Alien Abductions (Creating a Modern Phenomenon)

Extraterrestrials regularly abduct humans from Earth, often performing bizarre surgeries and experiments on their subjects, according to the popular and profitable "nonfiction" offered by major publishing houses. Books by John Fuller, Budd Hopkins, David Jacobs, Whitley Strieber, and others have helped shape contemporary belief in alien beings.

Science fiction scholar Terry Matheson reveals that the alien abduction literary genre has been a part of our history for decades, but was never taken seriously until recent times. He explains that traditional aliens were friendly or merely curious quite different from today's ugly, fierce, sinister creatures. Abduction narratives and individual accounts have evolved and changed, and the new aliens seem to symbolize growing fears that our technology is out of control.

Actual accounts from abduction victims and evidence collected, Matheson stresses, are often greatly enhanced by the bestselling authors who market the stories, or are directly linked to well-known fantasy and sci-fi films released or broadcast prior to the alleged abductions. Alien Abductions also draws a parallel to the way societal myths are made, and that in these narratives we see a new myth in the making.