Customer Reviews

Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How come some people choose to be part of bizarre subcultures, where goths, witches, Satanists, BDSM-fans, vampires, and other strange individuals dwell? Well, some do it just to piss of their parents, others have seen a video with Evanescence or Good Charlotte on TV and decide to head to the nearest Hot Topic, some do it because the others do it, perhaps to some it's part of their growing up, and some do it just because they feel for the moment to do something different.

But then there are some who do since they instinctively feel they HAVE to do it, that the shadow side of life offers more pleasure than the "traditional" side, and that there is now way they'll feel complete without their certain clothes, makeup, rings and bracelets, their nocturnal visits to the local cemetery, or the hours spent on the dance floor of a nearby gothic nightclub. They're dark individuals, they're fascinated by things the majority of people fear, but they're not evil. They're just different. And often misunderstood.

Author Corvis Nocturnum is one of these dark, often misunderstood people. Throughout his life he had to suffer humiliation from his strange way of dress and harassment due to his morbid and different opinions. He knew there were others like him, and obviously he appreciated the ones he'd found, but he still wanted to something more concrete; explain to people how the nocturnal creatures who shun the sun, find death and morbid matters fascinating, and in other ways choose to go their own ways were people; perhaps different and weird, but still people.

And so he wrote a book about it, a book subtitled "Understanding Dark Subcultures", and that's exactly what it's all about: an introduction for "normal" people who want to understand alternative lifestyles. If you happen to belong to any of the groups that Corvis describe, then the book offers very little new information; Satanists know who LaVey was and they've heard of the First Church of Satan before, goths know perfectly well what makes them goth, witches know what witches want, fetish people have encountered bondage and flogging before, and so on.

Well, does this mean the book is pointless and not worth buying in case you already belong to one of the dark subcultures? Yes. And no. Or rather, sort of. You might not learn anything new, but it's still very nice to read a book written by an insider, an author with many years of experience of what he's writing about, and who in a relaxed and very human way tells the world what he (and the interviewed individuals) thinks.

It's not a book written by a scholar. If you want one of those you'll be disappointed, the proof-reading is not very good, and some of the interviews feel somewhat redundant. However, most persons featured in the book are both interesting and have important things to say, and in between the interviews all sorts of different aspects are brought up and described, descriptions that are followed by representatives for that particular topic. In the end you'll find a useful, but rather short, list of recommended reading and websites, which can be very valuable to anyone wanting to learn more of what Corvis talks about.

So now, it is worth buying? You bet. Embracing the Darkness is a different book about different people, not a scholarly masterpiece, yet still a great initiative that without a doubt should be supported. Go get it.

The idea of this book is great; the delivery is not. I feel that a book like this could be a great asset to enlightening people to darker aspects of our society. However... it is so poorly written that I would lose focus on what I was reading. The author is too close to whom he interviews and so it appeared to me to be more of a showcase of his friends rather than what they had to really say about things. There were actual misspellings within the text, which I also found disappointing.

Often, when this writer is on a bus in full Gothic attire, she is often asked, "Why do you wear that?" She is never sure what to say. Jokes don't work, and she is far too nice to make a sacastic comment. Besides, how can you explain a diverse culture such as mine in seven seconds?

Answer solved. This book goes into the various "dark subcultures" (Paganism, Goth, BDSM, the Vampire community) in a rather insightful, well-thought-out way. Corvis definately knows what he's talking about. I would reccomend this book to beginners.

This book was a definite good read. As I "belong" to several of these subcultures and I have for over 20 years, this book would have helped my parents and the parents of my friends to understand these subcultures. Needless to say we got bullied.
I hope this book opens doors for the dark subculture (many of which are underground in some places). I also hope it opens minds. It should be realized that there are bad people in every subculture and in every religion. Leaning more to the darker side of philosophy should not deem a person as "evil" right off the bat. Imagine if we all just listened to each other. We do not all have to agree.
I highly recommend this book. It is easy to understand and the author incorporates interviews with people from the subcultures to further define what they are. A worthwhile book to include in your library.

