Customer Reviews

Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Bk. 1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sinister Forces (Vol. I) digs far beyond the plots and counter-plots familiar to conspiracy buffs. By now, the American people have endured their own initiatory journey of multiple assassinations, wrong-headed wars hot and cold, and passed through enough contemporary "gates"--Watergate, Contragate, Irangate to name a few--that at this point, reports of low deeds in high places are often greeted with a certain sickened fatalism.

Sinister Forces analyzes American History more profoundly than anything most of us are accustomed to, takes us behind the scenes of consensus reality to show us not just the puppetmasters manipulating the events that become our headlines, but does a convincing job of tracking the spoor, footprints and slime trails of Whatever might be holding the strings of those puppetmasters. We know about the spinmeisters already, but who, or what, Levenda asks, is controlling "them?"

The author's thesis, sketched out boldly and backed by exhaustive documentation, is that something sinister, possibly Satanic, in any event appallingly Other, has been shaping American history from the days of its earliest human inhabitants. Levenda is tackling nothing less than the metaphysical underpinnings of American history from the mysterious mound-building cultures through the Salem witch trials to 20th century mind-control experiments. This is no speculative history, but--as we've come to expect from Levenda--a meticulously researched argument that sheds disturbing light on the land of the free--which may be anything but.

This book deserves five stars-plus for intellectual courage alone. As no less a literary light than Norman Mailer points out in his blurb, it would have been easier, "safer" (and, I would guess, more lucrative) to use this material as background for a variety of thrillers. Instead, Levenda takes on the gargantuan task of presenting this as non-fiction with surprising success. Readers of his earlier "Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement with the Occult" already know Levenda can render dense, usually-soporific material highly readable and has a genuine gift for breaking trail through a seemingly-impenetrable thicket of facts. On style and substance both, this one rates an easy 4 and 3/4 stars. In a few places, the author pursues a line of inquiry that amounts to little just a bit too long for my taste, but it would be churlish to dwell on what are only minor flaws. It is refreshing to sense behind the prose of the even-handed scholar calmly showing us horrors, the mature and passionate voice of someone who knows there's no cure for our national maladies until they're fully understood.

Sinister Forces will undoubtedly ruffle feathers among the "my country, right or wrong" crowd, and in our present over-packaged, niche-crazed publishing world, few authors and publishers would have had the courage to present so bold an argument. This one's a keeper, rewarding start to finish, and also immensely useful as a reference. Thought-provoking and intriguing, this is one of the most frightening books you're likely to read--though I may have to revise that once the next volumes of the trilogy are published.

_Sinister Forces: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft: Book One: The Nine_ by Peter Levenda, author of _Unholy Alliance_ a book about the Nazis and the occult, published by Trine Day is an occult political history of America. This book is the first book in the trilogy of books _Sinister Forces_ put out by the author. The author traces the history of America from its earliest days up until the Kennedy assassination and the Manson murders, showing how sinister occult influences lie underneath the political fabric of this country. This book is a rather rambling account which attempts to piece together various obscure and occult articles of information that have remained hidden beneath the surface to other investigators. While many so-called "conspiracy theorists" have picked up on this underground knowledge, few others in the mainstream know of these occult synchronicities. Indeed, the notion of synchronicity of Carl Jung plays an important role in this book, which often borders on a stream of consciousness attempt to connect disparate elements within the American political historical landscape.

