A high school cross-country team was training in Green Hill Provincial Park when they became aware of strange activity‚ including several unexplained sounds. Was it a Bigfoot?I received the following account:“So what happened was‚ I’ll give you a little back story. It was back in 2003. I would have been 15 or 16 at the time. It was in late fall. We were training for a high school cross-country team. So the guys that were with me‚ their names were Liam. Greg and Jeremy. And my father‚ Stephen‚ was the coach. What we would do was twice or three times a week‚ we'd go out and maybe go for long runs for cross-country training. So‚ after school‚ my dad drove us to Green Hill Provincial Park. It's kind of a woody area. There's not really much around. A few farms. We were gonna do some hill sprints up there. If anyone's familiar with the area‚ there's a spot where we'd stop for spring water. So we would... we stopped in there and got some spring water‚ did some warm-ups‚ and ran up and down the wooded side of the hill. Then we went to the south side of the hill and ran up to the top. It's a little over a kilometre run. It's really really steep. Where this happened was on the east side of the hill. On the top of the hill of the Provincial Park‚ it has a really nice lookout. They say you used to be able to see most of the county from there when it was a fire tower.So we were up there. We'd just finished our run and this would be important later‚ I was the fastest. And then it was Liam‚ then Jeremy‚ then Greg. Not that he was slow‚ just that he was slower than us. That will come into play later. So we got up to the top of the hill. We had about a half an hour to kill. So my dad basically said‚ just go do something in the park. There's not much to do. There are some old picnic tables and a pond. So we decided we wanted to go to the east side of the hill which is very very very steep. It is particularly wooded. If you look at it on Google Maps‚ it's small trees. Very steep. It leads down towards the area where the spring was. So we're not totally unfamiliar with it but we hadn't gone from the top all the way to the bottom on that side of the hill before so we thought that would be a good idea. We told Dad‚ we're gonna head up the hill. He said Okay you only got about 35 minutes. So‚ you know‚ it's pretty. It's gonna take a little bit of time to get down there. So we were like‚ Oh‚ we'll be fine. We were winded from doing these hill sprints. A little tired. So we head down the hill. There's a bunch of 15-year-old boys‚ being guys in the woods. But so steep at some points that we actually almost fell from tree to tree to get down the hill which was really treacherous on its own. It's late fall so it's slippery leaves on the ground and it's a little bit wet.On the way down‚ not a whole lot of anything happened. There were standard wood noises. We could hear a pair of dogs barking off in the distance. We assumed they were a pair of farmers' dogs or something like that. We get to the bottom of the hill and it's deathly silent. We get out on the road. There are no cars. No wind. The dogs have stopped barking. It's just deathly silent. And it was a little eerie. The first reason why we panicked was because we only had about 10 or 11 minutes to get back to the top of the hill. It had taken us 20 minutes to go down the hill so we assumed it would take a lot longer to get up the hill and my dad would freak. He's a pretty laid-back guy but‚ you know‚ you try to hit your time. We didn't want him to get worried about us or anything like that. So we got to the bottom and it was to the point where we made a note of it. It had been normal wood noises all the way down‚ birds chirping‚ leaves rustling‚ and things like that and it was deathly silent and that was really weird. So we all kind of took stock of the time and we'll pick up the pace on the way up but we were tired.It was humid out. Like‚ it was one of the hot October days where it was wet and hot. And‚ so‚ we start heading back up the hill. I was in the front with Jeremy. We were just chatting. Liam was about 10 feet behind us... or 10 meters behind us. And Greg was 10 meters behind him. So Greg is 20 meters behind me. And we're walking up the hill and it's deathly silent. No one is really talking that much because we're all out of breath and we are going up this hill. Again‚ it's the opposite of going down the hill‚ honestly. But when you're going up the hill‚ in some parts you have to hold onto a tree and pull yourself up and grab the next tree and pull yourself up. It was thick and very steep. I can't explain how steep it was. I can't exaggerate it. It was really steep.So we're there and we hear Greg call out from behind us. He goes‚ Hey did you guys hear that? And it had been very quiet. And so we all stopped where we were. Nobody moved and we all kind of cocked our heads to the side and listened to what he had heard and none of us heard anything. We shrugged it off and we all turned to go back up the hill. We were maybe not quite a third of the way up when this happened. We didn't even get to take another step before Greg said‚ No‚ No‚ there it is again‚ listen! Listen‚ it sounds like a baby crying‚ which is an odd thing to say. So we all kinda pay attention. My first thought was that it was a rabbit caught in a snare or something like that because they have that weird wounded cry so you know‚ I thought maybe it was a rabbit caught in a snare out here in the woods. So we stopped to listen and Greg's staring at us and we're all looking back down at him. And then we hear this tremendous roar. Like I won't try to make an impression of it because I would never do it justice. It didn't sound like a big cat‚ like a lynx or a cougar or anything like that. And it wasn't a bear and I know this because after‚ we went through all these things to try to figure out what it was and it didn't really fit the bill with any of them. What startled us wasn't the actual sound but how loud it was. It was so loud‚ you could feel it vibrating through your chest‚ like a bass at a concert. And it came from down the hill so as loud as it was to me‚ Greg was 20 meters closer to this noise. He looks up at us and his eyes go huge. And later on‚ after we all sat around and talked about it‚ my cousin Jeremy turned to me and he told me that all the color drained out my face. I turned very very pale. Before any of us could react‚ Liam sprinted up past us. Your first instinct is to fight or flee. This was kind of the flight option.We were running away from whatever this was. None of us could see anything. So we heard this noise and we all just started running. Some words may have been exchanged but I can never remember what was said probably something really cheesy like from an action film. But Liam sprinted ahead of us and he was jumping from tree to tree. Greg started sprinting and my cousin and I started running. Greg was so scared‚ he caught up 20 meters and passed us‚ he was going so fast. And then what happened was he slipped and he fell. I didn't see it. My cousin saw it. He gave me a tap on the shoulder as we were running and he said‚ Greg fell. And we look back and Greg's tumbling head over heels‚ his feet