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After Such Knowledge #2
Black Easter or Faust Aleph-Null
Black Easter is a Nebula Award-nominated fantasy novel by James Blish in which an arms dealer hires a black magician to unleash all the Demons of Hell on earth for a single day. It was first published in 1968. The sequel is The Day After Judgment. Together, those two very short novels form the third part of the thematic "After Such Knowledge" trilogy (title from T.S. Eliot's "Gerontion," "After such knowledge, what forgiveness?") with A Case of Conscience & Dr. Mirabilis. Black Easter was serialised as Faust aleph-null in If magazine.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
45 people are currently reading
2832 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
454 books327 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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March 18, 2009
I don't usually go for novels about black magic, which I tend to find boring and kind of stupid, but this one is pretty good. Blish isn't being campy, or playing it for laughs. The assumption made here is that black magic exists and really works, allowing you to summon demons from Hell and make them do your bidding. The author must have done a lot of background reading, and the atmosphere feels authentic. I particularly liked the descriptions of the demons, who are both chillingly evil and bizarrely other-worldly.
The plot is a variant on the Faust myth (the book's subtitle is in fact "Faust Aleph-Null"). Theron Ware is an accomplished black magician. He's several hundred years old, having sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for more or less eternal life, and his passion is scientific knowledge. A nice touch is the way he's still stuck in the medieval mind-set he acquired during his formative years; there's a fun scene where he's copying out the latest discoveries on quasars into his huge illuminated manuscript, using a goose-quill pen. But he's impatient with the slow rate of progress, and thinks that, if he could only get some serious money, he'd be able to speed things up.
Ware is contacted by a billionaire arms dealer, Baines, and they start cooking up a deal. Baines is plausibly skeptical at first, and wants to carry out a couple of tests, to satisfy himself that Ware is on the level. The test runs are cleverly thought out, and convey both the fundamental seriousness of the enterprise and the utter immorality of both parties. Baines then gets down to business, and makes his proposal. He will give Ware a large part of his enormous fortune, if the magician can summon most of the demons from Hell, and let them loose on Earth for one night.
The action is being followed by Father Garelli, a white magician working for the Church. According to the complicated rules governing dealings between Heaven and Hell, Garelli is invited to participate in the demonic summonings as an observer, but may not intervene to stop them. Blish succeeds well in describing Garelli's feelings of helpless rage as the plan comes together, and Armageddon draws ever nearer; one readily thinks of real-world parallels. I won't give away the ending, but suffice to say that it's both logically and emotionally consistent, and that you don't feel cheated by the elaborate build-up. This is a genuinely scary book.
The plot is a variant on the Faust myth (the book's subtitle is in fact "Faust Aleph-Null"). Theron Ware is an accomplished black magician. He's several hundred years old, having sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for more or less eternal life, and his passion is scientific knowledge. A nice touch is the way he's still stuck in the medieval mind-set he acquired during his formative years; there's a fun scene where he's copying out the latest discoveries on quasars into his huge illuminated manuscript, using a goose-quill pen. But he's impatient with the slow rate of progress, and thinks that, if he could only get some serious money, he'd be able to speed things up.
Ware is contacted by a billionaire arms dealer, Baines, and they start cooking up a deal. Baines is plausibly skeptical at first, and wants to carry out a couple of tests, to satisfy himself that Ware is on the level. The test runs are cleverly thought out, and convey both the fundamental seriousness of the enterprise and the utter immorality of both parties. Baines then gets down to business, and makes his proposal. He will give Ware a large part of his enormous fortune, if the magician can summon most of the demons from Hell, and let them loose on Earth for one night.
The action is being followed by Father Garelli, a white magician working for the Church. According to the complicated rules governing dealings between Heaven and Hell, Garelli is invited to participate in the demonic summonings as an observer, but may not intervene to stop them. Blish succeeds well in describing Garelli's feelings of helpless rage as the plan comes together, and Armageddon draws ever nearer; one readily thinks of real-world parallels. I won't give away the ending, but suffice to say that it's both logically and emotionally consistent, and that you don't feel cheated by the elaborate build-up. This is a genuinely scary book.
March 28, 2022
Real Black Magic.
Demons wreak havoc on the world.
This is not Horror or Science Fiction, but a deadly mixture of both!
The five main characters are;
Theron Ware - Black Magician,
Doctor Baines - owner of Consolidated Warfare Service,
Jack Ginsburg - secretary to Dr Baines,
Doctor Adolph Hess - science officer to Dr Baines,
Together they make a deadly threat to the world.
Father F. X. Domenico Bruno Garell - a monk and White Magician is the only opposition.
The wish of Doctor Baines owner of Consolidated Warfare Service
“I would like to let all the major demons out of Hell for one night, turn them loose in the world with no orders and no restrictions—except of course that they go back by dawn or some other sensible time—and see just what it is they would do if they were left on their own hooks like that.”
The Calling of Demons begins
“I, Theron Ware, master of masters, Karcist of Karcists, hereby undertake to open the book, and the seals thereof, which were forbidden to be broken until the breaking of the Seven Seals before the Seventh Throne. I have beheld SATAN as a bolt falling from heaven. I have crushed the dragons of the pit beneath my heel. I have commanded angels and devils. I undertake and command that all shall be accomplished as I bid, and that from beginning to end, alpha to omega, world without end, none shall harm us who abide here in this temple of the Art of Arts. Aglan, TETRAGRAM, vaycheon stimulamaton ezphares retragrammaton olyaram irion esytion existion eryona onera orasym mozm messias soter EMANUEL SABAOTII ADONAY, te adoro, et te invoco. Amen.”
Radio news flash
“... now established that the supposed Chinese fusion test was actually a missile warhead explosion of at least thirty megatons, centered on Taiwan. Western capitals, already in an uproar because of the napalm murder of the U. S. President’s widow in a jammed New York discotheque, are moving quickly to a full war footing and we expect a series of security blackouts on the news at any moment. Until that happens we will keep you informed of whatever important events come through. We pause for station identification. Owoo. Eeg. Oh, piggly baby, I caught you—cheatin’ on me-owoo ...”
History goes in cycles of destruction
“I’m still trying to make sense of it in the old terms, the ones that used to make sense of the universe to me. It isn’t easy. But you’ll remember I told you I was interested in the history of science. That involves trying to understand why there wasn’t any science for so long, and why it went into eclipse almost every time it was rediscovered. I think I know why now. I think the human mind goes through a sort of cycle of fear. It can only take so much accumulated knowledge, and then it panics, and starts inventing reasons to throw everything over and go back to a Dark Age ... every time with a new, invented mystical reason.”
“You’re not making very much sense,” Baines said. He was still also trying to listen to the radio.
“I didn’t expect you to think so. But it happens. It happens about every thousand years. People start out happy with their gods, even though they’re frightened of them. Then, increasingly, the world becomes secularized, and the gods seem less and less relevant. The temples are deserted. People feel guilty about that, but not much. Then, suddenly, they’ve had all the secularization they can take, they throw their wooden shoes into the machines, they take to worshiping Satan or the Great Mother, they go into a Hellenistic period or take up Christianity, in hoc signo vinces—I’ve got those all out of order but it happens, Baines, it happens like clockwork, every thousand years; The last time was the chiliastic panics just before the year A.D. 1000, when everyone expected the Second Coming of Christ and realized that they didn’t dare face up to Him. That was the heart, the center, the whole reason of the Dark Ages. Well, we’ve got another millennium coming to a close now, and people are terrified of our secularization, our nuclear and biological weapons, our computers, our over protective medicine, everything, and they’re turning back to the worship of unreason. Just as you’ve done—and I’ve helped you. Some people these days worship flying saucers because they don’t dare face up to Christ. You’ve turned to black magic. Where’s the difference?”
Something UnCalled for
Now, at last, there was a sound: a sound of laughter.
It was the laughter of Something incapable of joy, laughing only because It was compelled by Its nature to terrify. As the laughter grew, that Something formed.
