Rating: 
Summary: Good Read; Weird Subject
Review: Area 51, the highly classified military installation at Groom Lake in the Nevada desert about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, may be more a state of mind than a physical place. Certainly that is the way it is treated in this engagingly written, witty, and sometimes insightful report on the desert base as it is understood in the mid-1990s and the strange cast of characters seeking to learn its mysteries. This is never more true than in the general public's perception of the installation as depicted in such television programs as the "X-Files" and films like "Independence Day."
Area 51 begins with a discussion of the first trip the author, an investigative journalist and author of three earlier books, made in 1993 to the ramshackle town of Rachel, Nevada, on the north side of the Groom Lake facility and haven of Area 51 watchers. There he met the most rational of the lot, Glenn Campbell (not the country singer), who was on a one-man crusade to find out what the government was up to at this super-secret base. It ends in 1997 with the revelation that Campbell was leaving this crusade.
Between these two Campbellite bookends the author weaves a set of weird stories tied to the base. In the early 1950s Lockheed Skunkworks director Kelly Johnson needed a secure place to test the U-2 reconnaissance airplane. The Air Force's test facility at Muroc dry lake, site of the now famous Chuck Yeager X-1 flights of 1947, was too well known and had too many people watching it. Groom Lake's dry bed provided just as good a runway in much more desolate surroundings and thus Area 51 was born. It has been the site of numerous other equally secret Air Force test programs over the years; those acknowledged now include the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and the F-117 stealth fighter. Other secret high-technology research projects, both real and imagined by the residents of Rachel, periodically make their way into this book.
But the really enticing thread running through the story of Area 51 is the belief held almost universally by the Rachel residents that the U.S. government is using the base to hide, reverse-engineer, and test alien technology that crashed on Earth. Thus, Area 51 has gained Mecca-like status for UFO hunters the world over. One would have to look for a long time to find as colorful a collection of characters to grace a non-fiction work. If those involved in America's space program look like stuffy establishment types who have taken the adventure out of spaceflight, this crew provides an extreme on the other end.
Bob Lazar serves as a centerpiece for Darlington's account. He says of him, "within the world of ufology, meeting Bob Lazar is tantamount to meeting Bob Dylan. Lazar is similarly a reclusive superstar and a legend in his own time; if not exactly the voice of a generation" (p. 61). Lazar claims to have worked at Area 51, tested alien spacecraft, and actually to have seen extraterrestrials involved in the reverse-engineering process. As such, if one accepts his story without verification, he provided much-needed confirmation and coherence to a range of diffuse anecdotes circulating about Area 51. Darlington does not accept Lazar's story at face-value. Neither did Glenn Campbell and a few others interested in Area 51. They found that many of the verifiable facts of Lazar's life did not pan out and that his wide-ranging statements about the base had serious inconsistencies. All these raised serious questions about his credibility.
But that does not much matter to many of the UFO hunters centered on Rachel. Most accepted his story, and some even added to it. Bill Uhouse, for instance, spun his own story of working as an engineer inside secret government facilities side by side with extraterrestrials who were doling out technological knowledge with an eyedropper to eager government officials. Then there was Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II of Alpha Draconis, who claimed to be an alien in human form sent to Earth to usher in a new order of contact with alien species. Joe and Pat Travis, proprietors of the Little A-Le-Inn in Rachel, have provided the safe haven for many of the UFO hunters in town, even sponsoring 1993's "Ultimate UFO Seminar" in which Lazar and others described their experiences. Finally, Agent X, as he likes to be called, stalks Area 51 to learn about the secret programs conducted there and claims to be a pacifistic hawk and purveyor of privileged national security information.
One over-arching observation springs from Darlington's narrative. There seems to be an unusual linkage between the more strident ufologists and the radical right wing of politics and anti-government militia groups. At numerous points in the book, anti-government rhetoric is voiced about attempts, intergalactic or not, to overthrow the U.S. Constitution and replace it with a "New World Order" in which Americans would become defacto slaves. Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II put an unusual spin on this. "I'm not a government conspiracy wacko," he told Darlington. "These people are radical right-wing conservative Christian fundamentalist militia supporters." Then he said: "I'm for the New World Order. When the United Federation of Planets is connected to the United Nations, that will be the New World Order--a permanent golden age" (p. 203). Slavery or salvation, Area 51 seems to serve as a beacon for each possibility in the minds of those who watch it.
None of this bears much relationship to the activities taking place at Area 51. And Darlington does not provide much serious investigation of them. That would have required research in tons of government records, probably using the "Freedom-of-Information Act" to gain access, and probing among those who live in Washington rather that in Rachel. What he does offer, however, is a fascinating account of what a fringe element of American society believe about what is taking place at Area 51. As such, it is a study of modern popular culture rather than a serious attempt to write history.
