“My name is Aleister Crowley, The Great Beast. 666. And I am here to tell you the truth.”

My thanks to Unbound for an eARC via NetGalley of Ian Thornton’s fictional autobiography, ‘The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley’, in exchange for an honest review.

I have been familiar with the works of Aleister Crowley for many years and therefore didn’t need any convincing that he wasn’t the Satanic cultist of the tabloid press. It was quite interesting to see how Thornton blended fact, fiction, and fantasy.

This novel has Crowley faking his death in 1947 and entering the mythical realm of Shangri-La; where he has resided, apart from the occasional foray back into the world, for seven decades.

As narrator the Old Crow takes the reader through various events in his life embellished with the early revelation that much of the reports of his wickedness were part of his cover: “You see, the truth is that I was the greatest spy of the twentieth century. The lies were all necessary, as they had been for that other great Englishman, The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Indeed, he often refers to himself as a Pimpernel.

Thornton has focused on the idea that Crowley was a spy. It’s been a popular idea with some of his biographers. He also introduces a number of fictional mentors, lovers and children while jettisoning others.

Given my background it proved not an easy book for me to review. I was especially perplexed by the aforesaid protectors/mentors assigned to Crowley when a boy - Dr Dandylyon and Prudence Venus Coshe. They came from a strange lineage dating back to the time of Boadicea’s rebellion and a powerful spell cast that “would last thousands of years. ...... there would always be a Dandylyon and a Prudence, in unison, close to power in England.”

It turned out that the narrative was dominated by politics and espionage as well as Crowley’s relationships, real and fictional. Certainly plenty of sex, drugs, and erotic poetry but very little Magick. His relationships to the gods, who were so central to his magical practices, were hardly mentioned. His seminal work ‘Magick in Theory and Practice’? Nowhere.

Therefore, it proved quite an uneven read for me. I applaud the intention to dispel the label of ‘wickedest man in the world’ and amused to think of Crowley lurking behind the scenes of various events, especially during the 60s. Yet I stumbled over some parts.

I would also have expected some end notes from the author about his inspiration to write this, some sources and perhaps indicating to readers not familiar with Crowley’s life about his areas of creative license.

Edit: Thinking about it overnight and knowing Crowley as I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t been lurking on the astral whispering encouragement into Thornton’s ear. He would have loved the Pimpernel aspect as well as Shangri-la, which isn’t a bad metaphor for the Inner Planes. Still feel that it lacks magic but I think Crowley would appreciate it and perhaps it will encourage new readers to explore his life and work.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I really wanted to love this. As an historical figure, Aleister is probably a distant relative so naturally I was intrigued by the premise of this book. However, I had difficulty with the layout of the story, and the history versus the fiction seemed chaotic. Not your typical historical fiction.
Overall, there were sections of the book that were interesting but I could not finish it.
#TheDaethsAndAfterlifeOfAleisterCrowley #NetGalley #Unbound

Having had more than passing interest in the occult this was a no-brainer for me given Crowley is one of the most notorious men in history, but was he quite as evil as people thought him to be? The Deaths & Afterlife of Aleister Crowley assumes his supposed death in 1947 never took place and he ending up living out his days in relative obscurity. Set in the present day, Crowley is 130 years old and considering opening up about the media's portrayal of him in order to try and set the record straight. His use of shocking tactics so that those aware of him focus on those attributes whilst he is left to get on with his real mission was nothing short of a fantastic disinformation campaign much like what we see nowadays, so although fictional the story holds some important messages within its pages as well as being very entertaining.

Whether certain concepts and sentiments are true here or not there is no way of knowing where the true man begins or ends, but it makes you think, and I appreciated that. I wouldn't be surprised at those around at the time demonising him as he rallied against his Christian upbringing and that is all people really knew in the UK (and wider Europe) at the time. It reminds me of when Marilyn Manson (not a band I listen to) was blamed for some of the school shootings in the US press; it certainly isn't new for some people to label as satanic those they don't understand. Branded the "wickedest man in the world", Crowley inspired the likes of Led Zeppelin and his image is one of many on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.

One thing is for sure - Crowley remains to this day a collage of intrigue, and this book is nothing short of excitement-filled, compulsive reading. Many thanks to Unbound for an ARC.

I requested this book thinking it would be a comedy perhaps along the lines of Tom Holt's "Paint Your Dragon", with the whole premise of "setting the record straight". Unfortunately, I had misunderstood the nature of the book. Instead it appears to be a fictionalised autobiography of the life of Crowley, told straight, and without much in the way of embellishments or humour. It was clearly well written, but my own errors led me to request a book that really wasn't for me at all - which is why I am giving it 3 stars.

I was unable to complete the book after mentions of his childhood nurse giving him "comfort fellatio" as a child when he was sick - I found that extremely uncomfortable and felt that it evidently wasn't the sort of narrative I would enjoy reading.

For people who are interested in Crowley and his life, this may be for you, as it seems robustly researched and well written; it wasn't what I was looking for, unfortunately.

I ended up DNF-ing this at 40%. It was not what I was expecting it to be and not in an enjoyable way. What I did read felt like a slog to get through. And maybe it's just me. But I really didn't like it. I was expecting something set in modern-day, some epic tale using magic to fight the "Big Bad" with occasional flashbacks hitting the historical highlights. Instead, this was a fictional autobiography and I just couldn't convince myself it was worth seeing to the end.

This was not what I was expecting and not in a good way. The story was interesting at times but confusing. This was not the book for me, however I believe fans of Aleister Crowley will enjoy it.

This book has come out at the right time with how well good omens did, so people are going to flock to this book thinking it's something to do with that.

But alas it's all about the real Aleister Crowley.

Good book enjoyed reading every moment of it and found it a well thought out and beautiful written book.

This book has sparked my interest in Crowley so will be looking in to him further but all in all a good book and one I may pick up again in the future

DNF @ 6%

So, I read an excerpt of this before I picked it up, and I thought I was going to love it. Aleister Crowley in Shangri La planning one final venture back into the world on a sort of planet-saving mission. Cool. I'm all for antiheroes. Definitely gave me some Kingsman sort of vibes, potentially, with the whole operating in secret to save everybody and you're welcome.

What it actually ended up being was more of a fictional autobiography by Aleister Crowley. I try, I really do, to get to at least 15 - 20% of a book before I DNF it, to give it a fair shake, but I just couldn't make it with this. The narration was dry and straightforward much character or personality. The part I read is a pretty straightforward retelling of his childhood, with a pretty heavy emphasis on Christianity, including many, many quotes from Bible verses. That's really just not my thing, personally.

"Aleister Crowley, also known as the Great Beast, is one of the most reviled men in history. Satanist, cult leader, debauched novelist and poet, his legacy has been harshly contested for decades.

Crowley supposedly died in 1947, but in Ian Thornton's new novel, set in the present day, the Great Beast is alive and well and living in Shangri-la. Now over 130 years old, thanks to the magical air of his mystical location, he looks back on his life and decides it is time to set the record straight.

For Crowley was not the evil man he is often portrayed as. This was just a cover to hide his real mission, to save the twentieth century from destroying itself and to set humanity on the road to freedom and liberty.

The Death and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley is an epic novel that will make you see this notorious figure in a completely new light, as he encounters an impressive cast of real-life characters including Timothy Leary, The Beatles, Princess Margaret, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock."

If you don't know who Aleister Crowley is, where have you been? You must immediately catch up my reading this book and watching Strange Angel.

The premise of this book really appealed to me. Aleister Crowley is not dead – alive and well for hundreds of years – he tells his story in this fictionalised biography. This biography, in which Crowley is secretly an undercover spy, allows him to romp through history, giving the author free reign to bring in the famous, the infamous and to touch on major historical events.

I thought the idea was clever, but, I have to admit that this did drag a little for me. I found the style difficult and I thought that it rambled too much and, sadly, just did not engage me. I am sure that others will really enjoy this and it is a clever re-working of a life, with the twist that, not only has he lived long enough to meet just about everyone, but that he is not the character he is perceived to be. Hopefully, should you try this novel, the style will be more to your taste. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Interesting account of Aleister Crowley's life but also confusing! I was excited to read the synopsis. But the book didn't quite live up to it and I couldn't finish it.

The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley by Ian Thornton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one is a fairly hard book to review because I've been fascinated by Crowley in the past. I mean, did you know that his visage graces the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? That the man was the original sensationalist, welcoming all kinds of defamation and horror story for the sake of building up a legend, right or wrong? That he was the original flower child, a bold climber of Everest, a thumber-of-noses at all kinds of hypocrisy, and he believed in rebellion with a capital R?

I liked him. Who cares if he called himself The Beast and signed with 666? Or that he was called a satanist for most of his life? I played D&D as a child. Back in those days, Parent Teacher Associations used to burn books and say that my gamebooks were written by the devil. *rolls eyes so hard that they pop out of his grinning skull*

If my mild storytelling sessions were that evil, I had to see what else the "world" is lying about.

