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King Satyr
Nearly twenty-five years in the making, Sarob Press is absolutely honoured and thrilled to, at long last, present KING SATYR, a novel by RON WEIGHELL.
Ron first mentioned the novel in his introduction to the Ghost Story Press edition of his collection THE WHITE ROAD (1997) and, when Ron sadly passed away in December of 2020, he left the novel almost* complete.
*there are a very few small sections which Ron told Fran he might have expanded slightly, but missing these, in no way, hampers the story or the otherwise smooth flow of the novel.
Ron’s wife Fran has, with help and input from author Mark Valentine and Robert Morgan of Sarob Press, worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition and to present it in a beautiful edition for the author's very many admirers. Featuring characters who will be familiar to fans of THE WHITE ROAD, this Austin Osman Spare inspired Alphonsus Gaunt/Nicholas Hallam novel, charts the occult and pagan history and experiences of mystic seeker Cyrus Burton, and is mostly set in the darkly satanic 1960s/1970s.
The titling font, and all the art by NICK MALORET, were chosen and agreed upon with Ron and Fran before he sadly passed away.
Contents:
Introduction by Fran Weighell.
King Satyr.
Afterword by Ron Weighell.
A Ron Weighell Bibliography.
Ron first mentioned the novel in his introduction to the Ghost Story Press edition of his collection THE WHITE ROAD (1997) and, when Ron sadly passed away in December of 2020, he left the novel almost* complete.
*there are a very few small sections which Ron told Fran he might have expanded slightly, but missing these, in no way, hampers the story or the otherwise smooth flow of the novel.
Ron’s wife Fran has, with help and input from author Mark Valentine and Robert Morgan of Sarob Press, worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition and to present it in a beautiful edition for the author's very many admirers. Featuring characters who will be familiar to fans of THE WHITE ROAD, this Austin Osman Spare inspired Alphonsus Gaunt/Nicholas Hallam novel, charts the occult and pagan history and experiences of mystic seeker Cyrus Burton, and is mostly set in the darkly satanic 1960s/1970s.
The titling font, and all the art by NICK MALORET, were chosen and agreed upon with Ron and Fran before he sadly passed away.
Contents:
Introduction by Fran Weighell.
King Satyr.
Afterword by Ron Weighell.
A Ron Weighell Bibliography.
- GenresHorror
161 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2021
95 people want to read
About the author
Ron Weighell
37 books12 followersRon Weighell (1950 - 2020) was a British writer of fiction in the supernatural, fantasy and horror genre, whose work was published in the United Kingdom, the U.S.A., Canada, Germany, Ireland, Romania, Finland, Belgium and Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 19, 2024
synopsis: due to a certain experience in his childhood, a young man becomes obsessed by satyrs; this obsession causes him to engage in a lot of research, which leads to several strange experiences.
"delicious" is such an effete, decadent adjective to use for a book... I guess I'm an effete decadent, because this book was savory, rich, delicious. but tastes differ, so I imagine it wouldn't be as enjoyable a meal for many. there is such an insular quality to it, as if it were written for a select audience and, perhaps, mainly for the author himself. the novel was Weighell's last and it felt both very niche and very personal: the obscure subject matter; the diffident tone and slow pace and the formal, decidedly old-fashioned prose; the smorgasbord of characters inspired by real authors, mystics, artists, musicians; the episodic quality of the narrative and the perhaps autobiographical elements of the protagonist's personality and journey; the bookishness of it all.
although this is squarely within the 'weird fiction' genre, where ambiguity reigns supreme, there are still several sequences that were overtly Horror or even Thriller: a bundle of rags in the corner of an abandoned basement suddenly taking a sinister shape; a hunt on a mansion's grounds with human prey; a conversation in a rest home with an evil old wizard that ends in an unpleasant curse being directed at the protagonist. all of that and much more was delightful. I really love the rather starchy yet sometimes arch way that Weighell writes. it was also very interesting to read about the different permutations of "satyr": archaic nature and fertility figures in the myths and legends of many cultures, artisans and architects credited as Etruscans in history books, Satanic figures, members of chthonic cults, tempters who will lead the unwary astray, guides who will lead the curious to new paths and old dimensions.
