View source for Whitley Strieber

{{short description|American writer (born 1945)}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name         = Whitley Strieber
| image        = WhitleyAnne3 (cropped) Whitley Strieber.jpg
| imagesize    =
| alt          =
| caption      = Strieber in 2012
| pseudonym    =
| birth_name    = Louis Whitley Strieber
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1945|6|13}}
| birth_place   = [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[Texas]], U.S.
| death_date    =
| death_place   =
| occupation   = Writer/novelist
| citizenship  =
| education    =
| alma_mater   =
| period       = 1978–present
| genre        = [[Social science fiction]], [[ufology]], [[horror novel]]s
| subject      =
| movement     =
| notableworks = ''[[The Wolfen]]'' (1978)<br />''[[The Hunger (Strieber novel)|The Hunger]]'' (1981)<br />''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'' (1987)
| spouse       = [[Anne Strieber]]
| partner      =
| children     =
| relatives    =
| awards       =
| website      = {{URL|http://www.unknowncountry.com/}}
}}

'''Louis Whitley Strieber''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|t|r|iː|b|ər}}; born June 13, 1945) is an American writer best known for his [[horror novel]]s ''[[The Wolfen]]'' and ''[[The Hunger (Strieber novel)|The Hunger]]'' and for ''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'', a non-fiction account of his alleged experiences with non-human entities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whitley Strieber |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0834460/bio |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=IMDb}}</ref> He has maintained a dual career of author of fiction and advocate of metaphysical concepts through his best-selling non-fiction books, his Unknown Country website, and his podcast, Dreamland.<ref>{{Cite web|title = alternative news, science, culture, religion, ufos, alien encounters {{!}} unknowncountry {{!}} the edge of the world|url = http://www.unknowncountry.com/|website = unknowncountry.com|access-date = 2015-07-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = science, UFOs, alien abductions, crop circles, prophecy, reincarnation, environment {{!}} dreamland radio {{!}} unknowncountry|url = http://www.unknowncountry.com/dreamland/latest|website = unknowncountry.com| date=22 January 2011 |access-date = 2015-07-24}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Strieber was born in [[San Antonio, Texas]], the son of Kathleen Mary (Drought) and Karl Strieber, a lawyer.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The First Tunstalls in Virginia: And Some of Their Descendants|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EBYbAAAAYAAJ&q=%2522Kathleen+Mary+Drought%2522|publisher = Press of the Clegg Company|date = 1950-01-01|first = Whit|last = Morris}}</ref> He attended [[Central Catholic Marianist High School|Central Catholic  High School]] in San Antonio, Texas. He was educated at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] and the [[London Film School|London School of Film Technique]], graduating from each in 1968. He worked for several advertising firms in New York City, rising to the level of [[vice president]] before leaving in 1977 to pursue a writing career.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/720/000022654/ |title=Whitley Strieber |website=NNDB |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

==Early fiction==
Strieber began his career as a novelist with the horror novels ''[[The Wolfen]]'' (1978) and ''[[The Hunger (Strieber novel)|The Hunger]]'' (1981), both of which were made into [[feature films]], followed by the less successful horror novels ''Black Magic'' (1982)<ref>{{Cite book|title = Black Magic|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MCTOAAAACAAJ&q=Black+Magic+streiber|publisher = Pocket Books|date = 1984-01-01|isbn = 9780671460846|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> and ''The Night Church'' (1983).<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Night Church|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=P2eoPwAACAAJ&q=The+Night+Church+streiber|publisher = Severn House|date = 1983-01-01|isbn = 9780727813022|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref>

Strieber turned to [[speculative fiction]] with social conscience. Collaborating with [[James Kunetka]], he wrote ''[[Warday]]'' (1984) about the dangers of limited [[nuclear warfare]], and ''Nature's End'' (1986),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Nature's End|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OvKrHAAACAAJ&q=Nature%2527s+End+strieber|publisher = Warner Books|date = 1987-01-01|isbn = 9780446343558|first1 = Whitley|last1 = Strieber|first2 = James W.|last2 = Kunetka}}</ref> a novel about environmental apocalypse. He independently authored ''Wolf of Shadows'' (1985),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Wolf of Shadows|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pTfhHAAACAAJ&q=Wolf+of+Shadows+strieber|publisher = Knight Books|date = 1988-01-01|isbn = 9780340426111|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> a young adult novel set in the [[nuclear winter|aftermath of a nuclear war]].

