing to believe.
But it never gets too philosophical. It reads fast and stays interesting the entire time.
It is a good book. I recommend it to anyone into the paranormal.
So here’s my story:
One night me, my friend, and my sister were on our front porch. We heard a pack of coyotes in the woods. Nothing unusual. We were in the foothills of the Adirondacks.
We keep listening and they sound close, like half a mile or so across the road, just past an open field where the trees begin.
The dogs go from yelping, like they do when hunting, to crying. More than one sounds like it is being hurt.
Then this huge light flares up. At first we think maybe it is a flare (pardon the redundancy) from a Ft. Drum dog fight. But it gets brighter and brighter. Like stadium light bright cutting through the trees and radiating through the sky.
It isn’t a flare. It’s in the woods.
The dogs really start crying in pain. Not just crying, but yelps cut short mid cry.
Then they all go silent.
And the light dies down.
And it is over.
And not one goddamned dog makes a sound.
Crickets are going.
It is like nothing happened.
Just silence.
That is quite possibly the most creeped out I have ever been in my life.
April 11, 2020
Brian Keene has always been truthful to his constant readers, especially his non-fiction, not always to his benefit, and this book is no exception. A brutally honest look at his beliefs and encounters with the non-material since he was a kid, right up to his kids today. I can see this book being the hardest he has ever written as this sort of stuff you only tell your closest friends, and sometimes not even them. I'm glad he chose to share with us.
April 21, 2020
Known more for horror fiction, Keene is also a master of nonfiction. The Triangle of Belief joins the highest ranks of his work.
December 25, 2020
From Sci Fi and Scary:
As children, many of us had experiences that defy explanation. It is easy for children to take things on faith. Kids believe in all sorts of things that are illogical. The same children taught stranger danger fully accept the idea of Santa Claus entering their home and leaving them presents. Children are often illogical and capable of holding contradictions and accepting opposing ideas as equally true. They don’t consider factors that may make them vulnerable to suggestion.
As adults, we tend to believe in what we can see, touch, understand, label. We apply logic to our thought processes and decisions. We rationalize away the things we couldn’t understand as children and seek explanations for what we see as our childish beliefs.
When we get older, things often change again. Some of us have other experiences that we can’t explain away. We begin to realize that the rationalizations we’ve used to dismiss the experiences from our youth can’t explain away everything.
There are things people go through that defy logic.
This is what Brian Keene explores in The Triangle of Belief. He looks at events from his childhood, and how they shaped him as a person. Keene then goes through the teenage years and early adulthood, and explores how the events of his youth were excused and explained away. He uses simple, straightforward language to complete the triangle and lead readers back to the point of belief, to that stage later in our lives when we realize that our logic can’t account for everything.
That point when we realize we may have been closer to the truth as children, when we took our experiences on faith, than we were as adults when we dismissed the things we’d seen.
This is a short work that uses Keene’s personal experiences to explain the process. It’s a guide that reaffirms that, whatever the reader has experienced, is probably not as far-fetched as they convinced themselves it was when they got older.
The Triangle of Belief is accessible. It’s written in a way that’s easy to follow, so that the widest audience possible can follow the stages of belief that Keene works through. Using personal experiences also makes it relatable. It isn’t theoretical, although the book has the ability to shape and define the stages of belief that we all go through.
The Triangle of Belief is a short work that doesn’t overstate its case. It presents the salient details clearly. You can read it in one sitting. For me, the message has lingered long after I finished the last page. I found it inspiring. Those who are still mired in adult logic and what can be scientifically proven can be inspired to keep an open mind and begin to search for the wonders and horrors they once readily accepted in their youth. And perhaps that will lead us all to discover truths that might otherwise have eluded us.
4/5
As children, many of us had experiences that defy explanation. It is easy for children to take things on faith. Kids believe in all sorts of things that are illogical. The same children taught stranger danger fully accept the idea of Santa Claus entering their home and leaving them presents. Children are often illogical and capable of holding contradictions and accepting opposing ideas as equally true. They don’t consider factors that may make them vulnerable to suggestion.
