Majestic

Strieber, author of Communion and Transformation , continues to write on the implications of UFO sightings in his new novel, a blend of fact and fiction. In 1989, ex-CIA agent Wilfred Stone entrusts his story and secret papers on a decades-long coverup to reporter Nicholas Duke. Will confesses his part in the conspiracy demanded by President Truman and the nation's combined intelligence agencies in 1947, when a spacecraft crashed near Rosell (N.M.) Army Base. Many people witnessed the event and swore to finding bodies of extraterrestrial victims and other phenomena at the site. The accounts were, however, officially debunked, as all similar phenomena have been. That's the gist of Strieber's very long, sensationalized story, which may create more dissension rather than believers in the mysterious sightings recorded since the 19th century. If Strieber's book proves anything, it's that the public is entitled to honest information on ``foo-flights'' and their implications. Preferred Choice selection; Troll Book Club alternate. (Sept.)