New Books and Media

From the publisher's website: During a séance in 1924, Houdini—the greatest entertainer in the world—was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead. This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who—inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln—devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks, and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency—and to the House of Houdini itself. In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Houdini’s 1926 dramatic courtroom testimony before Congress and the last otherworldly cases he takes on that lead him there, Lincoln's Ghost is a powerful examination of deception, love, politics, the afterlife, and the very nature of magic itself.

Further information at the publisher's website: St. Martin's Press.

Review by Michael Solomon.

From the publisher's website: There is an idea that shakes the core of our scientific principles: That our consciousness participates in creating our physical reality. It's an idea that runs counter to the materialist worldview we're all taught in school. But the outer edges of scientific inquiry bleed into what can only be called 'magic.' Dean Radin, Ph.D., is at the forefront of researching magic from a scientific standpoint. In The Science of Magic, he shines a light on today's scientific breakthroughs, from quantum mechanics to the mind-body connection to telepathy, that can best be explained by what we currently call magic (or psi). In short, today's magic is the science of tomorrow. He shares his own groundbreaking research on psi phenomena, and explains how you can start utilizing these findings in your own life today.

Further information at the publisher's website: Harmony.

Review by Gerhard Mayer.

From the publisher's website: As clanging bells pierce the Winter calm, a bustling throng of spectral visitants is making its approach. The eminent anthologist and seeker of forgotten tales, Johnny Mains, has been scouring the archives of newspapers and periodicals once more to bring you the gift of ‘new’ supernatural fiction from the Victorian and Edwardian era – the heyday of the classic ghost tale. Packed with ethereal messengers, chain-clanking ghouls, the odd cheery phantom and bundles of suspense, this collection is a welcome offering for any reader of the ghostly and Gothic.

Further information at the publisher's website: British Library Publishing.

Review by Tim Prasil.

From the publisher's website: Crumbling turrets, crenelated walls, creaking floorboards. We all know a haunted house when we see - or feel - one. That creeping sense of wrongness. An icy shiver stealing down the spine. But why do certain structures set this super-sensory alarm bell jangling, while others leave us unmoved? Can a house be purpose-built to be haunted? And does a building need a bloody legacy to set the skin tingling? Tiptoe through the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace, encounter the spectral residents of Chillingham Castle and lose yourself in the labyrinthine layout of Winchester Mystery House as Caitlin Blackwell Baines unravels the psyche, the history and the folkloric fabrication that make a haunted house take on a life of its own.

Further information at the publisher's website: Profile Books.

Review by Karen Stollznow.

From the back cover: In Greek mythology, the river Styx represents the boundary between the land of the living and the land of the dead. In this book, leading experts in the field of near-death studies describe what people experience on the banks of this river. The authors teamed up to present innovative and cutting-edge research on a rich variety of end-of-life experiences, near-death experiences, coma experiences, and after-death communications. In addition to bearing enormous practical significance for healthcare, these interrelated experiences indicate that consciousness is more than a byproduct of brain chemistry. On the banks of the river Styx, consciousness may emerge from the dying brain like a phoenix, spreading its wings towards new horizons.

From the back cover: Dans ce nouvel ouvrage, Mallory Clément, chercheur indépendant en parapsychologie, explore avec rigueur et engagement les phénomènes de hantises, d’apparitions et de poltergeists à travers le prisme de la phénoménologie. Fort de son expérience de terrain, de ses lectures critiques et de sa participation à l’A-IMI, l’auteur propose un état des lieux éclairé des recherches sur les expériences exceptionnelles (ExE), tout en dénonçant les biais idéologiques et les lacunes des discours pseudo-sceptiques dominants. S’appuyant sur une solide bibliographie académique, Mallory Clément examine les hypothèses scientifiques contemporaines – qu’elles relèvent de la survie de la conscience, de la physique ou de la psychologie – et souligne la pertinence d’une approche pluraliste pour comprendre ces manifestations qui échappent aux cadres explicatifs classiques. Il démonte les raisonnements circulaires des critiques orthodoxes et oppose à leurs affirmations péremptoires une phénoménologie documentée, rigoureuse et ouverte. Ce livre s’adresse aux curieux exigeants, aux chercheurs en devenir, aux passionnés de l’étrange et à tous ceux qui refusent de voir dans le paranormal un simple divertissement ou une survivance de croyances archaïques. Loin d’éluder les objections, Mallory Clément les intègre à une réflexion critique et nuancée, plaidant pour une véritable science du paranormal ancrée dans l’écoute, la rigueur et le respect des témoins.

