It’s the first ever book on supernatural smells. We are talking about Joshua Cutchin’s new book, The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, and Monstrous Miasmas, of course. Greg Bishop of Radio Misterioso calls it “an instant classic” because “it articulates a refreshingly original approach to the paranormal and more importantly, how witnesses interpret their experiences.” Another thumbs up comes from Nick Redfern, who reviewed the book in Mysterious Universe: “The Brimstone Deceit is a gripping and eye-opening examination of how, why, and under what specific circumstances odors play notable – arguably, integral – roles in encounters of the paranormal kind…[In the process] Josh tackles such issues as psychedelics, altered states, stage-managed events (by who or what, is the big question), deception and manipulation of the witnesses, and much more.” Redfern then compares Cutchin’s approach to that of a well-known fortean master: “Josh goes down the path taken by John Keel, who came to believe that the many and varied unknown ‘things’ which intrude upon our world are somehow all part and parcel of something bigger, something interconnected.” Finally, we have Kyle Philson’s review, which appeared in Expanded Perspectives: “Joshua is like a breath of fresh air in this community. He continually looks at these fringe and Fortean topics from an entirely new angle…Once again Joshua Cutchin knocks it out of the park!”

Remember Joshua Cutchin, the crazy guy who decided to investigate the food and drink offerings of aliens, fairies, and Sasquatch in that remarkably scholarly yet fun-to-read book  A Trojan Feast? If you do, you might wonder what could he possibly do next? Well, wonder no longer.  Just released is his new book, The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, and Monstrous Miasmas, which is equally scholarly (100 pages of endnotes and bibliography!) and probably even more fun to read, because hey, there’s something mighty smelly around here! And there is an amazing coincidence in the titling of the book, which the author details in a blog post: How a profound synchronicity led to the title of The Brimstone Deceit. The name of the game? Manipulation! Here is what our Greg Bishop, author of Project Beta, another fabulous book, thinks about Joshua’s new work: “The Brimstone Deceit can rightly be called an instant classic because it articulates a refreshingly original approach to the paranormal and more importantly, how witnesses interpret their experiences. Joshua Cutchin carefully builds his case with fascinating, startling, and entertaining accounts from throughout history to show us that when it comes to UFOs, Bigfoot, and other High Strangeness, the nose may really know what has been knocking at our doors for millennia.”