The Seventh Dead is, on the face of it, a memoir of paranormal experiences, particularly surrounding UFO encounters and anomalous phenomena. On a deeper level, it explores the implication—arising out of these phenomena themselves—to burrow through the shadow aspects of the author’s own psychology, approaching that of a more collective or archetypal nature. In it, Brian C. Short examines the results of several hypnosis sessions undertaken to inquire into unusual experiences consciously recalled—experiences which often implied a deeper involvement than could be remembered—all the while maintaining an attitude of skepticism and reverence for the ambiguity of these resultant images.

They are taken as “psychic fact”, rather than literally so. That is the key to this approach: He is not trying to conclude anything about UFOs or so-called aliens, but to explore some of the questions—which seem inherently psychological—this subject raises, not only about the figure of the “alien” itself, but of the realm of fantasy and imagination it traverses, sometimes into apparent reality, and toward where it leads, the deeper aspects of mind. Neither does he dismiss the alien as unreal, as it appears to have agency and intelligence quite apart from, and more far-reaching than, Brian’s own. This is as honest an account of the phenomenon, and its fundamental role in the shaping of his life, as the author can give.