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Ex
Libris by Antonio Ribera. Barcelona:
Ediciones del Bronce, 1998. 174 pages.
Paperback. Antonio
Ribera now wears the purple robes of an elder in ufology and is without
any doubt the "great old man" of Spain's research community in this field.
There can be no denying that he was there among the notables in the first
generation of UFO investigators in the 1950's, and his interests went far
beyond the uncertain field of saucerdom. An accomplished scuba diver and
explorer, translator, dramatist and poet, Ribera richly deserved to be
awarded Catalunya's Cross of St.Jordi in 1990 for his
endeavors. ABDUCCION,
however, is a retread of his older books--landmark works such as
Secuestrados por Ovnis and Las Maquinas del Cosmos
-- and offers little new information. However, it is very possibly the
only book by Ribera that Generation Xers might ever get to see, and it
certainly is worthwhile reading for anyone being introduced his work. One
of Ribera's main assets is the way in which he draws the reader into the
book, creating the sensation that the book has been written expressly for
the particular reader. The feeling that the author is sharing juicy
paranormal gossip with the audience makes all of Ribera's books a
delightful experience. Aside
from offering insights on some Spanish abduction cases which are
thoroughly unknown on this side of the Atlantic (such as the Próspera
Muñoz case and the highly visual abduction of hunter Julio F. and his dog
"Mus"), Ribera analyzes some U.S. chestnuts such as the Pat Price, Travis
Walton and Betty Hill cases, offering a refreshing new perspective on
them. U.S. ufology seldom has someone holding up the mirror to show it its
own cases, and Ribera does a wonderful job at it. We'd like to give it a higher ranking, but
refuse to let nostalgia and admiration get in the way of an otherwise
objective review. The good news is that Spanish books on ufology and the
paranormal can now be ordered from <www.crisol.es> on the Internet,
thus placing ABDUCCION within everyone's reach. INEXPLICATA gives ABDUCCION |