Angels and Aliens: UFO's and the Mythic Imagination

This part social history, part interpretive essay is a fascinating exploration that places the UFO firmly within the mythic tradition of Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly. As it blends the richly intellectual with the unavoidably sensational, Angels and Aliens gives a uniquely contemporary twist to the world of visionary experience.

YA-- In dealing with a subject as inherently out of the ordinary as ``Ufology,'' it might seem a daunting task to distinguish the more worthwhile books from the merely exploitative. In recent years some researchers have begun to focus their investigations, as Jung in the beginning suggested, on questions of psychology, culture, and myth. Thompson follows this bent. Neither disciple nor debunker, he presents a balanced and informative account of the subject. His book should be useful in satisfying YAs' curiosity, as he goes back to original reports, interviews, and historical context to tell the facts of famous UFO incidents. Against this reportorial backdrop, Thompson traces the development of the UFO ``believer'' subculture and the equally adamant opposition to it. He makes ancient myths come alive as he uses them to lend perspective and depth to various aspects of ufology; in doing so he enters what might be seen as ``new age'' territory, showing a sense of wonder and adventurousness tempered by a social concern. This book might even satisfy those who are seeking sensationalism, since UFOs are always rather strange, even when treated (as here) responsibly. Thompson does not provide any definitive answers, but for thoughtful readers, Angels and Aliens will be a treat.
- Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! A plane! A UFO! An angel! It's all of this and more, according to free-lancer Thompson (New Age magazine, etc.), whose debut book champions the view that flying saucers have soared to earth from ``mythic horizons and imaginal realms,'' and that the public's fascination with these pixilated objects is really ``a religious search to recover lost intimacy.'' As Thompson observes, most ufologists fall into two camps- -those who identify UFOs as alien spacecraft, and those who see them as psychic constructions. Thompson tries to straddle the divide--he says that UFOs may yet turn out to be technological hardware--but clearly his sympathies lie with those who consider saucers to be ``an idea at work in the world soul.'' As a result, the authorities he cites are usually psychologists or New Age-y scientists (Jung, Bateson) rather than engineers or private eyes. The argument zips along--this is great fun to read--but suffers from forced parallels (for instance, between UFOs and angels, an equation that glosses over the tawdriness of the former, the numinous nature of the latter) and awkward mythological explanations (UFOs as Proteus incarnate). Of much greater value is Thompson's exciting history of ufology, from the first modern sightings in 1947 through Whitley Strieber's bestselling confessions of the late 1980's. With stronger focus, this might have been the definitive story; instead, it is the first to trace all major strands in UFO research with intelligent, if sometimes wispy, analysis. Great for UFO buffs. Others will find the New Age stance weird, but, then again, as Thompson says, ``we're talking about UFOs after all. Nothing could be stranger....'' -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.