I hope you’ll decide to read the book and form an opinion for yourself, though, rather than choosing between my opinion and Mr. Vincent’s.

Did you actually read his review? The part where he writes this:
“My interest was piqued even more when the first couple of pages of my copy included fulsome advance praise from such notables as Graham Hancock, Mitch Horovitz and Gary Lachman. Sadly, I have not come here to join in with their praises for this book. I have come to bury it.”

So you see, he was influenced by your promotional review blurbs, just not enough to overcome his own experience reading the book. 

I also found this comment strange: ”Joscelyn Godwin is really beyond reproach when it comes to the western esoteric tradition. Whether or not you like his prose as applied to fiction, there’s a great deal of substance to everything he writes…”But when you read a work of fiction, the primary purpose is to be entertained, to tell a good story. How awesome his knowledge of Western esoteric tradition is should be a secondary concern. Why would you slog through a fiction book you don’t like just to pick up kernels of teachings you could most likely easier get from a non-fiction title of your choice? 

;-)

And Blavatsky’s just too easy; she was such a fraud that even her personal secretary GRS Mead acknowledged it. That said there are aspects of the “wisdom tradition” that are extremely compelling and, unlike Christian dogma, its emphasis on obscurity and individual enlightenment allows it a more flexible response to changing mores, so it can be more useful. Take for example, the “discovery” of sex magic right at the time when sexuality was bursting into the open from the Victorian era.

Anyway, historically speaking, this is a very interesting topic.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Color-John-Brunner/dp/B000KD3GMG 

Brunner mixes his usual contempt for anti-rationalism with a keen sense of what I might call anthropological magic, while keeping an open mind to the possibility that people can experience truly inexplicable phenomena outside the normal bounds of time and space.  Not one of his heavyweight novels, but a good fun read.

“This is a really excellent book — gripping, thought-provoking, mysterious, deep and resonant with esoteric knowledge. It keeps you turning the pages in a most compelling way. I couldn’t put it down.” — Graham Hancock, author of the international bestsellers The Sign of the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Heaven’s Mirror.

“In the sure hands of Guido Mina di Sospiro and Joscelyn Godwin, The Forbidden Book is many things at once: murder mystery, meditation on religious extremism, and a complex but invitingly deep introduction into the esoteric. I don’t think I’ve encountered as original a book as this in a long time and I’m confident it will resonate with readers everywhere.” — Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder of Miami Book Fair International, president of Books & Books, 2011 recipient of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community by the National Book Foundation.

“Watch out Dan Brown and Umberto Eco! Here’s a real esoteric thriller written by some real Illuminati who know the real thing and aren’t afraid to let the secret out. Sex, magic, politics, and mystery. The Forbidden Book is a gripping, exciting, and illuminating read.” — Gary Lachman, author of A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult, Jung The Mystic: The Esoteric Dimensions of Carl Jung’s Life and Teachings, The Quest For Hermes Trismegistus From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World.

“Much more than simply a captivating adventure with a generous dose of love, intrigue, sex, and violence, The Forbidden Book provides an introduction to alchemical-magical practices of the late Italian Renaissance, a spiritual tradition that persists surreptitiously to this day. The authors, in possession of a deep understanding of – and sympathy for – esoteric Hermeticism, successfully weave pearls of occult wisdom into the fabric of their book, creating a compelling story-within-the-story that is all the more genuine for being based on an authentic early seventeenth century alchemical text. This is a book rich on many levels, with multiple layers of meaning and interpretation, from the riveting action-packed twenty-first century fictional narrative to deep insights into the ancient and enduring perennial philosophy. Indeed, The Forbidden Book is itself a modern incarnation of the ‘forbidden book’ which forms the central theme of the novel. Read it closely!” — Robert M. Schoch, author of Voyages of the Pyramid Builders, Pyramid Quest, and The Parapsychology Revolution.

Also, if Joceyln is reading these comments: loved Arktos and Atlantis and the Cycles of Time!