As adults, we tend to believe in what we can see, touch, understand, label. We apply logic to our thought processes and decisions. We rationalize away the things we couldn’t understand as children and seek explanations for what we see as our childish beliefs.
When we get older, things often change again. Some of us have other experiences that we can’t explain away. We begin to realize that the rationalizations we’ve used to dismiss the experiences from our youth can’t explain away everything.
There are things people go through that defy logic.
This is what Brian Keene explores in The Triangle of Belief. He looks at events from his childhood, and how they shaped him as a person. Keene then goes through the teenage years and early adulthood, and explores how the events of his youth were excused and explained away. He uses simple, straightforward language to complete the triangle and lead readers back to the point of belief, to that stage later in our lives when we realize that our logic can’t account for everything.
That point when we realize we may have been closer to the truth as children, when we took our experiences on faith, than we were as adults when we dismissed the things we’d seen.
This is a short work that uses Keene’s personal experiences to explain the process. It’s a guide that reaffirms that, whatever the reader has experienced, is probably not as far-fetched as they convinced themselves it was when they got older.
The Triangle of Belief is accessible. It’s written in a way that’s easy to follow, so that the widest audience possible can follow the stages of belief that Keene works through. Using personal experiences also makes it relatable. It isn’t theoretical, although the book has the ability to shape and define the stages of belief that we all go through.
The Triangle of Belief is a short work that doesn’t overstate its case. It presents the salient details clearly. You can read it in one sitting. For me, the message has lingered long after I finished the last page. I found it inspiring. Those who are still mired in adult logic and what can be scientifically proven can be inspired to keep an open mind and begin to search for the wonders and horrors they once readily accepted in their youth. And perhaps that will lead us all to discover truths that might otherwise have eluded us.
4/5
June 3, 2021
Not only did this hit home for me in terms of similar experiences and phenomena, but the layout of the triangle of belief makes so much sense. I myself have had many extra sensory phenomena happen to me only for me to push them aside and try to make a logical reason for my perceptions. Whether the many ghosts/energies/echoes that I’ve experienced (and still do) weren’t real or what. I truly believe is that we aren’t truly gone. String theory truly lays out well within this framework of belief. Of course my belief is not the same as Brian Keene’s, but that’s the whole point of this book. We all have a framework - a triangle - a base, a left side that dissolves/trickles down to the right side that settles back to the base. When we are young we believe everything, as we grow older we grow more skeptical and some continue to have that skepticism; while some hold tighter to their beliefs. Some fight against all belief. For me, being raised by a Catholic mother who only believes in God/Heaven/Hell and a father who believes we were placed here by aliens, set a framework of my brain - I want to believe, but God is ever present. In my teenage hood I went almost fully atheist, I believed in nothing and was angry that anyone would believe in aliens or God or any of that. Now, I believe in energies, that our energies never leave; that there IS supernatural elements to the world and that our science is not advance enough to understand it. I also believe there is a greater force, but that we shouldn’t try and question it too much or even start thinking about it because it can tap into negative energy. As I am writing this (and as I was reading this book) the negative energy (ghost) in my spare bedroom (which is just down the hall behind the chair I am sitting in) has been stirring all night. I keep getting brushes of cold, I keep hearing a rustling and only three minutes ago my cat was staring with her ears pulled back at the wall near the hallway. That is my belief, that to acknowledge the unknown invokes the unknown. I have seen a UFO and I was both terrified and in awe - it was on a very crisp morning in winter when I had to wake to put the wood in the furnace outside, my mother was with me and she too saw it and was the one to comment first “That’s not a normal plane, that’s not a plane at all” - my mother who only believes in God did not question what she saw in the way I did - because her belief triangle is different than mine.
October 3, 2022
THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF is a book about the cool shit that happened to Brian Keene. When I say cool shit, I mean like the type of cool shit the kid in McCammon's Boy's Life experienced. The cool shit that seems impossible or implausible but we saw it with our childhood innocence and, damnit, we know what we saw.
But then we grow up. We stop believing in the magic of life. The we come up with logical explanations for the cool shit. We dismiss the innocence of simplicity. We do adult scientific acrobats to explain it all away. The magic is lost, and, maybe, the truth.
