Book review: Morbid Magic

Hello pornies. These have been tough weeks, and I mean TOUGH, like in A LOT. Still unemployed and with no stable income, but managing to meet deadlines somehow (Hey, this guy’s witchcraft works after all, despite my self-doubts and self-sabotage).

It took me a bit to finish this book because of these difficult days, but I actually enjoyed Morbid Magic: Death Spirituality and Culture from Around the World, by Tomás Prower, a book I’m sure many of you will want to have as soon as possible. The reason? It is a wide, panoramic look at Death in several cultures. Doesn’t sound attractive yet? What about a death-related challenge for each culture? I think I got your attention already.

• Print Length: 360 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (September 8, 2019)
• Publishing Date: September 8, 2019
• ISBN-10: 0738760617
• ISBN-13: 978-0738760612

Morbid Magic takes us on a journey through the world’s biggest cultures and countries in order to know how they view, work and venerate death, mostly by examining their funeral rites and customs. Did you know, for example, that some people hire strippers for funerals? Or perhaps that there’s a tribe that eats their deceased so they remain within the tribe? I’m not saying any names, go grab a copy if you want to know!

This books called me because of the sole synopsis. The amount of research and work to bring this project to life in as diabolical as incredible, you can only imagine what it was to make this happen, but Tomás Prower managed to make it all work in the end. His informal style made such a morbid subject even funny to learn about, and don’t get me started at the anecdotes and experiences he shared.

As I said, Morbid Magic gives you one “takeaway challenge” for each culture and country you visit through reading, and I religiously took notes of them all (blame me, Rookie Necromancer here). It’s an idea I’ve never seen, so innovative and entertaining that I almost wanted to skip most of the book and get straight to them! Okay, not so literally, but I was eager to see what the author came out with.

This spiritual sequel to Tomás Prower’s first book, La Santa Muerte: Unearthing the Magic & Mysticism of Death, may serve pretty much as a prequel, to be honest. It offers enough guidance for witches, mediums, death walkers, or anyone interested in Death on a general context. I can see myself re reading this one over and over again, taking more notes, and I cannot think of a better way to spend the rest of October than reading about Death and the dead.

If you want to discover how funerals are held in other countries, how foreign cultures see the dead and honor them, incorporate their teachings into your own life, go grab a copy right freaking now. No matter if you’re a witch or not, you won’t look at Death the same way you did after reading Morbid Magic: Death Spirituality and Culture from Around the World. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

About Tomás Prower:

Photo by Ray Garcia Photography

Tomás Prower (Los Angeles, CA) is the international author of multiple books, including Queer Magic. He has lived and worked in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Tijuana, Reno, and Long Beach. He is fluent in English, French, and several dialects of Spanish. Tomás is a Licensed Mortuary Professional and has previously served as the cultural liaison between France, the United States, and the South American member states of Mercosur.

Have you read this book? Would you recommend it or not? Let me know in the comments! Kinky regards, K!

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