Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown by Ryan Buell, Stefan Petrucha

Release Date: September 21, 2010
Publisher: It Books

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Go behind the scenes of the founding of the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) and the television show that followed with this book written by Ryan Buell and Stefan Petrucha. Ryan takes through much of the thought process in developing PRS while a student at Penn State. He introduces us to the other founding members and reveals some of the first cases that the group investigated before receiving the call to do the show, Paranormal State on the A&E network.

Not only does he explain the way in which PRS does their investigations, Ryan also goes in depth on the cases in the first few seasons. Research the cases and feel the investigations through his words while learning the reasons behind their actions. Cases gone over include many from the first season as well as the most intense, demonic-laced cases they encountered during their investigations.

Review:
I had seen the show several times before a friend of mine let me borrow this book. Always a fan of the paranormal, I did find the way that the group investigated and helped the clients to be a refreshing change with all the paranormal investigation shows on the various channels. Intrigued by the show, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.

The thing that stuck with me was the level of honesty in which the book is written. When there were missteps and mistakes made by either PRS or the production crew, it was noted in the book. Even the times when Ryan was full of doubt and wanted to step away from the show forever were talked about in several chapters. It's refreshing to see accept responsibility for the negative things as much as they accept praise for the positive things. All of the investigators showed different levels of growth as the show progressed and this was also documented in the book.

Whether a person has watched the show or not, there is enough information given in all of the chapters to help lead the reader along at a fairly good pace. The way in which the book is written helps to give each member of the PRS family more depth than the television show was able to do. It was really neat to see them as fun-loving, smiling, open-minded people in place of the completely serious, never smiling group that is often shown in the shows.

It doesn't matter if you truly believe the same things as Ryan or anyone in the group nor does being a skeptic take anything away from the book. All possible explanations are ruled out until there's simply one question left. Is it possible that there's something out there? For those who enjoy the television show or behind-the-scenes accounts, this book is definitely one to be picked up.

Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown by Ryan Buell and Stefan Petrucha is available for purchase at many major retailers including Amazon and others. It can be bought in either paperback or Kindle form. You can purchase a copy by clicking the link to Amazon.com below.
Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown by Ryan Buell, Stefan Petrucha