The Coming Storm: A Journey into the Heart of the Conspiracy Machine

by Gabriel Gatehouse

Is this how democracy dies?
Based on his smash hit podcast, The Coming Storm is Gabriel Gatehouse's brilliant exploration of the roots of Q Anon and the rise of the extreme right in the US. It's a story that reaches back decades, showing how a dark fantasy embedded itself in the American consciousness, threatening to derail its democracy - and it continues to unfold today. Gatehouse's riveting book takes you down a rabbit hole - one that both the US as a nation and he as a journalist fell through - to unpack an epochal shift in political culture that starts in the earliest years of the Clinton administration and reaches a crescendo on 6 January 2021 with the storming of the US Capitol. But that event wasn't the wild finale of a chaotic Trump presidency many hoped for - it was only the beginning.

A compelling mix of reportage and personal experience, The Coming Storm gets under the skin of these conspiracy theories to show us a radical new kind of politics emerging, a movement that has coalesced around a loose alliance of white supremacists, men's rights activists, tech bros, and radically disenchanted leftists. As we approach the 2024 US presidential election, and perhaps the most perilous moment in the history of American democracy, Gatehouse's book tells us some dark truths about our present, and provides clues about our future. It marks the debut of a major new voice in political journalism.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Sociology, Society, History, Conspiracy Theories

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2024

Reviews

[Sabrina Maisel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

For a book I would never have picked up and struggled to find the motivation to read (it's not exactly a light subject), I was fascinated by this. The author did a beautiful job maintaining the spirit of being curious without judgment.

This book was insightful in very subtle ways, providing new ways to think about things I had previously only treated with doubt and disbelief.

Some of the points that lingered for me include:
1) that QAnon started as LARPing in 4chan, a concept that was completely foreign to older, non tech-saavy individuals. I hadn't known its origins, but this I found fascinating and it could have been funny had it not devolved into something so terrible.

2) the quote "But, like QAnon, the facts didn't need to be plausible for the narrative to be believable". This for me explains why so many conspiracists (to whatever degree) don't like / need / want facts. It's a STORY. That concept I think helps me understand them a little better and why you can't reason with them.

3) the quote "Chaos as opportunity", which reminded me of a line from On Tyranny (which I think I need to thank Jo P for recommending) that stated "the whole notion of disruption is adolescent: it assumes that after the teenagers make a mess, the adults will come to clean it up. But there are no adults. We own this mess". There seems to be a lot of people being very cavalier with our society because either they are naive or too self centered to understand the bigger implications of their actions.

A glossary of characters would have been helpful.

[Avril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was terrifying. The book ends:

“No system lasts for ever: just as the printing press overturned the old feudal order, so the new technology will overturn that which replaced it - a system that slowly edged towards the values of the Enlightenment, of individual liberty, human rights and universal suffrage. There were some pretty bumpy patches along the road; some might argue we never quite got there. The ship has sailed; the party is over.

We don't know what is coming next, any more than the feudal peasants who moved to towns and cities at the end of the fifteenth century could have predicted the American Revolution or the internet. Who knows, it may be better than what we have now. Or it may be worse. Whatever the case, it seems that Q was right about one thing: there is a storm coming. In the words of Tracy Diaz aka Beanz, conspiracy theorist, truth-seeker and early Anon apostle: 'Buckle up, I guess?'”

I don’t want to think the time of liberal democracy is over. But with Israel destroying the post-WW2 international humanitarian framework, and the USA, as shown in this book, going absolutely insane, maybe its time has passed.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the podcast ’The Coming Storm’ and this accompanying book is another fascinating burrow down the rabbit holes of conspiracy theories across America.

[Liam Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite an odd book.

It deals with the current fucked up state of American politics first by looking back at what the author considers to be formative events, then broadly at what was happening in the 8 year period of the first Trump and Biden presidencies, in regards to 4chan, Qanon, the build up to Jan 6th etc.

The general themes are how conspiracy theories fomented and developed in this time and how reality has become bifurcated due to the internet. And then how those aspects have affected modern American political discourse and behaviour.

