"The Cryptoterrestrials"

"Or so I thought.  Finally, I wondered the unthinkable: What if the antics of the "absurd humanoids" documented by Vallee weren't the work of some overarching intelligence?  What if they happened just as reported, without the need to invoke externally imposed psychosocial thermostats?

This notion struck me as deliciously ironic.  It suggested that the encounters with nonhumans that haunt our folklore were real, not necessarily projections preying on our gullibility. Could "fairies" and "elves" -- and all their mythical successors -- be distorted representations of an actual species?"

Mac Tonnies, April 7, 2006, Introduction to an as yet untitled "New Book"

"I agree with you - re: the marginalization and bigotry. I'm not sure I like the word "paranormal," either. It's basically a placeholder for concepts we have yet to understand scientifically.  (Of course, some "paranormal" phenomena may be bogus, in which case there won't be a scientific explanation.)

I personally think telepathy and so-called "psychic" events play a big role within a ufological context -- but a lot of ufologists, eager to play the role of empirical investigators, don't especially relish the implications of that one." 

Mac Tonnies, October 5, 2006, from an email reply to Dia Sobin

" I have a few more points i want to make (in the form of essays) and then I need to tie everything together, which will mean using some narrative glue. Then I'll feel confident enough to ship it to Patrick."

Mac Tonnies, May 4, 2007, from an email reply to Dia Sobin

For anyone familiar with Mac's Posthuman Blues blog, the above illustration should look familiar. It appeared there in June of 2006 as the "new mascot", which Mac described in an email to me as "Mona-Lisa-freaky". Which meant, he liked it. I think his readers had a love/hate relationship with my "crypto". Some detractors referred to it as just plain "creepy" but one apparently liked it well enough to grab it for his twitter page (i.e., "Spaceweaver", who, after a tweet from Mac, obligingly took it down...). I think we knew from day one, that this face would eventually grace the cover of Mac's book, though, at the time, he hadn't yet decided on a title.

I sent the finished illustration to Mac's publisher, Anomalist Books last week. According to Patrick Huyghe, efforts to publish the book by spring of next year are moving along as planned. Greg Bishop, whom I feel has the best grasp of Mac's overall hypothesis, will write the introduction. I believe there will also be interior illustrations by Mike Clelland. My blog will be in archival mode by that time but for updates about the book's status, you can check here in the future. You might also check out The Anomalist, for related coverage.

It took several years and his immense effort, but it looks like Mac's "The Cryptoterrestrials" will finally find its deserved place in the order of 21 Century "paranormal" speculative non-fiction. And from what excerpts Mac has posted in the past, it promises to be at least as intriguing, illuminating and as concise as anything he has written, and far more insightful than many other related publications currently in the genre. Can't wait!