Another image torn freshly bleeding from the pages of the upcoming Zombies from History: A Hunter’s Guide, the all-in-one guidebook on how to take out sixty high-value targets from Britain’s illustrious (and ignoble) past.
This time we present one of the titans of modern science, Mr Charles Darwin. One wonders what the father of
evolution through natural selection will make of the zombie apocalypse…
Take heed: Charles Darwin is smarter than you. His zombie may be too. Approach with caution.
The Walking Dead. Walkers. Biters. Eaters. The Infected. The Contaminated. The Re-animated. Revenants. The
Living Dead. Whatever you want to call them, the zombie apocalypse is coming. You know it, I know it.
So, faced with the inevitable, what do you do? Do you wait until that dull bloke from No.37 is lurching through the
French windows, intent on feasting on your entrails? Or do you step up, take some pride in your actions, and take out some of history’s big guns before you are finally eaten?
If the latter, then you are in the right place. The end of September sees the publication of Zombies from History: A Hunter’s Guide, the all-in-one guidebook on how to take out sixty high-value targets from Britain’s illustrious (and
ignoble) past. The good and the great mix with famous criminals, rebels and pirates. Do you itch to take on one of
the grandees of nineteenth century literature, or test yourself against an axe-wielding medieval bampot? Wrestle
with Nelson? Battle with Boudica? Then this, friend, is your opportunity. Where they are buried, what wounds and weaknesses they bear, height, age, difficulty level – everything the fully prepared and thoughtful zombie hunter
needs to know.
Note that contemporary zombie culture did not start with Night of the Living Dead. The dead have been returning
for centuries. Zombies from History is therefore peppered with accounts of those who were declared dead but yet
lived; those who survived the hangman’s noose or were buried alive; and descriptions of bog bodies, preserved
corpses and mummified remains. In addition, there are juicy bits of folklore, tall tales and unlikely legends
concerning the walking dead, most taken from historical accounts that stretch back more than a thousand years.
Over the next few days and weeks I’ll be sharing some zombified portraits of famous Britons. To kick off, here’s
the king of the car park, Richard III, on the book’s cover.
Kathleen Cronie of Mostly Ghostly Investigations (www.mostlyghostly.org) has just penned a very kind review of Poltergeist over Scotland in the May 2013 edition of Dumfries & Galloway Life. Here’s an extract:
“The level of research and dedication to his subject is apparent on every page of Geoff’s fascinating book: a great tool for those with a passing interest as well as more serious paranormal researchers. Geoff writes with a unique and entertaining style, providing lots of helpful nuggets for the paranormal enthusiast, such as source materials and where possible, the historical or cultural context of each case. Poltergeists are clearly one of the most challenging spirit types to define, but Geoff has given a valuable insight into the subject and the numerous behaviours associated with these mystifying entities.”
The Little Book of Edinburgh is out on May 6. It was great fun to research and write, especially as I was forced to visit a great many museums, tourist attractions and cafés in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Oh, the suffering.
There is a blurb. It reads like this:
“The Little Book of Edinburgh is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts.
Geoff Holder’s new book contains historic and contemporary trivia on Edinburgh. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivolous details which will amuse and surprise.
A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something you never knew. Discover the real story of Greyfriars Bobby (he was a publicity stunt), meet the nineteenth-century counterparts of our favourite modern detectives, from Jackson Brodie to John Rebus, seek out historical sites from the distant past to the Second World War, and freak out with the Festival.”
See more at: http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/index.php/the-little-book-of-edinburgh.html#sthash.4lsLH4b2.dpuf
At long last What is a Poltergeist? Understanding Poltergeist Activity has materialised, if indeed an ebook can be said to have a material presence. To quote from the official blurb:
A new ebook introduction to poltergeists examining the theories and presenting the latest research evidence for poltergeist activity. This book explores possible answers to the question ‘what is a poltergeist’?
What is a poltergeist? Are they the restless souls of the dead? Demons? Witches’ familiars? Household spirits? Mysterious earth energies? Unknown powers of the mind? Or hoaxes? This ebook takes the well-known poltergeist phenomena – the movement of objects by invisible forces, the noises, the eruptions of fire, water and electrical disturbance – and maps them against changing ideas and beliefs. The author presents the latest theories and research evidence in his search for answers.
Here’s the chapter headings:
Introduction
Chapter 1 Poltergeists are… Demons
Chapter 2 Poltergeists are… Witchcraft
Chapter 3 Poltergeists are… Ghosts
Chapter 4 Poltergeists are… Fairies
Chapter 5 Poltergeists are… Vampires
Chapter 6 Poltergeists are… Powers of the Human Mind
Chapter 7 Poltergeists are… Thoughtforms
Chapter 8 Poltergeists are… Hoaxes
Chapter 9 Poltergeists are… Forces of Nature
Chapter 10 A Conclusion of Sorts
The cases are principally drawn from the USA, Canada, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, with others taken from Africa, Eastern Europe, Indonesia, South America and Iraq. Yes, the poltergeist is a citizen of the world.
The prolix author waxes enthusiastic on the topic of poltergeists on this very website here and also on something called YouTube.
What is a Poltergeist? Understanding Poltergeist Activity is published by David & Charles/FW Media International and is available on Amazon(UK) and Amazon(US) for Kindle, Kobo, Feedbooks, Lybrary.com, and other cyberspace vendors, and shouldn’t set you back more than five dollars.
My next book, Poltergeist over Scotland, will be published at the end of January. It is the first-ever survey of Scottish poltergeists, with 134 cases stretching from 1635 to 2012. Illustrated with images and distribution maps, and with cases in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and the Highlands, as well as all the Lowland counties and the major cities, this should be the definitive work on the topic of Scottish polts.
New research throws light on a number of well-known episodes, from the Edinburgh ‘Egyptian curse’ poltergeist to the Trinity case that famously ended up with one of the participants suing the other in court. In addition, many cases have been rescued from dusty obscurity, while others have either not seen the light of publication for centuries, or are previously unpublished.
You can order Poltergeist over Scotland here.
Meanwhile, a series of interviews with the humble author on the subject of poltergeists can be found on this very website here and also on YouTube.
Hallelujah, it’s raining polts.