The Sysop's Bookshelf
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TITLE: Light Years, An Investigation into the Extraterrestrial Experiences of
       Eduard Meier. 
AUTHOR: Gary Kinder
PUBLISHED BY: Atlantic Monthly Press
AT: New York, NY 1987
VIEWPOINT: Zetetic
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Reviewed by Bob Howard
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     "Light Years" by Gary Kinder,  Copyright 1987 by Gary Kinder  and
Intercep, published by The  Atlantic Monthly Press, A  Morgan Entrekin
Book.    An  investigation  into  the  extraterrestrial experiences of
Eduard Meier.
     A readable book and one suggesting a lot of information, but  as-
serting little.  There is no hypothesis for continuing the  investiga-
tion.  There is no suggestion of someone else initiating contact  with
the Pleidians, and of course there is the existing evidence that  some
of the pictures were taken of models, which is glibly explained away.
     The long and  the short of  this investigation is  that, indepen-
dently of  Mr. Kinder's  journalistic research,  other UFOlogists feel
the case is weak for Mr. Meier's contacts.  What then of Mr.  Kinder's
book, apparently underwritten in part by Intercep.
     I don't have access to Mr. Kinder's notes, but I do wonder  about
some of the assertions.   For instance, on  Pp 205-207, his quotes  of
authorities lead one to believe that the 'beam ship' sounds are analog
or  natural  sounds  as  opposed  to  the  sounds  made  by  a digital
synthesizer.  The inference  being that all synthesizers  are digital.
The contrary,  however, is  the case.   Digital  synthesizers are only
four -  five years  old.   Analog synthesizers  have existed since Bob
Moog invented the first commercially available unit in 1949.  In  fact
many companies are still manufacturing analog synthesizers.
     I may be unduly picky but  "... it's one thing to make  something
that sounds like it and  has those consistent and random  oscillations
in it."  smacks of  an incomplete  quote.   Consistent and  random are
diametrically opposed and I do wonder about their juxtaposition.
     I am uncomfortable with the Author's Note on the last page of the
book where he tells the reader that although he said one thing in  the
text of the book, actually something else is true.
     The book is comfortably  entertaining, lots of characters  parade
through the manuscript, and we leave a solitary 'Billy'  in his  farm-
house at the conclusion, or should I say ending of the book.
     As entertainment, "Light  Years" is dandy,  but as a  document of
investigative reporting on UFO phenomena  it does a disservice to  the
serious UFO researcher and investigator, and isn't a definitive source
of information on the Meier case.
 
Bob Howard
(Note  the  opinions  expressed  in  this  book  review are solely the
reviewers and do not necessarily  reflect the opinion of the  Sysop or
this bulletin board.)