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Gregory Sallust #8
They Used Dark Forces (Gregory Sallust, #8)
It is 1943, World War II, and secret agent Gregory Sallust is parachuted into Nazi Germany. In the company of an ex-Bolshevik General named Stefan Kuporovitch, the two of them join forces with the widow of a German diplomat who is in contact with Allied Intelligence. It is through her that Gregory becomes unwillingly involved with a Black Magician and when, 16 months later, they meet again, each decides to use occult forces in an attempt to destroy Hitler once and for all....
Dennis Yates Wheatley (1897—1977) was an English author whose prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's bestselling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s. His Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.
Born in South London, he was the eldest of three children of an upper-middle-class family, the owners of Wheatley & Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College. Soon after his expulsion Wheatley became a British Merchant Navy officer cadet on the training ship HMS Worcester. During the Second World War, Wheatley was a member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing with a German invasion of Britain. Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November 1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million copies.
Dennis Yates Wheatley (1897—1977) was an English author whose prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's bestselling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s. His Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming's James Bond stories.
Born in South London, he was the eldest of three children of an upper-middle-class family, the owners of Wheatley & Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College. Soon after his expulsion Wheatley became a British Merchant Navy officer cadet on the training ship HMS Worcester. During the Second World War, Wheatley was a member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing with a German invasion of Britain. Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November 1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million copies.
511 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
14 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Wheatley
381 books248 followersDennis Yates Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) [Born: Dennis Yeats Wheatley] was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors in the 1950s and 1960s.
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 20, 2018
I've enjoyed several of Wheatley's Black Magic books, but this was not one of them. Most of my time with this book was spent just waiting for it to end.
The opening premise is good. A British spy goes deep behind enemy lines to sabotage a secret Nazi weapons lab. But when he gets there he learns that their informant is an evil warlock. Then things get worse for him. It shouldn't have been a bad book, but it was. Gregory Sallust is more of an observer than active participant in the story.
Eventually, he teams up with Hermann Göring (yes, the actual historical Nazi who founded the fucking Gestapo) to help bring about the end of the war. I admit it was extremely odd to see Göring portrayed in a mostly positive light. In reality he was a piece of shit who was convicted of Crimes Against Humanity, but the book sorta glosses over that. I find this incredibly strange that a British author who had lived through that time would write about Göring like he was an OK guy whose biggest sins were being an eccentric fat guy and hoarder of stolen art.
In the end we have a front-row seat to the final days of Hitler and our hero's mostly inconsequential role in that.
The only positive things I can say - I finished it. It gave a vivid depiction of what war-torn European life was like in the final days as the Allied Forces drew in on Berlin.
I'd recommend readers skip this one.
The opening premise is good. A British spy goes deep behind enemy lines to sabotage a secret Nazi weapons lab. But when he gets there he learns that their informant is an evil warlock. Then things get worse for him. It shouldn't have been a bad book, but it was. Gregory Sallust is more of an observer than active participant in the story.
Eventually, he teams up with Hermann Göring (yes, the actual historical Nazi who founded the fucking Gestapo) to help bring about the end of the war. I admit it was extremely odd to see Göring portrayed in a mostly positive light. In reality he was a piece of shit who was convicted of Crimes Against Humanity, but the book sorta glosses over that. I find this incredibly strange that a British author who had lived through that time would write about Göring like he was an OK guy whose biggest sins were being an eccentric fat guy and hoarder of stolen art.
In the end we have a front-row seat to the final days of Hitler and our hero's mostly inconsequential role in that.
The only positive things I can say - I finished it. It gave a vivid depiction of what war-torn European life was like in the final days as the Allied Forces drew in on Berlin.
I'd recommend readers skip this one.
dnf
February 13, 2023DNF at 43 pages. Far too descriptive for my liking (i.e. lots of words without progressing the story, I get the whole setting the scene thing but I don't need to read pages and pages about the weather...). May dip back in at a later stage.
June 3, 2023
Al principio expectante, parecía ser un pulp mejorado inmerso en la II GM, con el aliciente fantástico extra de la magia negra. Mas una vez comenzado la decepción no tarda en llegar. Primero, las aventuras del espía inglés tienen poca acción y credibilidad, bastante dialéctica y muuuucha suerte, lo que termina aburriendo en las primeras cien páginas, y eso que son seiscientas. Respecto al aspecto fantástico, poco y nada, algo de telepatía barata y astrología, frenada con una moralidad exacerbada que al final dan ganas que los cojan los de la S.S. y terminen con ellos antes.
Sobre el final mejora con las descripciones del Berlín agonizante, y en especial de la cúpula de jerarcas nazis en este caos que se les avecina. Se puede decir que Wheatley se documentó bastante bien para escribir esta novela, y aunque en un comienzo no le preste mucha atención a los hechos históricos finalmente fueron éstos los que mantuvieron mi alicaído interés en la lectura.
Sobre el final mejora con las descripciones del Berlín agonizante, y en especial de la cúpula de jerarcas nazis en este caos que se les avecina. Se puede decir que Wheatley se documentó bastante bien para escribir esta novela, y aunque en un comienzo no le preste mucha atención a los hechos históricos finalmente fueron éstos los que mantuvieron mi alicaído interés en la lectura.
February 21, 2018
Wheatley has a good reputation, especially for his horror fiction. Here he attempts to blend espionage and the occult, set against the backdrop of World War II. It is the first book of his I've read and will probably be the last. Malacou is supposed to be evil, yet is little more than a dirty old man who casts horoscopes. Sallust is a failure as an action hero. His main 'strength' is the pure dumb luck that always saves him from precarious situations of his own doing) after another. Wheatley also weaves historical events and characters into the story, to the detriment of the fiction. I was interested enough to finish it but that is the best recommendation I can give.
November 20, 2016
Although this is part of a series, it works well as a standalone novel. Fairly typical spy novel with some unusual supernatural themes thrown in. I can see why people say the main character influenced Fleming's Bond. Loses stars because of the annoying parts of the book that read like a history lesson.
September 17, 2025
This is a novel in the series of Gregory Sallust stories, but one which, unlike the others, also contains some Black Magic and other occult incidents.
Early in the novel, Dennis Wheatley refers to a Rauenthaler Steinhausen Kabinett Edelbeeren Auslese wine. It is very unlike Dennis Wheatley to make a technical error as he always conducted meticulous research, but I am quite sure he has made such a mistake here. Under the strict German classification Kabinett and Auslese wines are very different, with Kabinett typically being dry and Auslese sweet and concentrated from noble rot affected grapes. So I cannot see how one wine could be both Kabinett and Auslese, unless any German wine experts can disabuse me.
The story itself is one of the last 2 years of World War 2 in Europe, with Gregory Sallust first trying to counter Nazi attempts to create "V" Rockets, and later getting involved in affairs in the Berlin Bunker.
It is, as is usually the case with Wheatley novels, filled with historical facts which give a good perspective of that period of the European war. Whilst there is some magic, telepathy and astrology in the novel this is only to a fairly minor extent. There is also some romance, which is usually the case in a Wheatley story. The focus, though, is on action, which should keep you gripped until the end.
Early in the novel, Dennis Wheatley refers to a Rauenthaler Steinhausen Kabinett Edelbeeren Auslese wine. It is very unlike Dennis Wheatley to make a technical error as he always conducted meticulous research, but I am quite sure he has made such a mistake here. Under the strict German classification Kabinett and Auslese wines are very different, with Kabinett typically being dry and Auslese sweet and concentrated from noble rot affected grapes. So I cannot see how one wine could be both Kabinett and Auslese, unless any German wine experts can disabuse me.
The story itself is one of the last 2 years of World War 2 in Europe, with Gregory Sallust first trying to counter Nazi attempts to create "V" Rockets, and later getting involved in affairs in the Berlin Bunker.