flying everywhere. I can't say he ended up further down the hill than when he started but it seemed that way. I just looked him right in the eye and I remember saying‚ Greg fell. Greg's dead! And we left him. 100%. He never let us live it down. This was kinda like how scared we were. It wasn't like a funny thing‚ it was‚ we were running because we had no idea what was yelling at us and chasing us through the woods‚ up this already steep hill and we were already tired. So were pretty much running on adrenaline so we abandoned Greg to whatever the noise was.We head up the hill and we get to the top. Liam gets up first. Jeremy and I come up almost together. We were all dirty and a little bit cut up from running through the underbrush and things like that. We were out of breath and sweaty. We all turned to look for Greg. My father didn't know what was happening other than the fact that I think we were almost late. So we came out of the woods and he said‚ is everybody okay? And then we look back and he said‚ I heard somebody yell and I thought maybe somebody had twisted an ankle or he thought maybe broken a leg because of how guttural and loud the noise was. We didn't really say anything because we were still waiting for Greg or whatever made this noise to come out of the woods. So we stared back into the woods and then all of a sudden we heard some rustling and there was Greg. He comes out and he's got leaves in his hair and dirt and cut up. His eyes are still the size of grapefruits. He doesn't say anything. Dad kinda gives us a look and he said‚ What was the noise? We all looked at each other because we were surprised that he could hear it. The hill is so deep and so dense that if you walk 20 or 30 feet down the hill‚ and yell at the top of your lungs‚ the people at the top of the hill won't be able to hear you because the sound just bounces away from the... I don't know how the science behind it but you can't hear very well down the hill. We were not even halfway down the hill and he heard it clearly enough that he thought one of us got hurt he also said it sounded human enough that he would mistake it for one of us and he's a hunter‚ like a deer‚ moose the whole 9 yards. He would recognize if it was a standard animal sound. He wouldn't mistake it for humans. He heard what I call a roar. He heard that. The noise that scared us‚ is what he heard up the hill. Because we didn't really say anything. We didn't really scream. We were too busy sucking wind trying to get up the hill. We didn't have a lot of breath to communicate other than to agree to leave Greg behind. There wasn't much that was said. My father gets confused because he knows he shouldn't have been able to hear it down the hill. Also‚ I'll add that we made it back on time.So we made it up the hill in half the time it took us to get down the hill just running on adrenaline. So we weren't actually late getting back. So he's standing there and you could actually see the wheels turning in his head. He's trying to figure it out and he goes‚ Oh‚ okay‚ you know what‚ there's this other group of teenagers that are kicking around here somewhere. Maybe a few years older than us. He goes they were probably just screwing with you guys. At the time we were like Oh yeah‚ maybe that's what it was but as he's... as the words are leaving his mouth‚ the very group of teenagers he's talking about coming out of the side path that runs north to south so it's nowhere near the face of the hill that we were on and it goes out to this farmer's field that's 400 meters away or something like that and they are not connected and these kids are laughing and joking and there's no way they could have yelled from behind us and then got to the top of the hill and not been covered in sweat and exhausted or whatever. But they were just... they just came out of the side path and my dad kinda gives them a look and gives us a look and then nods and says everybody is gonna get in the van and start off back to town.We never really talked about it on the way back. Everybody just kinda watched the woods. You know‚ watched the trees go by as we drove home and so we never really talked about it until the next day and Greg was understandably a little upset at us the whole leaving him for dead thing but as we talked about it‚ we couldn't place the noise and as Greg made it up the hill he was pretty adamant that something was chasing us. It wasn't just like a warning yell. Whatever it was‚ we got out of the area and it was fine. He was pretty confident that something was chasing us. We all got the feeling... you know‚ you walk into your house and something's wrong‚ like the painting's twisted and you think oh there's somebody in the house. It's like that kinda sixth sense... like something is chasing me and if we stop moving something bad is gonna happen. So we all got that feeling of being chased up that hill.For years and years‚ it will come up. We'll all start talking again. We'll do our own little research and stuff. We'll do research and we'll try to pin what we heard to what is available on the internet but we can never quite place it. We have for years maintained that ever since the incident more or less we maintained that it was a Sasquatch or a Bigfoot. From what we researched on the internet‚ it's actually really hard to find noise files for that. A lot of it is hoots and whistles but there was one someone found a few years ago that sounded extremely similar. It's like a human yelling. Imagine an angry‚ huge human screaming at you‚ like 'The Mountain' from the Game of Thrones or whatever. It wasn't human it was humanoid or whatever. You could mistake it for someone but it was so loud that and like there was this weird octave or something. It didn't quite strike you as being just a guy yelling or a person yelling. It was just something more about it. I can't quite put my finger on it.” MMNOTE: There have been other possible Bigfoot encounters reported in the same area and in Pictou County‚ Nova Scotia. I was part of a habituation investigation in the area at around the same period that this incident occurred. In that instance‚ we were researching many sightings of a Bigfoot group that was living on and around a large farm. There was also UFO activity reported at the location. LonTrue UFO Accounts: From the Vaults of FATE MagazineEminent Discovery: Eminent Discovery‚ A Lifetime Of UFO ExperiencesSkinwalker Ranch: No TrespassingFor Nobody's Eyes Only: Missing Government Files and Hidden Archives That Document the Truth Behind the Most Enduring Conspiracy TheoriesWeird Winged Wonders: The Twilight World Of Cryptid CreaturesToward the Light: Rescuing Spirits‚ Trapped Souls‚ and Earthbound GhostsPowwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World (Pennsylvania German History and Culture)Energy Essentials for Witches and SpellcastersALIEN DISCLOSURE: EXPERIENCERS EXPOSE REALITY - AudiobookRegister a SNAP EBT CardTHE MEME HUMANOIDS: MODERN MYTHS OR REAL MONSTERS - AudiobookTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTFeel Free to Post PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS DIRECT LINKS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA &; WEBSITE. Thanks For Your Support!Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----CREEPY CHRISTMAS CHEER SHOW - Our Favorite Holiday Horrors! - LIVE - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)Thanks for spending the Holidays with Phantoms &; Monsters Radio! We present our annual 'Creepy Christmas Cheer Show' with our Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research team guests. This year we welcome Sean Forker‚ Bernadette McDaniel‚ Thomas Carroll‚ &; Kit Taylor. We are bringing together our favorite Creepy Christmas stories and reports for your listening pleasure. The chat will be open for LIVE discussion‚ comments‚ &; questions.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Team Riker: Division A-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSC2C's Strangest UFO Sightings of 2023SETI Scientists 'Speak' to Whale in Effort to Develop Ways to Communicate with ETsCHICAGO/LAKE MICHIGAN MOTHMAN UPDATE W/ TOBIAS WAYLAND - LIVE Chat - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARECecil Hotel: The Los Angeles Lodging With a History Marred By TragedyThe massive meteor shower that convinced people the world was endingPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2023 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

The witnesses were camping near Hovland‚ Minnesota when they observed a UFO while in a pickup truck. Then they hear a high-pitched scream that sends them running for cover.I received the following account:“I never figured out what it was. When I was 13 maybe 14 we were up in the boundary waters west of Hovland‚ Minnesota about 100 miles south of the Canadian border‚ somewhere in there. It was me‚ my long-time good friend‚ who was basically cousin/brother kinda‚ and my older brother. We were staying at a cabin. It was my dad's buddy's cabin. A couple other people showed up and we were short on space so we decided we were going to sleep in my dad's pickup box. The cabin was built on a hillside going down to the lake and we were kinda off the road down to the cabin.So we were laying in the back of the truck‚ kinda like where the driveway would be for the cabin and it's all hillside on either side and it's all wooded trees right down to the road‚ thick thich trees. And‚ it was late‚ it was closer to one or two in the morning and we were just lying there talking‚ telling stories‚ trying to fall asleep. And it was really weird. We were just laying there looking up at the stars and up north you can see everything in the sky. It was like a small black dot started getting bigger and bigger and bigger in diameter until it basically blocked out all the stars and my brother's like‚ 'Holy crap‚ do you see that?' And I said‚ 'Yeah‚ I'm looking at it right now‚ you know!?!' My friend was like‚ 'Oh‚ whatever‚ you know?'Off to our left‚ it was crazy‚ it was a really weird high-pitched scream that actually can't explain what it was. It stayed for about two seconds and then stopped. Everybody kinda froze‚ stopped talking‚ like‚ 'What was that?' And by the time we asked what was‚ it did it again. It was almost like it was touching the front passenger mirror in my dad's truck and at that point everybody was barrelling inside‚ to get inside the cabin.I'm a pretty avid outdoorsman‚ I'm out quite a bit of time. I hunt‚ I fish and I've never heard that sound before. It wasn't an owl. It sounded like a bird kinda but it was really really high-pitched. There's no one up there for miles." DTrue UFO Accounts: From the Vaults of FATE MagazineEminent Discovery: Eminent Discovery‚ A Lifetime Of UFO ExperiencesSkinwalker Ranch: No TrespassingFor Nobody's Eyes Only: Missing Government Files and Hidden Archives That Document the Truth Behind the Most Enduring Conspiracy TheoriesWeird Winged Wonders: The Twilight World Of Cryptid CreaturesToward the Light: Rescuing Spirits‚ Trapped Souls‚ and Earthbound GhostsPowwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World (Pennsylvania German History and Culture)Energy Essentials for Witches and SpellcastersALIEN DISCLOSURE: EXPERIENCERS EXPOSE REALITY - AudiobookRegister a SNAP EBT CardTHE MEME HUMANOIDS: MODERN MYTHS OR REAL MONSTERS - AudiobookTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTFeel Free to Post PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS DIRECT LINKS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA &; WEBSITE. Thanks For Your Support!Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----CREEPY CHRISTMAS CHEER SHOW - Our Favorite Holiday Horrors! - LIVE - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)Thanks for spending the Holidays with Phantoms &; Monsters Radio! We present our annual 'Creepy Christmas Cheer Show' with our Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research team guests. This year we welcome Sean Forker‚ Bernadette McDaniel‚ Thomas Carroll‚ &; Kit Taylor. We are bringing together our favorite Creepy Christmas stories and reports for your listening pleasure. The chat will be open for LIVE discussion‚ comments‚ &; questions.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Team Riker: Division A-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSC2C's Strangest UFO Sightings of 2023SETI Scientists 'Speak' to Whale in Effort to Develop Ways to Communicate with ETsCHICAGO/LAKE MICHIGAN MOTHMAN UPDATE W/ TOBIAS WAYLAND - LIVE Chat - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARECecil Hotel: The Los Angeles Lodging With a History Marred By TragedyThe massive meteor shower that convinced people the world was endingPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2023 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

A Pennsylvania State Park worker encounters a bizarre-looking‚ greyish-olive-colored skin‚ very thin humanoid one night while exploring a dilapidated cabin.I received the following account:"In 1999 I was working at Caledonia State Park in South Central Pennsylvania and got to know the back areas of it pretty well; the areas most tourists do not get to see. Approximately one mile from the park on a long all-dirt road was a large clearing in the woods which was cleared for powerlines and gas well use. Once you got to that spot you would have to walk down a long hill until you came to an old abandoned trail. If you followed this trial it would take you deep into the forest.One day I followed it and found that it led to an old dilapidated cabin (not on the park cabin records) and it looked like it hadn't been used for many decades. Even though it was daylight I still got this creepy feeling like I shouldn't be there and worse‚ that something was watching every move I made.A few weeks later‚ while I was off-duty‚ two of my friends and I were just out driving around enjoying the summer night‚ and since I knew all the back roads I was taking them on kind of a tour (Note: none of these roads are off limits or secret so I wasn't breaking any rules). Other than that mysterious cabin the park hasn't any secrets. About 11:00 pm I came to that familiar clearing and I mentioned something about the old cabin. Being a brave soul I talked them into letting me show them the cabin‚ so I grabbed my flashlight and we took off down the hill and onto the path that led to the cabin.I took the lead and we walked halfway when all of a sudden my light flashed on something on the right side of the path. Almost immediately I stopped and said‚ "Did you just see that" to which they responded‚ "See what?" As I panned the light back to the right side of the road I said‚ "THAT!" There standing by a tree was a creature only seen in sci-fi movies. It had a greyish olive-colored skin and was very thin in its extremities. The calves and forearm muscles were very large as well as the chest. The face was the strangest thing since it had the typical alien grey head shape but there was no mouth. It had a nose that was long and thin but not longer than its "chin." The eyes had a reddish gleam in the light but not the size of most reported aliens...very small even by human standards. I hate to make this reference for fear of questioning my sanity but my best description was like what the 'Goons' looked like in the Popeye cartoon. It leans oddly against the tree as if you were leaning on an armchair with only one arm. To make another TV show reference but like the 'Fonz' would lean on the jukebox on 'Happy Days' (minus the legs being crossed).Immediately everyone wanted to leave but as we turned my flashlight went out. My friends told me to quit messing with them and turn the light back on to which I informed them that I wasn't messing with them and to keep moving now that I was at the back of the group. I frantically continued to beat on my flashlight trying to get it to work again. As soon as it came back on I immediately swiveled back around to shine it behind us. The creature had moved up significantly and now was on the left side. We hurried to the clearing and once we got back up the hill and to the main dirt road things got worse. Out of the woods we had just come through was this high-pitched blood-curdling screeching noise which‚ after it started‚ others started to 'answer' back from the other side of the clearing.I had been in the woods all my life and had my degree from Penn State in wildlife management means I've heard a lot of noises in the wild‚ but have never heard that sound before. I know it wasn't any kind of owl or bobcat‚ bear‚ bird‚ or porcupine. You get the drift.Months went by without incident‚ other than not being able to shake that "I'm watching you" feeling. I was to the point of feeling like I was being stalked. One night I went to get something from my truck when I looked into the woods and saw those reddish glowing eyes staring at me in the shadows. I immediately ran into the house and grabbed my biggest knife (I'm not a gun guy) to which my Dad asked me what I was doing. I told him I was tired of feeling 'stalked' and was going to face this thing. He told me he was coming with me (but all along I knew he never truly believed me or my encounter). When we got outside he nonchalantly asked‚ "Ok‚ where did you see this thing?" and I pointed to the spot to which he directed his flashlight. Much to his disbelief there it was and as soon as the light hit it tore off deep into the woods. My Dad‚ an ex-Marine who served proudly during Vietnam‚ yelled at me to get back into the house with fear...FEAR in his voice.To this day it still creeps me out telling this encounter and my hands shake even while typing while recalling it all. I am now in my 30s with a wife and kids‚ and we live not far from the State Park. But even now‚ when I go outside at night‚ I still feel watched to the point that when I get a really strong feeling my wife won't let me leave the house without her.Just as a side note‚ for the first 5 years of our relationship‚ she too would catch sight of this creature‚ but mostly as it was going into the shadows. As a further note‚ if anyone is questioning it‚ there were no drugs or alcohol or any other substance involved during this or any other encounter I have had." BTrue UFO Accounts: From the Vaults of FATE MagazineEminent Discovery: Eminent Discovery‚ A Lifetime Of UFO ExperiencesSkinwalker Ranch: No TrespassingFor Nobody's Eyes Only: Missing Government Files and Hidden Archives That Document the Truth Behind the Most Enduring Conspiracy TheoriesWeird Winged Wonders: The Twilight World Of Cryptid CreaturesToward the Light: Rescuing Spirits‚ Trapped Souls‚ and Earthbound GhostsPowwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World (Pennsylvania German History and Culture)Energy Essentials for Witches and SpellcastersALIEN DISCLOSURE: EXPERIENCERS EXPOSE REALITY - AudiobookRegister a SNAP EBT CardTHE MEME HUMANOIDS: MODERN MYTHS OR REAL MONSTERS - AudiobookTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTFeel Free to Post PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS DIRECT LINKS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA &; WEBSITE. Thanks For Your Support!Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----CREEPY CHRISTMAS CHEER SHOW - Our Favorite Holiday Horrors! - LIVE - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)Thanks for spending the Holidays with Phantoms &; Monsters Radio! We present our annual 'Creepy Christmas Cheer Show' with our Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research team guests. This year we welcome Sean Forker‚ Bernadette McDaniel‚ Thomas Carroll‚ &; Kit Taylor. We are bringing together our favorite Creepy Christmas stories and reports for your listening pleasure. The chat will be open for LIVE discussion‚ comments‚ &; questions.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Team Riker: Division A-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSC2C's Strangest UFO Sightings of 2023SETI Scientists 'Speak' to Whale in Effort to Develop Ways to Communicate with ETsCHICAGO/LAKE MICHIGAN MOTHMAN UPDATE W/ TOBIAS WAYLAND - LIVE Chat - JOIN US! Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARECecil Hotel: The Los Angeles Lodging With a History Marred By TragedyThe massive meteor shower that convinced people the world was endingPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2023 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

If you grew up in the 80s as a teen‚ chances are you were a pretty big fan of Mötley Crüe. The band was formed in Los Angeles‚ California‚ in 1981. These guys were all over MTV during the mid-1980s. Throughout their career‚ they have released nine studio albums‚ several compilations‚ and live albums. Mötley Crüe has undergone various line-up changes‚ with bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee being constant members. The band initially rose to fame with its debut album Too Fast for Love in 1981 and subsequently achieved massive success with Shout at the Devil in 1983. The post Complete List Of Mötley Crüe Band Members appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

There’s a small town in Wyoming where the people are outnumbered; by animals‚ by trees‚ and even by snowmen. It was back in July when snow was equal distance a hope and a memory that Pauline Parker of Burlington‚ Wyoming began making personalized snowmen for everyone in her town. Painted onto wood to ensure they […] The post Woman Brings Joy to Wyoming Town by Creating Hundreds of Personalized Snowmen (Video) appeared first on Good News Network.