In 1986, Strieber's fantasy novel ''Catmagic'' was published with co-authorship credited to Jonathan Barry, who was described as an aerospace industry consultant and a practising [[witch]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Cat Magic|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=p5fAmXoiWPEC&q=Catmagic+strieber|publisher = Tom Doherty Associates|date = 1987-01-01|isbn = 9780812515503|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> In the 1987 paperback edition, Strieber stated that Barry was fictitious and that he was the sole author of ''Catmagic''. Strieber's personal publishing company, Walker & Collier, was named after two characters in ''Catmagic''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Whitley-Strieber/179962609 |title=Whitley Strieber |website=Simon & Schuster |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

Later less successful thrillers by Strieber included ''[[Billy (novel)|Billy]]'' (1990), ''[[The Wild (novel)|The Wild]]'' (1991), ''Unholy Fire'' (1992)<ref>{{Cite book|title = Unholy Fire|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cR-9QgAACAAJ&q=Unholy+Fire+strieber|publisher = Warner|date = 1992-01-01|isbn = 9780751501858|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> and ''The Forbidden Zone'' (1993).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beyondcommunion.com/zone.html |title=Billy, The Wild, Unholy Fire, Forbidden Zone |website=Beyond Communion |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

==Short stories==

The author's short stories were collected in the 1997 limited edition volume ''Evenings with Demons''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Evenings with Demons|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8twAkgEACAAJ&q=Evenings+with+Demons+strieber|publisher = Diamond Comic Distributors|date = 2008-09-01|isbn = 9781880325827|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> More recent short stories included "The Good Neighbor", published in ''[[Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary]]'', and "The Christmas Spirits" (2012), a modern retelling of [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Christmas Spirits: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens retold for modern times|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jUA5AgAAQBAJ&q=The%2520Christmas%2520Spirits%2520strieber&pg=PT1|publisher = Hodder & Stoughton|date = 2011-11-21|isbn = 9781444732627|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref>

==''Communion'' and "the visitors"==
Strieber has stated that he was abducted from his [[Cottage|cabin]] in [[upstate New York]] on the evening of December 26, 1985, by non-human sentient beings. He wrote about this experience and related experiences in ''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'' (1987), his first non-fiction book. Although the book was perceived generally as an account of [[alien abduction]], Strieber drew no conclusions about the identity of the alleged abductors. He referred to the beings as "the visitors", a name chosen to be as neutral as possible to allow the possibility that they were not [[extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial]]s. Neurologist Steven Novella has remarked that the details of Whitley's tale of waking up seemingly paralyzed fitted the description of [[hypnagogia]], a fairly common neurological phenomenon that has been mistaken by some for an intervention by demons or aliens.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe|last=Novella|first=Steven|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-1538760536|location=New York|pages=39}}</ref> Both the hardcover and paperback editions of ''Communion'' reached the number one position on [[New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]] (non-fiction), with more than 2 million copies collectively sold.

Although it was published as non-fiction, the book editor of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' pronounced the follow-up title, ''Transformation'' (1988),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Transformation: The Breakthrough|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MldDCQAAQBAJ&q=Transformation++strieber|publisher = Avon Books|date = 1997-01-01|isbn = 9780380705351|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> to be fiction and removed it from the non-fiction best-seller list (it nonetheless made the top 10 on the fiction side of the chart). "It's a reprehensible thing," Strieber responded. "My book is a true story ... Placing this book on the fiction list is an ugly example of exactly the kind of blind prejudice that has hurt human progress for many generations."<ref>{{cite news |title=This Transformation Makes Author Blue |newspaper=Newsday, Inside NY |date=10 October 1988 | page=11 }}</ref> Criticism that noted the similarity between the non-human beings in Strieber's autobiographical accounts and the non-human beings in his initial horror novels was acknowledged by the author as a fair observation, but not indicative of his autobiographical works being fictional. He said, "The mysterious small beings that figure prominently in ''Catmagic'' seem to be an unconscious rendering of [the visitors], created before I was aware that they may be real."<ref>{{cite book| author = Strieber, Whitley|year = 1987| title = Cat Magic| publisher = Tor Books| location = New York City| page = Foreword| isbn = 9780812515503| quote = "I wrote Catmagic in 1984, well before I was consciously aware of the visitors who figure in Communion. Communion is a story of how it felt to have personal contact with the visitors. The mysterious small beings that figure prominently in Catmagic seem to be an unconscious rendering of them, created before I was aware that they may be real."}}</ref>

Since the 1987 publication of ''Communion'', Strieber has written four further autobiographies detailing his experiences with the visitors: ''Transformation'' (1988), a direct follow-up; ''Breakthrough: The Next Step'' (1995),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Breakthrough: The Next Step|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=w-vkH-_EHHsC&q=Breakthrough+strieber|publisher = HarperCollins Publishers|date = 1996-06-01|isbn = 9780061009587|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> a reflection on the original events and accounts of the sporadic contact he had subsequently experienced; ''The Secret School'' (1996),<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Secret School: Preparation for Contact|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KCoOAAAACAAJ&q=The+Secret+School+strieber|publisher = HarperCollins|date = 1997-01-01|isbn = 9780060187316|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> in which he examined strange memories from his childhood; and ''Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is to Come'' (2011).<ref>{{Cite book|title = Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is To Come|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RCm6VKizQDAC&q=Solving%2520the%2520Communion%2520Enigma%2520strieber|publisher = Penguin|date = 2012-01-05|isbn = 9781101554234|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref>

In ''Solving the Communion Enigma'', Strieber reflected on how advances in scientific understanding since his 1987 publication could shed light on what he perceived, noting, "Among other things, since I wrote ''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'', science has determined that parallel universes may be physically real and that [[time travel]] may in some way be possible". The book was a consolidation of UFO sightings and related phenomena, including crop circles, alien abductions, mutilations and deaths, in an attempt to discern a meaningful overall pattern. Strieber concluded that the human species was being shepherded to a higher level of understanding and existence within an endless "multiverse" of matter, energy, space and time. He also wrote more candidly about the deleterious effects his initial experiences had upon him while staying at his upstate New York cabin in the 1980s, recalling, "I was regularly drinking myself to sleep when we were there. I would listen to the radio until late hours, drinking vodka..."<ref>{{cite book| author = Strieber, Whitley| year = 2011| title = Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is to Come| publisher = Penguin| location = New York City| isbn = 978-1-58542-917-2}} Page 9: "As I have said, it is not at all clear the final resolution of the mystery will involve creatures from another planet. Among other things, since I wrote Communion, science has determined that parallel universes may be physically real and that time travel may in some way be possible."; Page 157: "I was regularly drinking myself to sleep..."</ref>

Other visitor-themed books of Strieber's included ''Majestic'' (1989),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Majestic|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J1-_zCj5WusC&q=Majestic%2520%2520strieber|publisher = Macmillan|date = 2011-08-02|isbn = 9781429970327|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> a novel about the [[Roswell UFO incident]]; ''The Communion Letters'' (1997, reissued in 2003),<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Communion Letters|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KTTZAAAACAAJ&q=The+Communion+Letters+strieber|publisher = Pocket Books|date = 1998-01-01|isbn = 9780671017866|first1 = Whitley|last1 = Strieber|first2 = Anne|last2 = Strieber}}</ref> a collection of letters from readers reporting experiences similar to Strieber's; ''Confirmation'' (1998),<ref>{{Cite book|title = Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us?|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=81q3CSXMUTwC|publisher = Macmillan|date = 1999-02-15|isbn = 9780312967048|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> in which Strieber reviewed a variety of evidence suggestive of alien contact and considered what more would be required to provide 'confirmation'; ''The Grays'' (2006)<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Grays|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yfeKpBzIJLgC|publisher = Macmillan|date = 2007-04-01|isbn = 9781429914857|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> a novel in which his impressions of alien contact were presented through a fictional thriller/espionage narrative, and; ''Hybrids'' (2011)<ref>{{Cite book|title = Hybrids|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HtKUqWR42dMC|publisher = St. Martin's Press|date = 2012-02-28|isbn = 9780765363503|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> a fictional narrative that imagined human/alien hybrids being born into the modern world.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strieber |first=Whitley |title=Hybrids |year=2011 |publisher=Tor Books |isbn=978-0765323767}}</ref>

Additional visitor-themed writings included a screenplay for the 1989 film ''[[Communion (1989 film)|Communion]]'', directed by [[Philippe Mora]] and starring [[Christopher Walken]] as Strieber. The movie covered material from the books ''Communion'' and ''Transformation''. Strieber has stated that he was dissatisfied with the film, which included scenes of improvised dialogue and themes not present in his books. Strieber also wrote a screenplay for his novel ''Majestic'', which to date has not been filmed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beyondcommunion.com/screenplays.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080512181243/http://www.beyondcommunion.com/screenplays.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-05-12|title=Beyond Communion - Unproduced Screenplays|work=beyondcommunion.com}}</ref>

Strieber has repeatedly expressed frustration that his experiences have been taken as "alien contact" when he did not actually know what they were. He has reported anomalous childhood experiences and suggested that he may have suffered some sort of early interference by intelligence or military agencies.<ref>[http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/boy-box "The Boy in the Box,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120918145001/http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/boy-box |date=2012-09-18 }} Whitley's Journal, Friday, March 14, 2003</ref> He has been extensively tested for [[temporal lobe epilepsy]] and other brain abnormalities at his own request, but his brain was found to be functioning normally. The results of these tests were reported in his book ''Transformation''.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

==The Whitman Massacre==

In ''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'', Strieber wrote of having told friends over the years that he had witnessed the [[University of Texas tower shooting]] in [[Austin, Texas]], on August 1, 1966, when he had in fact not been on campus that day:

{{blockquote|For years I have told of being present at the University of Texas when Charles Whitman went on his  shooting spree from the tower in 1966. But I wasn't there. ...

