Louis Whitley Strieber (/ˈstriːbər/; born June 13, 1945) is an American writer best known for his horror novels The Wolfen and The Hunger and for Communion, a non-fiction account of his alleged experiences with non-human entities.

[1] He has maintained a dual career of author of fiction and advocate of paranormal concepts through his best-selling non-fiction books, his Unknown Country web site, and his podcast, Dreamland.

He then 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.

Collaborating with James Kunetka, he wrote Warday (1984), about the dangers of limited nuclear warfare, and Nature's End (1986),[7] a novel about environmental apocalypse.

In 1986, Strieber's fantasy novel Catmagic was published with co-authorship credited to Jonathan Barry, who was billed as an aerospace industry consultant and a practicing witch.

[citation needed] Later, less successful thrillers by Strieber include Billy (1990), The Wild (1991), Unholy Fire (1992)[10] and The Forbidden Zone (1993).

Neurologist Steven Novella remarks that the details of Whitley's tale of waking up seemingly paralyzed fits the description of hypnagogia, a fairly common neurological phenomenon that has been mistaken by some for an intervention by demons or aliens.

[13] Both the hardcover and paperback edition of Communion reached the number one position on The New York Times Best Seller list (non-fiction), with more than 2 million copies collectively sold.

"[16] Since the 1987 publication of Communion, Strieber wrote four additional autobiographies detailing his experiences with the visitors: Transformation (1988), a direct follow-up; Breakthrough: The Next Step (1995),[17] a reflection on the original events and accounts of the sporadic contact he'd subsequently experienced; The Secret School (1996),[18] in which he examines strange memories from his childhood; and lastly, Solving the Communion Enigma: What Is to Come (2011).

The book is a consolidation of UFO sightings and related phenomena, including crop circles, alien abductions, mutilations and deaths in an attempt to discern any kind of meaningful overall pattern.

Strieber concludes that the human species is being shepherded to a higher level of understanding and existence within an endless "multiverse" of matter, energy, space and time.

He also writes more candidly about the deleterious effects his initial experiences had upon him while staying at his upstate New York cabin in the 1980s, noting, "I was regularly drinking myself to sleep when we were there.

I would listen to the radio until late hours, drinking vodka..."[20] Other visitor-themed books of Strieber's include Majestic (1989),[21] a novel about the Roswell UFO incident; The Communion Letters (1997, reissued in 2003),[22] a collection of letters from readers reporting experiences similar to Strieber's; Confirmation (1998),[23] in which Strieber reviews a variety of evidence that is suggestive of alien contact, and considers what more would be required to provide 'confirmation'; The Grays (2006)[24] a novel in which his impressions of alien contact are presented through a fictional thriller/espionage narrative, and; Hybrids (2011)[25] a fictional narrative that imagines human/alien hybrids being born into the modern world.

[citation needed] Additional visitor-themed writings include a screenplay for the 1989 film Communion, directed by Philippe Mora and starring Christopher Walken as Strieber.

Strieber has reported anomalous childhood experiences and suggested that he may have suffered some sort of early interference by intelligence or military agencies.

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.

But I would not move until I saw him.Critics including panelists on the British television discussion programme After Dark questioned Strieber about his statements in Communion about not having been at the Whitman shooting.

[32] Subjects discussed included the Holocaust,[33] sudden climate change,[34] the afterlife,[35] psychic ability,[36] UFOs,[37] and using the human soul in machines.

As well, he has authored 2012: The War For Souls (2007), a horror novel about an interdimensional invasion, and Critical Mass (2009), a thriller about nuclear terrorism.

The story centers on a feral teenager who lives within a skyrise building unnoticed, and a new tenant, a pop-star named Melody, with whom he falls in love.

[citation needed] In 2012, Strieber began an alien-themed thriller series called "Alien Hunter", the first volume of which was published in August 2013.

[citation needed] In November 1989, Strieber made an extended appearance on the British television discussion programme After Dark alongside, among others, astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

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

[53] 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.