It was not standing in the Lesser Circle or appearing from the Gateway, but instead was sitting on the altar, swinging Its cloven feet negligently. It had a goat’s head, with immense horns, a crown that flamed like a torch, level human eyes, and a Star of David on Its forehead. Its haunches, too, were caprine. Between, the body was human, though hairy and with dragging black pinions like a crow’s growing from Its shoulder blades. It had women’s breasts and an enormous erection, which it nursed alternately with hands folded into the gesture of benediction. On one shaggy forearm was tattooed Solve; on the other, Coagula.
Ware fell slowly to one knee.
“Adoramus te, PUT SATANACHIA,” he said, laying his wand on the ground before him. “And again ... ave, ave.”
YOU CALLED ON THE GOD, WHO DOTH NOT APPEAR. I AM NOT MOCKED.
Ware bowed his head lower. “I was wrong.”
AH! BUT THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE GOD AFTER ALL. BUT NOW INSTEAD YOU HAVE SEEN ME. AND THERE IS ALSO A LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. I OWE YOU A MOMENT OF THANKS. WORM THOUGH YOU ARE, YOU ARE THE AGENT OF ARMAGEDDON. LET THAT BE WRITTEN, BEFORE ALL WRITINGS, LIKE ALL ELSE, GO INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE.
“No!” Ware cried out. “Oh living God, no! This cannot be the Time! You break the Law! Where is the AntiChrist—”
WE WILL DO WITHOUT THE ANTICHRIST. HE WAS NEVER NECESSARY. MEN HAVE ALWAYS LED THEMSELVES UNTO ME.
“But—master and guest—the Law—”
WE SHALL ALSO DO WITHOUT THE LAW. HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? THOSE TABLETS HAVE BEEN BROKEN.
The White Magician's attack
“Stand to, stupid and disobedient!” Father Domenico’s voice rang out from Baines’ right side. A cloth fluttered out of the monk’s circle onto the floor. “Behold thy confusion, if thou be disobedient! Behold the Pentacle of Solomon which I have brought into thy presence!”
FUNNY LITTLE MONK, I WAS NEVER IN THAT BOTTLE!
“Hush and be still, fallen star. Behold in me the person of the Exorcist, who is called OCTINIMOES, in the midst of delusion armed by the Lord God and fearless. I am thy master, in the name of the Lord BATHAL, rushing upon ABRAC, ABEOR, coming upon BEROR!”
The Sabbath Goat looked down upon Father Domenico almost kindly. His face red, Father Domenico reached into his robes and brought out a crucifix, which he thrust toward the altar like a sword.
“Back to Hell, devil! In the name of Christ our Lord!” The ivory cross exploded like a Prince Rupert’s Drop, strewing Father Domenico’s robe with dust. He looked down at his horribly empty hands.
TOO LATE, MAGICIAN. EVEN THE BEST EFFORTS OF YOUR WHITE COLLEGE ALSO HAVE FAILED—AND AS THE HEAVENLY HOSTS ALSO WILL FAIL. WE ARE ABROAD AND ALOOSE, AND WILL NOT BE PUT BACK.
Is this the end of the world?
Find out in "The Day after Judgment" review.
Enjoy!
Demons wreak havoc on the world.
This is not Horror or Science Fiction, but a deadly mixture of both!
The five main characters are;
Theron Ware - Black Magician,
Doctor Baines - owner of Consolidated Warfare Service,
Jack Ginsburg - secretary to Dr Baines,
Doctor Adolph Hess - science officer to Dr Baines,
Together they make a deadly threat to the world.
Father F. X. Domenico Bruno Garell - a monk and White Magician is the only opposition.
The wish of Doctor Baines owner of Consolidated Warfare Service
“I would like to let all the major demons out of Hell for one night, turn them loose in the world with no orders and no restrictions—except of course that they go back by dawn or some other sensible time—and see just what it is they would do if they were left on their own hooks like that.”
The Calling of Demons begins
“I, Theron Ware, master of masters, Karcist of Karcists, hereby undertake to open the book, and the seals thereof, which were forbidden to be broken until the breaking of the Seven Seals before the Seventh Throne. I have beheld SATAN as a bolt falling from heaven. I have crushed the dragons of the pit beneath my heel. I have commanded angels and devils. I undertake and command that all shall be accomplished as I bid, and that from beginning to end, alpha to omega, world without end, none shall harm us who abide here in this temple of the Art of Arts. Aglan, TETRAGRAM, vaycheon stimulamaton ezphares retragrammaton olyaram irion esytion existion eryona onera orasym mozm messias soter EMANUEL SABAOTII ADONAY, te adoro, et te invoco. Amen.”
Radio news flash
“... now established that the supposed Chinese fusion test was actually a missile warhead explosion of at least thirty megatons, centered on Taiwan. Western capitals, already in an uproar because of the napalm murder of the U. S. President’s widow in a jammed New York discotheque, are moving quickly to a full war footing and we expect a series of security blackouts on the news at any moment. Until that happens we will keep you informed of whatever important events come through. We pause for station identification. Owoo. Eeg. Oh, piggly baby, I caught you—cheatin’ on me-owoo ...”
History goes in cycles of destruction
“I’m still trying to make sense of it in the old terms, the ones that used to make sense of the universe to me. It isn’t easy. But you’ll remember I told you I was interested in the history of science. That involves trying to understand why there wasn’t any science for so long, and why it went into eclipse almost every time it was rediscovered. I think I know why now. I think the human mind goes through a sort of cycle of fear. It can only take so much accumulated knowledge, and then it panics, and starts inventing reasons to throw everything over and go back to a Dark Age ... every time with a new, invented mystical reason.”
“You’re not making very much sense,” Baines said. He was still also trying to listen to the radio.
“I didn’t expect you to think so. But it happens. It happens about every thousand years. People start out happy with their gods, even though they’re frightened of them. Then, increasingly, the world becomes secularized, and the gods seem less and less relevant. The temples are deserted. People feel guilty about that, but not much. Then, suddenly, they’ve had all the secularization they can take, they throw their wooden shoes into the machines, they take to worshiping Satan or the Great Mother, they go into a Hellenistic period or take up Christianity, in hoc signo vinces—I’ve got those all out of order but it happens, Baines, it happens like clockwork, every thousand years; The last time was the chiliastic panics just before the year A.D. 1000, when everyone expected the Second Coming of Christ and realized that they didn’t dare face up to Him. That was the heart, the center, the whole reason of the Dark Ages. Well, we’ve got another millennium coming to a close now, and people are terrified of our secularization, our nuclear and biological weapons, our computers, our over protective medicine, everything, and they’re turning back to the worship of unreason. Just as you’ve done—and I’ve helped you. Some people these days worship flying saucers because they don’t dare face up to Christ. You’ve turned to black magic. Where’s the difference?”
Something UnCalled for
Now, at last, there was a sound: a sound of laughter.
It was the laughter of Something incapable of joy, laughing only because It was compelled by Its nature to terrify. As the laughter grew, that Something formed.
It was not standing in the Lesser Circle or appearing from the Gateway, but instead was sitting on the altar, swinging Its cloven feet negligently. It had a goat’s head, with immense horns, a crown that flamed like a torch, level human eyes, and a Star of David on Its forehead. Its haunches, too, were caprine. Between, the body was human, though hairy and with dragging black pinions like a crow’s growing from Its shoulder blades. It had women’s breasts and an enormous erection, which it nursed alternately with hands folded into the gesture of benediction. On one shaggy forearm was tattooed Solve; on the other, Coagula.
Ware fell slowly to one knee.
“Adoramus te, PUT SATANACHIA,” he said, laying his wand on the ground before him. “And again ... ave, ave.”
YOU CALLED ON THE GOD, WHO DOTH NOT APPEAR. I AM NOT MOCKED.
Ware bowed his head lower. “I was wrong.”