Rating: 
Summary: Calling All Crackpots
Review: As an open-minded skeptic I'm game to all kinds of weirdness, if the evidence presents itself. In turn I was somewhat familiar with the folklore surrounding Area 51 in Nevada. On a recent cross-country vacation I drove through some of the areas described in this book (though not nearly so extensively), traversing a portion of Nevada 375, and making a personal contribution to the unauthorized bumper sticker tradition. I got this here book later in the trip in Roswell, New Mexico, another center of weirdness that has a much better sense of humor. Here Darlington is not focused on the top-secret military operations at the base known popularly as Area 51 (which would be mostly impossible), but with the folklore practiced by conspiracy buffs and UFO enthusiasts who frequent the area. Centered in the nowheresville of Rachel, this book is populated with all kinds of colorful characters with bizarre theories and backgrounds, with names like Agent X and Ambassador Merlyn Merlin II of Alpha Draconis. Darlington keeps a detached stance, merely reporting each figure's theories and trying not to pass judgment. While most of these folks claim to be activists trying to unveil military and government secrecy, just about all of them come across, through their own words, as the highest class of crackpots, publicity seekers, and connect-the-dots conspiracy theorists that could be debunked by a pre-schooler. Unfortunately, Darlington's detached method leads to a book that can be quite dry and tedious at times, as he tends to use extremely long interviews and speeches verbatim, which sometimes last for several pages in a row. Darlington doesn't bother to propose any universal conclusion about this whole phenomenon, which would be interesting from a cultural standpoint at least. This book is outdated also, with several predictions from the interviewees of momentous events at the turn of the millennium. These sure didn't happen, and I bet it's because the year 2000 is a number based on a human calendar, so why would aliens care? Duh. In the end, this book accomplishes little more than rehashing the weirdness you can get for free from any number of internet news groups.
Rating: 
Summary: A humorous and informative look at Area 51
Review: David Darlington has written what is my favorite book on the most secretive place on earth. He mixes fact with fiction, in the form of what the self-proclaimed Area 51 "experts" believe to be fact.His research into this book is meticulous. He recounts a pretty good history of the base up through the first flights of the F-117. Many people whose names have become synonymous with Area 51 appear in this tale. Glenn Campbell, Tom Mahood, and Mark Farmer are portrayed as being more rational, while others,such as Bob Lazar, are shown as the charlatans that they are. Fact is often stranger than fiction, or so they say. If that is true, it also means that fact is funnier than fiction. Darlington captures the colorful personalities of the people who call Dreamland their home. I was particularly amused by Glenn Campbell's affinity for Las Vegas buffets (and Bob Lazar's affinity for Las Vegas brothels...) If the book can be faulted, it can be said that Darlington writes it from a somewhat skeptical point of view. But he really lets the characters write the story for him. Everyone has their own theory abut the mysterious base. The entertainment comes from these stories. Don't let the title fool you. This book's really about the Area 51 fanatics, not the base. But, based on our limited knowledge of what really happens at Area 51, the Area 51 sub-culture has taken the base's place in our hearts and minds.
Rating:
Summary: A humorous and informative look at Area 51
Review: David Darlington has written what is my favorite book on the most secretive place on earth. He mixes fact with fiction, in the form of what the self-proclaimed Area 51 "experts" believe to be fact. His research into this book is meticulous. He recounts a pretty good history of the base up through the first flights of the F-117. Many people whose names have become synonymous with Area 51 appear in this tale. Glenn Campbell, Tom Mahood, and Mark Farmer are portrayed as being more rational, while others,such as Bob Lazar, are shown as the charlatans that they are. Fact is often stranger than fiction, or so they say. If that is true, it also means that fact is funnier than fiction. Darlington captures the colorful personalities of the people who call Dreamland their home. I was particularly amused by Glenn Campbell's affinity for Las Vegas buffets (and Bob Lazar's affinity for Las Vegas brothels...) If the book can be faulted, it can be said that Darlington writes it from a somewhat skeptical point of view. But he really lets the characters write the story for him. Everyone has their own theory abut the mysterious base. The entertainment comes from these stories. Don't let the title fool you. This book's really about the Area 51 fanatics, not the base. But, based on our limited knowledge of what really happens at Area 51, the Area 51 sub-culture has taken the base's place in our hearts and minds.
Rating:
Summary: Easily, the best book I've ever read
Review: I am an Area 51 and US Military and Government Researcher, and I was looking for a book that would inform me not only on speculation as to what is going on in the world's most secretive base, but also honest and truthful facts. After reading David Darlington's best selling biography of the base, I can easily state on Amazon that the book did much more than that. The book is a five star documentary of Area 51, and will inspire the people who work there in to wondering what they are doing in that remote installation in Nevada. The book features how Area 51 came into existence: there was, supposedly, a crash landing of some craft in Roswell, NM, USA in the blistering hot summer of 1947. Who knows where those craft are? The only real piece of evidence to show that the craft are being back engineered to make such historic and monumental aircraft today is Area 51: its sheer size and isolation from the rest of the world is, actually, beyond imagination. The cold war comes and what do you see, but, twenty years after the crash landing and mass speculatory existence of the people of New Mexico, you see craft like the SR71, Have Blue and U-2A and also, later on, the B series. Darlington not only looks at evidence to prove that Area 51 exists, but actually, as a journalist, and a very talented grad. of Yale university, (though not from Skull and Bones!), he looks in a very perspective way at how people live in nevada and cope with what is easily a contradiction of most US regulations on environment and defense. David Darlington spends an increasing amount of time in Rachel, the closest concentration of American citizens to Area 51, otherwise known as Dreamland (hence the title of the book The Dreamland Chronicles), and spends time with just about every famous and widely heard of person in the village. He also spends time with Interceptors, he becomes one himself, looking for planes and travelling with officials to find out, constantly, new things relating to the base. He also uses his intelligence and common sense to seek out red herrings and disinformation, and he does that very well ina humourous and personal way. Area 51, a fantastic matter in modern philosophy, is intriguing, secretive, and always makes you think 'what if?'. But I have never read a book like the one Mr. Darlington wrote. It's good for skeptics, enthusiasts, and interceptors alike, and what I like is that he never gives up hope. Mr. Darlington, you've made me want to read more of the books, and as that phrase is coming from an Area 51 researcher and writer himself, I think I will. I'll award it five 'plus' stars. The book deserves them, don't you worry.
Rating:
Summary: Informative but outdated
Review: If you absolutely need a printed and bound version of Area 51 info to set on your shelf, this is the book. The info is dated though, and for the serious Area 51 researcher, there isn't anything new here.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: The subtitle of this book is appropriate, as David Darlington literally "chronicles" the history of Area 51 and the people involved, and offers explanation after explanation for its continued intrigue. The book is filled with one-on-one interviews with the major players who have helped shape the history of the base, putting the author in some rather strange situations and places at times. The book lends the occasional "light touch," but never strays far from the seriousness of the subject matter, as the author reminds us by the end of each chapter. A unique blend of wit and earnestness, it truly depicts the base in a (pardon the expression) "down-to-earth" fashion. This book should not be used as a final guide for anyone contemplating a visit to the region, but instead as an unparalled source of historical and biographical information. It contains some interesting pictures, too.
Rating:
Summary: An exploration, not of Area 51, but the mystique of Area 51
Review: This book I would warmly recommend to anyone interested in the patchwork quilt of subcultures which make up the United States. A well-written and humorous book, I was very glad that Darlington did not spend much time speculating about Area 51, but rather wrote this book as a recounting of the folklore and a cross-section of the many kinds of people which inhabit the area and in their own ways contibute to "Ufology."
Rating:
Summary: People not Aliens
Review: This book is not really about Area 51, it's about the people obsessed with the place, and their battles with the US government. Sure there's background detail but Darlington obviously finds the conspiracy phenomenon and the way it alters lives more interesting than trying to find 'the truth'. Very funny but also quite depressing, one gets the sense that Darlington is trying to show how these individual obsessions with Area 51 are ultimately futile, like flies swatted by a mad horse.
Rating: 
Summary: Very little about Area 51, mostly about individuals
Review: This book is obviously written to fill pages between a cover that says "Area 51". The writing isn't very good, the information isn't very good, most of it is downright annoyingly off topic such as a chapter on the Luxor hotel's buffet and rides. There is no information about Area 51 you cannot get for free on the internet. The book is extremely vague about the Area 51 base and instead concentrates of various crackpots that consider themselves Area 51 experts. That might be useful if the subjects were revealed in an Area 51 context but they are not. Instead we are treated to tales of how they like to get drunk and eat tuna with their fingers. There is an abundance of pages on various planes and the people who follow such things but again it's about planes and not nessesarily what they might have at Area 51. Much of the book is so pointless and senseless that I can only draw the conclusion that the mandate was to fill pages with words so the publisher could have an "Area 51" book on the shelves. Content wasn't a priority. Don't waste your time or money.
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