Fans pick 100 books like The Sign in the Moonlight

By David Tallerman, Duncan Kay (illustrator),

Here are 100 books that The Sign in the Moonlight fans have personally recommended if you like The Sign in the Moonlight. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Ten Tall Tales

David J. McCran Author Of 50 Berkeley Square

From my list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've had many professions over the years: theatrical stage technician, stage manager, scenic artist, teacher, writer, driver, husband, and father. I've always had a love for horror and fantasy stretching from the classic Gothic to the incredible worlds of Tolkien, Pratchett, and many more. I never set out to write, but I love the escapism and freedom that both reading and writing allows. I was a military child and having followed my father across Europe, I settled in the beautiful cathedral city of Lincoln, UK, which itself has its horror, hauntings, and history. Fantasy writing seemed to be the next stage of my development, combining macabre with the fascinating task of creating a fantastical world.

David's book list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror

David J. McCran Why did David love this book?

This is another title from NewCon Press. I like the way this company produces anthologies, Ian Waites chooses with the stories stringent precision, creating fascinating collections. This anthology of stories delivers a mixture of varied and impressive styles, each unique in their conception of chilling tales. I love the extreme and this book does not dissatisfy the appetite for true terror. 

By Ian Whates (editor), Ramsey Campbell, Michael Marshall Smith , Sarah Pinborough , James Barclay , Maura McHugh , Edward Cox , Lynda E. Rucker , Simon Clark , Paul Kane

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ten Tall Tales as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The final anthology produced in celebration of NewCon Press’ 10th anniversary. Ten Tall Tales of horror, dark fantasy and dark science fiction, commissioned from some of the most twisted imaginations writing today. Each story is inter-leafed with a Twisted Limerick from that master of terror, Ramsey Campbell.

Contents:
1. Introduction – Ian Whates
2. Ten Twisted Limericks – Ramsey Campbell
3. The Power Of… – Paul Kane
4. We Know By the Tenth Day Whether They Live or Die – Simon Clark
5. One Little Mouth to Kiss You Goodnight
– Lynda E. Rucker
6. The Fruit of the Tree…


Book cover of Firestone

David J. McCran Author Of 50 Berkeley Square

From my list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've had many professions over the years: theatrical stage technician, stage manager, scenic artist, teacher, writer, driver, husband, and father. I've always had a love for horror and fantasy stretching from the classic Gothic to the incredible worlds of Tolkien, Pratchett, and many more. I never set out to write, but I love the escapism and freedom that both reading and writing allows. I was a military child and having followed my father across Europe, I settled in the beautiful cathedral city of Lincoln, UK, which itself has its horror, hauntings, and history. Fantasy writing seemed to be the next stage of my development, combining macabre with the fascinating task of creating a fantastical world.

David's book list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror

David J. McCran Why did David love this book?

This author has just started on his writing journey and has produced two parts to his trilogy. This debut story takes on high adventure within a Fantasy/Steampunk-esk world. This tale has marvellous characters and exciting settings and takes the reader on a journey through hidden pasts, unknown evils, and surprising twists of fate.

By E A Purle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Firestone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"When all seems dark, I will light the way."

On the world of Tellus there are two ways of doing things: the Old Way and the New Way. In the city of Portis-Montis, these two ways and their worlds collide.

Hugh Geber is the alchemist at the University of Science and Progression. In a world where everyone follows the family career, he has found himself the last in line to carry the torch.

When a meeting with Chancellor Robert James Smithson leaves him with an impossible deadline and a mysterious package, Hugh is left with no choice but to try…


Book cover of Song of the Fae

David J. McCran Author Of 50 Berkeley Square

From my list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've had many professions over the years: theatrical stage technician, stage manager, scenic artist, teacher, writer, driver, husband, and father. I've always had a love for horror and fantasy stretching from the classic Gothic to the incredible worlds of Tolkien, Pratchett, and many more. I never set out to write, but I love the escapism and freedom that both reading and writing allows. I was a military child and having followed my father across Europe, I settled in the beautiful cathedral city of Lincoln, UK, which itself has its horror, hauntings, and history. Fantasy writing seemed to be the next stage of my development, combining macabre with the fascinating task of creating a fantastical world.

David's book list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror

David J. McCran Why did David love this book?

