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The Sysop's Bookshelf
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TITLE: Light Years, An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of
Eduard Meier.
AUTHOR: Gary Kinder
PUBLISHED BY: Atlantic Monthly Press
AT: New York, NY 1987
VIEWPOINT: Zetetic
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Reviewed by Bob Howard
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"Light Years" by Gary Kinder, Copyright 1987 by Gary Kinder and
Intercep, published by The Atlantic Monthly Press, A Morgan Entrekin
Book. An investigation into the extraterrestrial experiences of
Eduard Meier.
A readable book and one suggesting a lot of information, but as-
serting little. There is no hypothesis for continuing the investiga-
tion. There is no suggestion of someone else initiating contact with
the Pleidians, and of course there is the existing evidence that some
of the pictures were taken of models, which is glibly explained away.
The long and the short of this investigation is that, indepen-
dently of Mr. Kinder's journalistic research, other UFOlogists feel
the case is weak for Mr. Meier's contacts. What then of Mr. Kinder's
book, apparently underwritten in part by Intercep.
I don't have access to Mr. Kinder's notes, but I do wonder about
some of the assertions. For instance, on Pp 205-207, his quotes of
authorities lead one to believe that the 'beam ship' sounds are analog
or natural sounds as opposed to the sounds made by a digital
synthesizer. The inference being that all synthesizers are digital.
The contrary, however, is the case. Digital synthesizers are only
four - five years old. Analog synthesizers have existed since Bob
Moog invented the first commercially available unit in 1949. In fact
many companies are still manufacturing analog synthesizers.
I may be unduly picky but "... it's one thing to make something
that sounds like it and has those consistent and random oscillations
in it." smacks of an incomplete quote. Consistent and random are
diametrically opposed and I do wonder about their juxtaposition.
I am uncomfortable with the Author's Note on the last page of the
book where he tells the reader that although he said one thing in the
text of the book, actually something else is true.
The book is comfortably entertaining, lots of characters parade
through the manuscript, and we leave a solitary 'Billy' in his farm-
house at the conclusion, or should I say ending of the book.
As entertainment, "Light Years" is dandy, but as a document of
investigative reporting on UFO phenomena it does a disservice to the
serious UFO researcher and investigator, and isn't a definitive source
of information on the Meier case.
Bob Howard
(Note the opinions expressed in this book review are solely the
reviewers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Sysop or
this bulletin board.)