For years I have explained my sudden departure by saying that I couldn't stand the place after the Charles Whitman sniper incident. The truth was, I could have remained after that incident. It was my secret terror that drove me away.}}

Strieber presents his claim to have witnessed the Whitman shooting in ''Communion'' in the context of alien abduction screen memories, expressing puzzlement at having repeated this false claim over the years. In two interviews prior to ''Communion'', however, Strieber described in graphic detail what he purportedly witnessed. In a 1985 interview with Douglas Winter published in ''[[Faces of Fear (interview book)|Faces of Fear]]'', Strieber described:

{{blockquote|I had just had a Coke. I was walking from the student union to the academic center, which was an open-shelf library near the Tower, when I heard a sharp bang that echoed off the University co-op across the street behind me. And the reason I am alive today is that I didn't turn around. I thought it was coming from the Tower. Maybe I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. All the people in front of me thought the sound came from the co-op in front of us, not the Tower behind.

The next thing I saw was a little boy on a bicycle coming toward me - his head just exploded.  I didn't hear that one. I knew then that it was coming from the Tower. The other people all took cover that shielded them from the co-op, but left them exposed to the Tower. They were all killed, shot. I ran to a little retaining wall about three feet high which was near that base of the Tower building, about twenty yards from it. And I laid down there.

He shot two girls in the stomach right behind me, thirty feet away from me. And they were lying there in  the grass, screaming, begging, pleading for help, trying to crawl along. One girl's legs wouldn't work. The other one was vomiting pieces of herself out of her mouth. And I could smell the  blood and the odor of their stomachs,  what was in their stomachs and their colons. The smell was horrible coming out of these poor kids, two young coeds. And he did that to get me and this other guy who was hiding behind this embankment to come out. I stayed there. I was sick with dread, watching them die, knowing that that gun was waiting. And the other guy suddenly went out and tried to pull one of them away and got shot in the head and killed. Whitman just shot the top of his head off.

I stayed right where I was for a long, long time — until I saw them, with my own eyes,  bringing Whitman's body out. The ambulance men came up to me and said, 'You can come out now, he's dead.' But I would not move until I saw him.}}

Critics including panelists on the British television discussion programme ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' questioned Strieber about his statements in ''Communion'' about not having been at the Whitman shooting.<ref>''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'', produced by [[Open Media]] for [[Channel 4]], 18 November 1989.</ref> Strieber announced that in his latest book, ''Transformation'', he had changed his mind and decided he had witnessed the shooting. Despite this, according to public information, no "little boy on a bicycle" was killed by Whitman that day. Further, according to Ed Conroy in his ''Report on Communion'', Strieber's mother stated during an interview that Strieber had been in Austin the day of the shooting, but not on campus.<ref>Ed Conroy, ''Report on Communion'', 1989.</ref>

==The Master of the Key==
In 2001, Strieber self-published a book titled ''The Key,''<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber}}</ref> in which he claimed that while on a book tour for his book ''Confirmation'', he was visited in the early morning of June 6, 1998, at his Toronto hotel room by an unknown man who presented him with a "new image of God".<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=6}}</ref> Strieber engaged the man in dialogue for "half an hour," though Strieber also conceded that "once our conversation was transcribed, it became obvious that more time was involved" and "he must have been with me for at least two hours".<ref name="Strieber 5">{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=5}}</ref> Subjects discussed included the Holocaust,<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=13}}</ref> sudden climate change,<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=68}}</ref> the afterlife,<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=17}}</ref> psychic ability,<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=20}}</ref> UFOs,<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=34}}</ref> and using the human soul in machines.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Key|publisher = Walker & Collier Publishers|date = 2001-01-01|isbn = 9780974286518|first = Whitley|last = Strieber|page=66}}</ref> According to Strieber, the man did not give his name, and in the book Strieber refers to him as Master of the Key. While he was writing the book, Strieber said that unlike other events he had experienced "the reality of this one isn't in question."<ref>Excerpt from Whitleysworld News e-mail newsletter 14 Sept 2000. Retrieved from beyondcommunion.com</ref>

