Customer Reviews

The Power of Halloween

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I really like Diana Millay, so it pains me to have to write that her new book, "The Power of Halloween," is less than compelling. There are few, if any, fresh insights to the history of the holiday, its significance to pagans and non-pagans in the old and modern worlds, or why we need to tap into the special spiritual lessons of the day. It is, rather, a rambling pastiche of essays in search of a central theme. Here and there Ms. Millay sprinkles tantalizing stories - one wishes mightily that she had forsworn the glib feminist diatribes against the Church of Rome, and men in general, for persecuting witches, and given us more stories about her ancestors and her experiences with the supernatural. Indeed, her treatment of the Salem witch hunt and persecution focuses entirely on generally recognized theories more eloquently portrayed in Arthur Miller's masterpiece, "The Crucible." None of the recent academic findings, viz., that the persecution of these 21 women and one man were fueled by economic and property disputes is mentioned. I doubt if any serious research attended the writing of this book. Her essays often gloss over facts and condense history in a maddening fashion. At times, I had the feeling that what I was reading was just plain wrong - there are so many sweeping generalizations that just rankled. Fans of the cult TV show "Dark Shadows" will no doubt be drawn to this book due to Ms. Millay's having starred on the program. However, if you are a serious student of the occult, or are fascinated by the holiday in any way, this slim volume will prove mildly entertaining at best.

Diana Millay is a fascinating person, and would have a hard time writing anything truly boring or frivolous. Read "Three Books of Occult Philosophy" by Cornelius Agrippa-if you try to read it as a history book, you really miss the point. This is a book about Halloween, a book meant to be as much inspirational (at least) as it is informative. Treat it as such, and you won't be dissapointed. This is book is a great read, for kids and adults.
I appreciate the criticism of the first reviewer, but I suggest he missed a lot-maybe even missed the point of the book. Would you read "Aesop's fables" and complain because animals actually talked in the stories? Don't be so one-dimensional! This is an interesting work by a very interesting woman. Get it while you can, it's a one of a kind.