UFO Defense Tactics

"Shadows of Existence: Discoveries and Speculations in Zoology" is a book about cryptozoology, but a relatively moderate one. The author, Matthew Bille, attempts to set cryptozoology on a sound scientific footing. The book deals extensively with newly-discovered animal species, and unknown animals which aren't as sensational as Bigfoot or Nessie. But yes, Bille is daring enough to mention the iconic cryptids, as well - in contrast to his earlier book, "Rumours of Existence", which mostly avoided the issue in favour of "safe" unknown animals.

That new discoveries can still be made is obvious. Thus, there's a possible new species of giant turtle in the Hoan Kiem Lake, which is situated right in the middle of Hanoi, the national capital of Vietnam! In 1996, a new species of bird was discovered in Brazil. It lived in rather large nests plainly visible from an interstate highway...

More remote areas offer even better opportunities for "unknown" animals to hide from Western scientists (though usually not from native hunters, who known about them since time immemorial). Thus, new species of mammals are discovered in the Vietnamese Vu Quang region on a semi-regular basis. In tropical Africa, curious chimp populations have been discovered, including the Bili ape, a large chimpanzee that behaves like a gorilla. Who can blame it? I mean, who wants to end up as bush meat?

Further out on the edge, there is the Marozi (a spotted lion from East Africa), a black-and-white jaguar from Brazil, and an outsized fish a.k.a. grandma of all sturgeons from Lake Iliamna in Alaska.

Finally, Bille gets around to the real raison d'etre of cryptozoology: the Sasquatch, the Loch Ness monster, the neo-dinosaur Mokele-Mbembe, surviving thylacines, etc. etc. Sounds familiar? He manages to give a remarkably objective overview of these.

While the book is relatively interesting, it could have needed a better editor, and feels close to self-published. I will therefore only award it the OK rating. It comes somewhat close to two-and-a-half stars, in my opinion. Finally, a more humorous comment. Bille is at pains to paint himself as super-scientific, but his publisher doesn't seem to understand the author's image-problems. The publishers promote some of their other titles at the very end of Bille's book, including "UFO Defense Tactics. Weather shields to chemtrails".

Somehow, that doesn't sound like mainstream science, LOL.