Book Review: Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown

Alright, so many people wanted me to write a review of this book. I thought I had done this, but I just realized that I didn't so here it is.

TITLE: Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown

AUTHOR: Ryan Buell and Stefan Petrucha

MY EAGERNESS: 10! I was super excited to this get book. I went to my local Chapters a week ahead of time, just to make sure that they were actually getting the book in stock so that I would have it the day it was released instead of waiting for it to be shipped. I wanted to support a new author, who I had actually met, with his first project.

MY EXPECTATIONS: I was expecting this book to be an in-depth look at season 1 of Paranormal State, to have a few personal stories and to show Ryan's views on what PRS does. I expected to see some of the reasons PRS chose the cases they chose and hear more about the process they went through.

MY REVIEW:  I can't say that this book met all the expectations I listed above, but I was definitely not disappointed at all. I expected an in-depth look at season 1, and I got that, and much more. While I wish the details of how each case was chosen was laid out a little better, the ones we did learn this about made perfect sense. The detail of the investigation process was adequate, but it left the curious person inside of me wanting a little more in that area.

The personal stories were there, as I hoped, but I was surprised just how much Ryan had opened himself up in this book. The emotion was evident all the way through the story, and I was happy to see that I could easily imagine the scenes and almost feel the emotions they were supposed to portray. I will admit that this book took me longer to read than most books, but this is actually a huge compliment considering the reason I kept having to stop reading was to digest the content, separate the emotions and process the huge life altering events the Ryan had experienced. I could always visualize what Ryan was feeling, which made me feel like I knew and understood him a little better by the end.

The explanations of terminology, experiments, evidence and devices was a surprise, but I really enjoyed them. Rather than just the usual * or footnote, the framed sections made the details easier to read. More often I forget to look at the footnotes because the indication happens in the middle of a sentence, this way there was no missing anything. I also loved the list of recommended reading at the end, a great help to those who are interested, but don't know where to start.

TO SUM IT UP:  To say this book was worth the read would be a total lie, this book is a MUST read. It's a must read for any Paranormal State fan, paranormal enthusiast, or even someone who is just mildly interested in learning a little bit more about what could be out there. This story is moving, and the personal battles between self, religion and societies views is inspiring and well written. To me, this book is about more than just the journey Ryan took to bring Paranormal State to TV, it's a small part of the journey he took to become who he is today.

MY RATING (1-10): A very pleased 8!

Now I really can't wait for Ryan's fiction work to come out.