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Child of the Dawn is a fast-paced almost cinematic tale of occult conspiracy and adventure with Aleister Crowley, his followers and The Stelé of Revealing very much at the centre of a wild and entertaining yarn. Ron’s life-long interest in the Occult combined with his undisputed literary talent ensure a thrilling and immersive read. Readers who have already had the pleasure of an early preview, like our friend Mark Valentine and Rosemary Pardoe (of Ghosts and Scholars), agree that Ron’s novel has all the hallmarks of deep learning, vivid prose and an enthralling plotting. There are very few modern, intelligent novels written on occult themes authored by a master of the genre.
In Child of The Dawn we have a heady combination of a fast-paced adventure narrative, a tale of ritual magic and a chilling glimpse into the horrifying fantasy world evoked by the opium dreams of Poe and De Quincey.
The inspiration for the novel is Aleister Crowley’s account of receiving a trance message from a demonic spirit, which led him to write “The Book of The Law”. One of the instructions given to Crowley was that he should steal a certain magical plaque, the Stelé of Revealing, from Cairo Museum, and set it up in its ‘proper place’ in an act which would promote the advent of ‘A New Age’.
Rosemary Pardoe, an expert on M. R. James and editor of Ghost and Scholars, describes the novel as a real page-turner, setting a fast pace and that it is full of the details of occult practice. Her summary was “Indiana Jones meets H.P. Lovecraft” and that the novel would make a great action film script.
Mark Valentine, author of many great stories and biographer of Arthur Machen, has also read the manuscript and says that it has all the hallmarks of deep learning, vivid prose and an enthralling plotting. Mark commented that he was sure the novel would be very well received, by a wide range of readers.