"delicious" is such an effete, decadent adjective to use for a book... I guess I'm an effete decadent, because this book was savory, rich, delicious. but tastes differ, so I imagine it wouldn't be as enjoyable a meal for many. there is such an insular quality to it, as if it were written for a select audience and, perhaps, mainly for the author himself. the novel was Weighell's last and it felt both very niche and very personal: the obscure subject matter; the diffident tone and slow pace and the formal, decidedly old-fashioned prose; the smorgasbord of characters inspired by real authors, mystics, artists, musicians; the episodic quality of the narrative and the perhaps autobiographical elements of the protagonist's personality and journey; the bookishness of it all.
although this is squarely within the 'weird fiction' genre, where ambiguity reigns supreme, there are still several sequences that were overtly Horror or even Thriller: a bundle of rags in the corner of an abandoned basement suddenly taking a sinister shape; a hunt on a mansion's grounds with human prey; a conversation in a rest home with an evil old wizard that ends in an unpleasant curse being directed at the protagonist. all of that and much more was delightful. I really love the rather starchy yet sometimes arch way that Weighell writes. it was also very interesting to read about the different permutations of "satyr": archaic nature and fertility figures in the myths and legends of many cultures, artisans and architects credited as Etruscans in history books, Satanic figures, members of chthonic cults, tempters who will lead the unwary astray, guides who will lead the curious to new paths and old dimensions.
December 31, 2021
As the blurb says, a posthumously published novel and an odd (in a good way) read it is too.
To all intents and purposes completed in 2020 (there is nothing to indicate to me any lacunae) it has a forward by Weighell’s widow and an afterward by the author. Normally I would consider these separately, but both interact so intimately with the text of the novel itself that I have considered them all as one piece.
Fran Weighell gives a touching portrait of her husband and indicates some of his many attributes. Of these, a number are relevant to the novel, such as his general interest in the paranormal and arcane which extended, at least at some point, into what appeared to be a practice of the occult. Readers of Weighell’s previous works might not be too surprised at this.
In his afterward to the book, Weighell writes of the influences on the novel especially that of the artist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956) whose work he first encountered in the 1960’s. Although he is at pains to point out that the Alphonsus Gaunt is NOT Spare and the main character, the seeker, soon to be initiate, Cyrus Burton is NOT the author. However, the novel is nonetheless (in my reading at least) something of Weighell's love letter to Spare and the occult quest in general, mixing elements of both Spare’s and Weighell’s own biographies into the fiction.
Many of the other characters in the book are also based upon real people, Aleister Crowley, Victor Neuburg, Dennis Wheatley, Syd Barrett all appear in some form (Weighell gives quite a list), their colourful lives and works adding realistic elements to the action, which is set in the 1960s/70s and concerns Cyrus’ quest to understand both intellectually and mystically, the cult of Pan/Bacchus and the Elysian mysteries both in the past and how they might be practised now. As such he finds himself involved with dubious booksellers, art collectors and occultists and via his own intuition and academic research has various uncanny, illuminating and disturbing encounters with the mystical/paranormal.
I need hardly say that it is well researched and there are plenty of moments where I found myself thinking,”is that a real book?” or “who is that?” but I am glad to say that my previous primary criticism of Weighell’s work - that it is too full of the ‘workings’ of occultism i.e. long discursive sections on obscure Hermetic tracts et cetera, is largely absent. This allows the story to develop at a nice pace as Cyrus slowly adds pieces to a jigsaw that he knows he can never complete for every day is a learning day.
However, it does take a degree of discipline to just enjoy the novel as its own entity and not get sucked into identifying elements/characters that are factual. I often found myself attempting to sift fact from fiction and feeling alternately smug at identifying a possible character and frustrated in my attempts to try and place something that was probably fictional, which distracted me from the page itself causing re-reads. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
However, with that caveat, this book has some fine moments and is carefully constructed with just the right balance of practical and intuitive occultism to keep it on the straight and narrow. I am sure previous fans of Weighell’s fiction will enjoy this, while for newcomers to his work, this novel is a fine example of the author at his best. Definitely worth picking up.
To all intents and purposes completed in 2020 (there is nothing to indicate to me any lacunae) it has a forward by Weighell’s widow and an afterward by the author. Normally I would consider these separately, but both interact so intimately with the text of the novel itself that I have considered them all as one piece.
Fran Weighell gives a touching portrait of her husband and indicates some of his many attributes. Of these, a number are relevant to the novel, such as his general interest in the paranormal and arcane which extended, at least at some point, into what appeared to be a practice of the occult. Readers of Weighell’s previous works might not be too surprised at this.
In his afterward to the book, Weighell writes of the influences on the novel especially that of the artist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956) whose work he first encountered in the 1960’s. Although he is at pains to point out that the Alphonsus Gaunt is NOT Spare and the main character, the seeker, soon to be initiate, Cyrus Burton is NOT the author. However, the novel is nonetheless (in my reading at least) something of Weighell's love letter to Spare and the occult quest in general, mixing elements of both Spare’s and Weighell’s own biographies into the fiction.