But then, something happens. We get sick of being adult and logical. We yern for childhood innocence and the ease of a accepting what we see with our own eyes. And something happens and the curtain drops and we are able to believe again with new eyes wiser eyes, eyes that have lived a lifetime.
And there is hope. Hope that maybe, the kid was right. And the easiest explanation for what we experience doesn't need to be more complicated than that.
And we realize that yeah, some cool shit has happened to us. I've had some cool shit happen to me. Brian Keene, as judging by THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF, has experienced some cooler shit than me.
Except for maybe the time I caught an alien checking out my uncle's moped. That was pretty fuckin' cool.
But then we grow up. We stop believing in the magic of life. The we come up with logical explanations for the cool shit. We dismiss the innocence of simplicity. We do adult scientific acrobats to explain it all away. The magic is lost, and, maybe, the truth.
But then, something happens. We get sick of being adult and logical. We yern for childhood innocence and the ease of a accepting what we see with our own eyes. And something happens and the curtain drops and we are able to believe again with new eyes wiser eyes, eyes that have lived a lifetime.
And there is hope. Hope that maybe, the kid was right. And the easiest explanation for what we experience doesn't need to be more complicated than that.
And we realize that yeah, some cool shit has happened to us. I've had some cool shit happen to me. Brian Keene, as judging by THE TRIANGLE OF BELIEF, has experienced some cooler shit than me.
Except for maybe the time I caught an alien checking out my uncle's moped. That was pretty fuckin' cool.
May 29, 2023
This is a quick read about the nature of what some would call the supernatural. Like Keene, I've had a few experiences that I can't explain away. Oddly enough, I have one involving a strange hand like the one he talks about early in this book. I think I've gone over it elsewhere on Goodreads, though. The world is a strange place, and strange things happen here all the time. I find it difficult to believe that the same people who argue against the existence of Bigfoot have also seen a platypus. And a giraffe! If you tried to explain those animals to someone who had never seen them before, you'd come off as a lunatic.
I guess long story short, I don't believe in Bigfoot, but I believe in the possibility of Bigfoot. I also firmly believe that aliens exist. I'm not sure if we've ever been visited by them, although I have an unusual experience of my own that could be chalked up to aliens. Maybe someday I'll tell you about the time the sky turned green . . .
I guess long story short, I don't believe in Bigfoot, but I believe in the possibility of Bigfoot. I also firmly believe that aliens exist. I'm not sure if we've ever been visited by them, although I have an unusual experience of my own that could be chalked up to aliens. Maybe someday I'll tell you about the time the sky turned green . . .
May 4, 2020
I love how and paranormal stories and alonf with some friends do a poscast dealing with them, so I am always on the look out for information. I stumbles upon this book as I am a big fan of Brian Keene and his horror writings. I purchased it on my kindle without even reading the description, assuming it would be another great horror novel this time with ET.
I was wrong. But the book was great. It deals with an experience Keene has himself as well as other odd things throughout his life. It deals with the concepts of beliefs and was a very pelasnt surprise. I really liked the ideas he conveyed and the idea that a profound experience can change or emphasize your belief systems. Very well written and a super quick read.
My only complaint is that as MUFON investigator in central Pennsylvania is that I was not a signed his case.
Great if you like Keene, UFOs or books that make you think
I was wrong. But the book was great. It deals with an experience Keene has himself as well as other odd things throughout his life. It deals with the concepts of beliefs and was a very pelasnt surprise. I really liked the ideas he conveyed and the idea that a profound experience can change or emphasize your belief systems. Very well written and a super quick read.
My only complaint is that as MUFON investigator in central Pennsylvania is that I was not a signed his case.
Great if you like Keene, UFOs or books that make you think
May 20, 2023
I am always hesitant to read philosophical opinion books simply because I am set in my personal spiritual beliefs and have no interest in other beliefs. It just seems like it would be a waste of time.
But I've had this tiny book (less than 70 pages) for a while and just finished reading a lengthy novel and had an hour or two to spare so I dove in.