In the section of ''The Key'' entitled ''The Conversation'', Strieber presented a transcription<ref name="Strieber 5"/> of the conversation which Strieber has claimed is "80 to 90 percent accurate",<ref>{{cite interview |last=Strieber |first=Whitley |interviewer=Sean Casteel |title=Q and A With Whitley Strieber On "The Key" |url=http://www.seancasteel.com:80/Strieber_The_Key.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040221145809/http://www.seancasteel.com/Strieber_The_Key.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-02-21 |publisher=seancasteel.com |date=2001 |access-date=May 5, 2017 }}</ref> "90% accurate or more".<ref>{{cite podcast |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paratopia/id382996928?mt=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005115334/https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paratopia/id382996928?mt=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 5, 2014 |title=Whitley Strieber - The Key |publisher=Paratopia |host=Jeremy Vaeni |date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref> In 2011, Tarcher/Penguin printed a new edition of ''The Key'', which contained significant differences from the version of the transcription contained in Strieber's original Walker & Collier edition. In response, Strieber alleged that his own 2001 self-published edition had been "censored" by "sinister forces".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/old-edition-key-was-censored-new-one-not |title=The Old Edition of the Key was CENSORED, the New One is Not |last=Strieber |first=Whitley |date=May 15, 2011 |website=unknowncountry.com |access-date=May 19, 2017 |archive-date=February 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206143639/http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/old-edition-key-was-censored-new-one-not |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Current works==
Whitley Strieber is currently the host of the spiritual and science-themed podcast ''Dreamland'', available on a weekly basis from his website, Unknown Country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unknowncountry.com/|title=alternative news, science, culture, religion, ufos, alien encounters - unknowncountry - the edge of the world|work=unknowncountry.com}}</ref> The program was a former companion show to ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'', with both shows founded by broadcaster [[Art Bell]], before being taken on by Strieber in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/ |title=Shows - Coast to Coast AM |website=Coast to Coast AM |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

Strieber has also continued to write novels, including ''The Last Vampire'' (2001), and ''Lilith's Dream'' (2003), both sequels to his 1981 vampire novel ''[[The Hunger (Strieber novel)|The Hunger]]''.  He wrote ''2012: The War For Souls'' (2007), a horror novel about an interdimensional invasion, and ''Critical Mass'' (2009), a thriller about nuclear terrorism. Strieber also co-authored the graphic novel ''The Nye Incidents'' (2008), along with co-writers Craig Spector and Guss Floor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strieber |first1=Whitley |last2=Spector |first2=Craig |title=The Nye Incidents |year=2008 |publisher=Devil's Due Publishing |isbn=9781934692011}}</ref>

His novel ''The Omega Point'' is "based on a hidden connection between 2012 and the [[Book of Revelation]]".<ref>[http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/?id=371 "Why is the Middle East Exploding?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417174334/http://www.unknowncountry.com/journal/?id=371 |date=2014-04-17 }} Whitley's Journal, Wednesday, February 2, 2011</ref> This title, released in 2010, is Strieber's second novel dealing with the subject of 2012, the first being ''2012: The War for Souls''.

An entry in the popular teen-lit genre, ''Melody Burning'', was published in late 2011. The story centered on a feral teenager who lived within a skyrise building unnoticed, and a new tenant, a pop-star named Melody, with whom he fell in love.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429975834/melodyburning/ |title=Melody Burning |publisher=Macmillan Publishers |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

In 2012, Strieber began an alien-themed thriller series called "Alien Hunter", the first volume of which was published in August 2013. A series based on the book was released by [[SyFy]] in April 2016 and called "Hunters".<ref name="syfy.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.syfy.com/hunters|title=Syfy - Watch Full Episodes - Imagine Greater - Hunters|work=Syfy}}</ref>
The second volume in the series, ''Alien Hunter: Underworld'', was published in August 2014.

In March 2014, Strieber and his wife Anne published an account of her illness titled 'Miraculous Journey'. Mrs Strieber had experienced a cerebral haemorrhage in 2004 and in 2013 underwent treatment for a brain tumor.

Strieber collaborated with religious scholar [[Jeffrey J. Kripal]] on 2016's ''Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained'',  a study of occultism, supernatural experiences and parapsychology that explored "why the supernatural is neither fantasy nor fiction but a vital and authentic aspect of life".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strieber |first1=Whitley |last2=Kripal |first2=Jeffrey J. |title=The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained |year=2016 |publisher=TarcherPerigee |isbn=9781101982327}}</ref>

In 2025, Strieber published ''A Fourth Mind''<ref name="The Fourth Mind">https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Mind-Whitley-Strieber/dp/B0DS9R3FQT/</ref> which explored the anatomy, genetics and abilities of benevolent entities who Strieber referred to as "the visitors," and proposed that they possessed capabilities such as telepathy, [[telekinesis]], and levitation.<ref name="The Fourth Mind"/> Strieber suggested that humans may have once shared these abilities, which were lost in part after ancient global catastrophes. The book advocated rediscovering these powers in order to integrate with the visitors and reframe humanity's "cosmic identity".<ref name="The Fourth Mind"/> This thesis has been positively received by the likes of [[Jacques Vallée]], Jim Semivan, and [[Uri Geller]].<ref name="The Fourth Mind"/>

==Media appearances==
In November 1989, Strieber made an extended appearance on the British television discussion programme ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' alongside, among others, astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]].<ref>[https://www.openmedia.co.uk/after-dark-series-three-core-database Website of production company ''Open Media''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130151452/https://www.openmedia.co.uk/after-dark-series-three-core-database |date=2023-01-30 }}, see also [[List of After Dark editions#Series 3|List of ''After Dark'' editions]]</ref>

The following year on February 4, 1990, Strieber made an Irish appearance on [[RTÉ]]'s ''[[Kenny Live]]'' to discuss his experience of alien abduction.

