There are certain threads that run through the work of John O'Donohue. They manifest themselves with different colours and textures. The form may change for different purposes of rhythm and resonance, but the intention remains constant. It is grounded in human vulnerability and the desire, the longing, for a connection to the wonder of the divine in nature, and human life within it.

Hutchinson means what he says about demystifying his subject - by the biography's end there's not a stone left unturned

A level-headed reappraisal of a man whose fantasies were fuelled as much by self-publicity as by any real demonic contact

Well informed and cool-headed . . . one can see that Crowley's own words would be of little use in conveying the facts of his life, which Hutchinson does admirably