The book is divided into three sections entitled: "Deep Background", "Agents of the Devil", and "Crossfire". Each section provides a snapshot of various events within American history and their occult origins. The first section begins by discussing the writer of occult horror H. P. Lovecraft, whose incorporation of Native American elements, with ancient pagan religions brought over from old Europe, along with tales of New England witchcraft and sorcery into his stories provided such a unique understanding of the esoteric origins of America. The author also discusses Christopher Columbus and the role of Islamic mysticism, the Salem witch trials (making reference to the work _Wonders of the Invisible World_ of puritan divine Cotton Mather), and folk magic. Indeed, the author provides an interesting theory regarding the witch trials, echoing Dame Frances Yates and emphasizing the fact that among gentlemen of the puritan era alchemy and magical ceremony may have been popular avocations. This may have led to the accusation of a conspiracy at the highest levels attempting to uproot Christianity among the puritans. The author also discusses fully the history of Mormonism, emphasizing particularly the covered-up occult and freemasonic beliefs of Joseph Smith. Indeed, according to the author D. Michael Quinn, Mormonism was rooted in occult beliefs, folk magic, and ceremonial magic tracing its roots back to Renaissance magicians and ultimately the Jewish Cabbala. Of course the official Mormon interpreters of the church's history deny these allegations. The author next turns his attention to American prehistory. Here, the author notes the distinction between various theories proposed to explain who first discovered America. According to the "independent interventionist" school of thought, the Americas were peopled by a group of people who came across the land bridge from northern Asia. Later Christopher Columbus became the first European to discover America. However, according to more recent evidence and the "diffusionist" school of thought, America may have been visited many times before the advent of Columbus. In particular, evidence from the mounds prevalent throughout the United States indicate the presence of Viking, Welsh, and Celtic remains. One theory suggests that King Arthur may have come to the Americas. The author next turns his attention to "the Ashland tragedy". Here, he explains various things including the influences on Charles Manson (Scientology, Appalachia, and Dale Carnegie), the Mothman prophecies, and the death of Frank Olson, who committed suicide after being given LSD unknowingly by the CIA. Indeed, the Church of Scientology founded by science fiction writer and con-man L. Ron Hubbard represents a second American attempt to found a religion (similar to Mormonism), and like Mormonism Hubbard actively pursued ceremonial magic before his creation of Scientology. The second section of this book is entitled "Agents of the Devil". Here, the author begins by discussing the influence of the Nazis on various intelligence agencies. Indeed, as part of Project PAPERCLIP, Nazi scientists may have come to the United States to continue their research for the U.S. government. The author also discusses such strange occurrences as UFOs, the Nine, and the death of rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons. The author also discusses the CIA's Project BLUEBIRD and the various mind control projects of the CIA. The author has a strange theory about the origin of the name "Bluebird", arguing that it came from the play _Bluebird_ of occultist Maurice Maeterlinck. The author shows how the CIA sought to unlock the secrets to the land of memory, so as to continue America's success at war. The final section of this book is devoted to the John F. Kennedy assassination. Here, the author notes various obscure coincidences surrounding the Kennedy death. In particular, the influence of the occult on various individuals surrounding the Kennedy assassinations cannot be denied. The author also discusses the role of various "wandering bishops" (iterant bishops having attempted to attain valid orders who enter into schismatic churches) in the development of the intelligence community. In particular, various schismatic sects may have served as vehicles for spies of both the communists and the CIA as well as double agents. The book ends with an appendix entitled: "A Field Guide to Wandering Bishops", in which the author discusses the phenomenon of various schismatics in the futher development of occultism and the intelligence community.

This book makes for very fascinating reading although it is somewhat rambling in its account of the hidden and obscure. The author offers much food for thought even though he never really puts all the pieces together. One can only follow the string so far before the author has set off again in another direction. Nevertheless, the book is interesting and comprises the first part of a trilogy.

This in one of the best books I've read in a while...and I read a lot!

This book really has nothing to do with conspiracy theories, the author purposefully stays away from theorizing and points out areas where many are prone to. He just brings many amazing facts, from out the memory hole, together in one place; making a very readable, entertaining book in the process.

If you're generally into this subject matter (the strange side of politics) then read this, you won't be sorry!

I have Amazon's recommendation system to thank for introducing me to the important work of Peter Levenda. Certainly, I would not have sought out this work otherwise. But, I am grateful that I did. Well done, Amazon!

This book is well written, thoroughly documented, and important. The rather bizarre foreward by Jim Hougan contributes nothing at all to the corpus of the book and can be left unread with no context or meaning being lost. Once Levenda does get going in this book, it is relentlessly fascinating. Levenda portrays much of the "dark side" of American political history with style, class, and a proper sense of wonder.

I was particularly interested in the connections Levenda makes to the Nazi and Satanic influences in such CIA initiatives as MK/Ultra and the Kennedy assassinations. Reading this very interesting and well written account motivates me to read the rest of this series and the author's earlier book on Nazi involvement with the occult. It seems that satanism and Nazism have had a more profound influence on modern history than mainstream expositors would otherwise acknowlege.

The book rates four stars instead of five, from my perspective, for two reasons. The author, apparently a fallen away Catholic, has a bias against Christianity that almost at times borders on nastiness. And the book, though spell binding throughout, ends not with a bang but with a whimper. We are left with the distinct impression that the author's main purpose in the last chapter was to set the stage for the next book in the series. Yet, I am now prepared to order that next item. So, perhaps the sneaky little plan is effective. In any case, I strongly recommend this very interesting book to anyone who would understand a bit better the occult aspects of American political history.

I'm kind of new to the occult genre (due to being relatively skeptical), but I heard a couple of interviews of Peter Levenda and was intrigued so I bought the book. Well researched stuff; presented in a conversational manner, which was entertaining for non-fiction. The facts that can be nailed down are, and cooincidences and synchronicities are identified as such leaving the reader to draw the conclusions. Overall, a fun non-fiction read, with an end note section at the end of each chapter that provides a great resource for future reading in the areas that one liked. I'll be picking up book 2.

While I admit that I agree with the previous comment, this three volume set is a real page-turner. I bought these books based on the comments I read at Amazon.com and I haven't been able to put them down. By the end of this week, I will have finished all three volumes in less than two weeks.



The author does ramble at times, and, through at least the first 900 pages of the set, fails to tie everything together. However, he creates ample food for thought, particularly for those who fear that a shadow govenment has run the US for at least the last fifty years.

I too bought this book after listening to a radio interview with the author. I felt that I was ready to stretch the limits of my .... mind. Yes, I do admit there were some hoaky and so-called ironic coincidences which the editor could have plucked and thrown aside .... such as some book being published on Hitler's birthday. That only lends to: "OK, don't waste my time". But overall, I applaud the author for his honesty and vast research on his topics. BRAVO!

I was raised Roman Catholic and I can feel relieved that I now know that the rituals I went through are rather common throughout history's human-condition. Heavens!! When a child, - I had my throat blessed by the priest with unlit candles so I would not choke on fish bones! I now know that this is on par with other cultures, cults and religions. Never knew!

The author captivated me with information on archeological findings of the BC time-frame here in North America, on the birth of the LDS Church and that of Scientology, and the US government's recruitment of Nazi scientists after the War. Just stuff I had never heard of before. BRAVO!

Scariest book I've read in my 23 years. There were actually a couple times I really got spooked out while reading the book. Levenda had done his research well. From Manson, The Kennedys, to our Nazi founded CIA and space programs.

"...given that in the course of history many have acted on beliefs in which many others did not believe, we must perforce admit that for each, to a different degree, history has been largely the theater of illusion." - Umberto Eco

The subject material is fascinating, and there is no doubt this man knows his stuff. Reviewers who dismiss it as 'more consipracy nonsense' are either not interested in versions of American history found outside of their sophmore textbooks or disinformation operatives (joke). Either way, why did they bother reading this in the first place?

There is precious litte here that draws conclusions, and that - aside from the authors constant habit of wandering off-topic - was my only complaint. Kudos for the brave tackling of an alternate subject matter!

Levenda's panoramic knowledge of the occult and popular culture and also his knowledge of exoteric and esoteric history is mind-boggling. But what's even more mind-boggling is how he demonstrates its nexus with various facets of the government. His work provides a window on history that one won't learn in academia, but is nonetheless just as real.