AH! BUT THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE GOD AFTER ALL. BUT NOW INSTEAD YOU HAVE SEEN ME. AND THERE IS ALSO A LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. I OWE YOU A MOMENT OF THANKS. WORM THOUGH YOU ARE, YOU ARE THE AGENT OF ARMAGEDDON. LET THAT BE WRITTEN, BEFORE ALL WRITINGS, LIKE ALL ELSE, GO INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE.
“No!” Ware cried out. “Oh living God, no! This cannot be the Time! You break the Law! Where is the AntiChrist—”
WE WILL DO WITHOUT THE ANTICHRIST. HE WAS NEVER NECESSARY. MEN HAVE ALWAYS LED THEMSELVES UNTO ME.
“But—master and guest—the Law—”
WE SHALL ALSO DO WITHOUT THE LAW. HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? THOSE TABLETS HAVE BEEN BROKEN.
The White Magician's attack
“Stand to, stupid and disobedient!” Father Domenico’s voice rang out from Baines’ right side. A cloth fluttered out of the monk’s circle onto the floor. “Behold thy confusion, if thou be disobedient! Behold the Pentacle of Solomon which I have brought into thy presence!”
FUNNY LITTLE MONK, I WAS NEVER IN THAT BOTTLE!
“Hush and be still, fallen star. Behold in me the person of the Exorcist, who is called OCTINIMOES, in the midst of delusion armed by the Lord God and fearless. I am thy master, in the name of the Lord BATHAL, rushing upon ABRAC, ABEOR, coming upon BEROR!”
The Sabbath Goat looked down upon Father Domenico almost kindly. His face red, Father Domenico reached into his robes and brought out a crucifix, which he thrust toward the altar like a sword.
“Back to Hell, devil! In the name of Christ our Lord!” The ivory cross exploded like a Prince Rupert’s Drop, strewing Father Domenico’s robe with dust. He looked down at his horribly empty hands.
TOO LATE, MAGICIAN. EVEN THE BEST EFFORTS OF YOUR WHITE COLLEGE ALSO HAVE FAILED—AND AS THE HEAVENLY HOSTS ALSO WILL FAIL. WE ARE ABROAD AND ALOOSE, AND WILL NOT BE PUT BACK.
Is this the end of the world?
Find out in "The Day after Judgment" review.
Enjoy!
March 1, 2024
This one blew my mind back in high school, back when I used to use that phrase comfortably. It's a nifty mash-up of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. There's not much that can be said about it without being spoilery, but it's a short, well-reasoned, well-researched, fast-paced, creepy book, and I thought it was utterly unlike any of Blish's other works with which I was familiar. Science, religion, magic, and politics don't always mix well, but Blish nailed it. James Morrow revisited some of the same themes, but Black Easter is still well worth a read.
Want to read
February 20, 2017
I don't usually dig skulls on my vintage horror covers (especially photo versions), as they're so overdone, but this is one of the few exceptions to that rule. This will be my first Blish read, other than a couple sf shorts back in the day.
April 5, 2010
WARNING: This review contains the BIG spoiler, but no others, so you may not want to read this if you haven’t read Black Easter yet.
Damn! God is dead. And James Blish is his killer.
I've been meaning to read a Blish novel for years, having read and liked a short story of his -- How Beautiful With Banners -- in a Sci-Fi class years ago, but Blish isn't carried in the book stores within my sphere of contact, and he's never been the first author I think of when I have money to spend online.
I lucked out, though, and found an old, thrashed copy of Black Easter in a used bookstore down the street from where I work. I tossed it in my glove box (because it is always a good idea to have a back up book handy in case of emergencies) and forgot about it.
My emergency came up last week when, before I left for work, I couldn't find the book I was reading, so I needed something to read at lunch. I dug Black Easter out and was quickly knocked on my ass.
I am not usually a fan of fiction that explicitly discusses good and evil. I usually find their philosophy pedestrian and reductive. Too black and white. But Black Easter isn't a pedestrian book, nor is Blish a pedestrian author. I had know idea how talented the man was, but I know now.
Black Easter is a book about black & white magic that is full of demons and ends with the release of Armageddon. Yet it remains Science Fiction. How is that possible? It's possible because Blish offers us the theological science that called magic, which, in its ancient forms (you pick the "-emy" or "-mancy") was the root of all secular sciences. The magicians who practice this theoscience take their work as seriously as a nuclear physicist would, and their practices are as rigorous, their laboratories as specialized, their tools and books as important, their minds as honed as any image we have of today's scientists.
And, like so many who apply the sciences, the black & white magicians play with forces beyond their control, doing things because they can rather than because they should. They use and abuse knowledge, and as the myths of Prometheus and the Garden of Eden have tried to teach us, this knowledge is the root of all evil. So evil exists in Blish's Armageddon world, and it is released with a force on the world that ends everything we know mere hours. And good exists. Too benevolent, too bound by honour, too naive to stop the evil. But even those in the book who practice good, those white magicians we'd expect to be pure and beloved of God, are steeped in evil. They are in concert with demons. They are damned. And their paralysis, brought on by goodness, is tainted with evil.
There isn't much gray in Blish's Black Easter, but the black and the white are everywhere, in everyone, and while they may react like oil and vinegar when in contact, while they may not bleed into each other, they make for a deliciously creepy and stunningly realistic take on black magic and Armageddon.
I had no hopes for the book. I read it because it was Blish and I was hard up, but I was blown away. This is the best book about contemporary magic use I have ever read, and far and away the best expression of Armageddon.
I'm tracking down A Case of Conscience and reading it as soon as I can because Blish deserves to be read.
Damn! God is dead. And James Blish is his killer.
I've been meaning to read a Blish novel for years, having read and liked a short story of his -- How Beautiful With Banners -- in a Sci-Fi class years ago, but Blish isn't carried in the book stores within my sphere of contact, and he's never been the first author I think of when I have money to spend online.
I lucked out, though, and found an old, thrashed copy of Black Easter in a used bookstore down the street from where I work. I tossed it in my glove box (because it is always a good idea to have a back up book handy in case of emergencies) and forgot about it.
My emergency came up last week when, before I left for work, I couldn't find the book I was reading, so I needed something to read at lunch. I dug Black Easter out and was quickly knocked on my ass.
I am not usually a fan of fiction that explicitly discusses good and evil. I usually find their philosophy pedestrian and reductive. Too black and white. But Black Easter isn't a pedestrian book, nor is Blish a pedestrian author. I had know idea how talented the man was, but I know now.
Black Easter is a book about black & white magic that is full of demons and ends with the release of Armageddon. Yet it remains Science Fiction. How is that possible? It's possible because Blish offers us the theological science that called magic, which, in its ancient forms (you pick the "-emy" or "-mancy") was the root of all secular sciences. The magicians who practice this theoscience take their work as seriously as a nuclear physicist would, and their practices are as rigorous, their laboratories as specialized, their tools and books as important, their minds as honed as any image we have of today's scientists.
And, like so many who apply the sciences, the black & white magicians play with forces beyond their control, doing things because they can rather than because they should. They use and abuse knowledge, and as the myths of Prometheus and the Garden of Eden have tried to teach us, this knowledge is the root of all evil. So evil exists in Blish's Armageddon world, and it is released with a force on the world that ends everything we know mere hours. And good exists. Too benevolent, too bound by honour, too naive to stop the evil. But even those in the book who practice good, those white magicians we'd expect to be pure and beloved of God, are steeped in evil. They are in concert with demons. They are damned. And their paralysis, brought on by goodness, is tainted with evil.
There isn't much gray in Blish's Black Easter, but the black and the white are everywhere, in everyone, and while they may react like oil and vinegar when in contact, while they may not bleed into each other, they make for a deliciously creepy and stunningly realistic take on black magic and Armageddon.
I had no hopes for the book. I read it because it was Blish and I was hard up, but I was blown away. This is the best book about contemporary magic use I have ever read, and far and away the best expression of Armageddon.
I'm tracking down A Case of Conscience and reading it as soon as I can because Blish deserves to be read.
February 8, 2010
6.0 stars. I just reread this book (February 6, 2010) and I liked it even better than the first time I read it (when I gave it 4.5 to 5.0 stars). While always problematic to say that a book is the "first" to do something (especially when you haven't read every book ever written), this appears to be the first book in which the art of magic is portrayed as a rigorous, almost scientific endeavor fraught with peril and potentially very unpleasant. Add to that a great plot and one of the best endings I have ever read (i.e., the final 3 words of the novel) and you have a classic by a very under-rated author. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Nominee: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1969)
Nominee: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1969)
August 26, 2024
An arms dealer employs a magician to assassinate a couple of influential people as a test for the ultimate task of unleashing hell on earth for a span of twelve hours.
This was a bit of a disappointment for me as the vast majority of the book was just conversation between Baines (arms dealer/business man) and Ware (magician) about Ware’s abilities and limits of magic in general. There was a bit of ritual and names spewing a lot too, but nothing really horrifying and the contracts (except for the final one) are mostly just the ritual and then a few pages later an assistant announces that the target was killed.
The ending was very satisfying however and left me debating if I will read the sequel, but 95% of the book just wasn’t very intriguing to me.
This was a bit of a disappointment for me as the vast majority of the book was just conversation between Baines (arms dealer/business man) and Ware (magician) about Ware’s abilities and limits of magic in general. There was a bit of ritual and names spewing a lot too, but nothing really horrifying and the contracts (except for the final one) are mostly just the ritual and then a few pages later an assistant announces that the target was killed.
The ending was very satisfying however and left me debating if I will read the sequel, but 95% of the book just wasn’t very intriguing to me.
January 27, 2024
Religious Fantasy
aka Faust Aleph Null
Series book R2a
1981 Grade A
2024 Grade B
The famous SciFi author wrote a fantasy. A very dark hard fantasy that takes place in a modern world and is heavily steeped in theology, but still a fantasy. I actually didn't care for this one the second time around. Be sure to Not read the last few words of the story ahead of time. I read them accidentally, and found it to be too much of a spoiler. (Faust Aleph-Null is actually a shorter previously published version of the story.)
The story is full of black and white magic, magicians, priests, demons, gods, demigods, and conceited humans. I speed read through many of the tools lists and I think all of the demon name lists. They were not important. Yes, it is very good, but it is not my kind of thing anymore.
aka Faust Aleph Null
Series book R2a
1981 Grade A
2024 Grade B
The famous SciFi author wrote a fantasy. A very dark hard fantasy that takes place in a modern world and is heavily steeped in theology, but still a fantasy. I actually didn't care for this one the second time around. Be sure to Not read the last few words of the story ahead of time. I read them accidentally, and found it to be too much of a spoiler. (Faust Aleph-Null is actually a shorter previously published version of the story.)
The story is full of black and white magic, magicians, priests, demons, gods, demigods, and conceited humans. I speed read through many of the tools lists and I think all of the demon name lists. They were not important. Yes, it is very good, but it is not my kind of thing anymore.
August 14, 2023
Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE. Dark, serious, and entertaining. Short but well researched with a fantastic ending. Pure reading joy.
December 19, 2022
Cuanto menos curiosa aproximación a la magia negra desde un punto de vista “realista” y “riguroso”.
Read
May 31, 2025Hey all! Here is the script to my video review of Black Easter. I quite liked it :) Check out the vid here: https://youtu.be/_n-kYj7217I
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Black Easter - James Blish (1968)
Black Easter is a short fantasy novel written by James Blish in 1968. I’ve heard his name a few times but never read anything by him until now. Fun fact though, apparently he was the one who coined the term “Gas Giant” for a planet type!
I don’t read fantasy. In fact, unless you consider Book of the New Sun or Star Wars fantasy, I think this is my first fantasy book I’ve read since childhood. But I saw it on Bookpilled’s top 15 fantasy books list at number 1 and I thought it was only fair to give it a shot.
Introduction: Magic
- Black Easter is set on a future Earth. A lot seems to be the same, but in this universe magic exists. Well, not exactly magic, but in a seemingly magical way, powerful Christian monks are able to manipulate, control, or otherwise work with angels and demons to make magical things happen. Especially demons.
- The demons don’t just, like, show up and eviscerate someone, though, they do something like carry out the task of killing someone by doing something like causing a heart attack.
- In this magical future, there are two ways to practice this magic in the Christian church: you can be a white monk and practice white magic, and you can be a black monk and practice black magic.
- Black magic is used to aid in nefarious actions like murder and rape and assault and white magic is used for benevolent things. The even note that the only real for-profit use of white magic is finding buried treasure, I guess.
- Blish compares the wizardry in Black Easter to engineering, which I think is apt. While it is magic, it’s technical and it’s used practically for problem solving tasks, evil or otherwise.
Introduction: Setup/Characters
- Alright so what’s up; there are three main characters that this book centers around. The first is Father Domenico. He’s a white monk stationed at a monastery called Monte Albano.
- His counterpart is Theron Ware, a black monk. I loved this character. Now, unlike most white monks, which operate for the good of the world in groups, black monks are a bit more rogue. Basically a client will come to him and contract him to do something evil for them. And he specializes specifically in violent crimes.
- He’s written like a sleazy private practice lawyer: he overcharges for every little thing he does on the job. He claims he’s got morals but pretty much just so he has an excuse to upcharge for more “immoral” things. He justifies his evilness by saying it’s all in the pursuit of knowledge, just like a lot of ridiculous scientists and businesspeople in the real world.
- And then the final main character is Baines, and this is where the plot of the story comes in. Baines is a rich, American weapons dealer, and he wants to use the money he’s made to live out an armageddon-like fantasy he’s got. The white monks are, of course, no help, so he hires Ware to help him enact his vision.
Vibe
- As you could maybe tell by my description of Ware, while a lot of the book focuses on stuff like demons and the end of the world, the vibe of the book is relatively lighthearted.
- The dialogue and situations are even funny at times.
- Kinda for the reason that I touched on earlier where dark magic is achieved in a more academic way, the murder and dark rituals are referred to in a more matter-of-fact way than a lot of similarly dark books.
- It’s kinda similar, in my eyes, to The Midwich Cuckoos, where it’s a very serious subject matter, but there’s just a hint of goofiness to the whole thing.
Rituals
- However, this hint of goofiness is absolutely left behind during what I consider to be the culminating scenes of the novel: the rituals.
- A few times in this book, Ware leads the viewers through scenes where he summons and/or communicates with demons and these are intense. They’re straight out of a horror movie: each demonic act is vividly described. It’s *very* creepy and macabre.
- These were all scenes that stuck with me after I put the book down, and they’re absolutely the part of the book I’ll remember months down the road.
- I would consider myself quite progressive religiously but even so after reading each of the scenes I kinda felt myself thinking like “damn, am I supposed to, like, go wash my hands or recite a Hail Mary after this?”
- The one negative thing about these scenes is that, even though it’s a short book, I feel like they drag on just a few pages too long. Don’t get me wrong, these scenes rock, but they just feel the slightest bit drawn out. Like a really hilarious joke that someone repeats just one too many times.
- I also want to restate that I don’t think that minor air of lightheartedness I mentioned takes away at all from these scenes. They are serious and intensely stygian.
The Covenant
- So the reason that Ware and Domenico, the black and white mages, work so closely together in this book without stepping on each other’s toes, is because of this thing called “The Covenant”.
- It’s a pact by the Church that defines a code of conduct between black and white magicians. And the big part of it that comes into play during Black Easter is that they can’t interfere with each other’s doings.
- So it leads us to these scenes where Domenico is at Ware’s demon summing rituals and he can’t do anything to fight against the actions of Ware. So he just spends the book as this useless bystander while Ware is doing all this terrible demonic shit. And given the gravity of what Ware is doing it comes off as ridiculous.
- I’ll be fair, though: as I got into the book, I think it became clear that it was, sort of, parodying the bureaucratic red tape you see in religious groups or governments. For example, there are scenes of white magicians acting like a bunch of professionals with their office politics and bureaucracy and stuff.
- But does that give it a free pass to be just as annoying and stupid as it wants and get away with it by being like “oh no - it’s satire it’s satire!” Not to me! It sets up absurd situations, in my eyes.
- Anyway, that part is a thumbs down from me but not a huge knock overall.
Aside: Fantasy vs SciFi
- I want to take a quick aside to discuss something I’ve found fun to think about, and that's the difference between science fiction and fantasy.
- I think I've mentioned this in a previous review but when I took a science-fiction course in college my professor taught us that the difference between science fiction and fantasy was the following: while both science fiction and fantasy present unrealistic technology, science fiction explains or implies reason behind that technology and fantasy doesn’t.
- As I've really upped the amount of science fiction I've read in the past few years, I think this remains a pretty good heuristic, but it’s not an exact science. I think another way to distinguish the genres is through recurring stereotypes or motifs.
- For science fiction I’d say those are things like time travel and aliens and spaceships and stuff like that as well as non-story elements like, specifically for new wave science fiction, the archetype of shorter, 200-ish page books exploring a certain thought experiment.
- And for all intents and purposes a book like Black Easter is going to be labeled as fantasy with its wizardry and scrying and castles on mountaintops and such.
- But in my own headcannon this book is science fiction to me. It’s a bite size novel playing with an imaginative future world state and there’s a pragmatic methodology (sense of logic) to the magic performed.
Conclusion: Plain-Old Good!
- When I reviewed The Midwich Cuckoos, not to hate on that book again, I said that if a book didn't have, like, some brilliant philosophical subtext, I wanted it to at least really grab my attention the whole time. And this one really did.
- This is one of those reviews where I just want to be a lazy reviewer and just get in front of the camera and shrug and be like, “yeah, this is a pretty damn good book!”
- Black Easter is small in scope. It defines a very interesting world with black magic and white magic and a bastardized, corrupt form of the Christian church governing over it.
- It has really great imagery of demonic shit and it’s kind of creepy. And that’s it, BUT all of this stuff it does very well.
- This is one of those books that adheres really well to the test of reading the first chapter and if you like the vibe a chapter in you're gonna love the book and if not maybe it's not for you.
- Personally, while it’s not going to be my number one book of the year or anything, I’m glad I went a bit out of my comfort zone to try some fantasy.
- Thanks for watching.
~~~
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~~~
Black Easter - James Blish (1968)
Black Easter is a short fantasy novel written by James Blish in 1968. I’ve heard his name a few times but never read anything by him until now. Fun fact though, apparently he was the one who coined the term “Gas Giant” for a planet type!
I don’t read fantasy. In fact, unless you consider Book of the New Sun or Star Wars fantasy, I think this is my first fantasy book I’ve read since childhood. But I saw it on Bookpilled’s top 15 fantasy books list at number 1 and I thought it was only fair to give it a shot.
Introduction: Magic
- Black Easter is set on a future Earth. A lot seems to be the same, but in this universe magic exists. Well, not exactly magic, but in a seemingly magical way, powerful Christian monks are able to manipulate, control, or otherwise work with angels and demons to make magical things happen. Especially demons.
- The demons don’t just, like, show up and eviscerate someone, though, they do something like carry out the task of killing someone by doing something like causing a heart attack.
- In this magical future, there are two ways to practice this magic in the Christian church: you can be a white monk and practice white magic, and you can be a black monk and practice black magic.
- Black magic is used to aid in nefarious actions like murder and rape and assault and white magic is used for benevolent things. The even note that the only real for-profit use of white magic is finding buried treasure, I guess.
- Blish compares the wizardry in Black Easter to engineering, which I think is apt. While it is magic, it’s technical and it’s used practically for problem solving tasks, evil or otherwise.
Introduction: Setup/Characters
- Alright so what’s up; there are three main characters that this book centers around. The first is Father Domenico. He’s a white monk stationed at a monastery called Monte Albano.
- His counterpart is Theron Ware, a black monk. I loved this character. Now, unlike most white monks, which operate for the good of the world in groups, black monks are a bit more rogue. Basically a client will come to him and contract him to do something evil for them. And he specializes specifically in violent crimes.
- He’s written like a sleazy private practice lawyer: he overcharges for every little thing he does on the job. He claims he’s got morals but pretty much just so he has an excuse to upcharge for more “immoral” things. He justifies his evilness by saying it’s all in the pursuit of knowledge, just like a lot of ridiculous scientists and businesspeople in the real world.
- And then the final main character is Baines, and this is where the plot of the story comes in. Baines is a rich, American weapons dealer, and he wants to use the money he’s made to live out an armageddon-like fantasy he’s got. The white monks are, of course, no help, so he hires Ware to help him enact his vision.
Vibe
- As you could maybe tell by my description of Ware, while a lot of the book focuses on stuff like demons and the end of the world, the vibe of the book is relatively lighthearted.
- The dialogue and situations are even funny at times.
- Kinda for the reason that I touched on earlier where dark magic is achieved in a more academic way, the murder and dark rituals are referred to in a more matter-of-fact way than a lot of similarly dark books.
- It’s kinda similar, in my eyes, to The Midwich Cuckoos, where it’s a very serious subject matter, but there’s just a hint of goofiness to the whole thing.
Rituals
- However, this hint of goofiness is absolutely left behind during what I consider to be the culminating scenes of the novel: the rituals.
- A few times in this book, Ware leads the viewers through scenes where he summons and/or communicates with demons and these are intense. They’re straight out of a horror movie: each demonic act is vividly described. It’s *very* creepy and macabre.
- These were all scenes that stuck with me after I put the book down, and they’re absolutely the part of the book I’ll remember months down the road.
- I would consider myself quite progressive religiously but even so after reading each of the scenes I kinda felt myself thinking like “damn, am I supposed to, like, go wash my hands or recite a Hail Mary after this?”
- The one negative thing about these scenes is that, even though it’s a short book, I feel like they drag on just a few pages too long. Don’t get me wrong, these scenes rock, but they just feel the slightest bit drawn out. Like a really hilarious joke that someone repeats just one too many times.
- I also want to restate that I don’t think that minor air of lightheartedness I mentioned takes away at all from these scenes. They are serious and intensely stygian.
The Covenant
- So the reason that Ware and Domenico, the black and white mages, work so closely together in this book without stepping on each other’s toes, is because of this thing called “The Covenant”.
- It’s a pact by the Church that defines a code of conduct between black and white magicians. And the big part of it that comes into play during Black Easter is that they can’t interfere with each other’s doings.
- So it leads us to these scenes where Domenico is at Ware’s demon summing rituals and he can’t do anything to fight against the actions of Ware. So he just spends the book as this useless bystander while Ware is doing all this terrible demonic shit. And given the gravity of what Ware is doing it comes off as ridiculous.
- I’ll be fair, though: as I got into the book, I think it became clear that it was, sort of, parodying the bureaucratic red tape you see in religious groups or governments. For example, there are scenes of white magicians acting like a bunch of professionals with their office politics and bureaucracy and stuff.
- But does that give it a free pass to be just as annoying and stupid as it wants and get away with it by being like “oh no - it’s satire it’s satire!” Not to me! It sets up absurd situations, in my eyes.
- Anyway, that part is a thumbs down from me but not a huge knock overall.
Aside: Fantasy vs SciFi
- I want to take a quick aside to discuss something I’ve found fun to think about, and that's the difference between science fiction and fantasy.
- I think I've mentioned this in a previous review but when I took a science-fiction course in college my professor taught us that the difference between science fiction and fantasy was the following: while both science fiction and fantasy present unrealistic technology, science fiction explains or implies reason behind that technology and fantasy doesn’t.
- As I've really upped the amount of science fiction I've read in the past few years, I think this remains a pretty good heuristic, but it’s not an exact science. I think another way to distinguish the genres is through recurring stereotypes or motifs.
- For science fiction I’d say those are things like time travel and aliens and spaceships and stuff like that as well as non-story elements like, specifically for new wave science fiction, the archetype of shorter, 200-ish page books exploring a certain thought experiment.
- And for all intents and purposes a book like Black Easter is going to be labeled as fantasy with its wizardry and scrying and castles on mountaintops and such.
- But in my own headcannon this book is science fiction to me. It’s a bite size novel playing with an imaginative future world state and there’s a pragmatic methodology (sense of logic) to the magic performed.
Conclusion: Plain-Old Good!
- When I reviewed The Midwich Cuckoos, not to hate on that book again, I said that if a book didn't have, like, some brilliant philosophical subtext, I wanted it to at least really grab my attention the whole time. And this one really did.
- This is one of those reviews where I just want to be a lazy reviewer and just get in front of the camera and shrug and be like, “yeah, this is a pretty damn good book!”
- Black Easter is small in scope. It defines a very interesting world with black magic and white magic and a bastardized, corrupt form of the Christian church governing over it.
- It has really great imagery of demonic shit and it’s kind of creepy. And that’s it, BUT all of this stuff it does very well.
- This is one of those books that adheres really well to the test of reading the first chapter and if you like the vibe a chapter in you're gonna love the book and if not maybe it's not for you.
- Personally, while it’s not going to be my number one book of the year or anything, I’m glad I went a bit out of my comfort zone to try some fantasy.
- Thanks for watching.
May 29, 2025
Very unique, short, and punchy read. One of the major conceits of the novel is to take real occult/ritualistic texts and treat them as if they were real. The result is a book that reads like hard sci-fi but whose content is primarily religious/fantastical. The book also has some philosophical substance to it, and does a great job of exploring its themes without shoving presupposed answers at the reader.
If I had one criticism its that the book's short length means the characters aren't very developed. To be honest, this is not normally something I would mind for a book like this, but in this instance it makes some of the (very dramatic) actions the characters take feel unrealistic and contrived.
If I had one criticism its that the book's short length means the characters aren't very developed. To be honest, this is not normally something I would mind for a book like this, but in this instance it makes some of the (very dramatic) actions the characters take feel unrealistic and contrived.
April 28, 2025
Black Easter is on Bookpilled favorite fantasy book list and it is on top 1 position! A much darker story about the black magician summoned demons to destroy the world but turned out to lose the control of the demons. The story is quite straight forward to the point of black magician was hired to do the job of summoning demons, but the atmosphere of the impeding doom is immense while reading the story. I like how the hell is protracted in the book and the use of references of the art.
Definitely this is an atmospheric read, in a short length of book which is a quick read to me. Black Easter is the second book in after such knowledge series by James Blish. The Case of Conscience is an excellent book by the author.
Definitely this is an atmospheric read, in a short length of book which is a quick read to me. Black Easter is the second book in after such knowledge series by James Blish. The Case of Conscience is an excellent book by the author.
May 4, 2010
The book ends with three English words and a mathematical symbol commonly known as Aleph-naught. Or, in Rabbinic/Judaic folk lore, a reference to the reward given to the Aleph by starting the Ten Commandments and also begins the three words that Make up God's mystical name in Exodus: I Am That I Am
The revelation (pardon the pun sans spoilers) presents a compelling argument for the theological hypothesis raised by Blish.
I read this short novel in less than a day, a matter of hours, but I fear it will haunt my thoughts for many weeks to come. A strange, surreal journey to say the least.
And upon further research, find yet another book (The Damnation of Theron Ware: Or Illumination by Harold Frederic) I should read because:
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Damn...
The revelation (pardon the pun sans spoilers) presents a compelling argument for the theological hypothesis raised by Blish.
I read this short novel in less than a day, a matter of hours, but I fear it will haunt my thoughts for many weeks to come. A strange, surreal journey to say the least.
And upon further research, find yet another book (The Damnation of Theron Ware: Or Illumination by Harold Frederic) I should read because:
The name "Theron Ware" was later used by author James Blish for his "villain" in the novel Black Easter. In this novel Ware brings about the death of God and the triumph of Satan. The book was adapted into a play in 1979 by a Troy University theatre professor and produced by the school's drama department.
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Damn...
June 22, 2009
The only book with necromancy I've ever seen that tries to be faithful to medieval visions of how sorcery should work--- which appeals to the historian in me.
And...the only book that asks the question all those End of Days/Apocalypse novels and films never do: What if the Apocalypse comes and things just don't go the way the Tim LaHaye types think it will?
Oh, yes. Dark and clever and very, very different. Worth reading, along with its sequel, "The Day After Judgment".
And...the only book that asks the question all those End of Days/Apocalypse novels and films never do: What if the Apocalypse comes and things just don't go the way the Tim LaHaye types think it will?
Oh, yes. Dark and clever and very, very different. Worth reading, along with its sequel, "The Day After Judgment".
May 1, 2025
A powerful novella which delves deeply into various degrees of mythology; including classical, Jewish, Catholic and even Dante - blending them into the ritualistic art of black magic, as an arms dealer hires an accomplished occult magician to unleash the hordes of Hell for a night across the world.
Most of the book is conversational between the various agents - including a white monk who stands ready to stop it - but there's a lot of intricate description of rituals, biblical references and hundreds of demonic/angelic Names in between to give an extremely thorough feel of authenticity. The research is clearly a strength of the book, but also somewhat of a weakness since it's quite easy to get lost down a rabbit hole of trying to understand the diverse references.
But, as the story unfolds, it is clear that there is something else going on, just on the edge of reason, leading to a blistering finale to set up one of the most powerful and bleak climactic final lines I've come across.
A powerful book and one I enjoyed a great deal, but it's intricacies will either dilute or enhance the story depending on the reader.
Most of the book is conversational between the various agents - including a white monk who stands ready to stop it - but there's a lot of intricate description of rituals, biblical references and hundreds of demonic/angelic Names in between to give an extremely thorough feel of authenticity. The research is clearly a strength of the book, but also somewhat of a weakness since it's quite easy to get lost down a rabbit hole of trying to understand the diverse references.
But, as the story unfolds, it is clear that there is something else going on, just on the edge of reason, leading to a blistering finale to set up one of the most powerful and bleak climactic final lines I've come across.
A powerful book and one I enjoyed a great deal, but it's intricacies will either dilute or enhance the story depending on the reader.
April 30, 2025
This book concerns the death of God and the ultimate triumph of the demons in the age-old battle between good and evil - who, having won, proceed to behave much like Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne on tour circa 1983: loud, chaotic, and thoroughly unbothered by the Ten Commandments.
To his credit, James Blish clearly did his homework when penning "Black Easter" back in the late sixties, long before Google made such things a doddle. Full marks for that.
The only snag? The pace is...glacial. And that's saying something, given it’s a novella clocking in at under 150 pages. One rather expects brimstone, not boredom.
Ah well, two stars. Must try harder, Satan.
NEXT!
To his credit, James Blish clearly did his homework when penning "Black Easter" back in the late sixties, long before Google made such things a doddle. Full marks for that.
The only snag? The pace is...glacial. And that's saying something, given it’s a novella clocking in at under 150 pages. One rather expects brimstone, not boredom.
Ah well, two stars. Must try harder, Satan.
NEXT!
May 2, 2019
Prima lettura scelta tra quelle citate in
Tra le ceneri di questo pianeta
. Parla di un'evocazione demoniaca, con la descrizione passo per passo del rito, trattato come una questione tecnica. Interessante e pittoresco. Mi ha colpita anche il fatto che a suo tempo l'autrice di fantascienza femminista Joanna Russ ne abbia scritto una recensione positiva.
July 23, 2008
This, and it's sequel / companion DAY AFTER JUDGEMENT, are a pair of hilariously-dark, end-of-the-world novellas that astonish and delight in equal measure.
Drawing extensively from actual magical rituals, the "always-delivers" Mr Blish imagines an international arms dealer employing a real wizard to unleash all the demons from Hell onto Earth for one night of Revelations-style armageddo-fun while a Vatican rep watches on, observer-style, because the Cosmic rules (the contract between God and Satan) prevent him from intervening.
Undeniably downbeat at the end, these two volumes skip through descriptions of magical ritual, demonic emergence and play and the arrival of the City of Dis with wit and aplomb.
And it's gripping.
And it's a little bit scary.
And it'd make a FAR better movie than Arnie's risable END OF DAYS
These books are also loosely grouped, by Mr Blish himself, in a trilogy of volumes called AFTER SUCH KNOWLEDGE (A Case of Consience and Doctor Mirabilis)
If you've not discovered Mr B before, seek all of these out on EBAY (dirt cheap!) and revel in the sheer variety and depth of his prose.
Always recommended!
Drawing extensively from actual magical rituals, the "always-delivers" Mr Blish imagines an international arms dealer employing a real wizard to unleash all the demons from Hell onto Earth for one night of Revelations-style armageddo-fun while a Vatican rep watches on, observer-style, because the Cosmic rules (the contract between God and Satan) prevent him from intervening.
Undeniably downbeat at the end, these two volumes skip through descriptions of magical ritual, demonic emergence and play and the arrival of the City of Dis with wit and aplomb.
And it's gripping.
And it's a little bit scary.
And it'd make a FAR better movie than Arnie's risable END OF DAYS
These books are also loosely grouped, by Mr Blish himself, in a trilogy of volumes called AFTER SUCH KNOWLEDGE (A Case of Consience and Doctor Mirabilis)
If you've not discovered Mr B before, seek all of these out on EBAY (dirt cheap!) and revel in the sheer variety and depth of his prose.
Always recommended!
August 28, 2012
A wonderful story for Easter! Should be required reading for all children. God is Dead and things are not always what they seem.
January 10, 2015
I read this book during some down time at work. Pleasantly surprised by it without having read the first book.
October 19, 2015
Awesome! Loved it!
September 29, 2024
What Black Easter accomplished in under 200 pages is..
Developed vivid, unique characters whose words, actions, and lack there of, align incredibly well with their belief systems. A black magic monk, white magic priest, A capitlist specializing in weaponry, and supporting cast seems allegorical. At times I took it that way, but the dialogue and rational by each is so grounded that it very rarely lets you float up to that scope. The main characters took my patience and empathy to not resent, but It’s incredibly rewarding sympathizing with different moral compasses, even of objectively evil people, in a safe space. Without spoiling, I found myself thinking many times “If I thought like them, what choice would I have but to do the same?”
Black Easter somehow seems historically accurate, or as accurate as Black Magic gets. I’m don’t know shit , but the language used in the book (after repeatedly googling words), was consistent of a past era, and could be traced to modern vernacular, so it’s clear a decision was continually made to use the former language. The descriptions of demons and rituals were consistent with my brief explorations (Googlings) as well, which was a nice mental crux. When I couldn’t visualize a scene or symbol, I could just look it up. James Blish states at the beginning of ‘The Devil’s Day’ Omnibus his extensive research before writing the book, and it shows. If nothing else I appreciate that with many different descriptions of angels, demons, rituals, etc. throughout time, Blish pooled together a collection of those that fits tightly and beautifully into the Black Easter world. Even acknowledging at times the repetition of similar creatures and calling out the lack of creativity of ‘the heavenly powers’ for historical accuracy LOL!
The story telling is great. Pacing, exposition, dialogue, literary techniques such as repeatedly pulling in writings of other authors made me feel like I was reading from an ancient text myself. Certain chapters I started genuinely wondering why the hell are we here now, and sure enough the story was better for it every time.
Similar to how I felt after reading Metamorphosis by Kafka, it just doesn’t feel like anything in this book doesn’t serve a specific purpose. As a visual artist myself, I appreciate there is little fat to trim.
It feels more like an incredibly grand short story than a novel compared to modern Fantasy and Sci Fi. To me that is a plus, but could leave people feeling unfulfilled, and like for myself, can be tiring to read. The book won’t give you time to breathe, so I had to take that upon myself. That being said, if you can get a copy for a reasonable price, couldn’t recommend more.
Developed vivid, unique characters whose words, actions, and lack there of, align incredibly well with their belief systems. A black magic monk, white magic priest, A capitlist specializing in weaponry, and supporting cast seems allegorical. At times I took it that way, but the dialogue and rational by each is so grounded that it very rarely lets you float up to that scope. The main characters took my patience and empathy to not resent, but It’s incredibly rewarding sympathizing with different moral compasses, even of objectively evil people, in a safe space. Without spoiling, I found myself thinking many times “If I thought like them, what choice would I have but to do the same?”
Black Easter somehow seems historically accurate, or as accurate as Black Magic gets. I’m don’t know shit , but the language used in the book (after repeatedly googling words), was consistent of a past era, and could be traced to modern vernacular, so it’s clear a decision was continually made to use the former language. The descriptions of demons and rituals were consistent with my brief explorations (Googlings) as well, which was a nice mental crux. When I couldn’t visualize a scene or symbol, I could just look it up. James Blish states at the beginning of ‘The Devil’s Day’ Omnibus his extensive research before writing the book, and it shows. If nothing else I appreciate that with many different descriptions of angels, demons, rituals, etc. throughout time, Blish pooled together a collection of those that fits tightly and beautifully into the Black Easter world. Even acknowledging at times the repetition of similar creatures and calling out the lack of creativity of ‘the heavenly powers’ for historical accuracy LOL!
The story telling is great. Pacing, exposition, dialogue, literary techniques such as repeatedly pulling in writings of other authors made me feel like I was reading from an ancient text myself. Certain chapters I started genuinely wondering why the hell are we here now, and sure enough the story was better for it every time.
Similar to how I felt after reading Metamorphosis by Kafka, it just doesn’t feel like anything in this book doesn’t serve a specific purpose. As a visual artist myself, I appreciate there is little fat to trim.
It feels more like an incredibly grand short story than a novel compared to modern Fantasy and Sci Fi. To me that is a plus, but could leave people feeling unfulfilled, and like for myself, can be tiring to read. The book won’t give you time to breathe, so I had to take that upon myself. That being said, if you can get a copy for a reasonable price, couldn’t recommend more.
March 21, 2024
2024 Book #11:
Black Easter (1968) by James Blish
A strangely successful blend of literary pretension, occult thriller, and religious meditation. I’m not sure if Blish was religious, but he sure was obsessed with Catholics. His 1958 novel A Case of Conscience gave us Catholics in space. With Black Easter, we get what can only be described as Catholic wizards. In this alternate universe, both white and black magicians exist in secret priest-like orders, and both types of magic involve the painstaking conjuration of demons to accomplish certain tasks. The main conflict in this novel arises when a sadistic arms dealer commissions the world’s most powerful dark magician (named Theron Ware) to unleash demons upon the world. This sounds like a relatively basic premise for an occult novel, but I was surprised at the direction that the story took in the final pages. Blish, I think, wanted to explore the infamous “question of evil” (why does God allow bad things to happen if he’s omnipotent?), and the novel’s conclusion may present one of the bleakest answers to this. At the same time, the ending is ambiguous and abrupt, and might be deceptive. Black Easter is a fast read, despite a few pages of plodding occult-babble that could have been trimmed down. The prose is erudite and a bit pretentiously allusive, but the sentences aren’t too long. Outside of the creepily charismatic Theron Ware, most of the other characters in the novel are not fleshed out very much, but I can forgive this in something short. In general, I recommend Black Easter to those who already have an interest in religion-themed speculative fiction, but it might fall a bit flat if religious questions don’t interest you. (4/5)
Black Easter (1968) by James Blish
A strangely successful blend of literary pretension, occult thriller, and religious meditation. I’m not sure if Blish was religious, but he sure was obsessed with Catholics. His 1958 novel A Case of Conscience gave us Catholics in space. With Black Easter, we get what can only be described as Catholic wizards. In this alternate universe, both white and black magicians exist in secret priest-like orders, and both types of magic involve the painstaking conjuration of demons to accomplish certain tasks. The main conflict in this novel arises when a sadistic arms dealer commissions the world’s most powerful dark magician (named Theron Ware) to unleash demons upon the world. This sounds like a relatively basic premise for an occult novel, but I was surprised at the direction that the story took in the final pages. Blish, I think, wanted to explore the infamous “question of evil” (why does God allow bad things to happen if he’s omnipotent?), and the novel’s conclusion may present one of the bleakest answers to this. At the same time, the ending is ambiguous and abrupt, and might be deceptive. Black Easter is a fast read, despite a few pages of plodding occult-babble that could have been trimmed down. The prose is erudite and a bit pretentiously allusive, but the sentences aren’t too long. Outside of the creepily charismatic Theron Ware, most of the other characters in the novel are not fleshed out very much, but I can forgive this in something short. In general, I recommend Black Easter to those who already have an interest in religion-themed speculative fiction, but it might fall a bit flat if religious questions don’t interest you. (4/5)
November 10, 2024
I gave this one 4-stars but I could just as well have given it 3-stars or even 2-.