Strieber, and perhaps his wife Anne, made a cameo appearance in the 2009 movie ''[[Race to Witch Mountain]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1075417/fullcredits|title=IMDB|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref>

Television appearances during the publication of ''Communion'' were numerous and included ''[[The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson]]''. He has made appearances (including a 2006 interview on the ''[[Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson]]'') in support of his newer novels.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.johnnycarson.com/carson-episodes/1987/05/06-whitley-strieber-david-steinberg-cher |title=May 6, 1987 - Whitley Strieber, David Steinberg, Cher |website=Johnny Carson |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

He has been featured many times on the overnight radio show ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'', both as guest and guest-host. On April 6, 2013, he did a two-hour interview with [[John B. Wells]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2013/04/06|title=The Visitors|work=coasttocoastam.com}}</ref>

Strieber appeared in the 2022 documentary ''[[Alien Abduction: Answers]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=New UFO Documentary "Alien Abduction: Answers" Featuring Whitley Strieber Set for Its World Premiere at MidWest WeirdFest |url=https://www.whenitwascool.com/ufo-documentary-alien-abduction-answers-featuring-whitley-strieber-set-premiere-midwest-weirdfest |website=When it was cool |access-date=14 March 2022}}</ref>

==Cultural influences==
In an episode of ''[[The X-Files]]'', "[[Jose Chung's From Outer Space|Jose Chung's ''From Outer Space'']]", the cover of the book ''From Outer Space'' is a parody of the cover of ''Communion'' (the alien on the cover is smoking a cigarette).{{sfn|Genge|1996|p=175}}

The [[post-punk]] [[dance music]] group [[The Mekano Set]] cite Whitley Strieber's non-fiction as an influence on their work. They wrote a tribute to Strieber for their 2013 album ''The Three Thieves'' (a reference to characters from Strieber's novel ''The Grays'') entitled "What is it Whit?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mekanoset.net/threethieves/index.html|title=The Mekano Set - Three Thieves|work=mekanoset.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201195644/http://www.mekanoset.net/threethieves/index.html|archive-date=2014-02-01}}</ref>

The closing track of [[U.N.K.L.E.]]'s debut album ''[[Psyence Fiction]]'' (1998) features vocals from Whitley Strieber, taken from a weekend edition of [[Art Bell]]'s ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'' nightly radio talk show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Unkle-outro-mandatory-lyrics/|title=genius.com}}</ref>

''Communion'' was shown in the episode Love Language of the first season of the series ''[[Resident Alien (TV series)|Resident Alien]]''.

==Archives of the Impossible==
The [[Archives of the Impossible]] (AOTI) of [[Rice University]] at [[Houston, Texas]] is a [[special collection]] founded in 2014 by [[Jeffrey J. Kripal]], a [[religious studies|professor of religion]].<ref name="KPRC-TV AOTI 2024-10-28" /><ref name="Clarke Oxford AOTI 2025-05-27" /> AOTI is based at the [[Woodson Research Center]] (WRC) and materials are housed in the [[Fondren Library]].<ref name="Clarke Oxford AOTI 2025-05-27" /><ref name="Billeaud Anderson AOTI July 2022" /> AOTI houses mail correspondences that Strieber received from the public about their alien abduction reports.<ref name="Askey AOTI 2025-10-20" /><ref name="Billeaud Anderson AOTI July 2022" /> Kripal highlighted 3,400 letters to Strieber in particular; Strieber had received hundreds of thousands of letters that his wife Anne curated, and the particularly significant letters were donated to AOTI.<ref name="Askey AOTI October 2025" /><ref name="KPRC-TV AOTI 2024-10-28" /> Rice University in 2024 began a two-year study of the materials in AOTI, after ten years of collection and archival work.<ref name="KPRC-TV AOTI 2024-10-28" /> The research included [[artificial intelligence]] driven analysis of the Strieber and other collections.<ref name="Clarke Oxford AOTI 2025-05-27" /> Rice University began an extensive [[de-identification]] process for Mack's collection, to protect the identities of claimed experiencers in medical records.<ref name="WLC Archives August 2024" />{{rp|8-9}} Similar [[data anonymization]] efforts were reported underway for the Strieber collection.<ref name="WLC Archives August 2024" />{{rp|14-15}} The Strieber collection spans material from 1970 to 2016, and was [[Library acquisitions|accessioned]] to AOTI in 2023.<ref name="WLC Archives August 2024" />{{rp|25}}

