Will Storr Vs. The Supernatural

Oct 23, 2024 11:23 PM

Author:Will Storr

When journalist and ghost sceptic Will Storr heads to Philadelphia to meet Lou Gentile, a demonologist, he expects a little fun with an amusing eccentric. What he gets are terrifying experiences of spectral lights and horrific demonic growling - and all of his safe, adult preconceptions about ghosts instantly vanish.

In the cold light of day, Will decides on a quest for the truth about ghosts. He meets professional paranormal investigators and takes part in séances and a vigil in the most haunted house in Britain, tries out divining rods and ouija boards, and goes on set with TV's Most Haunted. But Will also seeks out the sceptics in clinical psychology and philosophy who ask if spirits are really just in our heads.

His journey is full of bizarre, terrifying and hilarious experiences, each one a new insight into life, death and what might come after.

Reviews

In the investigative mode of Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux, Storr makes the perfect companion for travels in the paranormal - highly amusing, thought-provoking and downright scary in equal measure

—— Zoo magazine

Starting as a light-hearted romp full of small-town losers who've read too much Stephen King, it soon morphs into a more thoughtful investigation... funny, engaging and genuinely frightening, it makes you wonder if all those horror movies you watched as a teenager had it right after all

—— Arena

Storr interviews everyone from mediums to monsterologists and recounts the lot in a simple, yet evocative style that makes this book hard to put down, even if you don't believe in the paranormal

—— Big Issue

A very amusing way to scare yourself stupid

—— Independent on Sunday

This award-winning writer is at the vanguard of the new British journalism. A taut, fascinating and funny book

—— Herald Sun (Australia)

Britain has over 500-years' worth of ghost stories in the cupboard and in The Natural History of Ghosts, Roger Clarke makes them dance ... the most original and readable book exploring our ghost-rich culture to appear for years ... fascinating

—— Fortean Times

Clarke's examination of the need people have to believe remains insightful and illuminating throughout

—— Observer

An intriguing, shivers-down-the-spine book

—— The Lady

Lively and absorbing ... [Clarke] has proven himself an ideal guide to this troubled and disorderly realm

—— Literary Review

A fascinating social history ... exceptionally well written and researched

—— Starburst Magazine

Why do ghosts wear clothes? This is just one of a number of interesting questions raised by this jaunty book ... In a series of short, snappy chapters, Clarke examines the evidence for just about every ghost who ever drew, or withdrew, breath ... but A Natural History of Ghosts is also haunted by another story, lurking not very far beneath: the story of the author's childhood need to believe in ghosts, and the gradual erosion of that belief

—— Craig Brown , Daily Mail

A gripping history that traces the scientific and social aspects of ghostly sightings

—— Telegraph

Compelling ... Research into the paranormal necessarily involves a fair degree of debunking, and Clarke is careful to be sceptical. The narrative of ghost-hunting is simultaneously a history and exposure of fraud and popular delusion ... [yet] Clarke retains a boyish and ... well-informed enthusiasm for his subject

—— Independent

[A] voyage through the half-lit world of lost souls ... tales told with ghoulish relish

—— Telegraph

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