Book Review: Phil Patton's Dreamland
From: "Jim" <akazero@pe.net>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 09:38:47 -0800
|
Another book featuring the Groom Lake Interceptors hit store shelves
last week. "Dreamland", by Phil Patton, takes the reader on a journey
following a variety of Interceptors; from WSMR, to the border of Area
51. I did find some errors in this hardcover (i.e. I was horrified to
learn my friend, Tom Mahood, once worked for the nefarious test site
contractor Bechtel!). However, most of the chronological and technical
details appear accurate enough for my standards -- though, likely not
for some historians.
The character studies seem a bit light, and one never really feels
like he gets to know these renegades who lurk around the secret bases.
They are most always mentioned in high regard, so the reader will get
the impression that the Interceptors are a professional and cultured
band of kooks.
Phil doesn't hit the Lazar story very hard, but he slams Chuck Clark
in the second chapter -- basically letting it be known that Clark's a
bit dim-witted. He covers the base history in-depth, from the present
back to the first army explorers who surveyed the region in the mid
1800's -- which I, personally, found to be dry reading at the end of
the fifth chapter.
Even though the subtitle speaks of "Roswell and Area 51", little
coverage is given to New Mexico, keeping the majority of the book
targeted toward Groom. Phil weaves in a lot of good interviews, and
gives most of the book a very personal feel, so unlike Darlington's
1997 book, "Area 51", your looking at "Dreamland" from a purely Phil
Patton perspective.
"Dreamland" leaves little to conjecture, the underlying theme is that
UFO's are simply top secret aircraft or weapons -- as well as the
usual flares and landing lights -- that have been misidentified by an
over zealous group of true believers. Phil likes to call them "the
youfers", and he draws a pretty distinct line between them and the
"stealth chasers". Though, he will admit that both groups seem to be
driven by the same cause: "The Search for the Truth".
All in all, "Dreamland" was a good read. This new book does rehash
the same old tired tales, but for the uninitiated; it covers Area 51
from A to Z. For the Interceptor; it gives an outside perspective
to our timeless antics, and maybe that disturbing feeling that someone
has, yet again, taken us seriously....
Zero--
[ To order, see: http://www.ufomind.com/catalog/isbn/679/45651/ ]
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RELEVANCE OF THIS MESSAGE: Area 51
Index: Dreamland (#2)
Created: Jul 30, 1998