==Personal life==
Whitley Strieber is associated with the [[Gurdjieff Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iagf.org/|title=iagf.org}}</ref> He left regular work in the Foundation shortly before the experiences reported in ''Communion'' but remains involved in the mystical teachings of [[G. I. Gurdjieff]] and [[P. D. Ouspensky]] and makes frequent references to them in his non-fiction writings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strieber |first=Whitley |title=The Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained |year=2016 |publisher=TarcherPerigee |page=42 |isbn=9781101982327}}</ref>

Strieber was married to [[Anne Strieber]] until her death in 2015. According to his website, he was living in California in April 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unknowncountry.com/ |title=Unknown Country |website=Unknown Country |access-date=2025-03-15}}</ref>

==Fiction==
{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* ''[[The Wolfen]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The Hunger (Strieber novel)|The Hunger]]'' (1981)
* ''Black Magic'' (1982)
* ''[[The Night Church]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Warday]]'' (1984) (with James Kunetka)
* ''[[Wolf of Shadows]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Nature’s End]]'' (1986) (with James Kunetka)
* ''[[Catmagic]]'' (1986)
* ''Majestic'' (1989)
* ''[[Billy (novel)|Billy]]'' (1990)
* ''[[The Wild (novel)|The Wild]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Unholy Fire]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Forbidden Zone (novel)|The Forbidden Zone]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Evenings With Demons]]'' (1997)
* ''[[The Last Vampire (Strieber novel)|The Last Vampire]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Lilith’s Dream (Strieber novel)|Lilith's Dream]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]'' (2004)
* ''The Grays'' (2006)
* ''[[2012: The War for Souls]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Nye Incidents]]'' (2007) (with Craig Spector)
* ''[[Critical Mass (Strieber novel)|Critical Mass]]'' (2009)
* ''[[The Omega Point: Beyond 2012]]'' (2010)    
* ''[[Hybrids (Strieber novel)|Hybrids]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Melody Burning]]'' (2011)
* ''Alien Hunter'' (2012)
* ''[[The Secret of Orenda]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Alien Hunter: Underworld]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Alien Hunter: The White House]]'' (2016)
* ''[[New (novel)|New]]'' (2018)
* ''[[In Hitler’s House Volume 1: What the Thunder Said (as Jonathan White Lane)]]'' (2018)
* ''[[In Hitler’s House Volume 2: Unreal (as Jonathan White Lane)]]'' (2018)

}}

==Nonfiction==
* ''[[Communion (book)|Communion]]'' (1987)
* ''Transformation'' (1988)
* ''Breakthrough'' (1995)
* ''The Secret School'' (1996)
* ''The Communion Letters'' (1997) (with Anne Strieber (editors))
* ''Confirmation'' (1998)
* ''[[The Coming Global Superstorm]]'' (1999) (with Art Bell)
* ''The Key'' (2001)
* ''The Path'' (2002)
* ''Solving the Communion Enigma'' (2012)
* ''Miraculous Journey'' (2014) (with Anne Strieber)
* ''Super Natural: A New Vision of the Unexplained'' (2016) (with Jeffrey J. Kripal)
* ''The Afterlife Revolution'' (2017) (with Anne Strieber)
* ''A New World'' (2019)
* ''Jesus: A New Vision'' (2020)
* ''Them'' (2023)
* ''The Fourth Mind'' (2025)

==Film and TV adaptations==
* ''[[Wolfen (film)|Wolfen]]'' (1981; [[Orion Pictures|Orion]]/[[Warner Bros.]])
* ''[[The Hunger (1983 film)|The Hunger]]'' (1983; [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]])
* ''[[Communion (1989 film)|Communion]]'' (1989; [[New Line Cinema]])
* ''[[The Day After Tomorrow]]'' (2004; [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]/[[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]])
* ''[[Hunters (2016 TV series)|Hunters]]'' (2016; [[SyFy]])<ref name="syfy.com"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of UFO sightings]]
*[[UFO]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="Askey AOTI 2025-10-20">{{Cite web|date=2025-10-20|title=Rifling Through the Impossible| last1=Askey|first1=Derek|url=https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/28855-rifling-through-the-impossible|url-status=live|website=[[The Sun (magazine)|The Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251028155328/https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/28855-rifling-through-the-impossible|archive-date=2025-10-28}}</ref>

<ref name="Askey AOTI October 2025">{{Cite web|date=October 2025|title=Radar and Revelation| last1=Askey|first1=Derek|url=https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/598-radar-and-revelation|url-status=live|website=[[The Sun (magazine)|The Sun]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105010531/https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/598-radar-and-revelation|archive-date=2025-11-05}}</ref>

