Garrett reviewed 37th Parallel by Ben Mezrich
Review of '37th Parallel' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
idk man. it's ufos. what's not to like?
English language
Published Dec. 4, 2016 by Atria Books.
4 stars
(2 reviews)
"This real-life The X-Files and Close Encounters of the Third Kind tells the true story of a computer programmer who tracks paranormal events along a 3,000-mile stretch through the heart of America and is drawn deeper and deeper into a vast conspiracy. Like "Agent Mulder" of The X-Files, computer programmer and sheriff's deputy Zukowski is obsessed with tracking down UFO reports in Colorado. He would take the family with him on weekend trips to look for evidence of aliens. But this innocent hobby takes on a sinister urgency when Zukowski learns of mutilated livestock, and sees the bodies of dead horses and cattle--whose exsanguination is inexplicable by any known human or animal means. Along an expanse of land stretching across the southern borders of Utah, Colorado, and Kansas, Zukowski discovers multiple bizarre incidences of mutilations, and suddenly realizes that they cluster around the 37th Parallel or "UFO Highway." So begins …
"This real-life The X-Files and Close Encounters of the Third Kind tells the true story of a computer programmer who tracks paranormal events along a 3,000-mile stretch through the heart of America and is drawn deeper and deeper into a vast conspiracy. Like "Agent Mulder" of The X-Files, computer programmer and sheriff's deputy Zukowski is obsessed with tracking down UFO reports in Colorado. He would take the family with him on weekend trips to look for evidence of aliens. But this innocent hobby takes on a sinister urgency when Zukowski learns of mutilated livestock, and sees the bodies of dead horses and cattle--whose exsanguination is inexplicable by any known human or animal means. Along an expanse of land stretching across the southern borders of Utah, Colorado, and Kansas, Zukowski discovers multiple bizarre incidences of mutilations, and suddenly realizes that they cluster around the 37th Parallel or "UFO Highway." So begins an extraordinary and fascinating journey from El Paso and Rush, Colorado, to a mysterious space studies company and MUFON, from Roswell and Area 51 to the Pentagon and beyond; to underground secret military caverns and Indian sacred sites; beneath strange, unexplained lights in the sky and into corporations that obstruct and try to take over investigations. Inspiring and terrifying, this true story will keep you up at night, staring at the sky, and wondering if we really are alone ... and what could happen next"--
Doc Kinne reviewed 37th Parallel by Ben Mezrich
Review of '37th Parallel' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
The book - the writing, the story - was good. The subject matter was...out of this world. And not in a good sense.
Let's be very clear - this is a work of fiction. At best it can be said to be "inspired by real events." I think this is how the author, Ben Mezrich, does a lot of his writing. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing, but it can easily get you into trouble as we'll see. You have to realize that the conversations you're reading are not entirely real. (In this book, in fact, Mezrich admits he didn't even interview a major character - Bigelow - but made everything up based on published interviews and reports.)
Having said that, sometimes playing fast and loose with the facts can get you into trouble as I said. Offhandedly Mezrich mentions towards the end of the book that …
The book - the writing, the story - was good. The subject matter was...out of this world. And not in a good sense.
Let's be very clear - this is a work of fiction. At best it can be said to be "inspired by real events." I think this is how the author, Ben Mezrich, does a lot of his writing. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing, but it can easily get you into trouble as we'll see. You have to realize that the conversations you're reading are not entirely real. (In this book, in fact, Mezrich admits he didn't even interview a major character - Bigelow - but made everything up based on published interviews and reports.)
Having said that, sometimes playing fast and loose with the facts can get you into trouble as I said. Offhandedly Mezrich mentions towards the end of the book that Zukowski is a ham radio operator. However the FCC has no record of Zukowski having a license. There are a few possible explanations here. Zukowski is a pirate operator (nice for someone previously involved in law enforcement, even in the "volunteer" way he was), Mezrich doesn't know the difference between amateur radio, CB, or the "Family Radio Service," or Mezrich put it into the book because it "sounded cool." But if that sounded cool, how many other things sounded cool, or did Mezrich just get plain wrong?
Like I said, the book is good as long as you accept it as a work of fiction.
The book ends wondering what road Zukowski would go down after he "discovered" what he discovered. History tells us - into the arms of the "Travel Channel" and to trademarking his own nickname. Not exactly someone who at all took the world by storm.
Subjects
- Parapsychology
- Unidentified flying objects