The Quantum Phoenix
Compelling and well-argued, The Quantum Phoenix makes readers want to believe in more earthly origins of UFOs.
Are flying saucer sightings visits from extraterrestrials or are they the test drives of advanced military aircraft? Self-taught aeronautics expert Alexander Baguma Barak, who himself experienced an encounter with a UFO, believes the latter. In The Quantum Phoenix, he builds an interesting case to argue that the origins of such highly advanced and top-secret aircraft lie in advanced German scientific and engineering research, fueled by the country’s humiliating and economically devastating World War I defeat. There’s a good deal of absorbing information here for an audience that enjoys reading about popular science.
Barak notes that while the Treaty of Versailles placed limits on the size of Germany’s military and aircraft production, there was little enforcement of these requirements, and gliders and rockets were not addressed by the treaty at all. Barak theorizes that German leaders focused on developing speedier and lighter aircraft between world wars to attack incoming bombers and to deliver long-range rockets.
The author believes that these revolutionary aircraft were almost ready to take to the skies as World War II ended, and that both American and Soviet leaders whisked German scientists and engineers back to their own countries in the hopes of gaining aerial warfare supremacy in the ensuing Cold War years. He further asserts that these governments have encouraged the spread of the UFO theories with a “well-administered cocktail of misinformation” to shield these top-secret warcraft from more widespread and serious investigation.
Complex technical concepts are adeptly broken down into easily understood components. The book is organized into sections that explain different technological aspects of how wing-shaped craft might have been developed, including such highly complex areas as laser propulsion, optics, composite materials, antigravity systems, space and time travel, and various aspects of classical physics and quantum mechanics.
Barak makes a compelling and well-argued case for his theories, though he often makes cursory references to various sources or reports without providing footnotes or a bibliography to back up his assertions. His own background and education are a mystery as well; even a brief author biography would add gravitas to his arguments.
The prose is punchy and persuasive overall. However, there are enough sentence fragments, awkward phrases, and mistakes in punctuation, spelling, and syntax (and an overreliance on the phrases “in truth” and “the truth is”) to take the polish off the arguments. There are also a couple of unexpected and off-topic ideological rants about geopolitics and a discussion of underground-living reptilian aliens who might be interested in harvesting humans as food.
The Quantum Phoenix should appeal to readers who enjoy books about aircraft and aeronautical design, as well as those who devour books about UFOs and unexplained phenomena. This book teaches much about twentieth-century history, aeronautical engineering, and the possibilities of long-distance space travel. It will leave many pondering long after the covers are closed.
Reviewed by
Rachel Jagareski
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
