By: Chris Gethard Publisher: Sterling Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Sterling Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: November 25, 2005 Release Date: November 25, 2005
Big, HUGE Fun!! I picked this up because I recognized the photo on the front. That's the "waitress lady" I've passed for more than 40 years in a tiny town called Silver Creek NY. That's the glory of this book. Filled with wonderful color photos, you too will recognize the 'weird' of NY that you never realized was right under your nose. Did you notice the "Burger Family" in Glens Falls? Hear the creepy knock from the crypt on Rt 8? Just a great read. Since there are books for every state, they make wonderful gifts as well.
Definitely could've been better For a book about Weird New York, you're tackling a huge, fertile topic, and yet this guide at times seems...boring. For some reason, in a state containing everything from metropolitan cities to towering mountains and sprawling lakes, the information presented is really not that interesting. A few abandoned places, some local folklore, even an analysis of popular myths like alligators in the sewers all seem somewhat mediocre for a place that very well should have some of the weirdest stuff on the planet. New York City itself, which seems like it could merit an entire volume, gets very few mentions in the guide.
Part of it is due to the writing. The author really doesn't seem very enthused by anything he's describing, and not that I really care for a Weird volume, but his prose is pretty bad at times. I bought this next to Joseph Citro's Weird New England, and the two are lightyears apart - in addition to being a good writer, Citro seems geuinely excited by every fact and tidbit he includes. Whereas here, Chris seems like he's just trying to fill a volume.
I give it three stars because it's still the best of its kind out there, and a decent coffee table book at that. But there are definitely some better Weird editions out there.
Weird New York Great value for a hard cover book with many photos and glossy pages. However while the factual parts of the book are very interesting, the reader entries are a bit inplauible. Most of the reported ghost sightings sound like real BS.
Interesting, but I would HOPE that when they found the obvious and gory evidence of animal sacrifices in that abandoned building that they immediately contacted the local Humane Society AND the local law authorities.
New York IS Weird Great fun for residents, former residents, and transplants alike. It gives a good "overview" of this great state. Unfortunately, it focuses more on one locale than all of them. Long Islanders should be in their glory because much of the "weirdness" takes place in their area of the state. I wish some of the stories could have been trimmed to include more of a variety. There's a treasure trove of incidents from Upstate New York, particularly in the Herkimer-Utica area, that would have been interesting to read about. Perhaps a sequel is in order?
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
