Relentlessly Purple

I received The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley by Ian Thornton to review. An epic alternate history novel based on one of the most reviled men in history, otherwise known as the Great Beast.

The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley, Satanist, cult leader, debauched novelist and poet, his legacy has been hotly contested for decades. The truth is Crowley is alive and well, in the elevated and life-preserving air of Shangri-La. Called the wickedest man in the world, the Great Beast only laughs at those fools.

The British Secret Service, Churchill and Rasputin all knew the real Crowley, who was the greatest spy and Scarlet Pimpernel of the twentieth century. This genuine English hero and unrivalled drug fiend used his pre-eminent knowledge of the Occult to run amok behind the German lines in two world wars and ro rurn both Mussolini and Hitler into the twitching and hollow wrecks.

And so now the, the inspiration behind the music and sexual revolutions of the sixties is about to return for his curtain call, for there is dark Orwellian dystopia coming. And Aleister Crowley is convinced that only he can save the world.

My Thoughts

I was really intrigued when I heard about The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley. The cover is really inviting and I couldn’t wait to read it! I finished feeling a little torn over it though.

It was fascinating to read from Aleister Crowleys’ point of view but it felt like the author rambled a little (don’t we all!?). This made it a little hard to stay focused. Whilst it is a little rambly, Aleister Crowley is certainly fascinating to read about.

Although I have heard of Crowley before, I will be doing some research to figure out which parts or true facts. Ian Thornton writes in a way that makes it impossible to decipher fact from fiction, blending both so well. It is definitely worth a read if you have an interest in Crowley and historical fiction. It may take a few sittings to finish though and some of the sexual debaucheries may not be to everyone’s taste.

Ian Thornton

Ian Thornton’s debut novel, The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms (How One Man Scorched the Twentieth Century, but Didn’t Mean to) was published by Simon & Schuster Canada in September 2013. Harper Collins published worldwide on June 28th 2014. This was to coincide with the centenary of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, the pivot of the novel. It was translated across Europe and taught at the Sorbonne.

Prior to becoming a novelist, Ian worked for the Broadcast magazine in London and also for Variety. He is a co-founder of the global television industry publisher, C21 Media and www.c21media.net.

He covered the royal wedding in London for CTV, Canada’s premier independent broadcaster. Ian has recently written for Wisden Cricketer, The Guardian, The Hindu and for the Soho House magazine, House. He also wrote on the football World cup in South Africa for the Canadian sports channel, The Score. Ian has also worked for Queen’s University in Ontario, where his project was presented at the White House as part of President Obama’s new media initiative

Ian is the official biographer of the Compton cricket club in California. He has been a judge on the largest Latin Amerian film festival, Expresion en Corto. He is currently producing a feature documentary.

Originally from Leeds, Ian currently resides in Toronto with his wife Heather Gordon and their children, Laszlo and Clementine.