<ref name="Billeaud Anderson AOTI July 2022">{{Cite web|date=July 2022|title=Cosmic Sex and UFOs: Rice University’s Archives of the Impossible|last1=Billeaud Anderson|first1=Virginia|url=https://www.intownmag.com/2022/07/cosmic-sex-and-ufos-rice-universitys-archives-of-the-impossible/|url-status=live|website=Houston Intown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814031142/https://www.intownmag.com/2022/07/cosmic-sex-and-ufos-rice-universitys-archives-of-the-impossible/|archive-date=2022-08-14}}</ref>

<ref name="Clarke Oxford AOTI 2025-05-27">{{Cite web|date=2025-05-27|title=Inside Rice University’s 2025 UFO Conference|last1=Clarke|first1=Will|url=https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/inside-rice-university-s-2025-ufo-conference|url-status=live|website=[[Oxford American]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250614135255/https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/inside-rice-university-s-2025-ufo-conference|archive-date=2025-06-14}}</ref>

<ref name="KPRC-TV AOTI 2024-10-28">{{Cite web|date=2024-10-28|title=Archives of the Impossible at Rice University Marks 10 years: Exploring supernatural encounters and exponential growth|last1=Cerota|first1=Andy|url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/10/28/archives-of-the-impossible-at-rice-university-marks-10-years-exploring-supernatural-encounters-and-exponential-growth/|url-status=live|website=[[KPRC-TV]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241102180935/https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2024/10/28/archives-of-the-impossible-at-rice-university-marks-10-years-exploring-supernatural-encounters-and-exponential-growth/|archive-date=2024-11-02}}</ref>

<ref name="WLC Archives August 2024">{{cite journal |last1=Luftig |first1=David M. |last2=Cukier |first2=Emily S. |title=Trends in UFO-Related Archival Collections |journal=Alki: The [[Washington Library Association]] Journal |volume=40 |issue=2 |date=August 2024 |pages=1–27 |issn=8756-4173 |url=https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/Trends-in-UFO-Related-Archival-Collections/99901139039701842|access-date=2025-10-28|archive-url=https://archive.org/details/trends-in-ufo-related-archival-collections|archive-date=2025-11-03|doi=10.7273/000006614|doi-access=free}}</ref>

}}

==Bibliography==
<!-- add references below -->
* {{cite web
  | last =Bell
  | first =Art
  | author2 =Whitley Strieber
  | title =The Coming Global Superstorm
  | publisher =CNN
  | date =December 28, 1999
  | url =http://archives.cnn.com/1999/books/beginnings/12/28/superstorm/index.html
  | access-date =2007-04-25
  | archive-date =2008-05-01
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080501074436/http://archives.cnn.com/1999/books/beginnings/12/28/superstorm/index.html
  | url-status =dead
  }}

* {{cite web
  | last =Strieber
  | first =Whitley
  | title =Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens among Us
  | publisher =CNN
  | date =July 29, 1998
  | url =http://www.cnn.com/books/reviews/9807/29/confirmation/index.html?eref=sitesearch
  | access-date =2007-04-25}}

* {{cite web
 |last=McCarty 
 |first=Michael 
 |title=Whitley Strieber communes with aliens, werewolves and the creative muse 
 |publisher=Sci Fi Channel (United States) 
 |date=April 14, 2003 
 |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw9644.html 
 |access-date=2007-04-25 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013213715/http://scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw9644.html 
 |archive-date=2007-10-13 
 |url-status=dead 
}}

* {{cite web
 |last=Graham 
 |first=Mark 
 |title=Brief reviews, August 18 
 |publisher=Rocky Mountain News 
 |date=August 18, 2006 
 |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/books/article/0,2792,DRMN_63_4924288,00.html 
 |access-date=2007-04-25 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930200958/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/books/article/0%2C2792%2CDRMN_63_4924288%2C00.html 
 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
}}
*{{citation| year=1996| last=Genge| first=Ngaire| title=The Unofficial X-Files Companion II| isbn=0-380-79024-6| publisher=Avon Books| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/unofficialxfiles00geng_0}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.unknowncountry.com/}}
* {{isfdb name}}
* [http://theopencritic.com/?p=104 ''Lilith's Dream, Strieber's Hunger Uncovered, Book Review by Hertzan Chimera''], The Open Critic; <br>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206041053/http://theopencritic.com/?p=104 |date=February 6, 2012 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020124090402/http://scifan.com/writers/ss/StrieberWhitley.asp Bibliography] at SciFan
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061026100106/http://www.armbell.com/glforum/ Gurdjieff Legominism Forum]
* [http://www.debunker.com/texts/strieber.html The "Transformation" of Whitley Strieber] (from the November, 1988 issue of BASIS, the Bay Area Skeptics newsletter), critical article by [[Robert Sheaffer]]
*{{IMDb name|834460}}
* [http://strieberthekey.com ''Problems with Strieber and The Key''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203102511/http://strieberthekey.com/ |date=2018-02-03 }} A scholarly analysis of Whitley Strieber's ''The Key''

{{Whitley Strieber}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strieber, Whitley}}
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