Blog Tour - The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley

Today I'm taking part in a blog tour for an interesting book to say the least.  You guys know I adore my odd reads and "The Death and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley" definitely fits the bill.

TITLE: The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley

AUTHOR: Ian Thornton

PUBLISHER: Unbound

PUBLISHING DATE: August 22, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: 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.  

MY THOUGHTS: I tend to enjoy reading about controversial historical figures and have a slight and morbid fascination with Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson and Lizzie Borden.  So when I saw this book, I was immediately intrigued.  Also, I will admit that the synopsis roped me in with the mention of famous real-life pop cultural figures.  And if you like books with flawed characters who could be lumped into a somewhat broad anti-hero category, then this book might be for you.

Crowley isn't the most likable character yet he is definitely interesting.  His sarcastic edge in the novel is also something you're either going to love or hate.  Yet I found this book to be a very interesting take on a character who has been either glamorized or slandered throughout history depending on the forum. While I found the book quite interesting, at times the writing style rambled on a little too much for my taste so just be aware of that if it is something you decide to pick up.

If this is a subject that interests you, whether because of the historical nature or morbid curiosity, give it a try.  The author has put a new spin on Crowley and his backstory and I am curious to see what Thornton writes about in the future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

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 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 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, and 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, and has 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 and has been a judge on the largest Latin American 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.