Alien Identities: Ancient Insights Into Modern UFO Phenomena

This is one of the best books dealing with the subject of UFOs I have read. The author has a very sober and balanced account of the subject. The first part of the book recounts many of the most high profile cases of UFO sightings, abduction et. al. The author is neither credulous nor incredulous but fair throughout. He fields it all with many references and contexts. The second part of the book brings to bear his knowledge of Vedic lore and juxtaposes it with the modern UFO mythos. It is a work that covers something heretofore not explored by any writer to my knowledge - at least in any depth. Thompson has a fine analytical mind in all he writes. I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in this subject. This is not sensational (as so many books on the subject are). It is instead scholarly throughout. Much food for thought here. This work will find a place on my bookshelf between Jaques Valee's "Passport To Magonia" and Evans-Wentz's "The Fairy Faith In Celtic Countries."

One of the difficulties in the 'UFOlogy' field is that there are plenty of offbeat accounts, and in some cases evidence but mostly in pieces, or without context, or with potential other explanations. (There is more than most people are aware of, though.) Authors such as Dr. Jacques Vallee have given interesting historical overviews of UFO lore. Of course, all these accounts are 'accounts' and 'Lore', they are not scientific evidence, but since these experiences don't seem to happen on command inside a science lab, this may account for that problem. The fact that the surgeon general has not yet made a ruling about the existence or effect of UFOs or 'experiences' potentially related, will not change whether they or the experiences exist. ALIEN IDENTITIES is a book title I cringe to give to people and consider an embarrassment to the content. Consider it was written when such a title (not to mention Streiber as an intro) were apparently considered a hot sell and hence the publisher promo. The CONTENT of the book has a calm, fair, respectability in its own fashion that belies the assumption and hype of the title. This book is a great introduction for people new to the subject. The first half is a recount of documented Vedic history, which is part and parcel of their religion. The second half is a recount of documented recent history--accounts in the UFOlogy field. Which, like religious history, are equally tenuous and unprovable. However, when you read the detail from the historical accounts, and then you read the detail of claims from the last half century, the parallel is more than just striking. It's pretty much obvious to anybody with half a brain and no major personal bias that the modern day accounts are clearly talking about some of the same kind of things as the ancient accounts. In the context of how seriously we should take modern accounts, for which we have little hard proof and a lot of confusion, a realization that they are hardly a novel new result of science fiction books is important. In the context of religion, "the Gods," and many accounts biblical as well as Vedic, it is thought provoking to say the least. I highly recommend this book. It reads well, it is interesting, it is informative, and it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. It makes no claims. It is one of the very few UFOlogy related books that I have kept on my shelves for years.

I was not only impressed with Alien Identities, I literally could not put it down. As a Phd. I have a skepticism toward UFO reports but R. Thompsons book has presented a great deal of evidence and explanantions of UFO phenomena that cannot be pooh poohed, that's for sure. The paralells between modern accounts of UFO incidents and ancient texts from India is striking! Thompson gives many reasonable explanantions for how the aliens and their ships can perform feats beyond our understanding of physics. This book is not only informative but pleasuable reading. Check it out... Scott McGregor, Ph.D.

I have a master's degree from Yale in Religion (for what it's worth)and I spent lots of what I feel is unbiased, level-headed rational time investigating religious phenomena, origins of humankind, ancient history, religion and the nature of living things. I have no bias in any particular religious or scientific direction. I have tried to be open to all possibilities regarding extraterrestrial phenomena and possible connections with ancient known and unknown cultures. This is a good book. It is good reading. No matter what your persuasion, anyone could read this with skepticism or gullibility and feel that information is presented in an unbiased and scientific manner. That is what I like about it -- not to mention the potentially profound revelations concerning Vadic material and other text. When I ordered this book, I had to wait for it. In the meantime I bought 4 others referenced as "related" and none held a candle to this one. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK. Go get it if you have any interest in understanding or contemplating possibilities regarding ancient cultures and human origins.

The first half is especially good. In the second a purely exoteric examination of vedic mythology, one of the most detailed systems in history, reveals explicit descriptions of what's only vaguely hinted at in other mythologies. Namely, straightforward descriptions of extraterrestrials in spaceships, various types of missiles and "modern" weaponry, and clear knowledge of a heliocentric solar system thousands of years before Galileo. This is where myth, religion, and reality all unite and confuse the hell out of everybody... Essential knowledge.