In the final third of the book Gatehouse kind of stumbles from topic to topic with each chapter (Militia, AI, Hunter Biden, Crypto) and loses the through line that he'd just about held together in the first two sections of the book.

With the book considering how all these aspects (and a bunch more I haven't mentioned) may or may not tie together in a grand conspiracy, it really hurts the balance and pace of the book when the information being provided to you starts to feel unwieldy and disconnected. Almost everything in the book is genuinely fascinating, but once the structure falters it doesn't ever regain its footing or its authority.

I knew that this book was adapted from a podcast before I started reading, and in that final third it did start to feel like I was being presented with different episodes rather than a contiguous story.

I also have other problems outside of the structure.

Gatehouse continually refers to himself "going down a rabbit hole", when in fact he seems to be doing research or following a potential link. This book comes off like a B-grade attempt at an Adam Curtis documentary, and you don't ever hear Adam saying shit like that even when he's drawing parallels between Tupac and the fall of the Soviet Union (can't actually remember if they were in the same episode or not but if you've ever watched Adam Curtis you'll know what I mean).

He also starts asking himself, and us, the question: could there be a grand, almost century long plot to destabilise democracy???

Well no, obviously not. It's a ludicrous premise that undercuts the good work the book does on examining the ways that actual conspiracy theories work, including a very interesting section about studying the structures of created conspiracy theories, and theories of conspiracy which actually turned out to be true.

At the end of the book, Gatehouse provides the answer it appears he was searching for all along: there is no grand conspiracy! Funnily enough.

The author does get kudos from me for, literally on the final page, giving in summation probably the bleakest outlook for humanity's future I've ever come across, without any interrogation of his conclusion whatsoever. Kudos yes, but you have really bummed me out guy and I'm a pessimist to begin with so no easy feat that.

These gripes aside, most of this book is fantastic and it's definitely worth reading. The stuff about Jacob Rees Moggs' dad co-writing a book which predicts cryptocurrency among other things is bonkeroonies and worth the price of admission all on its own.

[Graham Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after listening to both seasons of the excellent podcast, which inspired this book, The Coming Storm by Gabriel Gatehouse, so not much of the information contained within was new to me. That said, this is a great read. With a second term for Donald Trump starting tomorrow, it was kind of chilling to finish this book in the run-in to his inauguration. There are some will say that this book is complete, rabbit-hole bollocks, but I believe there is truth here too.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I think it's a great, scary, thought-provoking, slightly nuts, conspiracy shrouded account of where America is today.

[Brittany Rogstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and found it fascinating. The content is heavy but the author manages to keep it light and pretty free of judgement, which I myself struggle to do at times. It explains things in a way that makes me understand the psychology behind people on the conspiracy train, even gives insight to how they got to where they are.
I would really recommend people give this a go, I learned a lot!

[Chelsea Telfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book and an interesting dive into the world of conspiracy theories in the US. Useful to understand the origins of some of them - but overall a good reminder that discourse around elections and calls of election fraud have existed for decades. Worth the read!

[The Bibliognost Bampot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and meticulously researched. Written in a straight forward, clear style, easy to read, even if the subject matter is so unpalatable! A truly awful look down the grubby, dark hole that is the world right now. Every single person is deplorable and not even remotely normal, they all present as psychopaths incapable of empathy, compassion, seeing anything other than their own power, image, reputation and wealth. It makes you feel quite queasy!

[Sam Arman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot recommend this enough

[Shontelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This managed to be interesting, informative, researched and a balanced perspective of political figures and conspiracies in USA.

[Alec Mcallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Well written and well researched. The author follows the threads of conspiracy theories and shows that their roots extend far back before the birth of the internet.
It’s quite a depressing book. Trump and his backers as you would expect don’t come out of it well, but many of the Democrats especially the Clintons are also rightly criticised.
America is screwed, just too many dumb people believing dumb shit, urged on by clever but cynical people looking to exploit them.

[Lulah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing in an objective way

[Mike Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gatehouse's book was a great narrative of the various conspiracy theories I've heard about over the last decade, thoroughly debunking them and showing how they were all connected by many of the same people. The connection back to the Clintons was probably the one area I didn't know much about and it is incredible how you can draw lines to parts of the alt-right and The Arkansas Project.

What's also interesting is the discussion of Mimetic warfare by Jeff Giesea that is about, 'taking control of the dialogue, narrative, and psychological space. it's about denigrating, disrupting, and subverting the enemy's effort to do the same." This concept is quite useful in understanding how the alt-right succeeded in influencing the US electorate which ultimately helped to elect Trump again in 2024; it was a startling statistic that at the end of 2023 almost half of Americans didn't trust their government and points to the success of praying on the psychology of the masses, untethered and looking for a reason to justify the US' extreme inequalities. On one hand, it's hardly a surprise that Republicans used to this to their advantage instead of swearing off QAnon, et al - As Trump said when asked about Q Anon's existence and conspiracy theory he was their messiah defeating the pedophile ring that ran the US government: never heard of it, no, but isn't that a good thing? On the other, by not swearing this off has only led the theories swirl more and led to an even deeper mistrust of government. One wonders, though, if the 'messiah's return' doesn't bring economic prosperity as Trump has signalled a recession may be coming, does that hold or do Americans turn course?

I think where I was disappointed with the book is the lack of a real conclusion to the narrative built. It just sort of ends and that was a little unsatisfying. There also could have been more done on Peter Thiel's ultimate motive which was left as an open question. I was sort of left thinking, "okay, so what now?"

It was a great narrative and walk through of conspiracy theories in the US and made for a good read.

[Jennifer Mcarthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to past political conspiracies you’ll find Jerry Falwell, Roger Stone, and maybe a William Rees Mogg at the scene of the crime. Now it’s the AI owners, crypto bro’s, Qanon’s, and Bannon war room viewers who push them into much of the American publics beliefs.

Gatehouse creates a string from the Clinton conspiracies of the 1990s, funded by right wing Christian’s, through to the conspiracies of the current day, namely pizza-gate and Hunter Biden’s laptop. Conspiracies a sizeable percentage of the American public believe strongly in. Gatehouse spends a lot of time around these different right wing groups, it’s extremely interesting but also disorienting to hear their views first hand. What particularly interested and terrified me is their widespread belief that democracy has run its course, that crypto is the new horizon for financial dealings. While AI is the entertainment and information machine to keep people occupied and untrustworthy of historical systems.

It does focus a lot on a fringe and mainstream right wing groups and individuals, however I did still find this pretty balanced in highlighting the misuse of power also carried out by democrats and law enforcement. Instances which don’t help diffuse conspiracy theorists ambition to do “whatever it takes” to find the truth.

A good mix of journalism and historical breakdowns, showing how the US got to where it is now and how accurate predictions hold up months into Trumps second term.

[Chill Goblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read so many books about QAnon and to be honest I wasn't expecting much from this one- I'd never heard about it, pretty generic "Q" buzzword title, plus the guy's British so what does he know about America? (I say that as a Canadian). But I actually LOVED this audiobook- he ties in so much that I'd never heard before, really gave me a whole new perspective on this phenomenon. I especially liked the part about the "Witch's Hammer" or "Malleus Maleficarum," a book about hunting witches, written by an incel loser in the 1400s. There are MANY parallels with the Q movement- most notably, Gatehouse points out that both MM and Q proliferated through new, potent, not widely understood communications platforms- the printing press & social media respectively.

My one complaint is that I can't find an actual... BOOK version of it anywhere which makes it tough to quote. But anyway, great stuff, high recommendation to anyone interested in the most conseQuential megaconspiracy of our era.

[W.S. Luk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This accessible introduction to the network of conspiracy beliefs that is QAnon uses Gatehouse's rich array of interviewees to tell the story of how, from the Clintons to the Bidens and Trumps, QAnon has gained a foothold in American politics through a combination of establishment mismanagement, right-wing media influence, and the unpredictable power of the Internet. It was particularly interesting to spot figures from British politics and media playing roles in this story, from the family of Jacob Rees-Mogg to journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (whom I recognised from reading his excellent series of political/economic dispatches from Argentina, though his contributions to this era of modern history are of a slightly different nature). Unpacking a toxic bundle of ideas like QAnon is a daunting task, but Gatehouse makes his subject readable and immediate.