It was a blast! Brian shares strange events that have happened to him over his life. From UFO's to shadow people, and everything in between, he tells these stories with the same talent he uses in his fiction.
While I have different beliefs than the author, he is never offensive to anyone. My beliefs actually mirror the beliefs of his great-grandmother, which he explains early on.
But I've had this tiny book (less than 70 pages) for a while and just finished reading a lengthy novel and had an hour or two to spare so I dove in.
It was a blast! Brian shares strange events that have happened to him over his life. From UFO's to shadow people, and everything in between, he tells these stories with the same talent he uses in his fiction.
While I have different beliefs than the author, he is never offensive to anyone. My beliefs actually mirror the beliefs of his great-grandmother, which he explains early on.
July 14, 2023
Preface, I've loved Brian's work for over a decade.
Though, this is not one of his normal non-fiction works.
This book is a recounting of distant and recent past experiences, to really beg the question... Why do people believe the things they believe when it comes to the paranormal?
My absolute favorite parts of the book are when he critiques his own thought processes and how they could be flawed. But even through his critiques, he still holds his beliefs firm.
Great read and definitely made me think about my own past experiences.
Though, this is not one of his normal non-fiction works.
This book is a recounting of distant and recent past experiences, to really beg the question... Why do people believe the things they believe when it comes to the paranormal?
My absolute favorite parts of the book are when he critiques his own thought processes and how they could be flawed. But even through his critiques, he still holds his beliefs firm.
Great read and definitely made me think about my own past experiences.
April 21, 2020
Another solid non-fiction piece from Brian Keene. It is a quick read and left me wishing it was longer. The discussion on how our belief structure changes during our lives was interesting, but I walked away wanting to carry the conversation further. The end does dovetail into End of the Road, so pick it up and consider this book a companion piece to it.
October 26, 2020
An interesting personal consideration of the inexplicable
My only complaint is that it is brief and less sourced than similar treatments. But Mr. Keene is not a member of Valles' Invisible College and his experiences transcend the UFO experience that initiates the very short book.
My only complaint is that it is brief and less sourced than similar treatments. But Mr. Keene is not a member of Valles' Invisible College and his experiences transcend the UFO experience that initiates the very short book.
July 3, 2020
This is a true story and it is really creepy! It's very short so you need to read it.
January 19, 2021
An interesting little nonfiction book from Brian Keene.
June 29, 2021
Brian Keene gives us a fascinating and honest accounting of events in his life, which have molded his current belief system. A short non fiction book that i greatly enjoyed.
July 20, 2021
Fantastic. Highly recommended.
January 24, 2022
Are we alone
Good read. I often wonder if we're alone of not in the universe. This book didn't answer that question. But it gives you other avenues to consider.
Good read. I often wonder if we're alone of not in the universe. This book didn't answer that question. But it gives you other avenues to consider.
November 3, 2023
I wish more people would right honest, straight-forward accounts of weirdnesses in their lives and what they believe about them.
June 12, 2020
Food for thought
I'm a good ten years or more older than the author. I have a life-long connection with religion and I also share the authors distaste of it. At least in the fundamentalist dogma. I also am a horror movie, novel and horror comics fan. He also talks about sleep paralysis which I had often as a child and young adult. But, rarely if ever have now. He breaks it all down logically and then his just so logical conclusion implodes. At the end what's left is mystery, uneasiness and hope. As I like to say " I'm still on the journey." It appears the author is to.
I'm a good ten years or more older than the author. I have a life-long connection with religion and I also share the authors distaste of it. At least in the fundamentalist dogma. I also am a horror movie, novel and horror comics fan. He also talks about sleep paralysis which I had often as a child and young adult. But, rarely if ever have now. He breaks it all down logically and then his just so logical conclusion implodes. At the end what's left is mystery, uneasiness and hope. As I like to say " I'm still on the journey." It appears the author is to.
August 2, 2021
In this nonfiction book Keene explores his own encounters with unexplained phenomenon over the years. This volume is part memoir and part essay that feels like the reader is having a conversation with Keene as he explains why he wants to believe, especially in UFOs.
May 29, 2020
Review to follow soon!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews