Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew

Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew
By Zak Bagans and Kelly Crigger
Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing (September 2011)
Pages: 272 – Price: $24.95

Official Ghostvillage.com Review

Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Challenge fans will find much to like about Zak Bagans’s first book, Dark World. Bagans is best known for his role as lead investigator on the Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures. Filled with fun nuggets like the fact that Bagans and his sister were on Wheel of Fortune’s Family Week back in 1997; but it’s also chock full of Bagans’ thoughts on how the paranormal works, how to investigate, and why he gets the results he does.

Readers will learn more about Zak’s past and upbringing, like how he moved around a lot and worked at a variety of odd jobs before discovering himself and his passion for what he does. I would have loved to hear even more about his family life and early experience with the unexplained.

Throughout the book Bagans talks about theories on EVP, spirit photography, using investigative equipment, and even your body for contacting spirits. For Bagans, his pursuit of the paranormal is more about contact and communication than documentation. While giving examples he often cites specific episodes of Ghost Adventures where he used these various methods to get the results you’ve seen on television. It’s part how-to, and part paranormal encouragement. Zak wants his readers to face their fears and experience the exhilaration that comes from exploring ghosts and spirits.

Dark World also offers a glimpse into Zak’s everyday life. We learn that when the cameras stop rolling, the ghosts don’t just go away. At home, in hotels, or while visiting friends, the spirits don’t seem to leave Bagans alone.

Another stand-out section of the book revolves around Zak’s experiences in Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder, Kentucky. It’s safe to say that this location is one of the most profound places Zak has ever been. And he’s been there multiple times now, so clearly he can’t get enough. In the Mackey’s section we learn more about the history of the haunt, and more about Zak’s experiences when the camera stopped rolling. Clearly something there has affected him in a big way.

Dark World is a fun read for those who want to know more about Zak’s life on and off camera, and worth picking up for those paranormal investigators who want to model their style after what they see on Ghost Adventures. The book allows Zak to go much more in-depth on the ideas, theories, and sometimes science behind the investigative techniques than a television show ever could. Grab the book, but keep a flashlight nearby… Zak’s world can be frightening.

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