The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic Hardcover – October 15, 2024

I've never seen anything quite like it. It was not at all what I was expecting. I bought it because I was interested in the artwork. From the book's description I was expecting it to be about Stage Magic, pulling rabbits out of a hat, card tricks and stuff like that. Little did I expect to be taken on such a wild ride down the rabbit hole.The artwork lived up to my expectations (I'm studying to become an artist), but the knowledge blew me away. I was stunned.The book starts out with an exploration of how consciousness (possibly) evolved and how religious urges formed as a way to understand the world. For most authors that would be enough for a whole book, but here it was just the warm up -- the introduction to a remarkably vast encyclopedia of metaphysical and spiritual knowledge. All of which was presented in a very playful and entertaining way.If you have ever wondered about the Tarot, there is an excellent introduction to it here including the little known history of it's origins. But that is just one of dozens of topics covered in this tome.The biggest section by far is a who's who description of the origins and background of a huge list of people involved in creating and shaping the occult/magical/metaphysical world as it exists today.Let me qualify this by saying that I've been around for a long time and I was already familiar with many of the topics and people covered in this book. But nowhere else have I seen such a depth of information. These authors have tracked down obscure and often hidden information some of which I have never encountered before in any of the the many dozens of books that I have read on these subjects.This book does not pull many punches either for instance it exposes Saint Germain as a fraud. Although I felt that it was perhaps a bit too kindly in overlooking Aleister Crowley's flaws.If you want to learn about the Theosophical Society, the Rosicrucians and many more, this book has it. This is Truly a Magnum Opus of remarkable importance... hiding in a playful disguise...

It’s not often I read an entire book, disagree with the author’s entire belief system due to numerous logical inconsistencies, and still find it charming to strongly recommend it to anyone curious about the theoretical underpinnings and cultural motifs of said belief system. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic should NOT be read if you want to turn people into frogs or fly on broomsticks. What it IS useful for, as the author himself states, is passing the time on a raining day or trying to find some measure of solace when you’re feeling adrift in life.The author approaches magic as a means of almost-meditative spiritual self-discovery, framing the reality of the supernatural is irrelevant compared to the meanings and associations of what it represents. To that end, he jumps from Sumerian to Egyptian to Greek mythology-even positing figures such as H.P. Lovecraft (someone he seems to tacitly admire despite also cheerfully admitting his status as a magician-never supported by Lovecraft himself-is questionable!) to describe recurring systems, symbols and what kind of mood he thinks they bring when reaching various degrees of altered consciousness. It is clear this product is a labour of love both from the sheer wealth of information conveyed, as well as the EXTREMELY high quality of the illustrations. An academic might start pulling out hair at the lack of citations for the more speculative claims within, but Alan would seem to cheerfully retort that academia and magic are as entwined as magic is with every facet of the human desire for transcendence.The book includes a fictional story to try to illustrate some of the principles expressed throughout it, the quality of which I would rate as a solid 4/5 with strong characters, vivid experiences, convincing dialogue…and, the trademark “everything and everyone is magically happy at the end!” Moore writing cliche that readers of Promethea, Moore’s Miracleman run and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’s finale may recognise. Personally I find it somewhat infuriating that two characters who are shown to barely interact are suddenly reconciled in romantic infatuation with no context for how that came about after Moore showed many flourishes and nuances to the focal character’s journey of self-discovery. But again, Alan would probably say that is in fact a point being made about magic’s transformative experience on the human condition, if not the physical world. I have to admit the author’s cheerful celebration of irrationality and dream logic is at odds with my own sensibilities.Which is why I have to admire the book’s final written section (apart from the lovely cut-out paper temple at the end) is the author’s bold claim that when he decided to become a practicing wizard, he had no idea what he was doing, and didn’t take the thing too seriously. As the author states, this book is ultimately Moore’s attempt to explain what passes for the method behind the madness in his creative endeavours, and in many ways I feel readers already familiar with his body of work may get more out of seeing how the themes correlate rather than the intended audience that Moore hopes to elicit a renewed interest in spirituality and meditative transcendence in.Ultimately, my highest praise for this book is that despite absolutely not being the target audience (a skeptic, from a completely different culture and country to the author, with a low opinion of some of his body of work) I was charmed, educated and ultimately impressed by the author’s overwhelming passion for a subject it is manifestly impossible to describe in perfectly objective terms enough to at least humour his point of view and reflect on how the subject he has described has influenced human society over the years.And that too, according to Alan Moore, is magic in a way.

From the moment I held The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic under my arm, I felt like a character stepping into destiny—grinning like a schoolkid and glowing like an ad in The Truman Show. This book isn’t just a grimoire; it’s a gateway. It’s wild, witty, profound, and stunningly illustrated—a bible for the modern magician. Alan Moore and Steve Moore have crafted something timeless and alive, inviting you to explore magic intuitively, playfully, and powerfully. Whether you open it at page one or dive in by instinct, you’ll feel the call. For anyone walking a magical path, this is a treasure beyond words. A dazzling invocation disguised as a circus poster, the back cover of Alan Moore’s grimoire seduces the reader with wit, wonder, and wisdom. Beneath its theatrical charm lies real magic—an invitation to shed illusion, wake the serpent within, and see the world anew. Not for the timid, and definitely not for the mundane.