The Occult Book Review

In the almost 120 years since Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published, the notion of gothic immortality has both fascinated and terrified us in equal measure. However, that dark romanticism has lent itself to many different genres since then and vampires have appeared in such unusual locations as the American Civil War with Seth Grahame Smith’s Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, as predators from outer space in Colin Wilson’s The Space Vampires, and as world conquerors and civilization builders in Brian Stableford’s The Empire of Fear. Some other vampire novels that immediately come to mind include Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin, They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon; I am Legend by Richard Mathisen (Not strictly vampires!) and Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. However, there have also been many vampire novels, including recent releases, which have not received the attention they deserved a...

Issue 23 of the Psychedelic Press journal examines Dicordianism from both a historical and cultural perspective. Along the way writings encompass the magickal, artistic and, of course, the personal transformative effects of this paradigm-shifting philosophy. The journal includes contributions from nine contributors as well as a wonderful introduction and overview by the editor, Nikki Wyrd. As a reader might expect from a publication focused on topics such as chaos and imagination, the chapters comprise of outlooks and experiences which might seem disconnected on the surface level but which all demonstrate the humour, the consciousness expanding results and, not least, the courage of the Discordian outlook. The first included writer, Havelock Ellis, demonstrates the exploratory nature of Discordian thinking by describing his first encounter with mescaline. This account from 1898 details the psychedelic effects of mescaline on Ellis and his friends. Ellis experiment...

This overview of the grimoire tradition is an essential addition to any collection. Davies is both thorough and entertaining in his opinions and histories. This is probably the perfect approach to take when trying to cover such a broad spectrum of traditions and cultures. To purchase Grimoires: A History of Magic Books go  here. Video review here: