Solving the Communion Enigma: What is to Come by Whitley Strieber, reviewed by BL Kennedy

Solving the Communion Enigma: What is to Come

Whitley Strieber

Penguin Group

New York, NY

216 pgs

$25.95

ISBN: 978-58542-917-2 

It has been a quarter of a century since I published Communion and the subsequent tow follow-on books, Transformation and Breakthrough. These books described a series of experiences that I had between 1985 and 1994, conventionally known as “close encounters of the third kind” or “alien abduction.”

But are they what they seem?

After the last of these books was published, the experiences continued for a number of years, and left me with discoveries that take matters far beyond the conventional assumptions.

In 1986, novelist Whitely Strieber knocked America off her feet by releasing a book titled Communion, which pretty much addressed a problem he was having with the abduction experience. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the abduction experience, which is a major part of contemporary UFO literature, well then, I have to consider you somewhat ill-informed.

In 1986, Strieber’s book Communion rocked the literary world. I mean, you really have to understand that here is a novelist of such books as Wolven and The Hunger, who all of a sudden releases a book about alien abduction, not as fiction, but as fact. In fact, on the dust jacket, it states “this is a true story”.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I ate Communion up. It was simply a nicely written book, and one that made me believe in the possibility of alien abductions. Since the time of that first publication, Strieber has written five other books addressing the subject. This latest book Solving the Communion Enigma: What is to Come, in my opinion, is absolutely the weakest of the lot.

There is nothing new in this book, nothing that you have not encountered before in abduction literature. It is just Whitely going on and on and on about the alien gardener. About visitations that you have heard so many times before. I’m sorry, but there come a time when you need a new gig. I really yearn for Whitley to return to writing fiction. This is just so much bullshit.

You know, recently, I made a trip to Roswell, New Mexico, and you couldn’t even bring up Whitely Strieber’s name to any learned ufoligist without being snickered at. And this is why. This latest book simply doesn’t deliver, and I cannot recommend it. But I will highly recommend Communion.

 It’s just that someone has to tell Whitely enough is enough, already. Stop taking us to space, and take us to your brilliant stories, Whitley. We enjoyed the ride.