The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible by John Geiger

Ever try to climb Mt. Everest when near the top you nearly die and then sense an uncanny invisible presence pushing to you survive the climb? No? Recent climbers have named the phenomenon the third man factor, but they’re not the only ones to describe it. During his famous South Pole expedition, Ernest Shackleton wrote of an experience that he initially kept secret, not wanting to appear unstable to his crew. It turns out a few of his crew also sensed a presence at, incredibly, the same time that he had. Survivors of shipwrecks also describe the third man. Those in extreme isolation occasionally do too. Many interpret the phenomenon as religious, equating the third man with Jesus or an angel. Most describe it as being behind the right shoulder a few feet back and just out of sight. And all agree that whatever it is, it was helpful at time when help was critical. John Geiger in The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible finds a captivating balance between personal accounts and the science that supports and negates these claims. Geiger doesn’t sensationalize the presence nor does he coldly discount it as something only imagined. He instead presents a fair view of a fascinating phenomenon that might likely always defy clear explanation.