Book Review: The Owlman and Others by Jon Downes


In 1976, sightings of a truly strange being began. Since that time, it has become known as the Owlman. The creature has been seen in Cornwall, England, an area that has also had many sightings of the sea monster called Morgawr and mystery cat reports.

Jon Downes, director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology covers all this and more in his book The Owlman and Others. The book follows his research into the subject and also focuses a lot on the "Wizard of the Western World," Tony "Doc" Shiels, who is a key player in the Owlman and Morgawr sagas.

Jon includes accounts of the Owlman, how it could be connected to Tony Shiels and/or witchcraft, sightings of Morgawr and photographs purporting to show it, and lots of other odd things that went on in the Cornwall area at the same time like ABCs, UFOs, and poltergeist activity. He also writes about some of the odd things that sometimes happen to investigators of the strange like "psychic backlash." Links to other Owlman-like flying monsters from around the world are discussed as well. Towards the end of the book, Jon focuses more on if the Owlman should even be labeled a "cryptid," or if if falls somewhere in forteana.

The Owlman and Others is a very good book, and if you are interested in the strange, check it out.


***SIDE NOTE***

Readers of TCZ will have noticed that posts are not as frequent as they usually are. While I do still have a lot of stuff I want to write about, I have been having internet problems since August and right now getting on the computer at home and doing this just won't work. So I'm doing this on a laptop right now, but I can't do that all the time. But I might try to get a post up tomorrow too. And to all readers - thanks.

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