This book on Crowley DOES have a ton of historical fact about Crowley, but it is conflated with a ton as well. He may or may not have been a British Secret agent, but this book definitely goes all into that. And I DO like all the Rebellion stuff. A lot. The sixties were Crowley's time, after all, having blazoned the way for several generations of people who are sick of the lies and just want to revel in truth, pleasure, and kindness.

Kindness? Crowley? Well, let's put it the way he puts it. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will." Love? Love? Hello! That sure sounds evil. lol

So WHAT ABOUT THIS BOOK? Why do I only give it 3 stars? Because... it focuses on spycraft and faking his death and his childhood. It's okay. It's FINE. But it's also meandering and directionless until we get to the whole revolution stuff later. And what I really wanted was either a full-out magical extravaganza a-la the best Fantasy novels of our time... or a tight thematic homage to the core principles of what Crowley taught. Or both! We can add some spycraft later, I suppose, but Crowley doing his best to out-do Marilyn Manson before Marilyn Manson is PLENTY interesting all on its own without turning him into a super-hero.

Maybe that's just me.

This is a wacky story written with a witty and fun voice. I spent a lot of time confused by this story but also enjoying it...I'm not sure who I would recommend this one to, but I'm sure that our library will be purchasing this one for our collection.

This is a fictionalized account of Aleister Crowley and his life. I loved this book, being familiar with Crowley I was excited to read this. I like that it was told from his point of view and was his attempt to straighten out what people think they know, while also not really caring at the same time, in true Crowley fashion. I highly enjoyed this book, although I do wish there had been more about his magick.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

i'm in two minds about this book. On one side it was a good fictionalization of Alesteir Crowley life, on the other side the way it was told often grated on my nerves.
I was expecting something more on the fantasy side, I got something else and it was not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was an interesting mix of history and fiction. I found myself multiple time having to remember this is fiction. It was a nice theory that has been mumbled about for ages that he was actually a spy. It is almost a seamless story weaving figures and events from the span that the story covers. His assorted loves felt organic. Same with the losses he faced. The relationship with his children feels a little less so. One seems sudden, the other, strained to almost the end; then its just awkward, and out of character for both. In the end, it is a fantastic story about a figurehead of the time that was consistently shrouded. A conspiracist dream. At the core, this Crowley tried to do the right thing, even in the worst situations. He indulged often, and too much, but owned the weakness, all of them actually, in his character one hundred percent. Like the real man, this one was greatly flawed, and unabashedly doesn't care. If you want an enjoyable read, you can get lost in, I would recommend this for an excursion from reality. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Not what I expected. I didn't like the writing style in the first person nor the strange wording and content.
I also didn't like the almost clinical distance from what was happening to him growing up.
I was only able to finish 4 chapters before DNFing the book. What an unlikeable characterization.

I don't know what I expected of this book, but this distinctly was not it. I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis and was expecting historical fantasy.

Instead, what I received was a pseudo-autobiographical account of Aleister Crowley as he grew up and his experiences with religion. Not only was the text burdened by a blended first person present/first person past/first person flashback sort of storytelling, but Crowley as written here was neither an accessible nor interesting narrator. I was borderline starting a tally for how many times he mentioned his fleshy neck or fat ankles. His tone was distinctly holier-than-thou, uppity, and uncomfortable to read. I caught myself forcing myself continuing to forward in the attempt to give the novel a chance, but was taken out of the reading experience by the interspersed Bible or other such religious verses. I found myself cringing at the manner in which Crowley continually described his family members. Ultimately, I think that, for me, the book would have simply been better served by a third person perspective.

I understand why the religious items and family relations were important to Crowley's growth as a person, but the manner of delivery did nothing to either endear the audience to him or build the audience's investment in him as a person. The footnotes were unnecessary and did not add to the narrative.

If the author intended on a speculative biography of Crowley, then perhaps that is the format this book ought to have taken.

I have read other books on Crowley or featuring him. I do have great interest in the occult, its many formats, its origins, etc.. The author does seem very well researched on Crowley, his life, history, and conspiracy theories surrounding him. However, this was neither the book nor the format for me.

I did DNF this book at 25%. But I hope that this review is helpful for people to determine why I decided on the rating that I did.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. After reading the description I was excited to read this book but I am sorely disappointed. I couldn’t even finish it because the story just annoyed me. Alestair’s narration annoyed me.

I have a mild obsession with serial killers, cults and the occult. So I thought this book was going to be right up my alley. Though I did enjoy it overall, I did feel it was a tad bit too long. It was a really good read and people who are familiar with Crowley or interested in this type of subject matter may find it really interesting.