Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1) Summary and Reviews

Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1)
by Peter Levenda

Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1)
List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $17.15
You Save: $12.80 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $12.90 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Peter Levenda
Foreword: Jim Hougan
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-06-21
ISBN: 0975290622
Number of pages: 399
Publisher: Trine Day

Book Reviews of Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1)

Book Review: a dry listing of names, dates, places, locations, and events
Summary: 2 Stars

I really really really was looking forward to reading this book. I wanted to like it. And boy, did it ever disappoint me.

(Note: much of what follows goes for the latter 2/3rds of the book, I rather enjoyed the first couple chapters)

There were a few exceptions of course, but in general, the style of the prose was dry. My guess is that in trying to distance himself from his topic (Levenda is or has been connected personally to some of the personalities he treats in this book, ostensibly he has been identified as Simon of Necronomicon fame), he got too impersonal. This book reads more like an encyclopedia than a book. Maybe I was looking for or expecting something different, but it seemed to me that 19 out of 20 paragraphs just listed names, dates, places, positions, and titles ad nauseum.

I understand that esoteric topics are incredibly interwoven, interlaced, insterstitially related, inter-uber-ultra connected, and so on, but it seems to me the path to unraveling this mystery does not lie in simply regurgitating all the information out in prose. Analysis is key. Perhaps my brain is not quite as sharp as yours, but I find it pretty much useless to try follow 50 or more people at once and try and make any sense of it.

I also think this is where the book suffers. I felt there was no *real* depth to it; it just never hooked me. Yes, he lists a veritable treasure trove of information, but Levenda seems to flit from one topic to the next without even really making any significant points or adding to my knowledge of what he just covered. I guess he feels that simply bringing this stuff to my attention is good enough?

I don't even mind that style of writing if it is done well (see 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Pinchbeck). Yes, many of these events and people are quite intriguing, but it felt like Levenda never had the cajones to go out on a limb and say what he really thinks about this stuff. He was staying safe in his academic author persona.

Yawn.

I'd much prefer: "Spirits of Sky, Remember!" (even if it is fiction).

While reading this book, I kept thinking: "Why didn't he just create a huge hyper-linked web site that has all these connections interlinked?" I felt like I wanted to click through a bunch of links and just sort of follow them, or constructed a dynamic data cloud. That would have helped me arrive at the place he was trying to get me to go rather than reading paragraph after paragraph of text.

By my recollection, there were only about 2-3 pages covering The Nine, why was that even the subtitle? I guess I was fooled, I thought he was actually going to try and say something about The Nine (see The Stargate Conspiracy, maybe? haven't read it). Meanwhile, he mentions the Wandering Bishops so many times, you'd think they actually mattered or something. From his description, they are just tools, why devote so much space to them? (He gives a much more personal, and therefore, clear and MEANINGFUL treatment to the wandering bishops in his book Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon [assuming Simon=Peter Levenda, SimonPeter, get it?])

On the positive side, I believe this book might be useful to other authors or researchers just for the sheer factual contents of the book and scope. It really does have loads of good information and connections.

In spite of my two star review, I give him kudos for attempting to take on such an incredibly large scope of material.

And I still 'like' him as an author, or whatever, I'm just disappointed but relieved that I finally finished reading this book. Took me forever.

History Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in A Guide to the Judeo-Masonic Conspiracy for Truth Seekers
The Synagogue of Satan ImageThe Synagogue of Satan
by Andrew Carrington Hitchcock
RiverCrest Publishing; Published: 2007-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops: $19.95
Cruel Hoax: Feminism and the New World Order ImageCruel Hoax: Feminism and the New World Order
by Henry Makow
Silas Green; Published: 2007-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.54
Price in other shops: $19.95
Sinister Forces-The Manson Secret: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 3) ImageSinister Forces-The Manson Secret: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 3)
by Peter Levenda
Trine Day; Published: 2006-06-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops: $29.95
Sinister Forces-A Warm Gun: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 2) ImageSinister Forces-A Warm Gun: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 2)
by Peter Levenda
Trine Day; Published: 2005-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.07
Price in other shops: $29.95
Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1) ImageSinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1)
by Peter Levenda
Trine Day; Published: 2005-06-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.07
Price in other shops: $29.95
The Secret Empire ImageThe Secret Empire
by Cushman Cunningham
Leela Publishing; Published: 2001-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $17.76
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business ImageAmusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
by Neil Postman
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2005-12-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.77
Price in other shops: $15.00
The New World Order Exposed ImageThe New World Order Exposed
by Victor Thorn
Sisyphus Press; Published: 2003-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.98
Price in other shops: $23.99
None Dare Call It Conspiracy ImageNone Dare Call It Conspiracy
by Gary Allen
Buccaneer Books; Published: 1976; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.18
Price in other shops: $27.95
Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory ImageDebunking 9/ 11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory
by David Ray Griffin
Olive Branch Press; Published: 2007-03-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.98
Price in other shops: $20.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Nazi International: The Nazis' Postwar Plan to Control the Worlds of Science, Finance, Space, and Conflict ImageNazi International: The Nazis' Postwar Plan to Control the Worlds of Science, Finance, Space, and Conflict
by Joseph P. Farrell
Adventures Unlimited Press; Published: 2009-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.73
Price in other shops: $19.95
The True Story of the Bilderberg Group ImageThe True Story of the Bilderberg Group
by Daniel Estulin
Trine Day; Published: 2009-02-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.09
Price in other shops: $24.95
Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare ImageSecret Societies and Psychological Warfare
by Michael A. Hoffman II
Independent History and Research; Published: 2001-07-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.95
Programmed to Kill: The Politics of Serial Murder ImageProgrammed to Kill: The Politics of Serial Murder
by David McGowan
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2004-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.41
Price in other shops: $25.95
Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA ImageDark Mission: The Secret History of NASA
by Richard C. Hoagland, Mike Bara
Feral House; Published: 2007-10-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.13
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America ImageThe Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America
by Jim Marrs
William Morrow; Published: 2008-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.40
Price in other shops: $25.95
Stairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists, and the Art of Spiritual Transformation ImageStairway to Heaven: Chinese Alchemists, Jewish Kabbalists, and the Art of Spiritual Transformation
by Peter Levenda
Continuum; Published: 2008-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.17
Price in other shops: $26.95
Unholy Alliance: A History of the Nazi Involvement With the Occult ImageUnholy Alliance: A History of the Nazi Involvement With the Occult
by Peter Levenda
Continuum; Published: 2002-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.81
Price in other shops: $29.95
Sinister Forces-The Manson Secret: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 3) ImageSinister Forces-The Manson Secret: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 3)
by Peter Levenda
Trine Day; Published: 2006-06-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops: $29.95
Sinister Forces-A Warm Gun: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 2) ImageSinister Forces-A Warm Gun: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 2)
by Peter Levenda
Trine Day; Published: 2005-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.78
Price in other shops: $29.95