True Tales of the Paranormal is an excellent reference for all things supernatural. I enjoyed this book a lot, and as someone who’s read a lot on this subject I enjoyed learning more about some familiar names! The book is well researched and very informative.

Look, I'm a sucker for anything with the words "supernatural", "otherworldly", or "paranormal", so I didn't hesitate to request this book upon seeing it added. I wasn't disappointed, thankfully! There were many, MANY shorter tales of several different types of paranormal activity- from ghosts, to aliens, to fairies, to mediums and their methodology- and a lot of scientific evidence (both for and against) said activity. I appreciated the author's writing style and the amount research that was done for this project. It would have been far less interesting if it were strictly written as opinions on the supernatural. I think anyone who is heavily interested in this type of material will love this book, but it will also appeal to those who are just starting to get their toes wet. Of course I will be recommending this, to a wide variety of readers, and I'd absolutely read future books by Neil Ward, as well.

In my mid-twenties, I started reading metaphysical books, including countless paranormal ones. I did so for years and years, hardly reading any other genre. Finally, I stopped regularly reading them because it reached the point where there was nothing new. I am confessing to that now because that explains why I did not give this book a higher rating. For me, there was little new. Moreover, a lot of it described seances, complete with ectoplasm and spirits coming out of cabinets, and I simply do not believe in such things. Nothing will convince me those things aren't all fake.

Yet I can believe there may be something to paranormal activities like automatic writing, Ouija board messages, after-death communication, electronic voice phenomena, etc. Maybe. In addition, ghost stories can be quite interesting. I think this is the first book, too, where it had stories of ghosts reacting as surprised to see a living person as the living person was surprised to see a ghost! Supposedly a time is circular type of thing.

Author Neil Ward covers many, many metaphysical topics and comes across quite well. He appears to believe in most, if not all, of the paranormal, but still presents the opinions of those who don't believe. In other words, he does not come across as someone lost in woo-woo land who is hostile to those who do not believe. This is a UK book, too, and England has always seemed a more paranormal place to me than any other country.

I really liked this book. It gives background information to setup the scene for the stories to come. I love paranormal stories, and I have to say, most of these stories were new to me which is really refreshing. Highly recommend if you're looking for short stories to pass the time or share.

** “For me, these stories serve as clear evidence that our reality intersects with myriad others that are ‘paranormal’ to us.” **

Neil Ward offers a deep dive into the paranormal world with “True Tales of the Paranormal.”

Taking on a number of topics, including dreams, strange visitors, hospitalized spirits, seances, mediumship, extraterrestrials, and the role of science and religion, Ward presents the case for the paranormal using actual recorded cases throughout time. Written in an almost essay-like format, he writes “This book is intended, then, for the open-minded enquirer who is willing to consider both the testimony of people who claim to have actually experienced the paranormal and different ways of interpreting the more unusual elements in our world.”

He makes it evidently clear his belief in the supernatural, citing many cases of people alleged to be involved in paranormal circumstances, like Jane Roberts and her spirit guide named Seth, medium Helen Duncan, the Fox Sisters and John Keel of Mothman fame.

He covers several topics, like beings like fairies and gnomes, Stone Tape Theory, the potential of future technology to allow for communication, and remote viewing.

Assisted with photos and artwork, Ward does focus much of his book on mediumship, including the use of ectoplasm. The writing does get a bit bogged down at times, but he does include many fascinating tales of alleged supernatural occurrences, based on historical events.

Those who enjoy the supernatural, scientific principles like quantum physics for example, and philosophical discusses as to what could be will enjoy “True Tales of the Paranormal.”

Four stars out of five.

Sirius provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This is a spooky, spine tingling, and fast read that I highly recommend for anyone who is fascinated by all things paranormal. There are simply things that can't be explained by science and this book sheds some light on that.

A great look at all things paranormal, a really interesting read with lots of true tales. Recommended!