Paralibrum.

An independent home for bibliophile occulture

Scroll to read or search our library of book reviews.
By keyword, author, publisher or year.

‘The Magical Theory of Politics’ by Egil Asprem
Original Frater U∴D∴ Original Frater U∴D∴

‘The Magical Theory of Politics’ by Egil Asprem

Asprem distinguishes three camps in the “magic war over the 45th president of the United States” (p. 17): the Cult of Kek, the Magic Resistance, and the Magic Reaction, a taxonomy primarily determining “three phases of the conflict that stand in a chronological and dialectical relationship to one another.” (p. 17)

Read More
‘Ajar To The Night’ by Autumn Richardson
Original Peter Mark Adams Original Peter Mark Adams

‘Ajar To The Night’ by Autumn Richardson

Ajar To The Night comprises three poems. It has to be said from the outset that they possess a rare resonance, power and depth; one that affirms this collection as an important contribution to the longstanding tradition of a spiritualised and esoteric poetry.

Read More
'ARCANUM' by Daniel Yates
Original Frater Acher Original Frater Acher

'ARCANUM' by Daniel Yates

Arcanum is a book almost entirely made up of images, of stunning macro-lens photographs taken by the highly talented Daniel Yates. Arcanum is also an assassin, as it perfectly understands the sequence of experiences it needs to take us on: From allowing us entrance, to slowing us down, to stilling our gaze, to drawing us in, to showing us a glimpse of the threshold its images can be, to finally pointing into the darkness beyond by means of its illuminating titles and chapters.

Read More
‘Dark Star Rising’ by Gary Lachman
Original Frater U∴D∴ Original Frater U∴D∴

‘Dark Star Rising’ by Gary Lachman

While Lachman has deep-dived before into little known occultist tenets informing various political movements in history as a contrarian underground ontology of sorts, Dark Star Rising is rather different. It essays to render some rhyme and reason regarding an incumbent president of the United States (…): Donald Trump. Lachman (…) adopts a markedly phenomenological approach, opting for a reserved and sober analysis encompassing both Trump and his vast right-wing supporter base as well as their shared spiritual fundamentals.

Read More
‘The Book of Gates’ by McCarthy, Sheppard, Littlejohn (ed.)
Original Anne Hila Original Anne Hila

‘The Book of Gates’ by McCarthy, Sheppard, Littlejohn (ed.)

This book comes highly recommended to anyone interested in ancient Egyptian thought and magical history. It is an open invitation to work in the Duat in magical service. (…) However, the book should come with a warning label to proceed at your own risk and with care, as its journey is called the Path of Hercules for a reason. You will find it to be a rich magical and mystical source if you dare to awaken the Ma'ati within.

Read More
‘The Gnostics and their Remains’ by C.W. King
Original José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal Original José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal

‘The Gnostics and their Remains’ by C.W. King

Let’s start by bluntly acknowledging that this is not a good introductory book on the topic of Gnosticism. It is, however, a valuable book if one wants to deepen their knowledge of the subject. And it is certainly an interesting document for its historiography and for taking a closer look not only at the Gnostics, but at their physical artefacts: the magical gemstones, commonly known as Abraxas.

Read More
‘Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult’ by R.B. Spence
Original Frater U∴D∴ Original Frater U∴D∴

‘Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult’ by R.B. Spence

Very few researchers (…) of Hermeticism and Western Esotericism are likely to be familiar with the fact that at the end of the 19th century i.e. at the peak of the Victorian era, there was a publicly known occult organisation that was classified by the security authorities of the time as a most alarming hotbed of political terrorism, separatism and high treason.

Read More