From the back cover: What if memory does not end with the brain, and identity is more than what we live in a single lifetime? This book takes readers on a journey beyond Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to explore the hidden structures that allow knowledge, skills, and memories to reappear in unexpected ways. From children who recall lives they never lived, to individuals who gain extraordinary abilities after trauma, these mysteries point to something deeper at work. The Theory of Continuity, developed from the Atomic Structure in Linguistics, offers a new way of seeing how meaning endures, reactivates, and connects us across time. Written for curious minds, this book invites readers to reconsider what it means to exist, to remember, and to remain human.

From the publisher's website: Have you ever thought of someone just before they called? Or experienced a coincidence that felt too unlikely to be true? It’s all too easy to dismiss synchronicities or signs like these as chance. But what if they weren’t? And what if, by learning to tune into them, you could access a guiding wisdom that would help you overcome challenges and cultivate personal growth? In this groundbreaking book, world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart explains how. Bringing together breathtaking real-life stories with teachings from cognitive psychology, near-death experiences, and much more ...

Further information at the publisher's website: HarperOne.

Review by Bernard D. Beitman.

From the back cover: It began with whispers in a dimly lit room. In the 1840s, the Fox Sisters―and the legions of mediums they inspired―ignited the Spiritualist movement that swept through Victorian parlors and presidential campaigns alike. Contacting the dead wasn't merely a parlor trick: It was a political statement, a declaration of self that still echoes. Séances attracted suffragists and scientists, skeptics and charlatans, giving women a voice in a society that often refused to hear them. But as Spiritualism surged, it also blurred the lines between faith, fraud, feminism, and financial opportunity, drawing figures as varied as Harry Houdini, Victoria Woodhull, and even modern self-help gurus into its ever-expanding orbit.

From wartime séances to the rise of televangelists, from Victorian ghosts to goop-approved wellness rituals, When We Spoke to the Dead unearths the forgotten roots of today's obsession with manifestation, mysticism, and the power of belief. Exploring America's deep-seated hunger for the unseen―whether through politics, personal empowerment, or grief―this book traces how the supernatural, once condemned as heresy, became the ultimate commodity.

Review by Kate Cherrell.

From the publisher's website: A social, historical and scientific exploration of ghost-hunting, and why our fascination with the paranormal is as timeless as the ghosts we hope to find. The history of ghosts is ancient, but the history of active ghost-hunting is relatively recent, and investigations into the paranormal have developed hand-in-spirit-hand with scientific discoveries, from radio waves to smartphone apps. Now, more than ever, we want to find our own ghosts. Is it to help process grief? Become influencers? Or ease our fears of death?

Further information at the publisher's website: Bloomsbury Sigma.

Review by Nemo C. Mörck.

From the publisher's website: From cursed houses where restless spirits whisper in the dark to shadowy apparitions lurking in the corners of forgotten places, Ghostly Encounters: Terrifyingly True Hauntings delves into eerie and unexplained tales that still baffle, intrigue, and terrify us to this day. Encounter malevolent poltergeists who wreak havoc on unsuspecting families, ghostly figures bound by tragic pasts, and haunted locations steeped in mystery and fear. Explore legends of cursed objects, spectral warnings, and the unrelenting presence of those who refuse to leave the mortal world behind.

Further information at the publisher's website: Visible Ink Press.

Review by TyLean Tuijl.

From the publisher's website: Some paranormal phenomena and powers of the mind are real, but mainstream science dismisses it all as fantasy. The Science of the Paranormal looks toward the overwhelming evidence that something weird and wild lies behind our everyday reality. Credible witnesses have seen paranormal activity with their own eyes. Scientists have studied it in their labs. And everyday we see depictions of it in popular media like Stranger Things and X-Men. 

Further information at the publisher's website: Skyhorse Publishing,

Review by Nemo C. Mörck.