Who’s ready to go hang out in virtual reality? Deadline reports that there’s a series adaptation of Tad Williams’ four-book Otherland series in the works—and it has a pretty impressive roster of SFF-experienced folks behind the scenes. The Wheel of Time executive producer Mike Weber and Platige Image‚ the studio behind The Witcher‚ are among those developing Williams’ “epic cyberpunk-fantasy adventure.” It’s interesting that this is the Tad Williams work in development‚ and not his Memory‚ Sorrow‚ and Thorn trilogy‚ which Samuel Chapman described as “the natural successor to Game of Thrones.” But we are in a fantasy boom‚ and given that the Otherland books bridge fantasy and technology‚ perhaps this seems like the practical next big thing‚ a crossing point between Westworld and Westeros. Here is the (very long!) synopsis of City of Golden Shadow‚ the first Otherland book: Otherland. Surrounded by secrecy‚ it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. Incredible amounts of money have been lavished on it. The best minds of two generations have labored to build it. And somehow‚ bit by bit‚ it is claiming the Earth’s most valuable resource—its children. Only a few have become aware of the danger. Fewer still are willing or able to take up the challenge of this perilous and seductive realm. But every age has its heroes‚ and unusual times call for unusual champions: Renie Sulaweyo‚ a teacher and the backbone of her family‚ proud of her African heritage‚ has fought all her life simply to get by. She has never wanted to be a hero. But when her young brother is struck down by a bizarre and mysterious illness‚ Renie swears to save him. When people around her begin to die‚ she realizes she has stumbled onto something she is not meant to know‚ a terrifying secret from which there is no turning back. !Xabbu is a Bushman‚ come to the city to learn skills which may save the spirit of his tribe. With the heart of a poet and the soul of a shaman‚ he will journey with Renie on this quest into the very heart of darkness. Paul Jonas is lost‚ seemingly adrift in space and time. As he flees from the bloody battlefields of World War I to a castle in the sky‚ and onward to lands beyond imagining‚ he must not only evade his terrifying pursuers‚ but solve the terrible riddle of his own identity. Fourteen-year-old Orlando is also the invincible barbarian Thargorm‚ but only in his imagination. However‚ youth and frailty are not enough to get you excused from saving the world. And Mister Sellars‚ a strange old man on a military base‚ a prisoner of both the government and his own body‚ may be the greatest mystery of all. Is he part of The Grail Brotherhood? Does he oppose them? Or‚ as he sits like a spider at the center of a vast web‚ does he have ambitions of his own? The answers will only be found in Otherland. Weber told Deadline‚ “I believe Tad has written the definitive work on the conflict between the human experience and technological advancements. He depicts a not-so-distant future where the choice between living in the real or the virtual world becomes a choice between life or death. The prescient themes and fantastic characters give Otherland all the foundations of a next-level sci-fi drama series adaptation.” The producers are “in the process of interviewing writers/showrunners‚” so presumably there will be more news on Otherland soon.  

There’s something inherently creepy about Santa: he’s always watching‚ even when you can’t see him. He has the power to make definitive judgment calls on whether someone has been “naughty” or “nice‚” then punish or reward them accordingly. He sneaks into people’s houses while they’re sleeping. It’s not that big of a leap from “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” to “there’s a stranger in my house and I’m terrified.” In Jo Gibson’s Slay Bells (1994) and D.E. Athkins’ Secret Santa (2001)‚ groups of young adults find themselves trapped with murderous Santas and instead of telling him what they want for Christmas‚ they instead have to make the case for why he shouldn’t kill them all.  In Slay Bells‚ a group of college students are spending their holiday break working at the brand new Crossroads Mall in rural Minnesota. Rather than being located in a populated area‚ the developers chose to situate the mall equidistant from three nearby towns: Prairie Falls‚ Portersville‚ and Two Rivers. While this (presumably) makes for easy access to a greater number of shoppers‚ it also means that the mall itself is geographically isolated‚ not particularly close to anything else at all. They’re still expecting a great turnout for the mall’s festive grand opening‚ complete with Santa‚ prancing elves‚ a giant tree‚ complimentary gifts for all the children‚ and a grand prize drawing for a pair of zippy snowmobiles … until the blizzard of the century blows in‚ cutting Crossroads Mall off from the outside world. There are dozens of employees readying for the mall’s opening day and just a handful of four wheel drive vehicles capable of conquering the snow‚ and once people have been matched up with appropriate transportation to get them home‚ a handful of college students are stranded in the mall‚ battening the hatches and waiting out the storm. But there are worse places to be stuck‚ right? There’s food and water‚ heat‚ protection from the elements‚ even entertainment in the movie theatre and a bunch of beds to choose from in the furniture store.  But there’s also one very angry Santa and he knows who’s been good and who’s been bad. This Santa has a very personal vendetta against the mall and its developers‚ which stands on land that had once been his family’s farm. He is initially bitter and heartbroken‚ but as he listens to the lyrics of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” playing over the mall’s loudspeaker‚ he finds himself thinking that “He’d never really noticed it before‚ but the Santa in the song was vengeful. The first line was a warning. You better watch out. It sent a clear message to everyone who listened. Santa would get you if you weren’t good” (364‚ emphasis original). When the snowstorm comes‚ Santa finds himself in the mall with several people that‚ by his subjective estimation‚ have been very naughty‚ and he has the chance to make them pay.  