Michael M. Hughes
This is the book that started it all for me. I found it in my local public library when I was in elementary school and immediately fell in love with mentalism. I even hypnotized a girl in my class, which blew my mind. Later in life, in my 30s, I decided to dive back into mentalism, and the first thing I did was order a used copy of this book. Apparently many magicians and mentalists were upset when it first came out, because it was a mass market book and gave away a lot of well-guarded secrets.
I didn't just read this book — I wrote it :-)
So please take my rating with a grain of salt. But if you like unusual horror stories (i.e. no vampires or werewolves or zombies here, sorry) you may enjoy these strange, perverse and unsettling tales.
How could I not like this book... it contains my first published short story!
According to the publisher, it has broken all sales records for a regional West Virginia title (no jokes about the 3 people in the state who can read, please).
Incredible book. Giordano Bruno wrote that the sun was the center of the solar system, and that stars were other suns with planets and other beings... and was summarily burned at the stake. In an era where it was heresy to suggest that the Earth orbited the sun, or that the stars were anything other than lamps of God hanging in the heavens, it took great courage to speak otherwise. The Hermetica—a collection of ancient Egyptian metaphysical texts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus—informed many of the pioneers of science, including Kepler and Galileo, but the influence of those texts is scrubbed from most histories. Why? Good question—and this book answers it.
But the second half is where it becomes exceedingly provocative, challenging the currently fashionable atheist/materialist scientism (epitomized by Dawkins, Gould, and the like) and positing that the universe has a built-in direction towards the evolution of consciousness and we aren't simply the lucky results of blind chance. Far from a Creationist manifesto, Picknett and Prince the findings of leading physicists, biologists, and cosmologists to show the evidence for something other than randomness in the creation of the known universe—a propensity for life to follow a path towards self-realization. And while metaphors used to explain quantum physics and other mind-boggling developments in science are frequently drawn from Eastern spiritual traditions, the authors point out that Western esoteric traditions also have much to offer in helping understand cosmic mysteries and the evolution of consciousness. Highly recommended.
I blew right through this snappy, suspenseful novella, and the ending completely gobsmacked me. A solid debut for my fellow Hydra imprint mate.
Prentiss is a master of the dark fiction novella, and this book is even more powerful and haunting than his debut Invisible Fences. The story of two brothers, their dying mother, and an enigmatic nurse, the horrors that unfold are those we all must face—the death of a parent, the inexorable progress of terminal disease, painful memories of sibling torments, and the dark thoughts that arise in even the best of us that we try to bury and repress. Add to that a metaphorical monster that just might be something more than imaginary and you have a haunting, dreamlike story that won't easily be forgotten.
As my book circulates among some NYC editors, I decided to re-read this, and it was incredibly rewarding—maybe more so now that I've been working with what the author calls the “pub people.” Keyes understands the plight of any serious writer—the need to learn to deal with rejection, to understand that frustration and disappointment are not just inevitable, but that they are an integral part of the process, even for the most successful. Highly recommended.
I credit this anthology with shaping my love of literary horror. All of the stories are excellent, but John Collier's “Thus I Refute Beelzy” creeped me out to my core, and to this day I can't shake its simple, elegant intimations of supernatural evil.
And the evocative cover art by Edward Gorey was as influential on my appreciation of the macabre as the stories themselves.
This belongs on the shelf of everyone who appreciates literary horror. If you find a copy, grab it. You can thank me afterward.
The definitive work on a much maligned and ridiculed subject. Closes the case—whatever UFOs are, there's no denying they are real. The pilots, generals, and military officials provide firsthand, unimpeachable evidence that no debunker can refute. An instant classic.
Another deftly paced novel from Flynn. I worked my way backward in her oeuvre after tearing through Gone Girl, and it was interesting to see how her style has evolved. I loved the dysfunctional small-town setting and even the minor characters were memorable. I can't say it's quite as successful as Gone Girl, but how could it be? Nonetheless, well worth the read for her acid-sharp characterizations and prose.
A comprehensive history, a little on the dry side without much discussion of the importance of primary mystical experiences, but a worthy addition to the fascinating story of psilocybes and their chemical components. Also discusses Amanita muscaria and is sharply critical of Wasson's Soma theory and other “alternative” historical analyses (Allegro, Ruck, Heinrich, etc.).
The definitive work on this fascinating literary hoax that went on to become a global spiritual movement.
If I had to pick a book to be my “bible,” this would be it. A powerful and poignant fable for our times.
There are some good tidbits here, but they are scattered among lots of dreck. If it were half the length it would work much better.
A fascinating look at this cult from several insiders. Despite a lot of baseless accusations linking the Process Church of the Final Judgment to Satanism and horrific crimes (Manson and the Son of Sam murders), the real story is far more interesting. Recommended to fans of 60s/70s counterculture, occult groups, and group dynamics.
A quiet, dark, and beautifully written haunted house story set in early 20th century England. You rarely find novels like this anymore.
One of the best books on the Golden Dawn and essential for those who want to understand its history. The men are in the book, too, but it gives important exposure to the pioneering and influential women in the world's most influential occult order.
Other reviewers have griped about the inclusion of astrological content, but the members of the order took astrology very seriously, so it absolutely makes sense to include it (and if you don't care for astrology just skip those bits).
The best book on practical magic to have come along in a long, long time. Bonus: It's also a superb critique of end-stage capitalism, with tips on how to prosper in a time of financial and social chaos.
A gorgeously written, classic ghost story, The Woman in Black is a masterpiece of understated horror in the manner of the best Gothic stories of the early 20th century. More novella than novel, it became a bestseller when first published in 1983 and later was made into a stage play, a radio play, a TV movie, and a theatrical film (starring Daniel Radcliffe). This delicious, deeply chilling tale is written—adroitly and to great effect—in a mannered Victorian style, and despite its adherence to the diction and tropes of an earlier time the scares are downright hair-raising. If you don't believe a traditional haunted house story still has the power to shock and disturb, read this book now.
The tooth fairy in this riveting coming-of-age story (which won the British World Fantasy Award in 1997) is not the winged fae who leaves coins under a child's pillow, but rather a monstrous, cruel, sexually-charged entity who hovers on the edge of one boy's shifting reality. And this fairy doesn't just take teeth . . . it bites. Pubescence is always painful, but never quite this literally. As in many of the best, most affecting supernatural stories, The Tooth Fairy plays with our sense of reality—is the creature real, or is it a figment of a tortured adolescent imagination run amok? You'll have to read it to find out.
I finally got around to reading this. I give it four stars primarily because it's Matheson. The prose isn't anything extraordinary but it's a classic haunted house story. A quick, fun read by an iconic storyteller.