[Philip Horspool · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as an audio book mostly whilst out walking the dog. Thoroughly researched and at times both fascinating and terrifying. The author traces the history of conspiracy theories with a focus on the Clintons and how that gave birth to the whole pizzagate', Qanon madness that pervades the US and beyond. He also discusses how easy it is for a journalist like himself to disappear down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
There are a lit of details and a lot of names, author regularly referring to people you (I) have long forgotten. Everyone should read one book about the nonsense that is the Alt right/Trump administration but it does leave you shaking your head in despair. Fact is we do need change - huge change - just not the dictatorial elitist crap we are getting now.

[Morag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, intriguing and terrifying in equal measure.

I very much appreciated the historical contexts (my conspiracy consciousness only began with Covid) and the rational, restrained writing. I also loved the attempts at explanation, especially of the chans. I had no idea!
All the above a much-needed antidote to the breathless, sensationalist drivel that exists in social media.
The downside, I would say would only be in the sheer number of characters mentioned. But I do recognise that most would be necessary to show the network of influencers/puppetmasters. Perhaps a graph could be made showing interconnection and spheres of influence? That would have been helpful.

[Owen Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I read the hardback!)

Although clunky in some sections, I found The Coming Storm really accurately conveyed a lot of quite complex (and, conspiratorial) subjects. Gatehouse is an excellent journalist and writer, though occasionally the prose dragged, and I found myself thinking I could've been on Wikipedia (or, even been listening to The Coming Storm podcast), instead.

I'd definitely recommend it if you, like me, are relatively clueless about American Politics.

[Hilary Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book. Gatehouse has spent the past 3 decades exploring the real US - far from the Washington bubble - to uncover what lies behind the conspiracy theories. Some of the ideas are mind-bending, yet the book reads like a thriller, following individual people and stories to explain the bigger narrative. The writing is excellent. This book has really enhanced my depth of understanding of the forces that are shaping the US, and the direction of Western democracy.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

BBC journalist Gabriel Gatehouse explains how conspiracy theories are tearing America apart via the internet. He points out that conspiracy theories are not new but have been accelerated by technology starting in the 16th century with the invention of the printing press. Nobody knows where it will all end.

[Richard George · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual sort of stuff you get these days but with some interesting twists a few new crazy characters and also stuff about the Clintons. Turns out the US government probably is evil although it's opponents might well be eviller. Maybe it'll all be alright. After all life is just a series of defeats.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, proud to be able to call Gabriel a friend of mine. Cannot recommend more to anyone interested in the butterfly effect of how we got to where we are today.

Days before reading it I had only recently watched Alexander Avila’s Essay “The Tech Billionaire to Fascist Pipeline” which accompanies this book wonderfully imo.

[Claire Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t want to read this, but I couldn’t stop. This is an easy to read book which will horrify you. I now appreciate why Trump is in power and it’s scary to think what might happen next. I’m not sure there’s much hope for America. But make sure you question & double check what you read / hear - plus there are such things as coincidences (aren’t there?)

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good companion piece to The Coming Storm podcast series. Most of this information will be familiar territory to listeners of that, but there are some new chapter additions worth your time here, even if this version dispenses with the source voices in favour of Gatehouse retelling the tales.

[Paul Duplantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, especially in terms of the correlation between the rise of the tech bros and the conspiracy-laden landscape we inhabit today. But the ending was a bit hanging in the wind to me. Going to do a deep dive on "The Sovereign Individual" though!

[Julie Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary book. But utterly fascinating. I really enjoyed his 'Louis Theroux-esqe' writing style and he uncovers this underworld of interlinked unscrupulous people set on carrying out their own sovereign individual plots.

Highly recommended.

[Holly Booker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book interesting but it seemed quite a surface level explanation of how extremist beliefs originate. I was hoping for a broader perspective of how social issues and previous democratic and republican policies had contributed to the Qanon phenomenon.

[Darren D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good analysis of conspiracies that originated from pre-Trump eras, however takes a tangent into the realm of cryptocurrency which I did not enjoy

[Niamh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant insight into how the dark world of politic lies and alternative reality came into fruition. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the underbelly of US politics.