The trapped students are an interesting group‚ with lots of complicated dynamics and contentious shared histories. Nice girl Diana has a crush on Jay‚ but Jay’s ex-girlfriend Heather—who dumped him when he lost the starting quarterback spot on the football team—wants him back too‚ now that Jay’s recovered‚ regained his starting position‚ and is Mr. Popular again. Jay is Diana’s roommate Cindy’s older brother and while Cindy has a tough girl vibe‚ she’s really a kitten-rescuing softie.  Larry is Jay’s best friend and roommate‚ and while he’s a pretty nice guy‚ he has a mean competitive streak. Dave’s dad owns the Crossroads Pub and has told them to help themselves. Hal’s a quiet loner and Sue’s main motivations are directing the elf prancing line and pining for her boyfriend Ronnie‚ who she thinks just might propose this Christmas (though to be fair‚ since she dies first‚ there’s not much time for other motivation or characterization to develop). They all know each other from school and their overlapping social circles‚ but a wild card is thrown into the mix with the arrival of the local newstation’s camera operator Paul‚ who was there shooting a segment about the mall’s grand opening‚ left with the news station team‚ then came back through the snow because he thinks their snowbound story will make for good television … and because he has a crush on Cindy.  Things start out pretty holly and jolly‚ with some laughs and beers at the Crossroads Pub. But Sue got a mysterious present from Santa under the mall’s massive Christmas tree‚ telling her that “You better watch out; you better not cry” (382‚ emphasis original). And Sue really doesn’t have much of a chance to cry at all when she wanders out into the snowstorm to see if Ronnie’s coming to get her‚ and Santa pushes a heavy planter off of an overhang and right onto Sue’s head. Throughout the book‚ Gibson gives readers glimpses of Santa’s perspective and motivations‚ and it turns out that Sue’s unforgivable crime was canvassing local residents to solicit donations for a children’s play area at the mall. Grandpa made a pledge to pay installments‚ forgot about it‚ and the debt ended up in collections‚ which certainly didn’t help the farm’s precarious financial position. Sue hasn’t even been intentionally “naughty”: as Santa muses‚ “She was totally oblivious to the bad things she’d done‚ but that didn’t matter. The net result was the same. She’d cheated him out of money that should have been his‚ and it had gone to the very mall that had robbed him of his land” (377-8). The others’ transgressions include being rude to his grandmother‚ being dismissive of his grandmother’s prize-winning strawberry jam recipe‚ sabotaging his grandfather’s fishing tackle to win a competition‚ and asking his grandmother to donate pies for a fundraiser and then selling the pies for an insultingly low price. He’s also pretty mad at the fountain‚ which is all that remains of the now-dammed up stream where he and his grandfather used to fish‚ but you can’t get revenge on a fountain—or a mall‚ for that matter—so he has to settle for picking the others off one by one.  Santa’s got plenty of time though‚ because they end up stuck in the mall for several days. This raises some thought-provoking questions about the accessibility of the mall‚ the local emergency support services‚ and why no one ever came back in one of those four wheel drives to get any of them (or even check on them to make sure they’re okay)‚ but that’s neither here nor there. They do their best to have a good time: they drink in the pub‚ check out the selections at the movie theater‚ hit up the bowling alley‚ and dress up in fancy clothes from one of the expensive boutiques and have dinner at the mall’s nicest restaurant (which is easy to do because all of the entrees are frozen and just need heated up‚ a questionable gourmet standard). There’s plenty of flirting and romantic intrigue. It kind of puts a damper on the fun when people keep getting murdered though. Dave gets electrocuted‚ Larry gets stabbed by a shard of shattered plate glass window‚ Heather plummets to her death in a sabotaged elevator. While the first few murders are staged as accidents‚ the trapped group eventually comes to the conclusion that the murderer must be one of them‚ and‚ in all likelihood‚ someone they’ve known for years and never suspected capable of such violence‚ though new guy Paul frequently makes his way toward the top of the suspect list (what do they really know about him anyway?) and it’s always possible that someone else either hid when the mall closed or wandered in from the storm.  When Hal is revealed as the secret Santa‚ it turns out that the others knew that his grandparents had previously owned the land and that Hal hates the mall‚ which has remained a completely overlooked and undiscussed motive despite multiple conversations about who might be doing this and why. It also turns out that the grand prize snowmobiles in the middle of the mall have been gassed up and ready to go this whole time‚ which at least two of the characters knew about and simply forgot‚ even when escape began to to look like a life-or-death proposition. All things considered‚ it’s a wonder that so many of them survived for as long as they did. When Hal’s secret is discovered‚ he starts shooting at everyone‚ then falls to his death by leaning on a railing he loosened to facilitate the next “accident‚” as the conveniently romantically-paired survivors (Diana and Jay‚ Cindy and Paul) flee to safety.  In D.E. Athkins’ Secret Santa‚ the characters find themselves in another fish-in-a-barrel type situation‚ though in this case they are on a private island off the coast of Georgia rather than in a snowbound Minnesota mall. Memorably named mean girl Djuna Dufarge throws a wild and emotionally traumatizing holiday party every year: super exclusive guest list‚ always several days long and in an isolated location from which there is no escape‚ and with the extra added pressure of bringing several Secret Santa gifts without knowing who the recipient will be until you get there. And despite all of these horrific downsides‚ Djuna’s classmates are desperate to be invited.  