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The Tortuous Serpent: An Occult Adventure

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Unspeakable powers plot to bring on the final apocalypse, and only one man, Dr. John Dee, and his assistant, Edward Kelly, stand in their way. Travel with the greatest magician of the West and work magic to save the world, in The Tortuous Serpent by Donald Tyson.

The Tortuous Serpent is an exciting novel set in 1587. In these turbulent and eventful

·The Spanish armada is poised to invade England. Some advisors urge an attack, but John Dee tells Queen Elizabeth I to wait. What will happen? What does the armada represent?
·The Inquisition that held most of Europe in a grip of fear has faded―but many still fear that if you make one false move you could find yourself at the not-so-tender mercies of one of the official torturers. Why did this craziness infect so many people?
·On the spiritual planes, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as angels battle demons over the souls of humanity. Who will win the battle? Why does the battle go on at this time?

This is the background to an amazing story by one of the best-known researchers into the history of magic. As you read The Tortuous Serpent , you will learn the terrible a group of diabolical fanatics―the Sons of Coronzon―is responsible. They have stolen an ancient grimoire of unspeakable power that can throw open the gates of hell itself. If they succeed, they will usher in a blasphemous dark age ruled by no less than the perverse Queen of Demons, Lilith―the Tortuous Serpent herself.

Only John Dee holds the key to stopping this unholy plan―but, in a final confrontation with the forces of evil, can he defeat an enemy capable of possessing the soul of the one person he trusts most? To find out, you must get The Tortuous Serpent.

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

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About the author

Donald Tyson

99 books149 followers
Donald Tyson is a Canadian from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Early in life he was drawn to science by an intense fascination with astronomy, building a telescope by hand when he was eight. He began university seeking a science degree, but became disillusioned with the aridity and futility of a mechanistic view of the universe and shifted his major to English. After graduating with honors he has pursued a writing career.

Now he devotes his life to the attainment of a complete gnosis of the art of magic in theory and practice. His purpose is to formulate an accessible system of personal training composed of East and West, past and present, that will help the individual discover the reason for one's existence and a way to fulfill it.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Nancy Oakes.
2,021 reviews925 followers
February 12, 2008
According to the author, within these pages is the adventure John Dee and Edward Kelley should have had but never did.

This is a fun, occult/alchemy-based tale of Dr. John Dee, who arrives home to his burnt home to find a letter from his good friend Rabbi Judah ben Loew in Prague. It seems that there is a book that the rabbi wants Dee to guard with his life, for it contains the secret formula in cypher to bring about the mating of Lilith and Samael (Satan) and bring forth an eon of doom and destruction. But to his horror, Dee discovers that the book has been stolen and taken away from England. Back Dee, Kelley and their wives go to Prague to retrieve the book before the world becomes doomed.

Fun, fast-moving story; after all the stuff I've been reading lately this book was a breath of fresh air and a pleasant way to spend a couple of afternoons.

If you want a good old-fashioned adventure tale based on the occult, try it.
Profile Image for John Graves.
19 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2015
I just finished Tyson's Tortuous Serpent. I knew Tyson more for his Necronomicon and Lovecraft bio works, he also has a number of books out about occult subjects from spell casting to scrying. This being the first book that I have read outside that vein of work.
This was a killer adventure story based around John Dee in which he and a band of his people are looking for the "book of Lilith" before a cult unleashes her wrath upon the world. All was awesome until the Lovecraft tentacles came out from a hellish port. In other words The book should have been called a Lovecraftian Adventure not a Occult Adventure.
Other than that the book was well constructed and it did keep me reading till the end. I do like Tyson's work and am looking forward to read his new book which I know just came out. His details inside the story like took me into the time in which it was written, right down to the old queen english. This book is worth to checking out....
Profile Image for Carmilla Voiez.
Author 48 books222 followers
September 12, 2015
Political intrigue, ritual magic, religious fanatics, Enochian angels and Lilith, could you ask for more? This book centres around two magicians - one god-fearing and the other devil worshipping. It is exactly as the tagline claims "an occult adventure". Although it's set in Elizabethan times it has a very modern feel that makes it easy to digest and places the action as something out of time. I loved this book and would recommend it highly.
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