"With passion and honesty, author Corvis Nocturnum delves into topics that most of us know little or nothing about. Written in a unique manner, and including a number of personal interviews and external resources, "Embracing the Darkness: Understanding Dark Subcultures" presents a comprehensive overview of some of the most misunderstood lifestyles of our modern world. Highly recommended." --Raven Digitalis; author of "Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture" & "Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality"--

The author, Corvis Nocturnum, does an incredible job explaining about the varied dark subcultures. This is the first book I have read by the author and was extremely impressed by his writing style and the way he explained things. If your looking to learn more about the gothic lifestyle, Satanism, vampirism and other related topics than this is your book! I couldn't put it down from the moment I received it. Highly recommended! I am looking forward to reading the talented author's other books.

How come some people choose to be part of bizarre subcultures, where goths, witches, Satanists, BDSM-fans, vampires, and other strange individuals dwell? Well, some do it just to piss of their parents, others have seen a video with Evanescence or Good Charlotte on TV and decide to head to the nearest Hot Topic, some do it because the others do it, perhaps to some it's part of their growing up, and some do it just because they feel for the moment to do something different.

But then there are some who do since they instinctively feel they HAVE to do it, that the shadow side of life offers more pleasure than the "traditional" side, and that there is now way they'll feel complete without their certain clothes, makeup, rings and bracelets, their nocturnal visits to the local cemetery, or the hours spent on the dance floor of a nearby gothic nightclub. They're dark individuals, they're fascinated by things the majority of people fear, but they're not evil. They're just different. And often misunderstood.

Author Corvis Nocturnum is one of these dark, often misunderstood people. Throughout his life he had to suffer humiliation from his strange way of dress and harassment due to his morbid and different opinions. He knew there were others like him, and obviously he appreciated the ones he'd found, but he still wanted to something more concrete; explain to people how the nocturnal creatures who shun the sun, find death and morbid matters fascinating, and in other ways choose to go their own ways were people; perhaps different and weird, but still people.

And so he wrote a book about it, a book subtitled "Understanding Dark Subcultures", and that's exactly what it's all about: an introduction for "normal" people who want to understand alternative lifestyles. If you happen to belong to any of the groups that Corvis describe, then the book offers very little new information; Satanists know who LaVey was and they've heard of the First Church of Satan before, goths know perfectly well what makes them goth, witches know what witches want, fetish people have encountered bondage and flogging before, and so on.

Well, does this mean the book is pointless and not worth buying in case you already belong to one of the dark subcultures? Yes. And no. Or rather, sort of. You might not learn anything new, but it's still very nice to read a book written by an insider, an author with many years of experience of what he's writing about, and who in a relaxed and very human way tells the world what he (and the interviewed individuals) thinks.

It's not a book written by a scholar. If you want one of those you'll be disappointed, the proof-reading is not very good, and some of the interviews feel somewhat redundant. However, most persons featured in the book are both interesting and have important things to say, and in between the interviews all sorts of different aspects are brought up and described, descriptions that are followed by representatives for that particular topic. In the end you'll find a useful, but rather short, list of recommended reading and websites, which can be very valuable to anyone wanting to learn more of what Corvis talks about.

So, then, it is worth buying? You bet. Embracing the Darkness is a different book about different people, not a scholarly masterpiece, yet still a great initiative that without a doubt should be supported. Go get it.

I just love this book.When I was approched to be interviewed for it I jumped on the oppertunity.I believed in it then and I was blown away by how well written it is.Corvis has combined first hand experiance and knowledge with history and myth busting about the dark subcultures of today.He has scratched the surface of truely showing this world of ours how wonderful it really is to live in the darkness.I recommend this book to anyone who is within or is curious about the alternative side of the world!..A must have for any new age library or occult collection!!

After reading this book I found my eyes open wider to a great many things that most people didn't understand about subcultures that are regurlaly misrepresented by the general populace because they either didn't know what it really was about or chose to ignore the truth and condemn which they feared was different. Corvis did an excellent job not only presenting what these various cultures about but what links them togethar. Everything from interviews with famous and real day to day people along with his own personal experiances and studies in each of the various cultures history. Anyone willing to learn about things they didn't understand or where curious to learn about something that fascinates them I would highly recommend this book.

This book covers and explains a lot of what is out there that people do not know about or want to know about. It shows that not all things are evil even though the mainstream says it is. Corvis did a great job putting this together showing all the world that even the darkest places have light to them.