There’s a great book out there called ‘Aliens Why They Are Here’ by English journalist Bryan Appleyard. My first impression of it book came before I even purchased it. First impressions, those which are often created in the bookstores, are extremely underrated. Explaining myself: this book I found was mixed among others in a shelve belonging the Esotericism category, among other books like Saint Cipriano, The Koran, Mystical Cures and who knows what else. The country where I live in, Portugal, has that awful tendency to place UFO-related books, no matter how good they are, under Occultism or Esotericism, something which I fail to comprehend: disrespectful, to say the least. I wonder how it is like in other parts of the world.

Just a quick look at the chapter¹s list and I got a clearer idea of what the book was about. Or so I thought. The next hours I couldn¹t understand why a book on Aliens would dedicate one entire chapter to Phillip K. Dick, another to Stanislaw Lem, and another to Marvin Minsky and Steve Jobs. To the last I was intrigued. I found this to be a book with great humour, great sci-fi ¬references, as well as a display of great courage. Again, I thought: how does a respectable writer, who has such a proper résumé, end up writing not an article but a whole book on such toxic subject as Alien presence on earth?

I was pleased to find that the book was, in fact, a study about studies, and not a study itself. Field scientists who are in contact with the witnesses and have a first hand at the material tend to be very biased in result of their level of exposure to the material. Many times I have wondered why wasn’t a book available where someone impartial would analyse these 60 years of Ufology and Alienology and run the data in a credible fashion. Appleyard was the common man with the extraordinary skills required to do so: well-informed and an exceptional writer, he was able to glance the question from a distance and presented his own analysis and theories. I admit that I was childishly trying to find that huge flaw in the book, but only few things were left behind. ‘Aliens’ drives the reader to the important places and names the essential cases. It presents the key-names: Vallée, Hynek, Jung, Mack, Hopkins, Keel and Clark, among other authors which I’ve read for the last years and which have given much to the literature concerning this distorted side of our reality.

In essence, this book stands out because of its wittiness and the maturity with which the author approaches this toxic subject, or subjects. If you are as tired as I am of reading the same rubbish on the UFO phenomenon and the study of alien folklore in our modern culture then ‘Aliens’ is one of the most essential readings you will ever find. For week’s you’ll be staring at it on the top of your bookshelf, wondering whether or not you should pick it up and read it again – indeed, it is a pleasure that great.

hm I think i might try to find this book..

You go ahead. You'll get a whole lot more than you'll be hoping for, especially because most books released on the subject today are sensationalist and do not present valid opinions. Bryan Appleyard is a credible author; you may see his bio and some of the reviews to his book Aliens in his website. Just google his name and it should get you there. Thanks for reading!