The central conceit is an interesting one. Take the black magic trappings that you might find Dennis Wheatley's Duke de Richleau fighting against and give it both more of a narrative focus but also a better real world researched one (credit where it is due, Wheatley had already approached such topics with a good deal of framing it just never got in the way of his excitement factor). It is the black magic sensationalism equivalent to hard sci fi. It is well-written, quite readable, and the final sequence is wonderfully dark and punchy. For this I gave it the 4-stars.
The reason that it is only partially an accurate rating is because past the interesting concept and the solid ending it is mostly an exercise in narrative nothingness. This short novel could have been a not terribly long short story (and I suspect it was at some point though I find no evidence of that in a quick glance) composed of the last couple of chapters and then about another chapter's worth summation of the entire rest of the novel. There is little actual conflict. There is absolutely no character growth. It is a fascinating little snapshot of personalities and worldbuilding but all the punch in the final pages do not help there was never really a sense of doubt that those final pages were the whole point.
Time has removed much of the spooky counter-cultural punch that might be derived simply by reading a book about people on the general side of the demons or one that talks so matter-of-factly about the rules and pacts of the greater and infernal spheres.
There is a sequel novel that seems (based entirely on description) to have more plot and more actual characterization. I will try to get to that one in the next month or less.
My final review is read this one if you like to see a novel written from such a place, to give credit to the way it might have stood out from a time where (much like now, little really changes in good storytelling) such elements were short-cuts to spook'um ouija boards and two-bit shamans. It feels like a shift for a certain type of story and it handles it with a nice sense of pluck. It will not take long to read and Blish knows how to bring the reader along on long passages of primarily technical reading. You will be disappointed, though, if you need your fiction to have more of an internal-point than the chiseled-punch of a short story.
The central conceit is an interesting one. Take the black magic trappings that you might find Dennis Wheatley's Duke de Richleau fighting against and give it both more of a narrative focus but also a better real world researched one (credit where it is due, Wheatley had already approached such topics with a good deal of framing it just never got in the way of his excitement factor). It is the black magic sensationalism equivalent to hard sci fi. It is well-written, quite readable, and the final sequence is wonderfully dark and punchy. For this I gave it the 4-stars.
The reason that it is only partially an accurate rating is because past the interesting concept and the solid ending it is mostly an exercise in narrative nothingness. This short novel could have been a not terribly long short story (and I suspect it was at some point though I find no evidence of that in a quick glance) composed of the last couple of chapters and then about another chapter's worth summation of the entire rest of the novel. There is little actual conflict. There is absolutely no character growth. It is a fascinating little snapshot of personalities and worldbuilding but all the punch in the final pages do not help there was never really a sense of doubt that those final pages were the whole point.
Time has removed much of the spooky counter-cultural punch that might be derived simply by reading a book about people on the general side of the demons or one that talks so matter-of-factly about the rules and pacts of the greater and infernal spheres.
There is a sequel novel that seems (based entirely on description) to have more plot and more actual characterization. I will try to get to that one in the next month or less.
My final review is read this one if you like to see a novel written from such a place, to give credit to the way it might have stood out from a time where (much like now, little really changes in good storytelling) such elements were short-cuts to spook'um ouija boards and two-bit shamans. It feels like a shift for a certain type of story and it handles it with a nice sense of pluck. It will not take long to read and Blish knows how to bring the reader along on long passages of primarily technical reading. You will be disappointed, though, if you need your fiction to have more of an internal-point than the chiseled-punch of a short story.
February 17, 2023
One of my favourite genres: Christian science-fiction. Or is it fantasy?
I won’t go into too many details on the plot in this review; this book has a pretty easy sell and you’ll either be interested or you won’t.
It’s about the occult, specifically in the Christian understanding of the devil, demons, hell, witchcraft. Blish has evidently done extensive research into occult documentation, describing occult procedures, various types of demons (he even names them) in detail.
And of course, the people who meddle with these occult powers and think they can control them, are rewarded with the obvious results of their hubris. It’s a realistic ending, in that way, but very unrealistic in another way.
It’s interesting talking about a book that most would dub fantasy as “realistic”. As a Christian, I believe in the spiritual world - devils, demons, hell, occult, all of it. I don’t give it quite as much power as Blish has given these powers, and there’s a lot of purposeful obfuscation - the devil would love us to think he’s a lot more powerful than he actually is. He’s deluding himself, in many ways.
I was worrying during the first half that this book made the occult too attractive. But by the time it wrapped up, I think those fears were put to rest.
Would I re-read: no.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
I won’t go into too many details on the plot in this review; this book has a pretty easy sell and you’ll either be interested or you won’t.
It’s about the occult, specifically in the Christian understanding of the devil, demons, hell, witchcraft. Blish has evidently done extensive research into occult documentation, describing occult procedures, various types of demons (he even names them) in detail.
And of course, the people who meddle with these occult powers and think they can control them, are rewarded with the obvious results of their hubris. It’s a realistic ending, in that way, but very unrealistic in another way.
It’s interesting talking about a book that most would dub fantasy as “realistic”. As a Christian, I believe in the spiritual world - devils, demons, hell, occult, all of it. I don’t give it quite as much power as Blish has given these powers, and there’s a lot of purposeful obfuscation - the devil would love us to think he’s a lot more powerful than he actually is. He’s deluding himself, in many ways.
I was worrying during the first half that this book made the occult too attractive. But by the time it wrapped up, I think those fears were put to rest.
Would I re-read: no.
July 10, 2021
This book took me a little while to get used to with this writing style, then again I could only get my hands on a PDF version (thanks interwebs!). Out of print and hard to find. There are a few copies for sale but around $100, but now having read it, I might consider buying a copy. So we have a black magician who is going to open the gates of hell for one night at the request of an armes dealer. Anything with demons in it, I’m sold. However, I do get pissy if authors don’t refer to the goetia where talking about demons. But James Blish did and it made my heart oh so happy! Each goetia he listed with his description of them was accurate and he named all my favorites! I think this might be the sole reason I gave five stars. The author did his research. The downside is he still followed the good vs evil routine when writing with demons but alas most people do. I have the next book on order and excited to see the chaos they have caused. 😃
June 1, 2020
I first read Black Easter as a teenager, and it terrified me. Many years later, Blish's command of archaic occult terminology lends an eerie verisimilitude to this apocalyptic tale.
July 18, 2023
The slow burn of detailed black magic rituals and drawn out conversations was well worth the work in order to get to experience the final act. Between the breakfast club oddball combination of characters and the humor of the demons I’ve fallen for this quaint little book.
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