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Summary: The Confessions of A. Crowley
Review: This book is unique because it dispels many myths about Crowley. The book is huge and is well worth the read; however, Crowley had a tendency to give his opinions (more magic and less opinions, please!)excessively through the book (which got a little annoying), and if the reader can get past this, he or she will discover a man who was an exceptional magician. Crowley was definitely a trailblazer in the occult. This book is an excellent read on a facinating individual. After I read the book, my opinion of Crowley was forever altered favorably for this magician. Do not just settle for someone else's perception of Crowley in other books (though these do have their usefulness), buy the book and get most of the facts from the man himself, Crowley. All magicians should own a copy of this book for their occult library. A well written book and a must read for the occultist.
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Summary: A must read for the adventurer in mind or body
Review: This is a thrilling story. On par with the likes of his idol, Sir Richard Francis Burton, Crowley takes on a wild ride of mountaineering, and experimentation, explorations. This is the story of one of the great souls -- mystic, mage, and poet who invited us to push the limits.
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Summary: Best on the Market
Review: This is by far the best Aleister Crowley biography on the mass market because the other books are biased and not very good. This one, however is straight from the author and he has nothing to hide, not even his sexuality as he admits he liked both sexes. His childhood was the most interesting part. The son of a brewer from a strict Christian sect that he rebelled against and inherited a small fortune is a key element in the book. He also details his many mountain climbing expeditions and was one of the best in the world. I also really liked the parts on his ascension to the head of the Golden Dawn, eventually having a falling out with Mathers and being expelled for moral depravity. If you were wondering if cats had 9 lives, Crowley details how he tortured a cat to see if it did. This part reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat. Like I said, avoid the countless biased biographies from others. Those are the books his detractors like and are cheesey. An essential look at one of the biggest bad asses in world history.
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Summary: Interesting, but out there...
Review: This was an interesting and intelligently written account of the life of a very strange but fascinating individual. It would be interesting, if he were alive today, to see if his lifestyle and thoughts would come across as acceptable and normal in todays world. He seemed to be a brave, athletic and intellectual person who may have been almost on the verge of some great magical and spiritual goals and discoveries, but never quite reaching those goals. Although some have labeled him 666 and the Beast, Crowley did not come across to me as being Beastly at all. He did strike me as being slightly insane, eccentric and very self absorbed. He started off in life with way too much time on his hands with his mind drifting off in too many directions in which most of us don't have the time or money to do; which does make his lifestyle difficult to relate to. The book seemed to drag on in places. His mountain climbing antics I found to be fascinating although stretched and drawn out. He was way out there; no doubt;... makes for interesting reading. Strange people are interesting to read about.
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Summary: Man or Beast?
Review: This was an interesting book. All in all he was a fascinating person. But... although he did call himself the Beast and 666, within the book there was hardly any display of Crowley being evil or beastly at all; other than his somewhat unusual demeanor and magical potential. In other words, his reputation and aka's for such a pedestal of devilish greatness was very over-rated.
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Summary: The Banality of Evil
Review: While Crowley undoubtedly fancied himself a great raconteur and man-of-the-world, the portrait of him that emerges here is of a hyper-voluble, mega-eccentric English kook with far too much time on his hands. Dictated under the influence of heroin, and showing it, this book, for a man with such vast resources of experience to draw from, is, simply put, one of the most laughable and tedious books ever written. Near the beginning Crowley blathers on for a while about his mountain climbing-adventures (actually the most interesting and credible part of the book). Next thing you know he's conveying, with a perfectly straight face, his experiences as an "astral traveler." And it's all downhill from there. Though Crowley was widely traveled -- on the terrestrial plane that is -- there is hardly an interesting insight given either about human nature or other cultures -- and it's not for lack of trying. Worse, though he constantly glorifies his own poetical gifts, with ample quotes to prove it, there is literally not one memorable line of verse. In fact, the only memorable thing in the 900+ pages of Crowley's work is a single neologism, apparently coined by the author himself: "illiterature." Which is a perfectly apt description of this book. ...I would strongly advise that you look elsewhere for your reading pleasure. I would even go so far as to recommend Rosemary Radford Reuther's GAIA & GOD before I would this. Note: Of special human interest in Crowley's book (and which may give you some great ideas for Halloween) are the pictures, which feature him in an array of silly costumes that have just got to be seen.
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