Liber Lilith: A Gnostic Grimoire

by Donald Tyson

Liber Lilith is a powerful and disturbing novel which charts the disintegration of a German occultist, Karl Steiger, who comes across an ancient grimoire which sets out rites by means of which the great demoness Lilith may be called forth. The novel opens with an introduction by the editor of the journal kept by Steiger, and then follows with a reproduction of the grimoire itself. Next comes the working journal of Steiger, and we follow the progress of the ill-fated occultist as he discovers the grimoire, steeps himself in its shadows, and is beguiled by the glamour of Lilith. He is compelled to enact the rites as set out in the grimoire, and he gradually succumbs to madness as Lilith answers his call and he is enmeshed ever deeper in her dark and sinister web. A rediscovered Gnostic grimoire contains the stunning revelation that it was Lilith, Queen of Hell and Mother of all Demons, who fashioned Adam from the clay of the earth, and who visited Eve in the form of a great serpent to teach her the secret wisdom of Heaven. The grimoire reveals in seductive detail a system of sex magic taught to mankind by Lilith, by which she may be summoned as a lover and teacher. The working journal of the ill-fated German magician who rediscovered this lost necromantic text, and put into practice its obscene rituals, provides terrible evidence that some books are too dangerous to be permitted to exist.

Genres: Occult, Religion, Fiction, Spirituality, Fantasy

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Gaze Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun to read. It is a strange blend of fiction and fact... but mostly fiction. An interesting literary experiment of creating a fictional story using the format of a classic grimoire with annotations. This is not Donald Tyson's first time creating this sort of fiction. He had already written his own take on the legendary "Necronomicon" about two years prior to this. But "Liber Lilith" is decidedly less fantastical and more rooted in the grimoire structures of say "The Sworn Book of Honorus" or "The True Grimoire" or "The Black Dragon." And it is clear that Donald Tyson put a lot of research into creating an authentic-feeling grimoire. One that takes Gnosticism as its spiritual paradigm, and delves into the darker implications of the Demiurge.

The book is actually divided into three parts. Four if you count the introduction, that presents credible historical evidence of "Liber Lilith's" provenance. The first consists of the grimoire "Liber Lilith" itself, that has all the trappings of authenticity. The second part of the book is the journal of Karl Steiger, the unfortunate occultist who discovered the grimoire and decided to put it into practice. We follow Mr. Steiger's harrowing descent into madness at the hands of the spirit Lilith. The third part consists of an analysis of both the grimoire proper and Steiger's journal. And this is where Donald Tyson cleverly reveal the research behind this book, while at the same time adding to it's air of authenticity. All the parts work together to tell a great horror story in an unconventional way. Make no mistake, although there are real techniques of magick revealed through the story as in any work of occult fiction. However, you would not want to put this grimoire into practice due to it's dark and destructive nature. There is no need to worry about any of that happening though, because it is a work of fiction... Right?

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely enthralling and hard to put down. A great read, combining many occult subjects and practices into the story of both a Gnostic grimoire and a contemporary journal of entries by a serious practitioner. The book combines both fact/fiction, and indeed it is hard to tell the two apart. I don't read much 'fiction' these days, but am glad I stumbled across this beauty from Starfire Publishing (and Donald Tyson). It's not a 'try-this-at-home-kids' occult/psychology type book, however, the practices which have been brought to life by the accounts in the journal, make up for the fact that one will get the gist of things by just reading through and aligning with the book. There's probably more contained in this book in regards to devotional yoga, godforms, invocation, gnosticism, ritual etc., than laid out in many other much larger and more popular (occult/magick) books I've come across over the last few decades. Well done, DT.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely enthralling and hard to put down. A great read, combining many occult subjects and practices into the story of both a Gnostic grimoire and a contemporary journal of entries by a serious practitioner. The book combines both fact/fiction, and indeed it is hard to tell the two apart. I don't read much 'fiction' these days, but am glad I stumbled across this beauty from Starfire Publishing (and Donald Tyson). It's not a 'try-this-at-home-kids' occult/psychology type book, however, the practices which have been brought to life by the accounts in the journal, make up for the fact that one will get the gist of things by just reading through and aligning with the book. There's probably more contained in this book in regards to devotional yoga, godforms, invocation, gnosticism, ritual etc., than laid out in many other much larger and more popular (occult/magick) books I've come across over the last few decades. Well done, DT.

[Diane Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

dark book demonstrating the nightmare version of Lilith as a demon

[Ilias MRTZKFKFNK · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the greatest work on Lilith i've read so far, mainly because of the traditional and Gnostic core of the book.

[Hugo Rozo Pineda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Existe la magia? Es un delirio de autoconfirmacion psicológica? Podremos atribuirle a un ritual y a unas palabras el poder para salir de nuestro psiquismo y afectar el mundo concreto? Lo que sí puedo confirmar con esta lectura, poniendo en paréntesis mis reflexiones ontológicas, es que la persistencia y compromiso tienen frutos, pero frutos que conllevan gran responsabilidad, si es que se desea sortear tal tarea. Así que con la experiencia de su escritor, queda en nosotros, confirmar o negar las conclusiones a las que él ha llegado con dicha práctica mágica. Fascinante y a la vez perturbador.

[Sue Dounim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weakness for occult horror, and Liber Lilith delivers. Author Donald Tyson is better known for his large shelf of works on magic, the occult, Lovecraftiania, but this is the first fiction of his I've read and give it three thumbs up. The progression of the protagonist's steady descent into the pits of obsession is well calibrated, and there is plenty of rich detail to savor. The framing device of presenting the book as a record of a found magician's diary of madness and death is classic but well done.

Part of the reason I particularly enjoyed this is that years ago I knew a practicing magician who I could easily see treading the same path as "Karl Steiger". In fact, so much so that I wonder if the author knew someone like him. My acquaintance and I used to be very friendly and communicated often of esoteric subjects, but one day several years ago he cut off communication with myself as well as with other mutual acquaintances, and no one has heard from him since.

[Patricia Romo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me lo devoré en solo 2 días. Real o ficción…? Desde la primera página te atrapa. Liber Lilith es un libro dividido en 2 partes. En la primera (mi favorita) se nos habla de la historia de la creación de Lilith y cómo invocarla (bajo tu propio riesgo), es prácticamente el Grimorio de Lilith. La segunda parte del libro que es mucho más rápida de leer son las anotaciones del diario del ocultista Karl Steiger, donde describe día tras día sus experiencias llevando a cabo toda la práctica descrita en el Grimorio para invocar a Lilith.
Es un libro lleno de mucha…MUCHA magia sexual y es simplemente perfecto para conocer más sobre ella. Nada mal para ser mi primer libro del 2025, me ha dejado con ganas de poder encontrar y leer más libros prohibidos como este.

[Mik Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read! It's very clear that a tremendous amount of research went into it. The author skillfully mixes fact and fiction to the point where you can't see where one ends and the other begins, and each section of the book will fascinate you in a different way. The story at the beginning of the grimoire contains some divergences from the generally accepted gnostic myth, therefore if you're interested in gnosticism make sure to read other works as well.
Also, a note: look for editions where the grimoire is written in a legible font! The intricate gothic font that was originally employed, though very fitting for the contents, really slowed down the read.

[RecensioniVere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liber Lilith: Un grimorio gnostico di Donald Tyson è un viaggio oscuro nel cuore dell'occulto, dove narrativa e tradizione esoterica si fondono in modo inquietante. Il libro guida il lettore attraverso i segreti di un antico grimorio e la discesa nella follia di Karl Steiger, un occultista tedesco ossessionato dalla ricerca di conoscenze proibite.

Recensione completa: https://recensionivere.com/10632_libe...


(Non aspettatevi la Lilith wicca-newage-lupetta-pancina)

[Nicholas Stanosheck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warning to all who would try to call upon her. Fascinating mystery, history, and sychological story in addition to a horror.

[úrsula · Rating 5 out of 5]

No sé describir todo lo que sentí en más de un mes de lectura, y mucho menos al llegar al final. Solo sé que me atravesó y que algo en mí quedó profundamente conmovido.

[Nazari · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Perturbador, siniestro, y escalofriante! Pudo más la fascinación por este grimorio que empecé a tener pesadillas, aunque no creo que sea ejecutable para mi practica mágica, lo disfrute como si fuera un autentica narración de Lovecraft...

[BlackWitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me provide an update, I read this book three times and every time I go over the words again I learn something new. Maybe Tyson knew Steiger it sounds like it from the story, however they never met, because Steiger killed himself and was living far away.

The story is a very interesting tale but its not made up, only changed around and least the first 100 pages from a book called "Lost Scriptures". Tyson changed some words around, and concepts, but the story of Barbelon is true from old scriptures that were not allowed in the Bible. So half of the book is a copy write that Tyson did from Lost Scriptures and the rest, maybe its true of Steigers notes.

I have no doubt Steiger was a victim of Lilith because he chose to be, believing she would grant him God like powers. No one can have God like powers, only the Gods, but we can get a taste of their strength and mystery.