Collecting the Paranormal–Beyond Strange Review

Rob and Trish MacGregor have been researching the paranormal for a long, long time.  In recent years, they’ve collected both their own experiences and those of their friends, acquaintances, and readers into a series of books, the latest of which is Beyond Strange (Crossroads Press, 2017).

 At first glance, a new reader could be forgiven for thinking that this book is simply a collection of stories, given chapter titles like “Spying on Aliens” and “Haunting Experiences.” Most of the tales included in Beyond Strange are new, leaving out the interesting-but-now-tired stories that usually account for a large portion of volumes like these.

Tomes full of unsubstantiated stories with no analysis or discussion have been on the shelves for decades, if not longer. In this day and age, anyone with a tale to tell can go online to Reddit and other sites and write up their experiences.  As a quick aside, I want to note that there is nothing at all wrong with this.  These books and subreddits are entertaining, often spooky, and usually worth your time. However, they hold little value to the investigator, to the reader whose curiosity goes beyond ‘what’ and asks ‘why?’

The MacGregors spend nearly as much time on their discussion of the stories as they do on the events themselves.  While the authors’ belief systems definitely influence their writing, they do their best to retain a level of objectivity when discussing the different tales.  They take the time to try and puzzle out why a ghost or spirit would stick around after death, or what the famous ‘electronic fog’ of the Bermuda Triangle may be.  I refer to it as discussion rather than analysis because the MacGregors approach the material as True Believers, rarely looking for mundane explanations for a story, staying firmly within the borders of the paranormal.  This is not a book for skeptics, but the authors do find connections and similarities within the fabric of these stories, categorizing them together and drawing lines between them.  If nothing else, Beyond Strange anecdotally shows trends within certain categories of paranormal reports.

That said, to the open-minded reader, there’s a lot to think about here—from remote viewing to reincarnation and everything in between.  They keep the tone light but serious, like a really good dinner conversation.  While it won’t change any minds, it’s definitely worth a look if you like your stories with a bit of thoughtful chatter. 3.5 Armchairs