TITLE: The Black Book of Johnathan Knotbristle
AUTHOR: Chris Allaun
PUBLISHER: Crossed Crow
ISBN: 978-1964537245
PODCAST EPISODE: Coming soon
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
Chris Allaun needs no introduction to most of the world of magic practitioners. He has studied paganism and the occult in-depth since 1992. A founder of the Fellowship of the Phoenix, he was also inducted into their priesthood. He’s actively practiced Traditional Witchcraft since 2002, and is a Native American Pipe Carrier as well as a walker of the path of the Red Road.
The Black Book of Jonathan Knotbristle the Charmer is something new for Allaun – a novel rather than the nonfiction that he typically has written. Published by Crossed Crow Books, it is due for release in a signed and numbered limited edition in early April, and an unlimited release later that month.
Through the text of Jonathan Knotbristle, Chris Allaun follows the long tradition, popularized by Dion Fortune before him, of imparting occult practices and beliefs through the medium of fiction. He imparts many of the practices and beliefs of Traditional (or Folkloric) witchcraft through the telling of a fictional story. Jonathan Knotbristle is young when his family dies, but not young enough to not be left on his own. A 14-year-old in Texas in the late 1800s, he learns to make a living with not only no one to rely on, but also with the whole of the town thinking that he might just be cursed by the Devil. In a moment of desperation he strikes a deal with the Devil - not the Christian Satan, but the old Horned God himself. Jonathan is, after all, still a Christian - much like most witches were at the time.
So Jonathan Knotbristle becomes a witch. He gets a familiar, and learns how to contact spirits and heal people. He uses his powers in the way that most witches of the time period would, to heal and to help. He makes money with it, but not a lot. He doesn’t seek riches or power over anyone, but only just enough to get by. The reader learns as Jonathan does about the Traditional Witchcraft of the era, attitudes towards witches during the time, and what life in general was like then. All of this is told through Jonathan Knotbristle’s own words, a colloquial drawl reminiscent of the manner in which Mark Twain conveyed the everyday speech of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
The book is completed with a proper collection of the spells used throughout the story, should any reader wish to try their hand at Traditional Witchcraft. These resources cover everything from calling up the Devil to make a deal with him, to entering trance states, conjuring a familiar, or the “doctorin’” that these witches so commonly did. This Southern tradition is very different from traditional ceremonial magic, but not so different from what the Cunning Folk back in Britain practiced during the same time period. It’s a fascinating read, and a fine introduction to Allaun’s work.
AUTHOR: Chris Allaun
PUBLISHER: Crossed Crow
ISBN: 978-1964537245
PODCAST EPISODE: Coming soon
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
Chris Allaun needs no introduction to most of the world of magic practitioners. He has studied paganism and the occult in-depth since 1992. A founder of the Fellowship of the Phoenix, he was also inducted into their priesthood. He’s actively practiced Traditional Witchcraft since 2002, and is a Native American Pipe Carrier as well as a walker of the path of the Red Road.
The Black Book of Jonathan Knotbristle the Charmer is something new for Allaun – a novel rather than the nonfiction that he typically has written. Published by Crossed Crow Books, it is due for release in a signed and numbered limited edition in early April, and an unlimited release later that month.
Through the text of Jonathan Knotbristle, Chris Allaun follows the long tradition, popularized by Dion Fortune before him, of imparting occult practices and beliefs through the medium of fiction. He imparts many of the practices and beliefs of Traditional (or Folkloric) witchcraft through the telling of a fictional story. Jonathan Knotbristle is young when his family dies, but not young enough to not be left on his own. A 14-year-old in Texas in the late 1800s, he learns to make a living with not only no one to rely on, but also with the whole of the town thinking that he might just be cursed by the Devil. In a moment of desperation he strikes a deal with the Devil - not the Christian Satan, but the old Horned God himself. Jonathan is, after all, still a Christian - much like most witches were at the time.
So Jonathan Knotbristle becomes a witch. He gets a familiar, and learns how to contact spirits and heal people. He uses his powers in the way that most witches of the time period would, to heal and to help. He makes money with it, but not a lot. He doesn’t seek riches or power over anyone, but only just enough to get by. The reader learns as Jonathan does about the Traditional Witchcraft of the era, attitudes towards witches during the time, and what life in general was like then. All of this is told through Jonathan Knotbristle’s own words, a colloquial drawl reminiscent of the manner in which Mark Twain conveyed the everyday speech of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
The book is completed with a proper collection of the spells used throughout the story, should any reader wish to try their hand at Traditional Witchcraft. These resources cover everything from calling up the Devil to make a deal with him, to entering trance states, conjuring a familiar, or the “doctorin’” that these witches so commonly did. This Southern tradition is very different from traditional ceremonial magic, but not so different from what the Cunning Folk back in Britain practiced during the same time period. It’s a fascinating read, and a fine introduction to Allaun’s work.