“Although the subject of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) is very popular and has persisted since the 1940s — when the darned things were known as flying saucers — skeptics often note that few academic or scholarly studies on this topic have been produced. Search for the Unknown: Canada’s UFO Files and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory, based on the excellent doctoral dissertation by Canadian historian Matthew Hayes at Trent University, challenges that assertion.” Winnipeg Free Press
“Meticulously researched, Search for the Unknown is a much-needed title that fills a gap in the history of Canada’s UFO dealings. Although Hayes doesn’t take a position on the existence of these flying objects, he peppers his book with just enough of the fun stuff to give a predominantly academic work some entertainment value. Quirky pencil sketches of spacecraft by eyewitnesses and a few compelling reports that left even the government scratching its head are pleasantly juxtaposed with the more detailed bureaucratic record.” Literary Review of Canada
“It is easy to ridicule conspiracy theorists but Hayes is careful to explain that [the appeal of these ideas] was in part due to the increasing lack of trust in the government in the 1960s, the call for greater transparency and the dismissive attitude of government departments. … This a very readable account of the response to UFOs in the shadow of the USA.” Magonia Review
“Search for the Unknown is a much- needed title that fills a gap in the history of Canada’s UFO dealings. Although Hayes doesn’t take a position on the existence of these 8ying objects, he peppers his book with just enough of the fun stuff to give a predominantly academic work entertainment value.” Literary Review of Canada
"In this sober and original book, Hayes reconstructs attempts by the Canadian government to investigate—or to limit consideration of—UFO reports across the span of the Cold War. Consistently intriguing and handled in clear prose style." Choice