My wife was given this book as a gift, unfortunately, much to my joy, she gave it to me. This fast-paced adventure is a testament to all that is fantasy. Darkness, light, good fighting evil, this is everything any Fantasy fan requires from a book of this genre. I shall (and have already) embarked on reading more of Tricia’s rich and vibrant works which connects fabulously with her audience.

By Tricia O'Malley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Song of the Fae as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

She sings the song that only his heart can answer.

His loyalty lies with the Royal Fae Court and with his people. Love is a distraction that royal warrior, Nolan, will not let ruin his future.

Alone and distrustful, Imogen refuses to accept her attraction for the warrior after he steals her ship and forces her on a quest where Dark Fae battle good and magick rules the night.

A prophecy realized.

The Dark Fae have risen, determined to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting people of Ireland. Their goal? To destroy the woman in the prophecy before she discovers her…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor By FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced, it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run the…

Book cover of Dracula the Un-Dead

David J. McCran Author Of 50 Berkeley Square

From my list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've had many professions over the years: theatrical stage technician, stage manager, scenic artist, teacher, writer, driver, husband, and father. I've always had a love for horror and fantasy stretching from the classic Gothic to the incredible worlds of Tolkien, Pratchett, and many more. I never set out to write, but I love the escapism and freedom that both reading and writing allows. I was a military child and having followed my father across Europe, I settled in the beautiful cathedral city of Lincoln, UK, which itself has its horror, hauntings, and history. Fantasy writing seemed to be the next stage of my development, combining macabre with the fascinating task of creating a fantastical world.

David's book list on horror with fantasy or fantasy with horror

David J. McCran Why did David love this book?

This is a terrific take on the ‘what if…’ scenario that Dracula survived. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, twisting and turning through the streets of Paris and London setting the scene for another blood fest of vampiric terror. Dacre has certainly captured some of his ancestor’s penchant for horror and this book takes you on a mysterious trip through the minds of its fascinating yet disturbing characters.

By Dacre Stoker, Ian Holt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dracula the Un-Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The official sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, written by his direct descendent and endorsed by the Stoker family.

The story begins in 1912, twenty-five years after the events described in the original novel. Dr. Jack Seward, now a disgraced morphine addict, hunts vampires across Europe with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school to pursue a career in stage at London's famous Lyceum Theatre.

The production of Dracula at the Lyceum, directed and produced by Bram Stoker, has recently lost its star. Luckily, Quincey knows how…


Book cover of Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of India and the Occult

From my list on India and the occult.

Why am I passionate about this?

I discovered Indian Yoga and Western occultism as a teenager, and it turned into a lifelong obsession. I tend to relate to various forms of esotericism more naturally than to established religions; I find the lack of rigidity in the former’s metaphysical and ethical constructs more appealing. I obtained a Ph.D. in Asian Studies with a Thesis on the Nāth Yogis and pursued my interest in Aleister Crowley, his religious movement of Thelema, and Western occultism. What I find attractive in these systems is the vision of the human potential that promises to be able to transcend limitations associated with the consensus reality.        

Gordan's book list on India and the occult

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

To say that Kenneth Grant’s (1924-2011) writing style is idiosyncratic would be a huge understatement, for to read him often equals entering into a dream state shot through with sinister overtones and illumined by the morbid light of witch’s Moon. Grant is mostly known for his “Typhonian Trilogies”–nine volumes that explore Crowley’s Thelema in connection with Lovecraftian mythos, Haitian Vodou, Austin Osman Spare’s art and sigil magic, Asian Tantra, and a number of related subjects.

Grant casts a wide conceptual net over the topics he explores by integrating them as aspects of a putative “Typhonian” or “Draconian” tradition, with its roots in pre-dynastic Egypt, that focuses on the mysteries of sexual magic and gives preeminence to the mystical power of female sexual vibrations. His argument is that this tradition often glossed over as the “left-hand path” sans negative moral connotations in its nomenclature, suffered historical repercussions by the representatives of…

By Kenneth Grant,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this study of Aleister Crowley's system of sexual magic, Kenneth Grant reveals the occult workings of the Fire Snake or Kundalini-Goddess the cosmic power that when awakened by magical means assumes the form that Crowley called the Scarlet Woman. Grant also describes a method of dream control that Crowley and others used to establish contact with extraterrestrial and non-human beings and to prepare themselves for the realization of true cosmic consciousness.


Book cover of Raising Hell: A Concise History of the Black Arts and Those Who Dared to Practice Them

Eve Lestrange Author Of Widdershins

From my list on occult, witchcraft, and a little mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

From the time I was very young, Witchcraft and the supernatural have always fascinated me. I can remember staying up late to watch horror movies or reading an Edgar Allen Poe book under the sheets with a flashlight when I was supposed to be asleep. I knew this was never a phase or something I would “outgrow”; the spell had been cast and I was forever in its power. I’ve tried to read everything I could on Witchcraft, its history and practice and anything regarding the occult. It was all of this reading and research that really helped me to write Widdershins and everything that came after. Enjoy the list!

Eve's book list on occult, witchcraft, and a little mystery

Eve Lestrange Why did Eve love this book?

This is an excellent, yet brief history of the Black Arts and the famous (or infamous) people who practiced them. It was while reading this book, particularly the chapter on LaVoisin, that inspired the story of Christina Lafage, the main character in Widdershins. The book also describes other interesting practitioners, such as Dr. John Dee, Eliphas Levi, Nostradamus, Aleister Crowley, and many more. The chapters on Black Magic and Sorcery and Raising the Dead also contributed to my ideas for my book. I often find myself referring to this book over and over again for great source material.

By Robert Masello,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Raising Hell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A concise history of the black arts and those who practise them.


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Book cover of Draakensky: A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance

Draakensky By Paula Cappa,

A murder. A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit.

On Draakensky Windmill Estate, magick and mystery rule. Sketch artist Charlotte Knight is hired to live on the estate while illustrating poetry under the direction of the reclusive spinster, and wind witch, Jaa Morland—who believes in ghosts. Charlotte quickly encounters the voice…

Book cover of The Magical World of Aleister Crowley

Phil Baker Author Of City of the Beast: The London of Aleister Crowley

From my list on the beast.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to love Dennis Wheatley’s Satanic pulp fiction when I was about twelve—like a gateway drugand graduated on to read my first Crowley biography a year or two later. I was gripped. As the years went by I developed what might seem like more serious interests in reading about psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and surrealism, but it’s really the same area. I used to think it was funny that the Dewey library system puts Freud and the occult next to each other, but now I see it makes perfect sense. It’s all about the mind, and inner experience, and Crowley remains one of its towering figures. 

Phil's book list on the beast

Phil Baker Why did Phil love this book?

An atmospheric biographya book you can curl up withby British occultist King (not to be confused with the more ‘literary establishment’ Francis King, a respected gay novelist; our man sometimes called himself Francis X King to distinguish between them). King was a quietly eccentric character who had been traumatized by his experiences in the Korean War, and at one stage sold ice cream on Bournemouth beach. Steeped in the Golden Dawn tradition, his other books include works on alchemy, Western esotericism, tantra, and more, and he was a friend of Crowley’s friend Gerald Yorke, who also wrote on those subjects. I’ve always had a soft spot for their charmingly old-school, gentlemanly style of bygone British occult scholarship.

By Francis King,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Magical World of Aleister Crowley as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book by King, Francis


Book cover of Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley

Phil Baker Author Of City of the Beast: The London of Aleister Crowley

From my list on the beast.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to love Dennis Wheatley’s Satanic pulp fiction when I was about twelve—like a gateway drugand graduated on to read my first Crowley biography a year or two later. I was gripped. As the years went by I developed what might seem like more serious interests in reading about psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and surrealism, but it’s really the same area. I used to think it was funny that the Dewey library system puts Freud and the occult next to each other, but now I see it makes perfect sense. It’s all about the mind, and inner experience, and Crowley remains one of its towering figures. 

Phil's book list on the beast

Phil Baker Why did Phil love this book?

The most serious and culturally informed of the modern biographies, but still enthusiastic and enjoyable. Sutin is particularly good on Crowley’s religious and political aspects, and it reads unmistakably like a book by what a friend of mine would call “a real grown-up,” which isn’t always the case with books on occult subjects. Sutin makes a strong case for Crowley’s importance and larger significance, and the book’s wider perspective can be gauged by the spread of his solid, quality books on other subjects, including Buddhism and Philip K Dick.  

By Lawrence Sutin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Do What Thou Wilt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do What Thou Wilt: An exploration into the life and works of a modern mystic, occultist, poet, mountaineer, and bisexual adventurer known to his contemporaries as "The Great Beast"

Aleister Crowley was a groundbreaking poet and an iconoclastic visionary whose literary and cultural legacy extends far beyond the limits of his notoriety as a practitioner of the occult arts.

Born in 1875 to devout Christian parents, young Aleister's devotion scarcely outlived his father, who died when the boy was twelve. He reached maturity in the boarding schools and brothels of Victorian England, trained to become a world-class mountain climber, and…


Book cover of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley

Phil Baker Author Of City of the Beast: The London of Aleister Crowley

From my list on the beast.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to love Dennis Wheatley’s Satanic pulp fiction when I was about twelve—like a gateway drugand graduated on to read my first Crowley biography a year or two later. I was gripped. As the years went by I developed what might seem like more serious interests in reading about psychoanalysis, Buddhism, and surrealism, but it’s really the same area. I used to think it was funny that the Dewey library system puts Freud and the occult next to each other, but now I see it makes perfect sense. It’s all about the mind, and inner experience, and Crowley remains one of its towering figures. 

Phil's book list on the beast

Phil Baker Why did Phil love this book?

Weighing in at somewhere over 300,00 words across over 700 pages, this is the most comprehensive Crowley biography. Stylistically is it no great treat for the reader, but it was obviously a staggering amount of work and demands respect: assembling this much material is an achievement. The effect—with generous backup detail on minor figuresis often like a gigantic Wikipedia entry. Kaczynski is one of the Crowley faithful, and he tends to look on the bright side. Consequently the book can be rather pious, as well as occasionally naive (Kaczynski quotes Freud’s supposed lauding of occult artist Austin Osman Spare, for exampleone of Spare’s tall talesas if he really said it, to which you can only say “As if…”). Still a very useful work of reference. 

By Richard Kaczynski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Perdurabo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A rigorously researched biography of the founder of modern magick, as well as a study of the occult, sexuality, Eastern religion, and more
 
The name “Aleister Crowley” instantly conjures visions of diabolic ceremonies and orgiastic indulgences—and while the sardonic Crowley would perhaps be the last to challenge such a view, he was also much more than “the Beast,” as this authoritative biography shows. 

Perdurabo—entitled after the magical name Crowley chose when inducted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—traces Crowley’s remarkable journey from his birth as the only son of a wealthy lay preacher to his death in a…


Book cover of Magick

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of India and the Occult

From my list on India and the occult.

Why am I passionate about this?

I discovered Indian Yoga and Western occultism as a teenager, and it turned into a lifelong obsession. I tend to relate to various forms of esotericism more naturally than to established religions; I find the lack of rigidity in the former’s metaphysical and ethical constructs more appealing. I obtained a Ph.D. in Asian Studies with a Thesis on the Nāth Yogis and pursued my interest in Aleister Crowley, his religious movement of Thelema, and Western occultism. What I find attractive in these systems is the vision of the human potential that promises to be able to transcend limitations associated with the consensus reality.        

Gordan's book list on India and the occult

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) remains understudied and misunderstood. His colorful and often scandalous biography still occludes his intellectual and spiritual brilliance. Crowley robustly argued a deep commonality between Western ritual magick and Indian Yoga.

This book is his magnum opus; the first part, “Mysticism,” deals with the “eight limbs of Yoga.” Crowley’s argument is that a pursuit of magic and meditation, which he sees as two sides of the same coin, should manifest one’s inner genius and lead to a purposeful life aligned with one’s true will.   

By Aleister Crowley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Magick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Aleister Crowley’s magnum opus, in which he systematically expounds on mystical and magical theories and techniques.

This profusely illustrated edition brings together the complete texts of all four parts of Liber ABA (Book 4) in one volume under the overall title Magick. This edition incorporates Crowley`s own additions, corrections, and annotations, and restores dozens of passages omitted from the first editions.

Magick is the fundamental textbook of modern magick in the New Aeon. It also has invaluable teachings for students of Yoga and meditation. Crowley mastered the practices of Yoga during his studies in the East, and writes about them…


Book cover of Ten Tall Tales
Book cover of Firestone
Book cover of Song of the Fae

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