Will Storr vs. The Supernatural: One Man's Search for the Truth About Ghosts

Read Will Storr vs. The Supernatural: One Man's Search for the Truth About Ghosts Storyline:

Will Storr has done some seriously bizarre and otherworldly things over the course of his career as a journalist. But even spending an entire day with Ozzy Osbourne wasn't as frightening as when he agreed to follow Philadelphia "demonologist" Lou Gentile on his appointed rounds. Will Storr never believed in ghosts—but his healthy skepticism couldn't explain the strange lights and sounds he witnessed, and the weird behavior of the occupants of several allegedly haunted houses.
What resulted is a confirmed cynic's (and proud of it!) dedicated search for answers in a shadowy world of séances, mediums, devil worshippers—even the Vatican's chief exorcist. So get ready to confront the genuinely creepy along with the hilariously ridiculous in Will Storr vs. the Supernatural!
**From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Accompanying a self-described demonologist in Philadelphia for a magazine story, London journalist and self-described skeptic Storr quickly came face to face with evidence he couldn't dismiss-a close encounter with a poltergeist ("something had touched me, hard enough to launch me to my feet") and a divination aficionado who may very well have been possessed. In the account that follows, Storr takes readers into some of the more disturbing and disturbed corners of modern ghost-hunting, whipping up a chilling, funny, thought-provoking page-turner. With great care and greater humor, Storr accompanies paranormal investigators famous and obscure, ghost hunting clubs and perplexed homeowners, taking time to research famous cases and discuss his findings with the experts, as well as the witnesses and victims of hauntings. The evidence he finds-from orbs of light that dance on-camera to spectral voices recorded on tape to seemingly possessed individuals-proves only slightly more fascinating than the folks who pursue it, a grand collection of kooks, swindlers, skeptics and true believers. Storr grapples mightily with the unknown, and though his consideration of the slippery nature of reality and the mystery of death is fascinating, it never overwhelms the narrative; indeed, Storr wisely gives the best lines to his subjects, recording them faithfully at their most profound (quoth one famous, long-practicing investigator, "I'm not sure what reality is anymore") as well as their most nonsensical (a haunted house-sitter spends his time performing "experiments where I pretend I'm slapping someone," in the hopes he'll one day do the haunting). Covering an impressive range of modern ghostly phenomenon-including a hilarious visit to the popular British TV show Most Haunted-this is a fun, fascinating and at times frightening read for anyone with an interest in the supernatural.
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Review
“Funny, exciting, and strangely haunting.” (Jon Ronson, author of THEM)
“A ripping yarn that genuinely leaves you questioning how you view the world.” (The Guardian)
“Terrifying.” (InStyle UK)
“Storr’s intriguing stories will have you spellbound.” (Daily Record UK)
“Too funny to read in public, too scary to read on your own.” (Danny Wallace, author of YES MAN)
“Part Scooby-Doo, part The Exorcist, this is book a very amusing way to scare yourself stupid.” (The Independent on Sunday)
“Somehow Storr manages to be very funny one minute and seriously scary the next.” (Bookseller (London))
“Storr’s adventures will truly surprise even the most hard-nosed agnostics...Read this one in a well-lit room.” (Townsville Bulletin (Australia))
“Perfectly reasonable, ordinary citizens have what can only be described as eye-popping supernatural experiences.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
“...lively and sharply observed, creating an exhilarating mix of sly humor and shudders.” (St. Petersburg Times)
“No writer has a better way with the supernatural than Will Storr.” (Deborah Blum, author of Ghost Hunters: William James and the Scientific Search for Life After Death)