Searching for Ropens

Searching for Ropens

by Jonathan Whitcomb

So why did I buy this book?

As a sci-fi writer, pterosaurs appear in several of my novels because they intrigue me.

I am working on a novel in the Jim / Tipham Trilogy series with a pterosaur as a central character.

While researching, I found some information on sightings of unidentified flying creatures  (UFCs), possibly pterosaurs, in Papua New Guinea. (PNG)

However,

I couldn’t find much information regarding Papua New Guinea, the Island of Umboi. (formerly Rooke Island) and Tawa village on the PNG mainland, where there have been sightings of UFCs.

The UFCs are known as ropens or Indavas to the local PNG nationals.

Jonathan Whitcomb believes that the local words ropens or Indavas equate to pterosaurs, flying prehistoric reptiles such as the Pteranodon or the Rhamphorhyncus, which are supposed to be extinct, killed off in the great extinction.

Jonathan Whitcomb has been to Umboi and recorded sightings and glowing lights in the sky. Tawa village on the PNG mainland was also where glowing was seen.

So, I repeat – So why did I buy this book?

This is all grist to the mill for someone like me. I wanted to know if there was a real possibility that flying prehistoric reptiles might still exist. And they might!

So what do I think of “Searching for Ropens”?

It is a chronicle of eyewitness accounts of Ropen’s sightings in Umboi (Part of Papua New Guinea), Europe, Cuba, Mexico and the USA. Page 170 has sightings in New Britain.

Unless I have misread the book, Jonathan Whitcomb has not sighted one of these creatures himself. However, the book contains large numbers of eyewitness accounts of UFCs.

One of the things that I found interesting was the number of people who were scared to reveal their sightings of UFCs because they had been ridiculed when they had. For instance, in 1997, an Australian couple from Perth (Australia) claimed to have seen unidentified flying creatures  (UFCs) but wanted to remain anonymous.

I found “Searching for Ropens” a fascinating read. I’m hoping that in the future, the researchers could photograph this amazing creature and post these photos for the whole world to see.

The only downside

For me was the author’s belief in creationism. If you ignore that and just read about the expeditions, it’s a valuable reference book.

As the author had the guts to go to some very extreme places to carry out his research

Four stars ****

Andrew R Williams

Knockers are still out there

Ropen Only Extinct on Wikipedia