Many of the other characters in the book are also based upon real people, Aleister Crowley, Victor Neuburg, Dennis Wheatley, Syd Barrett all appear in some form (Weighell gives quite a list), their colourful lives and works adding realistic elements to the action, which is set in the 1960s/70s and concerns Cyrus’ quest to understand both intellectually and mystically, the cult of Pan/Bacchus and the Elysian mysteries both in the past and how they might be practised now. As such he finds himself involved with dubious booksellers, art collectors and occultists and via his own intuition and academic research has various uncanny, illuminating and disturbing encounters with the mystical/paranormal.
I need hardly say that it is well researched and there are plenty of moments where I found myself thinking,”is that a real book?” or “who is that?” but I am glad to say that my previous primary criticism of Weighell’s work - that it is too full of the ‘workings’ of occultism i.e. long discursive sections on obscure Hermetic tracts et cetera, is largely absent. This allows the story to develop at a nice pace as Cyrus slowly adds pieces to a jigsaw that he knows he can never complete for every day is a learning day.
However, it does take a degree of discipline to just enjoy the novel as its own entity and not get sucked into identifying elements/characters that are factual. I often found myself attempting to sift fact from fiction and feeling alternately smug at identifying a possible character and frustrated in my attempts to try and place something that was probably fictional, which distracted me from the page itself causing re-reads. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
However, with that caveat, this book has some fine moments and is carefully constructed with just the right balance of practical and intuitive occultism to keep it on the straight and narrow. I am sure previous fans of Weighell’s fiction will enjoy this, while for newcomers to his work, this novel is a fine example of the author at his best. Definitely worth picking up.
August 3, 2022
Weighell, Ron - King Satyr
If you are like me, sometimes you feel like a skin rash is imminent when reading overripe prose of Clark Ashton Smith, Ray Bradbury or Jonathan Gale. Such is the prologue of this novel, and I was fearful my flesh would rebel. Was the whole book going to be like this?
In a word, no. This is a masterful excursion – excursions – into various pasts. Chiefly the late 1960’s - 70’s, though it frequently harks back to the 1920’s or fin de siècle London.
Cyrus Burton, exposed to a fleeting summer Mystery, soon follows a path. To learn as much as he can about Alphonsus Gaunt, occult artist, in a certain sinister vogue at one point, subsequently fallen into disgraced obscurity.
Although the novel is structured along lines of the classic quest, it is jammed with historical references and studded with diversions. Who was Alphonsus Gaunt patterned after? Or Nicholas Hallam? Rosaleen Norton, was there such a person? Time and again, I paused reading to research.
“Be warned, Pagan,” said once, but implied throughout. This is a wander into the realm of satyrs, Pan, Dionysus, rites, worship. Of a world suppressed until forgotten, though, as murmured by Machen, it is merely shrouded by a flimsy veil.
Weighell’s grip on the reins is sure throughout, with casual reveals, previous seekers, and the perils of wisdom. King SatyrThis has only recently gone OP. As of this writing, copies remain available at honorable booksellers at reasonable prices.
If you are like me, sometimes you feel like a skin rash is imminent when reading overripe prose of Clark Ashton Smith, Ray Bradbury or Jonathan Gale. Such is the prologue of this novel, and I was fearful my flesh would rebel. Was the whole book going to be like this?
In a word, no. This is a masterful excursion – excursions – into various pasts. Chiefly the late 1960’s - 70’s, though it frequently harks back to the 1920’s or fin de siècle London.
Cyrus Burton, exposed to a fleeting summer Mystery, soon follows a path. To learn as much as he can about Alphonsus Gaunt, occult artist, in a certain sinister vogue at one point, subsequently fallen into disgraced obscurity.
Although the novel is structured along lines of the classic quest, it is jammed with historical references and studded with diversions. Who was Alphonsus Gaunt patterned after? Or Nicholas Hallam? Rosaleen Norton, was there such a person? Time and again, I paused reading to research.
“Be warned, Pagan,” said once, but implied throughout. This is a wander into the realm of satyrs, Pan, Dionysus, rites, worship. Of a world suppressed until forgotten, though, as murmured by Machen, it is merely shrouded by a flimsy veil.
Weighell’s grip on the reins is sure throughout, with casual reveals, previous seekers, and the perils of wisdom. King SatyrThis has only recently gone OP. As of this writing, copies remain available at honorable booksellers at reasonable prices.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews