Published earlier this month was Loren Coleman's new book Mothman: Evil Incarnate. The book is marketed as "the unauthorized companion to The Mothman Prophecies," that being John Keel's classic 1975 book on the same subject. I got the book today as a Christmas gift, directly from Coleman's museum and signed by him, numbered out of the 100 he personalized for pre-orders before the release.
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| With Loren Coleman at, coincidentally, the Mothman Festival, 2016 |
Coleman doesn't look at the actual sightings of Mothman in this book as much as he looks at the people who were involved and the effects the activity and sightings had on them. Howeer, he does start off by dedicating a chapter to the 2017 "Chicago Mothman" sightings, of which there have (supposedly) been over 50. Some reviewers of this new book have said that Coleman "stole" the information on the 2017 sightings from Lon Strickler (who has been collecting and publishing them), but that is not the case. Coleman properly credits Strickler in his book.
The other chapters in Mothman: Evil Incarnate are dedicated to different aspects of the history of the mystery. The life of John A. Keel, author of The Mothman Prophecies, is focused on heavily. Next is Keel's book, and how it has influenced those interested in the Mothman. Coleman transitions from the book by discussing how it was decided to make it into a movie (which came out in 2002 and starred Richard Gere) and how that movie, of the same name as the book, effected the Mothman legend and brought new life to the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
A chapter I particularly liked was the one that focused on documentaries that have been made on the mystery of the Mothman. Coleman discusses some "TV show documentaries" that are just like every other show on the paranormal and unexplained, as well as the documentary that was included in the special edition of The Mothman Prophecies DVD which he and John Keel were interviewed for. Some other standalone docs are included too, such as Small Town Monsters' excellent The Mothman of Point Pleasant, which was released in the summer of 2017.
The actual book is only around 60 pages long (I read through it in a day), but Coleman also includes a gallery of photos dealing with the history of the Mothman, as well as notes on John Keel's 1975 book, and a "Mothman Death List" concerning deaths that may be related to the mystery of the flying monster.
If you are someone who is interested in the Mothman mystery, Coleman's other book Mothman and Other Curious Encounters would be a better book to read about the actual sightings of the creature. But, if you are interested in the history and the people involved, check out this unauthorized companion to The Mothman Prophecies.
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