Like Slay Bells‚ the guest list here is small‚ exclusive‚ and complicated: aside from Djuna herself‚ there’s Djuna’s best friend Barnett‚ a stoic and potentially traumatized Goth girl sidekick who never gets the backstory she deserves. Djuna’s ex-boyfriend Jeremy is invited‚ along with his perky new cheerleader girlfriend Kip. New girl Cleo and flirty boy-next-door Grant score invites‚ along with Pammi‚ who pretends she’s a boy-crazy airhead but is secretly brilliant (though still boy-crazy). Barnett’s ex-boyfriend Neal is invited‚ suggesting that even Djuna’s best friend isn’t exempted from her emotional manipulation and abuse; Cleo also has a strong emotional reaction to Neal‚ who reminds her of her abusive ex-boyfriend Dan. The group is rounded out by the people who maintain the house and island: two handsome‚ mysterious young men named Tuck and Teddy‚ and the housekeeper Mrs. West‚ who is Teddy’s stepmother and Tuck’s aunt. Their family used to own the island before they sold it to Djuna’s family‚ which seems to be a source of sublimated tension‚ complicated by the fact that Djuna‚ Tuck‚ and Teddy grew up together on the island and have been companions (if not exactly friends) for almost their entire lives.  There are plenty of dangers to contend with on the island‚ including sheer cliff faces‚ tunnels that fill with water when the high tide comes in‚ and hostile weather conditions when a storm blows in‚ making it impossible for them to leave the island. There’s maybe a pirate-dog ghost that howls in the night and Grant is oddly preoccupied with whether or not there are sharks‚ even though it’s too cold to swim and no one goes anywhere near the water. Barnett somehow cuts her hand on a Christmas tree ornament rigged with a razorblade. They draw their Secret Santa names and when the first mysterious gift is bestowed‚ Kip gets a dismembered cheerleader doll‚ floating in an odd and disgusting mix of mystery goo and dead bird. Fa la la la la.  Secret Santa is full of unexplored nooks and crannies. There’s a lot more going on with Barnett than meets the eye‚ but Athkins doesn’t give us many clues as to what that might be. Ditto with Cleo’s back story‚ including where she came from‚ how she’s settling in in her new hometown (bizarre Christmas party aside)‚ and her relationship with Dan‚ which is alluded to several times in her responses to Neal‚ but rarely directly addressed. Grant seems nice enough‚ but is also mysterious and perhaps a bit of a lothario‚ though we never see enough of him to know for sure. Jeremy and Kip seem to like each other and Jeremy says he’s over Djuna‚ but on more than one occasion‚ when something goes awry‚ Jeremy and Kip aren’t in the same place at the same time. Kip maybe has mysterious psychic powers‚ though when Kip has a premonition-related fainting spell‚ the others shrug it off‚ with Djuna saying “She gets like this … Everyone knows about Kip” (82).  Barnett disappears one night and between her being nowhere in the house‚ the door locked from the inside‚ and the storm raging outside‚ the others fear the worst. Since Neal is the top suspect in Barnett-related foul play‚ he is confined to his room with one of his peers assigned to watch him at all times: first Grant‚ then Pammi. When Neal and Pammi disappear‚ Djuna is forced to admit that she and Barnett had been playing a joke on the others‚ with Barnett planning to hide in the boat house until they were all good and freaked out. But now Barnett is actually missing too‚ along with Neal and Pammi. The lights go out‚ the group splits up‚ and mayhem (of course) ensues.  Djuna tells Cleo and Kip that they need to trust her and follow Djuna out into the darkness and then down into a creepy cave‚ with the high tide coming in and no way out once Djuna pulls the ladder‚ insisting that this is the “one place where I know you’ll be safe” (130). The cave is already occupied‚ as they explore an even darker offshoot from the main cave and find Barnett‚ Neal‚ and Pammi. After unsuccessfully searching for the others‚ Djuna joins them in the cave and when Teddy follows her‚ she pegs him as the culprit behind everything‚ telling the others “There’s your Psycho Santa … Twisted little Teddy. Never right since his daddy died. Blames me for it‚ don’t you‚ Teddy?” (142). Teddy’s father died after rescuing six-year-old Djuna from the cave‚ only to be killed himself when some of the earth fell in. While Teddy admits that he holds Djuna responsible for his father’s death and “I guess I always will” (143)‚ he denies having anything to do with the horrors taking place on the island. And he’s telling the truth.  Much like Slay Bells’ Hal attempts to get revenge for the wrongs committed against his grandparents‚ Mrs. West blames Djuna for her husband’s death‚ the family’s loss of the island‚ and the life of happiness‚ travel‚ and leisure that she believes should have been theirs‚ if only Djuna’s family hadn’t come along and ruined everything. As Mrs. West looks down into the cave at Djuna and her friends‚ she asks Djuna “what did I have after that?” (145). Other than catering to Djuna’s family’s needs‚ Mrs. West has nothing and therefore‚ nothing to lose. When she offers Teddy the chance to climb the ladder to safety‚ however‚ Teddy yanks on the ladder‚ causing his stepmother to fall and giving the others the chance to scramble to safety before the tide comes in. Teddy chooses to do what is right rather than get vengeance for his father’s death or buy into his stepmother’s dream of punishing Djuna‚ and they all make it home for Christmas (except for Mrs. West‚ who’s headed for jail).  With scary Santas lurking about‚ here are a few holiday survival tips: Always have an escape route and avoid holiday plans and parties that will leave you stranded‚ with no way out. Whenever possible‚ avoid spending the holidays with someone who may want to kill you. Be extra careful when opening gifts from anonymous gifters: it could be a song lyric or a dismembered doll‚ but either way‚ it probably won’t be good. Lock the doors‚ block the chimneys‚ and be good for goodness sake. Alissa Burger is an associate professor at Culver-Stockton College in Canton‚ Missouri. She writes about horror‚ queer representation in literature and popular culture‚ graphic novels‚ and Stephen King. She loves yoga‚ cats‚ and cheese.

