Conversations with Mediums

Right up front, author Scott Podmore tells readers of Conversations with Mediums that he’s a believer in communication with the dead. But for the non-believer? This is the crucial divide that will determine whether Conversations with Mediums will be for you.

The book features interviews with well-known figures like Lisa Williams and John Edward sharing their theories on the paranormal, as well as some lesser-known and much more intriguing mediums such as August Goforth and Timothy Gray, the latter of whom is long dead and apparently channelled through Goforth during the interview.

The interviews seem to be straight transcriptions. This has the advantage of allowing the subjects to speak at length about a variety of topics. However, Podmore’s choice to present the interviews unaltered also limits his power as an author: the subject matter covered is vast, which could leave readers unsure of any overall points that the interviewer may have been trying to make. An hour of unedited conversation is not crafted to sell an argument.

The subject matter itself was both interesting, in its exposure to unfamiliar worlds of knowledge, and infuriating. All the mediums delve deeply into their views on the after-life, reincarnation, channelling the dead, and even into some more far-out things as UFOs and alternate dimensions.

Podmore indulges the mediums in their discussion of the material and seems well-versed enough to follow the interviewers around some loopy turns. But for all the sceptics out there, don’t hold your breath. Frustratingly, IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! IT DOESN’T EXPLAIN MORE! Podmore, for better or worse, allows his subjects to hold court and never plays devil’s advocate.

Here’s a litmus test to determine if Conversations with Mediums is for you. The interview with Elizabeth Baron contains an anecdote where she performed a reading for a gay man:

She told him about a beautiful woman who he shares his bed with.
He pointed out that, due to his sexuality, there were no women in his life.
Elizabeth asks him why she only saw women when she was reading him.
The man says he’s had eleven readings from famous mediums, all of whom identify women in his life.
Elizabeth’s explanation for this is that the sexes are turned around in readings.

If you find yourself nodding your head at this, then pick up Conversations with Mediums.