Communion when it came along stunned and shocked the world. It partially pulled the concept of ‘alien’ abductions into the mainstream, and Strieber did his able best to share his own experiences with these visitors.

A couple years later in 1988, Strieber released a second volume, Transformation, that expanded on his continuing experiences, the reach of Communion, and the fearful, hopeful and fascinating exploration of what was happening to him.

Throughout the book, Strieber is careful not to call his visitors aliens in the extraterrestrial sense, he’s unsure of where they come from, if in fact they exist, he simply tries to understand their involvement in his life, and what they may mean for all of humanity.

Communion caused a number of people with similar experiences to reach out to Strieber, and his books give voice to their own activities.

Whoever or whatever these visitors are, Strieber is convinced through the course of the book of their physical reality. But Strieber posits that they seem to be more than that, and they may have a connection to the human soul.

I find the ideas Strieber presents fascinating. They have often sent me wondering about what may be beyond our simple perception, of how big the universe we live in may be, and why we are so frightened to examine some aspects of our ‘reality.’

Strieber offers no solid explanations of what is going on with these visitor encounters, the lights in the sky often associated with their arrival, and the use of owls as screen memories, but he does contend that whatever is happening is a real thing.

I like that Strieber seems to lay himself out emotionally and vulnerably for his reader, sharing his fears, his humiliation, his dreams, and his hopes. He works hard to put his experiences into as much context as he can, but he still has ideas and memories that haven’t been explored and can’t quite find a way into them to explain them in ways that can be understood.

But he’s intent on progressing with this relationship he has created with these visitors, to understand what is going on with him and countless others around the globe (and how they change to reflect the cultural perceptions of those who live there, which is a fascinating idea that needs to be explored, and understood, should we be so fortunate to establish contact with these visitors).