The abrupt twists and turns of the narrative of the last three movies in Star Wars’ The Skywalker Saga (The Force Awakens‚ The Last Jedi‚ and The Rise of Skywalker) saw Kylo Ren (fka Ben Solo) take a turn toward the light. According to Adam Driver‚ however‚ that arc was not what was laid out to him when he signed up to play the character. Driver was recently a guest on the podcast‚ The Rich Eisen Show (via Entertainment Weekly)‚ where he shared that Kylo was meant to start out as “the most confused and vulnerable‚ and by the end of the three movies‚ he would be the most committed to the dark side.” That grimmer arc was originally shared with him by J.J. Abrams‚ who directed the first film and stepped in to direct the third film when director Colin Trevorrow left after creative differences. “I had an overall arc in mind that [Abrams] wanted to do‚ which‚ you know‚ then changed‚” Driver said. “His idea was that [Kylo’s] journey was almost the opposite of Vader. Where Vader starts the most confident and the most committed to the dark side and then by the last movie he’s the most vulnerable and weak—he wanted to start with the opposite.” The shift happened with the direction Rian Johnson took in The Last Jedi (a.k.a. the best film in that trilogy)‚ which Driver said “still tracked with the character.” Driver kept Abrams’ original guidance in mind‚ however‚ and focused on that even when things changed. “[The Rise of Skywalker] changed into being about them and the dyad and things like that—and kind of evolving into Ben Solo‚” Driver added. “That was never a part of it. He was Ben Solo from the beginning‚ but it was never a version where we’d actually see Ben Solo when I first signed up.” All things Star Wars are now available to stream on Disney+.

To say I consumed this book isn’t accurate—instead‚ this book consumed me. I read it from cover to cover onboard a flight that raced the sunset; outside the window‚ the light of the world kept pushing back against the inevitable‚ encroaching dark. Within the pages of their newest novel‚ Ava Reid has written several brilliant‚ haunted individuals‚ adrift and seeking answers‚ all of which can only be found in a home built for darkness. This is a story about stories—who tells them‚ and who they’re about; if the tellers are telling the truth‚ and if the subjects can ever have power over the tellers. And what power lies within the reader’s hands? When you are witness to a beautiful lie‚ do you have an obligation to find the truth? Reid grapples with these questions of art and artistry‚ legacy and literature‚ love and power‚ abuse and survival‚ and so much more in their dazzling novel‚ A Study in Drowning. Effy Sayre is a young student in the college for architecture‚ as the university doesn’t allow women to enroll in their literary program. Belittled by many of the students around her‚ mostly male‚ haunted by visions of a character from her favorite book Angharad‚ and desperate to escape both‚ Effy believes she’s found it when she enters and wins a contest to redesign the ancestral home of Emrys Myrddin‚ the beloved and mysterious author of Angharad. Arriving at Hiraeth Manor‚ she can’t help but notice all the danger that abounds and riddles with no answers: There are no mirrors within this home; the sea threatens at the edge of the storm-wracked cliffs; Emrys’ son looks at her with a hunger that makes her stomach turn; and there is another student within the Manor. An academic rival who is determined to prove that Emrys Myrddin was a fraud‚ Preston Héloury becomes a splinter beneath Effy’s very heart. But as the two grow close‚ despite their best intentions‚ they begin to unravel the true mystery of Myrddin and Angharad‚ the truths of Effy’s childhood and her haunting visions‚ and the decrepit foundation upon which the Manor‚ and Myrddin’s life‚ was built. Buy it Now Whether it’s before‚ during‚ or after reading this excellent novel‚ I urge you‚ dear reader‚ to read this essay from Reid. I think you would find a lot in there to admire on its own‚ but having read it prior to reading A Study in Drowning‚ it gave me the proper scaffolding to embrace the book Reid put their whole heart into‚ their experiences acting as a foundation that only added to my own experience of this novel. More than that‚ it is a tremendous and vulnerable essay of Reid’s mental health history and journey‚ and the ways in which they shaped A Study in Drowning. As I read this novel‚ I found myself reflecting back on the essay they had written‚ which only made me appreciate the book more: A Study in Drowning‚ like all great art‚ becomes a time capsule for who we used to be‚ a story that‚ in the now‚ may be the very mirror another might need to see and find themselves in. And Reid holds nothing back‚ examining with brutal beauty how a young woman might contort herself‚ round and round‚ to keep herself safe from a world designed to make her feel lesser than‚ ashamed‚ hurt‚ and as small as possible. And‚ as a character towards the end of the novel aptly says‚ Reid stakes that that’s nothing to be ashamed of; in a story so centered around the idea of heroism‚ Reid asserts that in such a world‚ simply surviving‚ making one’s way through the horror and terror in a single piece‚ is absolutely enough. It casts the entire novel in a really incredible light‚ that even when Effy is at her lowest‚ when no one believes her and forces magical‚ mundane‚ and institutional threaten her in every conceivable way‚ even then‚ she picks herself up and keeps pushing. Forward‚ onward. Effy‚ at the end of everything‚ saves herself and it is beautiful. Along the way‚ Reid delivers in every possible fashion. Atmospheric‚ gothic prose‚ sentences of shadow and mist abutting against the glamour and pine of fae malice‚ pages dripping with the brine and salt of seawater and history. Amidst these landscapes‚ they give us a tender and honest slow-burn relationship between Effy and Preston‚ these two hungry young academics so eager for truth‚ each hoping to bring the other into their own worlds of warmth and wonder. And throughout it all‚ the building menace and tension as it all comes crashing together in a crescendo that had me holding my breath at 30‚000 feet. Ava Reid has quickly become an author whose every work I will read‚ no matter what. I know when I open a book they wrote‚ I will find everything I want as a reader‚ and in A Study in Drowning‚ they have once again delivered. From the prose to the characters‚ from the world to the mood‚ from page to page‚ I found only delight‚ joy‚ and an eagerness to see how it would all come together. If you’re looking for a good starting point for Ava Reid’s work‚ I couldn’t recommend A Study in Drowning highly enough. Then‚ once you’ve been blown away‚ go and read the rest of their work‚ too! A Study in Drowning is published by HarperTeen. Martin Cahill is a writer living in Queens who works as the Marketing and Publicity Manager for Erewhon Books. He has fiction work forthcoming in 2021 at Serial Box‚ as well as Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Fireside Fiction. Martin has also written book reviews and essays for Book Riot‚ Strange Horizons‚ and the Barnes and Noble SF&;F Blog. Follow him online at @mcflycahill90 and his new Substack newsletter‚ Weathervane‚ for thoughts on books‚ gaming‚ and other wonderfully nerdy whatnots.

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