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Dark Woods: Cults, Crime, and the Paranormal in the Freetown State Forest, Massachusetts | 
 enlarge | Author: Christopher Balzano
Publisher: Schiffer Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.61
You Save: $8.34 (56%)
New (12) Used (4) Collectible (1) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 246863
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 184
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0764327992
Dewey Decimal Number: 001
EAN: 9780764327995
ASIN: 0764327992
Publication Date: December 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Throughout its long history, Freetown, Massachusetts, has been a hotbed of criminal and supernatural occurrences in the town's State Forest. This is the first account of how its darker side connects hauntings with violent crime and local cults. Native American ghosts roam here and evil lurks, making the forest a haven for nasty creatures (the Pukwudgies). A witch looks for favors from young men, satan cults thrive, and killers kill. Read first-hand accounts from police officials and criminals about the forest. Learn why hauntings continue today. Many come here to enjoy the beauty of Freetown State Forest; these are the stories of those who cannot leave.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Disappointing May 2, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
The topics presented in the book range between folk stories, urban legends and true crime. The book shows very poor editing throughout with the word "anidotal" used instead of "anecdotal" as one example early on. I'm not even sure how a built-in spell checker on any modern word processor would have let that slide. The font size in the book is huge and strikes me as an attempt to fatten the book.
The author shows a lack of technical knowledge, or one could argue common knowledge, by describing Night Vision Gear(NVG) as "nightglow" goggles. The term "negative energy" is used frequently as though it has some sort of proven existence. A tip, using a word like "Energy" which has an exacting scientific definition, that is scalar(i.e. a magnitude only), in such a way does not make what your saying scientific or truthful. It just makes it plain nonsense. It sounds as stupid as saying the pH balance of the swimming pool was harsh. Don't mix qualitative statements with quantitative elements of science. At best it shows a lack of knowledge and at worst could be deemed intentional distortion to push an idea or agenda.
Repeated throughout the book are excuses for a lack of evidence and a reliance on "feel" or "vibe" for a situation. At one point the claim is presented that your "gut" is better than your "brain" for judging some of the situations he explains. While one could argue that a person's gut is good for the instinctual "fight or flight response" it has no ability to analyze a situation. While science is given a token nod in places, the overall theme is that these things are unable to be evaluated by science and are better judged by feeling.
Unfortunately for the author, science is more than equipped to handle such claims and would do so quickly with a bulk of this work. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence and the burden of proof lay with the person making the claim. Testimony, even from authority, is only useful to corroborate primary evidence. The true crime and cult stories are much better in this regard because there is at least tangible things to discuss and speculate on.
If the author had maintained a consistent tone of "these are just folk tales" instead of trying to mix in science it would have been more palatable. Alternatively the book would have been much stronger if the focus was on the true crime/cult aspects and discussion centered on real reasons the area might attract such activity. These range from the geography/topography, the proximity to metro areas/highways, etc. The folk tales could have been given as "mood" material to supplement the more realistic elements instead of the reverse.
If you can get past the poor editing and are willing to accept the tales on just a person's word then you may enjoy the book. As I mentioned the real things that happen here do present an interesting story but they are buried underneath a lot of frankly questionable material.
 Connecting the dots April 29, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The author does a nice job of connecting up some of the odd events that have happened in and around Freetown, Massachusetts over the years. The first half of the book recounts mostly Native American connections to modern day ghostly sightings while the second, more interesting half goes into detail about the occult activity that may be occurring in the Freetown State Forest and possibly in the town as well. Paranormal buffs should find the slightly off beat events intriguing, however the constant spelling and grammatical mistakes are a significant nuisance to the reader. Simple proof reading and editing would have solved this glaring problem but unfortunately Dark Woods reads more like a rough first draft than a polished final product. However, if you can ignore these constant speed bumbs, you may find the book rather enjoyable.
 Same Book?! April 3, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
O...M...G!!! This book was just awful. Many, many gramatical errors. I don't think anyone ever tried to proof this book. Disjointed and yes, dare I say it?... Inaccurate! Did this person go to the library and write down a bunch of book titles for the bibliography? Did he ever even research anything for this book? Take my advice. Don't waste your money.
 Great read March 16, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book was very interesting. Not just the ghost and paranormal stories, but the historical background as well.
Awesome read! February 29, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The book was well written and included interesting facts about Southeastern Massachusetts. If you've ever been interested in the events that happened in the Freetown State Forest, this is a book that will deliver! Research was painstakingly done and brings about many facts about this area that will chill your bones! I highly recommend it!
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