It is, as is usually the case with Wheatley novels, filled with historical facts which give a good perspective of that period of the European war. Whilst there is some magic, telepathy and astrology in the novel this is only to a fairly minor extent. There is also some romance, which is usually the case in a Wheatley story. The focus, though, is on action, which should keep you gripped until the end.
May 17, 2021
Wheatley, the Enid Blyton of occultism, creates another hoot.
July 18, 2022
HF war
July 23, 2022
Another great Dennis Wheatley book. Now onto others of his creation.
February 7, 2023
It was linguistically written well but god it dragged on! Terrible 60s descriptions of women that were distracting and the plot just kind of bumbled on aimlessly
March 14, 2025
A fun old school occult fiction. We call this popcorn.
September 23, 2025
Normally I like Wheatley but, for me personally, this one didn't compare to the classics like The Devil Rides Out and To the Devil a Daughter.
August 11, 2015
This is the first book I've read from Dennis Wheatley. I came across him while looking for great occult authors and he so happened to be one of the famous ones out there. Besides that he's also has written a lot of espionage books as well as a handful of science fiction. But of course his writing of black magic is what he's most popular for.
This book is more of an espionage novel and is under the tales of Gregory Sallust, the British spy. Just so happens Mr. Sallust finds himself dealing with the occult to take down Hitler.
I really enjoyed this book, the style of Mr. Wheatley is pretty remarkable. He has a great way of telling the story and helps the reader capture exactly what he envisions in his head. The many daring adventures that Mr. Sallust goes through goes to show that Dennis Wheatley is quite a brilliant man to even create these realms of excellence. There were some parts that dealt with the war that really were a bore to read but other than that it was an intense read. I found myself being dragged from one adventure to another and I didn't mind the fast pace of the ride. I really felt like I was there in his shoes and experiencing everything, I can't wait to read more from Dennis!
This book is more of an espionage novel and is under the tales of Gregory Sallust, the British spy. Just so happens Mr. Sallust finds himself dealing with the occult to take down Hitler.
I really enjoyed this book, the style of Mr. Wheatley is pretty remarkable. He has a great way of telling the story and helps the reader capture exactly what he envisions in his head. The many daring adventures that Mr. Sallust goes through goes to show that Dennis Wheatley is quite a brilliant man to even create these realms of excellence. There were some parts that dealt with the war that really were a bore to read but other than that it was an intense read. I found myself being dragged from one adventure to another and I didn't mind the fast pace of the ride. I really felt like I was there in his shoes and experiencing everything, I can't wait to read more from Dennis!
February 19, 2013
Probably not a lot of point writing a lengthy review for this one as it is out of print and I doubt very many people would read the review. Dennis Wheatley's black magic novels are fun but this one is a hybrid between WWII spy adventure and a tale of the occult. The supernatural part is fun but it is crowded out by rather pedestrian James Bondery. The audiobook reading is fun though, especially the Hitler dialog.
June 2, 2013
Decided to give up on this. I loved the Devil rides out so much and was hoping for another interesting occult story but this was just too much of a war hero/James Bond type story. I probably would have tried to read it for longer but I just have too many good books on my shelf waiting to be read at the moment to have time for ones I'm not enjoying.
April 28, 2012
Another Wheatley masterpiece, this time with Gregory Sallust as the hero. A potent mixture of wartime Nazis, black magic, and Wheatley's notorious attention to detail make this another must read for fans of the genre.
December 23, 2016
Ultimately this novel suffers from being far too long. The final sections are almost a factual account of Hitler's last days in the bunker in Berlin. and while this is of interest historically, it tends to make the story drag.
June 19, 2019
Entertaining but quite silly.
June 23, 2017
What a book. The plot line is amazing.
November 25, 2015
Engaging quite a bit... and some key insights into Nazism - of that period... The author's self-reference was marvellous
July 25, 2016
Another Nazi black magic novel by Wheatley , pretty good read ,not too long .
August 27, 2008
Not my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews