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The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic
Splendid news for boys and girls, and guaranteed salvation for humanity! Messrs. Steve and Alan Moore, current proprietors of the celebrated Moon & Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels (sorcery by appointment since circa 150 AD) are presently engaged in producing a clear and practical grimoire of the occult sciences that offers endless necromantic fun for all the family. Exquisitely illuminated by a host of adepts including Kevin O'Neill, Melinda Gebbie, John Coulthart, José Villarrubia and other stellar talents (to be named shortly), this marvelous and unprecedented tome promises to provide all that the reader could conceivably need in order to commence a fulfilling new career as a diabolist.
Its contents include profusely illustrated instructional essays upon this ancient sect's theories of magic, notably the key dissertation "Adventures in Thinking" which gives reliable advice as to how entry into the world of magic may be readily achieved. Further to this, a number of "Rainy Day" activity pages present lively and entertaining things-to-do once the magical state has been attained, including such popular pastimes as divination, etheric travel and the conjuring of a colourful multitude of sprits, deities, dead people and infernal entities from the pit, all of whom are sure to become your new best friends.
Also contained within this extravagant compendium of thaumaturgic lore is a history of magic from the last ice-age to the present day, told in a series of easy-to-absorb pictorial biographies of fifty great enchanters and complemented by a variety of picture stories depicting events ranging from the Paleolithic origins of art, magic, language and consciousness to the rib-tickling comedy exploits of Moon & Serpent founder Alexander the False Prophet ("He's fun, he's fake, he's got a talking snake!").
In addition to these manifold delights, the adventurous reader will also discover a series of helpful travel guides to mind-wrenching alien dimensions that are within comfortable walking distance, as well as profiles of the many quaint local inhabitants that one might bump into at these exotic resorts. A full range of entertainments will be provided, encompassing such diverse novelties and pursuits as a lavishly decorated decadent pulp tale of occult adventure recounted in the serial form, a full set of this sinister and deathless cult's never-before-seen Tarot cards, a fold-out Kabalistic board game in which the first player to achieve enlightenment wins providing he or she doesn't make a big deal about it, and even a pop-up Theatre of Marvels that serves as both a Renaissance memory theatre and a handy portable shrine for today's multi-tasking magician on the move.
Completing this almost unimaginable treasure-trove are a matching pair of lengthy theses revealing the ultimate meaning of both the Moon and the Serpent in a manner that makes transparent the much obscured secret of magic, happiness, sex, creativity and the known Universe, while at the same time explaining why these lunar and ophidian symbols feature so prominently in the order's peculiar name. (Manufacturer's disclaimer: this edition does not, however, reveal why the titular cabal of magicians consider themselves to be either grand or Egyptian. Let the buyer beware.)
A colossal and audacious publishing triumph of three hundred and twenty pages, beautifully produced in the finest tradition of educational literature for young people, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic will transform your lives, your reality, and any spare lead that you happen to have laying around into the purest and most radiant gold.
A 320-Page Super-Deluxe Hardcover, co-written by Alan Moore and Steve Moore, and illustrated by various luminaries from the comic book field.
Cover design by John Coulthart.
Its contents include profusely illustrated instructional essays upon this ancient sect's theories of magic, notably the key dissertation "Adventures in Thinking" which gives reliable advice as to how entry into the world of magic may be readily achieved. Further to this, a number of "Rainy Day" activity pages present lively and entertaining things-to-do once the magical state has been attained, including such popular pastimes as divination, etheric travel and the conjuring of a colourful multitude of sprits, deities, dead people and infernal entities from the pit, all of whom are sure to become your new best friends.
Also contained within this extravagant compendium of thaumaturgic lore is a history of magic from the last ice-age to the present day, told in a series of easy-to-absorb pictorial biographies of fifty great enchanters and complemented by a variety of picture stories depicting events ranging from the Paleolithic origins of art, magic, language and consciousness to the rib-tickling comedy exploits of Moon & Serpent founder Alexander the False Prophet ("He's fun, he's fake, he's got a talking snake!").
In addition to these manifold delights, the adventurous reader will also discover a series of helpful travel guides to mind-wrenching alien dimensions that are within comfortable walking distance, as well as profiles of the many quaint local inhabitants that one might bump into at these exotic resorts. A full range of entertainments will be provided, encompassing such diverse novelties and pursuits as a lavishly decorated decadent pulp tale of occult adventure recounted in the serial form, a full set of this sinister and deathless cult's never-before-seen Tarot cards, a fold-out Kabalistic board game in which the first player to achieve enlightenment wins providing he or she doesn't make a big deal about it, and even a pop-up Theatre of Marvels that serves as both a Renaissance memory theatre and a handy portable shrine for today's multi-tasking magician on the move.
Completing this almost unimaginable treasure-trove are a matching pair of lengthy theses revealing the ultimate meaning of both the Moon and the Serpent in a manner that makes transparent the much obscured secret of magic, happiness, sex, creativity and the known Universe, while at the same time explaining why these lunar and ophidian symbols feature so prominently in the order's peculiar name. (Manufacturer's disclaimer: this edition does not, however, reveal why the titular cabal of magicians consider themselves to be either grand or Egyptian. Let the buyer beware.)
A colossal and audacious publishing triumph of three hundred and twenty pages, beautifully produced in the finest tradition of educational literature for young people, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic will transform your lives, your reality, and any spare lead that you happen to have laying around into the purest and most radiant gold.
A 320-Page Super-Deluxe Hardcover, co-written by Alan Moore and Steve Moore, and illustrated by various luminaries from the comic book field.
Cover design by John Coulthart.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2024
210 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,578 books21.6k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 31, 2024
Less one book, than a conflation of four separate volumes with a reasonable attempt to bring them together in the end. One, The Soul, is a novella about a Bloomsbury woman exploring magic. The second is a series of single comics about the lives of famous magicians, and a multi-part comic about Alexander and (Moore’s personal deity) Glycon. The third is presented (very tongue in cheek) as a rainy day activity book for children who might want to get into magic. The fourth involves detailed discussions of Moore’s own magical cosmology, revolving around the Kabbalah and the Tarot.
They’re all well done- no surprise, Moore can write a punchy comic!- but they wind up being a bit less than the sum of their parts. Some anecdotes get repeated. The detail in Moore’s descriptions of the realms of Kabbalah and how they link to the Tarot are mind-numbing in detail. On the whole, aspiring practitioners and causal readers will probably reach rather different conclusions about the book. Being part of the latter, the novella and the comics were much more interesting to me.
Still, it’s a fascinating document. Moore presents a view of magic that’s completely internally consistent, and pleasingly skeptical (you can read the whole thing as being basically non-supernatural, and fundamentally Jungian in nature). I also loved getting some internal gossip (complaints about Crowley, total dismissal of the Chaos Magic that I mostly associate with another comics writer, Grant Morrison), and I’ll certainly be thinking about the book for some time, even if I’m not going to be building my altar to the Moon Goddess.
They’re all well done- no surprise, Moore can write a punchy comic!- but they wind up being a bit less than the sum of their parts. Some anecdotes get repeated. The detail in Moore’s descriptions of the realms of Kabbalah and how they link to the Tarot are mind-numbing in detail. On the whole, aspiring practitioners and causal readers will probably reach rather different conclusions about the book. Being part of the latter, the novella and the comics were much more interesting to me.
Still, it’s a fascinating document. Moore presents a view of magic that’s completely internally consistent, and pleasingly skeptical (you can read the whole thing as being basically non-supernatural, and fundamentally Jungian in nature). I also loved getting some internal gossip (complaints about Crowley, total dismissal of the Chaos Magic that I mostly associate with another comics writer, Grant Morrison), and I’ll certainly be thinking about the book for some time, even if I’m not going to be building my altar to the Moon Goddess.
Read
November 8, 2024Even if one accepts the existence of gods and demons, there were times when believing we'd ever see the long-promised Moon And Serpent Bumper Book Of Magic felt like a stretch. Appropriately, I did start out with an immaterial copy, courtesy of Netgalley. But there was never any question that I'd also be picking up a physical iteration once it fully manifested – though, again appropriately, it ended up not being at the launch event, where neither magus was physically present and the cult was charging extra for copies that bore additional tokens of having been in the Presence. It is, more than anything, a beautiful artefact, absolutely living up to the Moores' original concept: when you're a kid, and first encounter the notion of a wizard with a magic book, doesn't that sound like the most exciting book ever, and when you encounter the dense, crabbed, wilfully obscure stuff that usually passes for occult writing, isn't that a massive disappointment? So why not make something more like the former?
In terms of commitment to the bit, the Bumper Book does not disappoint. There is a small note on the back that it's for adults only, but the carnival atmosphere suggests the best annual you ever found in a stocking, or perhaps on a relative's shelf, cartoon strips and stories jostling with avuncular articles suggesting Things to Do on a Rainy Day. But instead of making a rudimentary radio, or learning card tricks, these articles seek to induct the reader into constructing a shrine (a pseudo-cut-out example is included at the back) and communing with spirits. The suggestion that one should, say, ask a grown-up for help when crafting one's magical weapons does fade out a little as the book goes on, and some components never altogether fit; the serial prose narrative The Dweller In The Abyss, while undoubtedly a useful dramatisation of pathways and pitfalls, is in a similar vein to Steve's decadent novel Somnium, and I liked Somnium, but I can't see the hypothetical boys and girls doing other than skimming or skipping it.
Still, being envisaged as a reference book, as well as an introduction, the Bumper Book is happy to repeat key information where necessary, so if you don't take to one of its strands, you still shouldn't get your soul eaten. Probably. More of an issue is its resolute objection to any attempt to use magic for direct operation on the physical world, which it insists is impossible, and if not impossible immoral, and even if neither then still liable to go horribly wrong. At which point one might be forgiven for asking, well, what use is it, then? An element of creative practice, say the Moores; an inspiration, a way of better integrating the self, a means of changing the outer world indirectly by creating work that changes minds. Which, sure, is not nothing, but it does reduce magic to self-help and artistic tips. Less annoyingly written than most, for sure; I'd much rather read about Asmodeus than who moved my cheese's parachute. But even so. It also, like the advice that creating one's own incantations and altarpieces will make them more meaningful, feels blind to the fact that even before they became properly practising sorcerers, the Moores were already one good and one generationally great writer, and at least passable visual artists into the bargain. This does occasionally leave the project, lucidly argued and beautifully presented as it is, feeling uncomfortably close to those Success Tips Of Someone With Enormous Pre-Existing Advantages books that so forlornly cram the bookshelves of the noticeably less successful.
Still, I'm not sure there was ever a book, magical or otherwise, that didn't have its own biases and blind spots. Even if just considered as an introductory history of an overlooked but influential field, from which much of the rest of human culture is essentially a spin-off, it's a good read, for all that they're kinder to Crowley than I'd be, and kinder to Edward Kelly than I thought anyone was. As a sort of alternate take on psychology, there's some stuff I've found very useful at a trying time, even without being a full practitioner. And if you are thinking of becoming one, the introduction to the Kabbalah and Tarot in particular (and to the interplay between the two) are unusually elegant and helpful. Not to mention, and I know I keep saying this, beautiful to behold; as well as past collaborators of Alan's such as Steve Parkhouse and (with some of his last work) Kevin O'Neill, the design of the book and the bulk of the illustrations are by John Coulthart, hitherto a figure I'd known was respected but not really known. Well, now I do, and yes, he's excellent. Curiously, for all that they insist on the separation of magic from direct practicality, the Moores don't then follow the same line with the Tarot; yes, they say, it is an aid to consideration and contemplation, a way of finding new angles on a situation, all that – but it does definitely tell the future too. A pleasingly bold note in a wonderful tome sometimes let down by its quietism, though gods know I'd be wary of any scrying after this week.
In terms of commitment to the bit, the Bumper Book does not disappoint. There is a small note on the back that it's for adults only, but the carnival atmosphere suggests the best annual you ever found in a stocking, or perhaps on a relative's shelf, cartoon strips and stories jostling with avuncular articles suggesting Things to Do on a Rainy Day. But instead of making a rudimentary radio, or learning card tricks, these articles seek to induct the reader into constructing a shrine (a pseudo-cut-out example is included at the back) and communing with spirits. The suggestion that one should, say, ask a grown-up for help when crafting one's magical weapons does fade out a little as the book goes on, and some components never altogether fit; the serial prose narrative The Dweller In The Abyss, while undoubtedly a useful dramatisation of pathways and pitfalls, is in a similar vein to Steve's decadent novel Somnium, and I liked Somnium, but I can't see the hypothetical boys and girls doing other than skimming or skipping it.
Still, being envisaged as a reference book, as well as an introduction, the Bumper Book is happy to repeat key information where necessary, so if you don't take to one of its strands, you still shouldn't get your soul eaten. Probably. More of an issue is its resolute objection to any attempt to use magic for direct operation on the physical world, which it insists is impossible, and if not impossible immoral, and even if neither then still liable to go horribly wrong. At which point one might be forgiven for asking, well, what use is it, then? An element of creative practice, say the Moores; an inspiration, a way of better integrating the self, a means of changing the outer world indirectly by creating work that changes minds. Which, sure, is not nothing, but it does reduce magic to self-help and artistic tips. Less annoyingly written than most, for sure; I'd much rather read about Asmodeus than who moved my cheese's parachute. But even so. It also, like the advice that creating one's own incantations and altarpieces will make them more meaningful, feels blind to the fact that even before they became properly practising sorcerers, the Moores were already one good and one generationally great writer, and at least passable visual artists into the bargain. This does occasionally leave the project, lucidly argued and beautifully presented as it is, feeling uncomfortably close to those Success Tips Of Someone With Enormous Pre-Existing Advantages books that so forlornly cram the bookshelves of the noticeably less successful.
Still, I'm not sure there was ever a book, magical or otherwise, that didn't have its own biases and blind spots. Even if just considered as an introductory history of an overlooked but influential field, from which much of the rest of human culture is essentially a spin-off, it's a good read, for all that they're kinder to Crowley than I'd be, and kinder to Edward Kelly than I thought anyone was. As a sort of alternate take on psychology, there's some stuff I've found very useful at a trying time, even without being a full practitioner. And if you are thinking of becoming one, the introduction to the Kabbalah and Tarot in particular (and to the interplay between the two) are unusually elegant and helpful. Not to mention, and I know I keep saying this, beautiful to behold; as well as past collaborators of Alan's such as Steve Parkhouse and (with some of his last work) Kevin O'Neill, the design of the book and the bulk of the illustrations are by John Coulthart, hitherto a figure I'd known was respected but not really known. Well, now I do, and yes, he's excellent. Curiously, for all that they insist on the separation of magic from direct practicality, the Moores don't then follow the same line with the Tarot; yes, they say, it is an aid to consideration and contemplation, a way of finding new angles on a situation, all that – but it does definitely tell the future too. A pleasingly bold note in a wonderful tome sometimes let down by its quietism, though gods know I'd be wary of any scrying after this week.
Read
November 17, 2025Look, this is a tome about magic by self-professed magicians Alan and Steve Moore. You kind of know what you're getting yourself into if you decide to pick it up.
As a fan of Alan Moore's work, I've always been curious how a clearly intelligent writer could get wrapped up in what I assumed was quackery. I'm a rationalist with next to no knowledge of magical ideas, which turns out to be the intended audience for this magic book. The Moores argue for the value of magic as an exploration of one's own consciousness in a way that's consistent with a scientific worldview. They go to great lengths to highlight the historical link between science and magic. Likewise, they carefully evaluate and dismantle narratives around magic that have propagated in popular media (spoiler: most ideas around magic in movies have nothing to do with actual occult practices).
The Moores structure this grimoire as a variety book of sorts, which helps break up the monotony of long passages about the Kaballah and Tarot. Some sections are cheekily framed as DIY activities for children on rainy days. There are a number of illustrated one-page biographies on magicians. Passages of fictional prose follow a woman on her own magical journey and effectively apply lessons from the more instructional sections. A clear highlight is the wacky comics drawn by the late, great Kevin O'Neill which lampoon the first verifiable magician, Alexander of Abonoteichus.
The presentation of this volume is overall excellent. This is a large book with thick, high-quality paper. The design work by John Coulthart brings cohesion to the disparate sections, along with his exquisite illustrations. One quibble is I'm not crazy about Ben Wickey's artwork in here, although I respect the medieval-inspired thing he's attempting (I just don't like medieval art). This book also could have benefited from a sources section in the back given that it was clearly heavily researched.
After reading this volume, I understand the appeal of the Moores' view of magic, even if I'm in no particular rush to start ingesting shrooms and calling myself a enchanter. I'm reminded of Kurt Vonnegut's thesis in Cat's Cradle that any attempts to find meaning in life are necessarily lies so we might as well follow lies that encourage us to act decently with each other. The Moores convincingly argue that society would be better off if people adopted their magical worldview instead of prevailing religions.
As a fan of Alan Moore's work, I've always been curious how a clearly intelligent writer could get wrapped up in what I assumed was quackery. I'm a rationalist with next to no knowledge of magical ideas, which turns out to be the intended audience for this magic book. The Moores argue for the value of magic as an exploration of one's own consciousness in a way that's consistent with a scientific worldview. They go to great lengths to highlight the historical link between science and magic. Likewise, they carefully evaluate and dismantle narratives around magic that have propagated in popular media (spoiler: most ideas around magic in movies have nothing to do with actual occult practices).
The Moores structure this grimoire as a variety book of sorts, which helps break up the monotony of long passages about the Kaballah and Tarot. Some sections are cheekily framed as DIY activities for children on rainy days. There are a number of illustrated one-page biographies on magicians. Passages of fictional prose follow a woman on her own magical journey and effectively apply lessons from the more instructional sections. A clear highlight is the wacky comics drawn by the late, great Kevin O'Neill which lampoon the first verifiable magician, Alexander of Abonoteichus.
The presentation of this volume is overall excellent. This is a large book with thick, high-quality paper. The design work by John Coulthart brings cohesion to the disparate sections, along with his exquisite illustrations. One quibble is I'm not crazy about Ben Wickey's artwork in here, although I respect the medieval-inspired thing he's attempting (I just don't like medieval art). This book also could have benefited from a sources section in the back given that it was clearly heavily researched.
After reading this volume, I understand the appeal of the Moores' view of magic, even if I'm in no particular rush to start ingesting shrooms and calling myself a enchanter. I'm reminded of Kurt Vonnegut's thesis in Cat's Cradle that any attempts to find meaning in life are necessarily lies so we might as well follow lies that encourage us to act decently with each other. The Moores convincingly argue that society would be better off if people adopted their magical worldview instead of prevailing religions.
October 16, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A grimoire, set up in such a way that it comes across as an instructional workbook for children? Perfection.
Gorgeous to look at and glorious to read, this ticked off every single box I didn’t realize I had for a dream book. It’s a book that I wish had existed when I was a teen.
I pre-ordered this in hardcover once I had completed my initial perusal because a physical copy of this is absolutely necessary for our bookshelves.
Thank you to Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley for the PDF
A grimoire, set up in such a way that it comes across as an instructional workbook for children? Perfection.
Gorgeous to look at and glorious to read, this ticked off every single box I didn’t realize I had for a dream book. It’s a book that I wish had existed when I was a teen.
I pre-ordered this in hardcover once I had completed my initial perusal because a physical copy of this is absolutely necessary for our bookshelves.
Thank you to Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley for the PDF
February 10, 2025
I’ve got some niggles with The Bumper Book but its five star status was never in doubt. There’s just so much in it. Because of the format of a dip in and out old fashioned annual lots of the information gets repeated, often on the following page if you read it sequentially, but this heightens the feeling that you are learning something. What the Moore’s are presenting here is nothing less than a manifesto for a new way of living for humanity, or at least a new way of thinking. Did I buy it? Probably not, but it’s a fascinating proposition. Unfortunately it seems Alan Moore has not taken my criticisms of Jerusalem and Illuminations to heart and he’s continued to use the repetitive descriptions that marred those works. For instance, we are told that Steve lives on a hill, fine. I don’t need to be reminded of this in increasingly strained ways every time he is mentioned. Like the rabbit necklace or the vomit inducing walls. It’s no fun and drags everything out unnecessarily. So stop it. Regardless, this will come to be seen as a classic volume on the subject.
April 3, 2025
When I told a friend of mine who likes Alan Moore's comics that Moore considers himself a literal sorcerer, his reaction was "That's pathetic," evidently because serious, well-adjusted people do not profess to have Harry-Potter-like magic capabilities. Well, I've finished The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic and can now reassure him that by means of elaborate equivocation, Moore at once claims the mantel of a real magician, but dodges the terrible burden of actually believing in anything supernatural!
Right down to the jokey framing of the book as activities for children (it's definitely not), the Moores (co-authors Alan and Steven) seem deeply uncomfortable with the possibility that anybody might take seriously the power of Kabbalah, the Tarot, or deities to affect anything in the real world, even though their 300+ page book is about the power of those things and their utter commitment to them. The authors say they're practitioners of high magic, "magic for its own sake, as an exploration of magic in order to to find out more about magic," as distinct from "low magic," which is "the attempt to bring about desired changes in material reality that are to the magician's personal advantage."
The authors dismiss religion and its claims to the supernatural out of hand. "New Age" is boomer indulgence; 0ther recent popular revivals of magic are commercialized fandom. Anyway, none of it is capable of actually doing anything in the real world (levitation, getting that promotion, immortality). They consider legitimate magic to be a strictly imaginative, artistic activity. If I were not constitutionally incapable of cynicism, I might write the Moore brand of magic off as cool stuff to think about while you get high on mushrooms.
I like the book -- it's an erudite, often fascinating history of the very particular magic that artistic men-about-town gravitate to: namely, the kind that’s taken up by literate men (indeed, often men of letters and science) famous enough that their names and exploits captured in the historical record. John Dee, William Blake, Aleister Crowley, those types. The commentary on the Kabbalah, Tarot and other basic elements of "occult" magic is well written and beautifully illustrated. Thus my 4/5 stars.
Even so, this kind of "great man" magic is a drop in the ocean of the magic that's been practiced by people (women!) the world over since time immemorial whose names are lost to history -- the kind that, even now, is invoked the world over to ward off evil, grant luck, promote fertility, cure illness. Normal people actually do believe in supernatural magic and, in the end, there's something a little shabby about wanting the shine of it without committing to its reality.
Right down to the jokey framing of the book as activities for children (it's definitely not), the Moores (co-authors Alan and Steven) seem deeply uncomfortable with the possibility that anybody might take seriously the power of Kabbalah, the Tarot, or deities to affect anything in the real world, even though their 300+ page book is about the power of those things and their utter commitment to them. The authors say they're practitioners of high magic, "magic for its own sake, as an exploration of magic in order to to find out more about magic," as distinct from "low magic," which is "the attempt to bring about desired changes in material reality that are to the magician's personal advantage."
The authors dismiss religion and its claims to the supernatural out of hand. "New Age" is boomer indulgence; 0ther recent popular revivals of magic are commercialized fandom. Anyway, none of it is capable of actually doing anything in the real world (levitation, getting that promotion, immortality). They consider legitimate magic to be a strictly imaginative, artistic activity. If I were not constitutionally incapable of cynicism, I might write the Moore brand of magic off as cool stuff to think about while you get high on mushrooms.
I like the book -- it's an erudite, often fascinating history of the very particular magic that artistic men-about-town gravitate to: namely, the kind that’s taken up by literate men (indeed, often men of letters and science) famous enough that their names and exploits captured in the historical record. John Dee, William Blake, Aleister Crowley, those types. The commentary on the Kabbalah, Tarot and other basic elements of "occult" magic is well written and beautifully illustrated. Thus my 4/5 stars.
Even so, this kind of "great man" magic is a drop in the ocean of the magic that's been practiced by people (women!) the world over since time immemorial whose names are lost to history -- the kind that, even now, is invoked the world over to ward off evil, grant luck, promote fertility, cure illness. Normal people actually do believe in supernatural magic and, in the end, there's something a little shabby about wanting the shine of it without committing to its reality.
June 22, 2025
Instant classic. While I don't agree with everything presented, (his take on Chaos Magick seems paradoxical considering his techniques of magick seem Chaotic) the way in which these ideas are presented fun as hell and easily understood. This is the book I wish I had 10+ years ago when first encountering these ideas. Everything about this is new, exciting, divorced from dogma and above all fun.
January 24, 2025
Very cool book. A million times easier to read than all them other books named lile EQUINOX OF THE MAGUS the comics about all the artists and magicians were very cool lots of names to Google
Read
March 19, 2025Decided to not leave a rating, as I feel the way I approached this Bumper Book wasn’t as intended - ie I tried to read this as my main book, and I think it would’ve been much better to dip in and out.
Parts are fascinating and informative, but there’s a fair amount of repetition, and it goes into more depth than a casual like me could follow at times.
It’s also heavy as fuck (physically).
Fair play to them for making it, and getting it presented in such a wonderful way.
Parts are fascinating and informative, but there’s a fair amount of repetition, and it goes into more depth than a casual like me could follow at times.
It’s also heavy as fuck (physically).
Fair play to them for making it, and getting it presented in such a wonderful way.
December 24, 2024
Arts and Crafts and History, Oh My!
It’s not often I read an entire book, disagree with the author’s entire belief system due to numerous logical inconsistencies, and still find it charming to strongly recommend it to anyone curious about the theoretical underpinnings and cultural motifs of said belief system. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic should NOT be read if you want to turn people into frogs or fly on broomsticks. What it IS useful for, as the author himself states, is passing the time on a raining day or trying to find some measure of solace when you’re feeling adrift in life.
The author approaches magic as a means of almost-meditative spiritual self-discovery, framing the reality of the supernatural is irrelevant compared to the meanings and associations of what it represents. To that end, he jumps from Sumerian to Egyptian to Greek mythology-even positing figures such as H.P. Lovecraft (someone he seems to tacitly admire despite also cheerfully admitting his status as a magician-never supported by Lovecraft himself-is questionable!) to describe recurring systems, symbols and what kind of mood he thinks they bring when reaching various degrees of altered consciousness. It is clear this product is a labour of love both from the sheer wealth of information conveyed, as well as the EXTREMELY high quality of the illustrations. An academic might start pulling out hair at the lack of citations for the more speculative claims within, but Alan would seem to cheerfully retort that academia and magic are as entwined as magic is with every facet of the human desire for transcendence.
The book includes a fictional story to try to illustrate some of the principles expressed throughout it, the quality of which I would rate as a solid 4/5 with strong characters, vivid experiences, convincing dialogue…and, the trademark “everything and everyone is magically happy at the end!” Moore writing cliche that readers of Promethea, Moore’s Miracleman run and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’s finale may recognise. Personally I find it somewhat infuriating that two characters who are shown to barely interact are suddenly reconciled in romantic infatuation with no context for how that came about after Moore showed many flourishes and nuances to the focal character’s journey of self-discovery. But again, Alan would probably say that is in fact a point being made about magic’s transformative experience on the human condition, if not the physical world. I have to admit the author’s cheerful celebration of irrationality and dream logic is at odds with my own sensibilities.
Which is why I have to admire the book’s final written section (apart from the lovely cut-out paper temple at the end) is the author’s bold claim that when he decided to become a practicing wizard, he had no idea what he was doing, and didn’t take the thing too seriously. As the author states, this book is ultimately Moore’s attempt to explain what passes for the method behind the madness in his creative endeavours, and in many ways I feel readers already familiar with his body of work may get more out of seeing how the themes correlate rather than the intended audience that Moore hopes to elicit a renewed interest in spirituality and meditative transcendence in.
Ultimately, my highest praise for this book is that despite absolutely not being the target audience (a skeptic, from a completely different culture and country to the author, with a low opinion of some of his body of work) I was charmed, educated and ultimately impressed by the author’s overwhelming passion for a subject it is manifestly impossible to describe in perfectly objective terms enough to at least humour his point of view and reflect on how the subject he has described has influenced human society over the years.
And that too, according to Alan Moore, is magic in a way.
It’s not often I read an entire book, disagree with the author’s entire belief system due to numerous logical inconsistencies, and still find it charming to strongly recommend it to anyone curious about the theoretical underpinnings and cultural motifs of said belief system. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic should NOT be read if you want to turn people into frogs or fly on broomsticks. What it IS useful for, as the author himself states, is passing the time on a raining day or trying to find some measure of solace when you’re feeling adrift in life.
The author approaches magic as a means of almost-meditative spiritual self-discovery, framing the reality of the supernatural is irrelevant compared to the meanings and associations of what it represents. To that end, he jumps from Sumerian to Egyptian to Greek mythology-even positing figures such as H.P. Lovecraft (someone he seems to tacitly admire despite also cheerfully admitting his status as a magician-never supported by Lovecraft himself-is questionable!) to describe recurring systems, symbols and what kind of mood he thinks they bring when reaching various degrees of altered consciousness. It is clear this product is a labour of love both from the sheer wealth of information conveyed, as well as the EXTREMELY high quality of the illustrations. An academic might start pulling out hair at the lack of citations for the more speculative claims within, but Alan would seem to cheerfully retort that academia and magic are as entwined as magic is with every facet of the human desire for transcendence.
The book includes a fictional story to try to illustrate some of the principles expressed throughout it, the quality of which I would rate as a solid 4/5 with strong characters, vivid experiences, convincing dialogue…and, the trademark “everything and everyone is magically happy at the end!” Moore writing cliche that readers of Promethea, Moore’s Miracleman run and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’s finale may recognise. Personally I find it somewhat infuriating that two characters who are shown to barely interact are suddenly reconciled in romantic infatuation with no context for how that came about after Moore showed many flourishes and nuances to the focal character’s journey of self-discovery. But again, Alan would probably say that is in fact a point being made about magic’s transformative experience on the human condition, if not the physical world. I have to admit the author’s cheerful celebration of irrationality and dream logic is at odds with my own sensibilities.
Which is why I have to admire the book’s final written section (apart from the lovely cut-out paper temple at the end) is the author’s bold claim that when he decided to become a practicing wizard, he had no idea what he was doing, and didn’t take the thing too seriously. As the author states, this book is ultimately Moore’s attempt to explain what passes for the method behind the madness in his creative endeavours, and in many ways I feel readers already familiar with his body of work may get more out of seeing how the themes correlate rather than the intended audience that Moore hopes to elicit a renewed interest in spirituality and meditative transcendence in.
Ultimately, my highest praise for this book is that despite absolutely not being the target audience (a skeptic, from a completely different culture and country to the author, with a low opinion of some of his body of work) I was charmed, educated and ultimately impressed by the author’s overwhelming passion for a subject it is manifestly impossible to describe in perfectly objective terms enough to at least humour his point of view and reflect on how the subject he has described has influenced human society over the years.
And that too, according to Alan Moore, is magic in a way.
December 28, 2024
Alan Moore knows the score! And Steve Moore (no relation) for that matter. It's unfortunate that Steve didn't live to see the release of this monumental work that in many ways he was responsible for.
This tome attempts to distill western magical tradition in an easy to digest presentation designed to win over rationalists, with a tone set as that of a children's activity book, which I'm not entirely convinced was the way to go with a work of this nature, to be honest.
Despite all this, this is a wonderful tome to digest at one's own pace, with delightful illustrations throughout to break up the dense text, some by the late lamented Kevin O'Neill as well, adding to the bittersweet feeling of this volume's release.
As stated above (and in the bumper book itself), this volume is on one level an attempt to describe something irrational to a rational mindset, and to that degree it succeeds quite admirably, keeping one foot (so to speak) very firmly planted in rational grounds, while flying high with the other. This is a decent one volume summation of The Kabbalah and Tarot intertwined, but also the development of magic, and Magic's gradual dismantling in stature and cultural importance by both religion and the Age of Reason, to its recent revival in the last few decades. Ben Wickey's delightfully illustrates the comic strip magician bio's which chart the course of influential figures (factual, fictional and a mixture of the two) on the rich history of magic.
The weaker section, for my money, is the serial 'The Soul' which likely mimics occult fiction, but falls a bit flat for me. Other than that, this is a book that can be dived back in to on numerous occasions, as a refresher on an introduction on western magical tradition, and beautifully presented, as a magical tome should be.
This tome attempts to distill western magical tradition in an easy to digest presentation designed to win over rationalists, with a tone set as that of a children's activity book, which I'm not entirely convinced was the way to go with a work of this nature, to be honest.
Despite all this, this is a wonderful tome to digest at one's own pace, with delightful illustrations throughout to break up the dense text, some by the late lamented Kevin O'Neill as well, adding to the bittersweet feeling of this volume's release.
As stated above (and in the bumper book itself), this volume is on one level an attempt to describe something irrational to a rational mindset, and to that degree it succeeds quite admirably, keeping one foot (so to speak) very firmly planted in rational grounds, while flying high with the other. This is a decent one volume summation of The Kabbalah and Tarot intertwined, but also the development of magic, and Magic's gradual dismantling in stature and cultural importance by both religion and the Age of Reason, to its recent revival in the last few decades. Ben Wickey's delightfully illustrates the comic strip magician bio's which chart the course of influential figures (factual, fictional and a mixture of the two) on the rich history of magic.
The weaker section, for my money, is the serial 'The Soul' which likely mimics occult fiction, but falls a bit flat for me. Other than that, this is a book that can be dived back in to on numerous occasions, as a refresher on an introduction on western magical tradition, and beautifully presented, as a magical tome should be.
October 24, 2024
After the nearly two-decade wait, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic has finally come to the material world and I am extremely pleased to say that it exceeded all of my expectations. The information imparted is done in an easily accessible and methodological manner, and there's a whole lot here to ponder and explore. My imagination is afire in a wonderful way, and as a confirmed sceptic of the occult, I can honestly say that one doesn't need to be a believer to get a ton of value out of this tome in that it imparts ideas and philosophies that are wonderful to work over and see how they fit in the world and our cultural histories. I read it straight-through for my first read, but this will be kept nearby to look through as both a reference and something to pick up and choose a page or so to meditate on should the mood strike because there's just that much to go through and consider in here. Really good stuff and I can't recommend it enough.
January 26, 2025
A plethora of information accompanied by interesting art - I'm grateful indeed to own a copy of this large and rather delightful 'magic' looking book with high quality paper and well rendered colourful illustrations, which makes its reading a pleasant experience.
I appreciated the authors’ association of the concept of magic with art and their fascinating investigation of ‘reality’ and how it relates to magic, the mind, language and consciousness as a whole.
While possible and interesting to some, not sure if I'm entirely convinced with regards to the authors' highly speculative chapter on Alexander's Serpent cult and it's relation to kaballah feeding into the authors' rather specific and, to an extent, subjective ideas/beliefs. That being said, I am fascinated, open and even inspired by the kabbalistic idea of the world's creation stemming from the two supernal sephiroth which the authors also view as symbolised by the Serpent and the Moon.
While reductive and not exclusively but sometimes male-centred (i.e. regarding accounts of the 20th century which make no mention of feminism's intersection with the occult), the illustrated and entertaining history bits were handy and one of the reasons why I will return to this book for references in the future.
The gilded letters from the spine are already almost half gone/rubbed off which is a shame - I might get a paper jacket for it myself.
I noticed several typos: 'Hermes Trismegistus' is also referred to as 'TrEsmegistus' on the same page (45). Also a few others including page 187 'Blake saw that (?) imagination as having its own sublime importance and reality'. Inanna is spelt Innana (254).
I'm also currently reading about historical evidence of written 'practical' magic in Sumer and while I definitely need to do more research, I wonder if this has been taken into consideration in the old Moores' Lives section, even though there are no known accounts of particular practitioners by name from that era.
In this section of the book, the figure of Solomon is associated with the idea of 'the advent of the ritual magician' and 'practical application' (43). Earlier on and in line with this, the fictional figure of Medea is said to prefigure 'accounts of actual magical practice' (34). Wouldn't the much older Near East and Egyptian accounts of magical practice predate all of this, including the accounts of Zoroaster (I also haven't even looked into the other continents like Asia)?
Perhaps the authors were referring to these practitioners with the term 'stone age sorcerers' (14) and that their comments on Medea and Solomon were only in relation to the actual development of the word 'magus/magician' and how it changed after Zoroastrianism?
Egypt and Sumer in the Bronze age are actually both briefly mentioned at the end of the book, although Sumer only in relation to its snake god and not its magical practices (280).
OK, now regarding Adeline’s fictional story, at first, I was taken at back by the author’s association of the British museum’s Burney relief (Queen of the Night - roughly 18th century BC) with the demonic figure of Lilith (222). While this doesn’t necessarily reflect the authors’ views and beliefs, this fictional story does seem to have been incorporated to help readers digest teachings from other sections of the book (i.e. the tree of life, banishing rituals, etc.).
From what I have researched, it remains unclear which mythological figure was supposed to be represented by this Mesopotamian relief at the time (Inanna, Ereshkigal or possibly ‘lil-winds’).
If we were to go with the interpretation of this winged female figure as the Mesopotamian lil-winds, while partly representing the dangers of destructive weather, no evidence that I know of suggests that these spirits were thought of as inherently evil, and the relief’s post-Mesopotamian association with the demonic figure of Lilith came much later.
The authors themselves observe that ‘Not until the advent of Judaism … do we see the ‘demonisation’ of these formerly non-aligned entities as representatives of evil … just as the Babylonian goddess Ishtar was degraded’ (209).
While I understand the more modern idea of ‘demons as powerful internal forces that may empower or destroy us … for contemporary adepts’ (209) as depicted in her story, I'm a bit puzzled as to why they chose the Burney relief to illustrate this by perpetuating such 'demonisations'.
As I kept reading on fortunately, the narrator at least acknowledges that the 'Lilith figure' was 'a divine conception that began its immaterial life as a handmaiden of sublime Innana [Inanna] in the ancient world and was then demonised' (254), although I need to look this up.
Regarding the tarot section which I found particularly interesting from the viewpoint of kabbalah, I'm not sure about the authors urging readers to always put cards back in their original order and not to read reversed cards (along with a few other prescriptive instructions based on the authors' subjective experiences throughout the book) - it's an interesting idea, but I'm always suspicious when books prescribe or strongly encourage others to adopt their 'personal preferences' as they call it - the book decries 'blind faith' later on, but I view this as an example of just that. In all fairness, they do often promote the idea of making your own magic/art at the same time and seem to often prescribe things for the sake of safety. They do further state on the very last page that no one should 'accept any notion, unexamined and unquestioned, as an article of faith' (322).
I wish the card descriptions (as well as other passages from the book) went in more depth as some of the ideas shared are quite cryptic and beg for elaboration at times (for instance, why flaming pentagrams and the various god-names in the 'Lesser Banishing Ritual'?), but I understand that there is only so much information this book can contain and the authors did encourage readers to find more complete works on the various topics introduced.
One other element that made me think twice was what felt to me like a trace of bias from the author(s) towards one's desires of financial wealth/gain. For instance, the authors describe 'purposes such as accruing wealth' as 'toxic impulses'. (197)
Perhaps this is only in relation to practising magic, and while I don't necessarily and entirely disagree with such ideas, I hope the author(s) do see the value in believing in one's right to enjoy a life of abundance in exchange for doing good in the world, including financial abundance rather than a life of austerity.
In the last chapter, I particularly disagree with his condescending diss on crystal healing as a vain and silly 'New Age' trend with its 'rainbows and unicorns'. (300-1) Yes there can be a superficial/consumerist element to it, but it can also be a genuine and beneficial form of spirituality for some, and so it's too much of a simplistic and biased way of looking at it.
Finally the observation that the middle ages are just a 'catastrophic breakdown of all Western culture for the greater part of a millennium' (291) seems slightly outdated and reductive given many historians' debunking of the concept of 'dark' ages (in terms of the occult, OK, but not necessarily for Art, which the authors equate to magic).
I appreciated the authors’ association of the concept of magic with art and their fascinating investigation of ‘reality’ and how it relates to magic, the mind, language and consciousness as a whole.
While possible and interesting to some, not sure if I'm entirely convinced with regards to the authors' highly speculative chapter on Alexander's Serpent cult and it's relation to kaballah feeding into the authors' rather specific and, to an extent, subjective ideas/beliefs. That being said, I am fascinated, open and even inspired by the kabbalistic idea of the world's creation stemming from the two supernal sephiroth which the authors also view as symbolised by the Serpent and the Moon.
While reductive and not exclusively but sometimes male-centred (i.e. regarding accounts of the 20th century which make no mention of feminism's intersection with the occult), the illustrated and entertaining history bits were handy and one of the reasons why I will return to this book for references in the future.
The gilded letters from the spine are already almost half gone/rubbed off which is a shame - I might get a paper jacket for it myself.
I noticed several typos: 'Hermes Trismegistus' is also referred to as 'TrEsmegistus' on the same page (45). Also a few others including page 187 'Blake saw that (?) imagination as having its own sublime importance and reality'. Inanna is spelt Innana (254).
I'm also currently reading about historical evidence of written 'practical' magic in Sumer and while I definitely need to do more research, I wonder if this has been taken into consideration in the old Moores' Lives section, even though there are no known accounts of particular practitioners by name from that era.
In this section of the book, the figure of Solomon is associated with the idea of 'the advent of the ritual magician' and 'practical application' (43). Earlier on and in line with this, the fictional figure of Medea is said to prefigure 'accounts of actual magical practice' (34). Wouldn't the much older Near East and Egyptian accounts of magical practice predate all of this, including the accounts of Zoroaster (I also haven't even looked into the other continents like Asia)?
Perhaps the authors were referring to these practitioners with the term 'stone age sorcerers' (14) and that their comments on Medea and Solomon were only in relation to the actual development of the word 'magus/magician' and how it changed after Zoroastrianism?
Egypt and Sumer in the Bronze age are actually both briefly mentioned at the end of the book, although Sumer only in relation to its snake god and not its magical practices (280).
OK, now regarding Adeline’s fictional story, at first, I was taken at back by the author’s association of the British museum’s Burney relief (Queen of the Night - roughly 18th century BC) with the demonic figure of Lilith (222). While this doesn’t necessarily reflect the authors’ views and beliefs, this fictional story does seem to have been incorporated to help readers digest teachings from other sections of the book (i.e. the tree of life, banishing rituals, etc.).
From what I have researched, it remains unclear which mythological figure was supposed to be represented by this Mesopotamian relief at the time (Inanna, Ereshkigal or possibly ‘lil-winds’).
If we were to go with the interpretation of this winged female figure as the Mesopotamian lil-winds, while partly representing the dangers of destructive weather, no evidence that I know of suggests that these spirits were thought of as inherently evil, and the relief’s post-Mesopotamian association with the demonic figure of Lilith came much later.
The authors themselves observe that ‘Not until the advent of Judaism … do we see the ‘demonisation’ of these formerly non-aligned entities as representatives of evil … just as the Babylonian goddess Ishtar was degraded’ (209).
While I understand the more modern idea of ‘demons as powerful internal forces that may empower or destroy us … for contemporary adepts’ (209) as depicted in her story, I'm a bit puzzled as to why they chose the Burney relief to illustrate this by perpetuating such 'demonisations'.
As I kept reading on fortunately, the narrator at least acknowledges that the 'Lilith figure' was 'a divine conception that began its immaterial life as a handmaiden of sublime Innana [Inanna] in the ancient world and was then demonised' (254), although I need to look this up.
Regarding the tarot section which I found particularly interesting from the viewpoint of kabbalah, I'm not sure about the authors urging readers to always put cards back in their original order and not to read reversed cards (along with a few other prescriptive instructions based on the authors' subjective experiences throughout the book) - it's an interesting idea, but I'm always suspicious when books prescribe or strongly encourage others to adopt their 'personal preferences' as they call it - the book decries 'blind faith' later on, but I view this as an example of just that. In all fairness, they do often promote the idea of making your own magic/art at the same time and seem to often prescribe things for the sake of safety. They do further state on the very last page that no one should 'accept any notion, unexamined and unquestioned, as an article of faith' (322).
I wish the card descriptions (as well as other passages from the book) went in more depth as some of the ideas shared are quite cryptic and beg for elaboration at times (for instance, why flaming pentagrams and the various god-names in the 'Lesser Banishing Ritual'?), but I understand that there is only so much information this book can contain and the authors did encourage readers to find more complete works on the various topics introduced.
One other element that made me think twice was what felt to me like a trace of bias from the author(s) towards one's desires of financial wealth/gain. For instance, the authors describe 'purposes such as accruing wealth' as 'toxic impulses'. (197)
Perhaps this is only in relation to practising magic, and while I don't necessarily and entirely disagree with such ideas, I hope the author(s) do see the value in believing in one's right to enjoy a life of abundance in exchange for doing good in the world, including financial abundance rather than a life of austerity.
In the last chapter, I particularly disagree with his condescending diss on crystal healing as a vain and silly 'New Age' trend with its 'rainbows and unicorns'. (300-1) Yes there can be a superficial/consumerist element to it, but it can also be a genuine and beneficial form of spirituality for some, and so it's too much of a simplistic and biased way of looking at it.
Finally the observation that the middle ages are just a 'catastrophic breakdown of all Western culture for the greater part of a millennium' (291) seems slightly outdated and reductive given many historians' debunking of the concept of 'dark' ages (in terms of the occult, OK, but not necessarily for Art, which the authors equate to magic).
September 23, 2024
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing for an advance copy of this study and history of esoteric knowledge, told by one of the premier writers of our time, working with both his mentor, and a collection of famous artists, told in a style that is both unique and incredibly educational.
I like to think that many people have an Alan Moore story. This one is mine. In the late eighties, maybe early nineties I attended a comic book convention that I can not prove ever really happened. I am sure it was on the East coast, though I remember a drive. The people I went with are not people I know anymore. I know I acquired some items, but they are scattered in different boxes, and I have no proof of their provenance. I remember meeting David Wenzel, before his graphic adaptation of The Hobbit came out, and bought something. Clive Barker was pushing his comics with Epic, and told a story about Doug Bradley, Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies, having a child and calling him Safety-PinHead. Though I know I heard that story at a later convention. Christopher Fowler might have been there talking about Roofworld as a comic, but I have no idea what came of that. And Alan Moore spoke about Legends, Myths and Comic Writing. I remember the room, the stuffiness, and the people. But I don't know if it happened. I doubt Moore was doing comics then. Maybe the Superman story? I clearly remember the speech. The problem is if asked I can't say it, in my head it is clear, coming out my mouth its a series of uhhhs, ahhhs and blather. So did it happen? Did I share a moment at a convention with people all thinking about Alan Moore? It's these weird little things that make me think there are bigger things in the world, moments of coincidence, lost moments, found moments, and of course magic moments. Honestly with Alan Moore anything is possible. Including a rainy day activity book that is a history of magic. Written with his mentor Steven Moore, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic is a look at esoteric knowledge from the days we lived in caves until today which might be the end of days, with illustrations from many famous creators.
Bumper books are books made from cheap paper featuring old ideas, with are that is usually recycled aimed at kids who will easily destroy them and move on. A book for rainy days before the Internet, even before television and radio. This book is written in that style, starting with a look at the magic alphabet, a discussion of what the book is about and what one will learn. There are rainy day activities to get one into the world or magic, and things to do while one is there. Fictional stories in the style of Weird Tales, that share knowledge in a breathless kind of way. Biographies of famous magicians, done in a European style some of a page in length, some longer, depending on the person and their history. And of course a long history mixing in thoughts and ideas from all over the globe, all over time and inner space.
This realy is not a graphic novel. I think there are more words on one page here than in entire Jonathan Hickman X-Men run. The pages do have illustrations, and again the lives of magicians are illustrated in full, but this is a very dense book about an important subject. However, being a history by Moore it has its own unique way of being presented. The writing is very much written as a child instructional manual, with jokes asides, some blue some not, but told in a way that makes the mind absorb more than if it was written as a real study. There is a lot to read here, and again take in, but the breaks, the activities, the story, make it easy to stop and think. And practice, and study.
One of the more interesting books about real magic that I have read. The feeling of being a primer for kids helps with the lessons, as one can get the feeling in a lot of books like this, that this knowledge is super important. A book that might not be for fans of V for Vendetta but a book that many people who are fans of Moore have been waiting for. I wonder if any of this was thought out at that convention oh so many years ago. I'll never know.
I like to think that many people have an Alan Moore story. This one is mine. In the late eighties, maybe early nineties I attended a comic book convention that I can not prove ever really happened. I am sure it was on the East coast, though I remember a drive. The people I went with are not people I know anymore. I know I acquired some items, but they are scattered in different boxes, and I have no proof of their provenance. I remember meeting David Wenzel, before his graphic adaptation of The Hobbit came out, and bought something. Clive Barker was pushing his comics with Epic, and told a story about Doug Bradley, Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies, having a child and calling him Safety-PinHead. Though I know I heard that story at a later convention. Christopher Fowler might have been there talking about Roofworld as a comic, but I have no idea what came of that. And Alan Moore spoke about Legends, Myths and Comic Writing. I remember the room, the stuffiness, and the people. But I don't know if it happened. I doubt Moore was doing comics then. Maybe the Superman story? I clearly remember the speech. The problem is if asked I can't say it, in my head it is clear, coming out my mouth its a series of uhhhs, ahhhs and blather. So did it happen? Did I share a moment at a convention with people all thinking about Alan Moore? It's these weird little things that make me think there are bigger things in the world, moments of coincidence, lost moments, found moments, and of course magic moments. Honestly with Alan Moore anything is possible. Including a rainy day activity book that is a history of magic. Written with his mentor Steven Moore, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic is a look at esoteric knowledge from the days we lived in caves until today which might be the end of days, with illustrations from many famous creators.
Bumper books are books made from cheap paper featuring old ideas, with are that is usually recycled aimed at kids who will easily destroy them and move on. A book for rainy days before the Internet, even before television and radio. This book is written in that style, starting with a look at the magic alphabet, a discussion of what the book is about and what one will learn. There are rainy day activities to get one into the world or magic, and things to do while one is there. Fictional stories in the style of Weird Tales, that share knowledge in a breathless kind of way. Biographies of famous magicians, done in a European style some of a page in length, some longer, depending on the person and their history. And of course a long history mixing in thoughts and ideas from all over the globe, all over time and inner space.
This realy is not a graphic novel. I think there are more words on one page here than in entire Jonathan Hickman X-Men run. The pages do have illustrations, and again the lives of magicians are illustrated in full, but this is a very dense book about an important subject. However, being a history by Moore it has its own unique way of being presented. The writing is very much written as a child instructional manual, with jokes asides, some blue some not, but told in a way that makes the mind absorb more than if it was written as a real study. There is a lot to read here, and again take in, but the breaks, the activities, the story, make it easy to stop and think. And practice, and study.
One of the more interesting books about real magic that I have read. The feeling of being a primer for kids helps with the lessons, as one can get the feeling in a lot of books like this, that this knowledge is super important. A book that might not be for fans of V for Vendetta but a book that many people who are fans of Moore have been waiting for. I wonder if any of this was thought out at that convention oh so many years ago. I'll never know.
January 28, 2025
Como buen exponente de la magia y de Alan Moore, este libro es y no es lo que promete su portada. Por una parte, es un sesudo ensayo sobre la Cábala, el Tarot y la simbología de la Luna y la Serpiente en el mundo mágico; por otra, es una recopilación de breves biografías en formato de tira cómica sobre los magos de verdad de ayer, hoy y siempre; hay una interesante tercera parte sobre aplicaciones de las prácticas mágicas en el Arte y las Humanidades; y, finalmente, hay una novela corta que relata todo lo que hemos aprendido en cada paso para afianzar el conocimiento. Pero todo esto es lo que no es.
Lo que es: una apología del pensamiento racional individual basado en hechos objetivos, camuflada tras lo que parece que debería ser; quizá unos trazos gruesos en el desarrollo de un sistema de autoconocimiento que nada tiene que ver con cambiar el mundo material más allá de lo que pueda hacerse con las manos. Las explicaciones del difunto Steve Moore sobre las herramientas mágicas en lo personal son las mejores a las que me he enfrentado (a pesar del inevitable enarcamiento de cejas) y no distan mucho de las recomendaciones actuales sobre la meditación, el estar presente, la redacción de diarios y otras técnicas con las que se nos abruma en el mundo moderno porque no sabíamos que lo hacíamos todo mal desde hace tanto; sin embargo, son más interesantes porque se contextualizan históricamente, se explican filosóficamente y, además, queda bien claro que podrían no ser adecuadas para ti. Así, técnicas como la Cábala o el Tarot dejan de ser durante un rato el objeto de programas de madrugada en canales locales de televisión para convertirse en herramientas reflexivas basadas en los arquetipos del psicoanálisis y, aunque parezca mentira, la Ciencia.
Por su parte, Alan Moore se centra en las aplicaciones en el mundo del Arte y, como no podía ser menos, en la vertiente política de la magia (en contraposición a los sistemas religiosos organizados) y la anarquía (contra los sistemas autoritarios). Mentiría si negase que se nota qué parte ha escrito cada uno y que esta es mi preferida.
Así, la tesis final de los autores con la excusa de la magia es: conócete a ti mismo y al mundo que te rodea para evitar que otras personas te controlen por faltarte ese conocimiento. Es una enseñanza muy valiosa en un tiempo en el se evidencia esa falta.
De los mejores y más interesantes libros de autoayuda que nunca he leído; la pena es que es tan complejo y heterodoxo que mucha gente no lo leerá jamás, ¡mejor que nos lo explique un vídeo breve!
Lo que es: una apología del pensamiento racional individual basado en hechos objetivos, camuflada tras lo que parece que debería ser; quizá unos trazos gruesos en el desarrollo de un sistema de autoconocimiento que nada tiene que ver con cambiar el mundo material más allá de lo que pueda hacerse con las manos. Las explicaciones del difunto Steve Moore sobre las herramientas mágicas en lo personal son las mejores a las que me he enfrentado (a pesar del inevitable enarcamiento de cejas) y no distan mucho de las recomendaciones actuales sobre la meditación, el estar presente, la redacción de diarios y otras técnicas con las que se nos abruma en el mundo moderno porque no sabíamos que lo hacíamos todo mal desde hace tanto; sin embargo, son más interesantes porque se contextualizan históricamente, se explican filosóficamente y, además, queda bien claro que podrían no ser adecuadas para ti. Así, técnicas como la Cábala o el Tarot dejan de ser durante un rato el objeto de programas de madrugada en canales locales de televisión para convertirse en herramientas reflexivas basadas en los arquetipos del psicoanálisis y, aunque parezca mentira, la Ciencia.
Por su parte, Alan Moore se centra en las aplicaciones en el mundo del Arte y, como no podía ser menos, en la vertiente política de la magia (en contraposición a los sistemas religiosos organizados) y la anarquía (contra los sistemas autoritarios). Mentiría si negase que se nota qué parte ha escrito cada uno y que esta es mi preferida.
Así, la tesis final de los autores con la excusa de la magia es: conócete a ti mismo y al mundo que te rodea para evitar que otras personas te controlen por faltarte ese conocimiento. Es una enseñanza muy valiosa en un tiempo en el se evidencia esa falta.
De los mejores y más interesantes libros de autoayuda que nunca he leído; la pena es que es tan complejo y heterodoxo que mucha gente no lo leerá jamás, ¡mejor que nos lo explique un vídeo breve!
November 17, 2024
Is this a good book about Magic? Absolutely. Is it a great book? Well... it's better than 90% of the books you can find on the "esoteric & occult" bookshelf of your bookshop, unfortunately it is quite shallow in some parts, but if you're new to the subject, or just want to know more about what the hell old madman Moore is ranting about when he starts talking about Magic, give it a try.
The quality of each section varies:
There are comic one-pagers on "The Great Enchanters" that are a funny introduction to the history of Western magic. I applaud the inclusion of Moore's old friend Iain Sinclair. Unfortunately, many modern or contemporary magicians are missing, but this is understandable given the format and limited space.
The life of Alexander and his puppet snake Glycon is hilarious and very important to Moore's magical life and work.
"Things to do on a rainy day" is basically a low-key introduction to the tools one can use should they find the courage to explore the other worlds - and Moore does not hesitate to offer a shortcut in the form of magical fungal friends. There is a nice introduction to Kabbalah and Tarot, which I would suggest you supplement by reading relevant parts of Promethea. This is definitely the best part of the book.
Story of the queer woman - aspiring magician "The Soul" is quite bad, on the level of a boring 90s paperback fantasy novel, which is also a feeling I had when looking at the illustrations that accompany the text.
The epilogue at the end of the book tries to tie things together, with some very good points about ethics and the role of magic, art and science in modern times.
As an appendix you will find a DIY paper temple cutout and a simple table of magical correspondences, something that adds no value to the book and could have been omitted.
Unfortunately, there are also no references in the text or any bibliography, so you will have to do your research if you want to go deeper, and this comes with the usual warning to be careful which occult books you choose, as most of them are pure bullshit.
The quality of each section varies:
There are comic one-pagers on "The Great Enchanters" that are a funny introduction to the history of Western magic. I applaud the inclusion of Moore's old friend Iain Sinclair. Unfortunately, many modern or contemporary magicians are missing, but this is understandable given the format and limited space.
The life of Alexander and his puppet snake Glycon is hilarious and very important to Moore's magical life and work.
"Things to do on a rainy day" is basically a low-key introduction to the tools one can use should they find the courage to explore the other worlds - and Moore does not hesitate to offer a shortcut in the form of magical fungal friends. There is a nice introduction to Kabbalah and Tarot, which I would suggest you supplement by reading relevant parts of Promethea. This is definitely the best part of the book.
Story of the queer woman - aspiring magician "The Soul" is quite bad, on the level of a boring 90s paperback fantasy novel, which is also a feeling I had when looking at the illustrations that accompany the text.
The epilogue at the end of the book tries to tie things together, with some very good points about ethics and the role of magic, art and science in modern times.
As an appendix you will find a DIY paper temple cutout and a simple table of magical correspondences, something that adds no value to the book and could have been omitted.
Unfortunately, there are also no references in the text or any bibliography, so you will have to do your research if you want to go deeper, and this comes with the usual warning to be careful which occult books you choose, as most of them are pure bullshit.
October 16, 2024
A literary madman’s guide to magical practice, thought, and history…
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore and Steve Moore is equal parts history handbook, witchcraft almanac, children’s workbook, and comic graphic novel produced in the form of a school textbook…
If you are reading this or interested in it, then you probably already have some idea of what Alan Moore is all about.
Is he a genius with writing comics? Yes. Is he also really crazy? Also, yes.
This clearly shows a dedication to his own knowledge of mysticism lore and the past (specifically the early influencers and magical dabblers that laid the groundwork).
Alan Moore partners with a wave of prior artist collaborators as he tells his history of both sorcerers and magicians of the past and how that “profession” developed across the centuries to include alchemists, spiritualist, cult leaders, and beyond.
The comics were exhaustively entertaining broken up across the generations in a serialized format. Another running comic serial dealt with a classical “prophet” of a snake hand puppet “god” that Alan Moore has a strong affection for…likely because he appreciated the creativity of the charlatan.
There is a lot of material to sift through here, with much of the practical elements I no coking Kabbalah, though there’s also a chapter on tarot.
It’s a big book, and I bet there’s something for even a discerning reader even though it may take a little time to find the element that truly speaks to you…
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore and Steve Moore is equal parts history handbook, witchcraft almanac, children’s workbook, and comic graphic novel produced in the form of a school textbook…
If you are reading this or interested in it, then you probably already have some idea of what Alan Moore is all about.
Is he a genius with writing comics? Yes. Is he also really crazy? Also, yes.
This clearly shows a dedication to his own knowledge of mysticism lore and the past (specifically the early influencers and magical dabblers that laid the groundwork).
Alan Moore partners with a wave of prior artist collaborators as he tells his history of both sorcerers and magicians of the past and how that “profession” developed across the centuries to include alchemists, spiritualist, cult leaders, and beyond.
The comics were exhaustively entertaining broken up across the generations in a serialized format. Another running comic serial dealt with a classical “prophet” of a snake hand puppet “god” that Alan Moore has a strong affection for…likely because he appreciated the creativity of the charlatan.
There is a lot of material to sift through here, with much of the practical elements I no coking Kabbalah, though there’s also a chapter on tarot.
It’s a big book, and I bet there’s something for even a discerning reader even though it may take a little time to find the element that truly speaks to you…
November 20, 2024
loved this overall. as a beginner's guide to tarot and kaballah we are given a treat, though one that is quite a bit more expensive than other starters. but this is alan moore we're talking about! my favorite writer! i finished it today and realized how much of a paean to friendship it is, this Bumper Book. quite touching at the end and always with his inimitable writing prowess in the form of "the soul", the short story here (novella) with the most impact, and perfectly ties in with his "magical creation" ethos that spans the entire book.
and spans the ENTIRE book it does. there is a lot of repetition here. thats not a huge negative for me as i love repetition and in fact need it to learn. so my quibbles? well his shortcomings come thru, as they always do with authors you've read 1000 times. his lack of class consciousness and musical knowledge really rub the wrong way with respect to music and politics as Art (meaning magic). he also goes out of the way to talk shit on chaos magick of the 1980s, many of the most interesting british musicians at the time were interested in this and i can't help but thinking seeing a chaosphere on an album cover pushed him away and into the boring, cloying hands of brian eno, who gets SEVERAL mentions, ugh.
even with these perceived missteps, the good far outweighs the bad and its all rendered so beautifully. highly recommended and i expect to purchase a thoth deck soon and will refer back to this magical tome at the right time. at its best the moon and serpent bumper book is inspiring. i wish i had someone to talk to about it.
and spans the ENTIRE book it does. there is a lot of repetition here. thats not a huge negative for me as i love repetition and in fact need it to learn. so my quibbles? well his shortcomings come thru, as they always do with authors you've read 1000 times. his lack of class consciousness and musical knowledge really rub the wrong way with respect to music and politics as Art (meaning magic). he also goes out of the way to talk shit on chaos magick of the 1980s, many of the most interesting british musicians at the time were interested in this and i can't help but thinking seeing a chaosphere on an album cover pushed him away and into the boring, cloying hands of brian eno, who gets SEVERAL mentions, ugh.
even with these perceived missteps, the good far outweighs the bad and its all rendered so beautifully. highly recommended and i expect to purchase a thoth deck soon and will refer back to this magical tome at the right time. at its best the moon and serpent bumper book is inspiring. i wish i had someone to talk to about it.
October 27, 2024
A decade in the making, Moore's and Moore's compendium which seeks to explain their view of magic to the discerning reader (and while I don't know who wrote what, the younger Moore's narrative voice is very evident), features (such as it is) what is likely to be their final completed comics work. 'The Soul,' originally intended for Tomorrow Stories, appears an illustrated prose narrative.
The account of magic herein is specifically a spiritual discipline, one meant for understanding oneself and the universe, rather than a shortcut to affecting the material universe (in fact they are quite scathingly cynical about the New Age and Chaos Magic movements, which attempt to do just that). They discuss Kabbalah and Tarot extensively; the reader (if interested) is encouraged to find their own guidelines, although they argue for the effectiveness of these in particular.
Not all their arguments felt sound to me (granted, Alan Moore has a brain the size of a planet and is immeasurably smarter than I am), but the book was a fascinating read as well as gorgeous to look at, and I hope will be inspiring to any who choose to follow that path.
The account of magic herein is specifically a spiritual discipline, one meant for understanding oneself and the universe, rather than a shortcut to affecting the material universe (in fact they are quite scathingly cynical about the New Age and Chaos Magic movements, which attempt to do just that). They discuss Kabbalah and Tarot extensively; the reader (if interested) is encouraged to find their own guidelines, although they argue for the effectiveness of these in particular.
Not all their arguments felt sound to me (granted, Alan Moore has a brain the size of a planet and is immeasurably smarter than I am), but the book was a fascinating read as well as gorgeous to look at, and I hope will be inspiring to any who choose to follow that path.
December 6, 2024
While reading this incredible book I had the feeling of being led by Virgilio through the underworld. But instead of visiting hell I wisited the incredible Path(s) that lay ahead of the magician if she decides to begin this journey. Starting from Paleolithic caves and moving through dreamy Victorian London you are shown the map with its paths to….? But the map is not the territory so there are fun things to do with n a rainy day like invoking a deiety, taking the perspective of a dog, discovering the occult properties of your surroundings or speaking to the entities that populate dreams. This was an awesome journey and so many times I felt so grateful that Moore took the time to write this magnum opus. What a meaningful journey. Thank you you beautifully weird sock puppet magus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2025
Si comme moi vous avez fait l'erreur de prendre le livre en voyant l'auteur et en pensant à une histoire sympa sur fond d'occulte, vous vous êtes bien fait attraper. ca parle d'occulte, oui. de tarots, de "magiciens" enfin d'"enchanteurs", mais il n'y a pas vraiment de récit. ce n'est pas du fantastique. bon, au moins, les illustrations sont chouettes.
par contre, par pité, ne le prenait pas en ebook, vous allez vous exploser les yeux.
par contre, par pité, ne le prenait pas en ebook, vous allez vous exploser les yeux.
November 6, 2024
Interesting, but nothing I’m going to put into practice. Probably too many sweeping generalizations being made in this book. On the other hand, the Moores’ goal of unifying human consciousness seems like a nice one and it’s kind of manifestly true that we exist in an idea space on some level so the book certainly isn’t complete bunk.
April 11, 2025
This is a fantastic source book for anyone wishing to know more about the subject. Easy read but has a fantastic depth to it. Useful tool in the beginner's library and those who have a more in-depth study. I am giving this a place of honour in my library as it is a book I know I will go back to again and again.
June 12, 2025
This was a very much pick it up, read for a few pages and then put it back down again. There is a lot to unpack in here and it's probably worth having a passing understanding of myth, history and occultism to understand the more dense parts of this book. Very interesting to read but it does take some time to digest.
March 23, 2025
Engrossing, enlightening, and mind expanding. Whether you are just getting involved in the occult, are a seasoned magus, or have even the slightest interest in the topic: READ THIS BOOK. One of the best books on occult theory and practice PERIOD.
August 4, 2025
One of the most challenging and insightful books I've read in a while. An exploration of the history and practice of magic, starting with prehistory and moving up through the modern day. Accessible for anyone of any spiritual background and a font of creative inspiration.
October 31, 2024
they're not kidding with that word "bumper" this thing strains the hands as much as the head in reading
November 11, 2024
Con este libro debería inaugurar la categoría "GRIMORIOS".
November 30, 2024
I really would recommend reading this for purposes other than entertainment (mostly)
December 13, 2024
While not offering as much new insights (outside of the conclusion part), the Moores do a really good job of explaining key concepts in magic.
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