Peter H. Gilmore's The Satanic Scriptures

by Nick Pell on 2007-09-22 17:36:48

This book was given to me by the fine people at Scapegoat Publishing because they know that I support their infernal campaign for world domination. After being part of a clandestine media operation to bring attention to Jack Malebranche’s seminal work Androphilia: A Manifesto my handlers contacted me with their latest promotional effort, this collection of essays by the reigning Black Pope, Peter Gilmore.

The unspoken question of course is, how does this measure up to the Old Man and is it just a reworking of ideas that long-time LaVeyans are already familiar with? While Gilmore doesn’t exactly blaze brave new trails for the Church- and let’s be fair, how the hell could he- he does carve out a niche for himself that incorporates the best aspects of Dr. LaVey while at the same time expanding the scope of the Church. The essays on music composition and “Satanic art” are among the more interesting and unexpected pieces of Satanic writing that I have read in years. The much read essay Satanism: The Feared Religion is a brilliant statement of principles for the post-LaVey church.

If you’re already into LaVeyan Satanism this probably isn’t going to tell you much that you don’t already know, but it might give you some insight into the new direction the Church is going in. If you’re not into the Church yet but you’d like to learn more about it, I’d recommend picking this book up even before The Satanic Bible. The memes are fresher and this is clearly the future of the movement.

The Good: Intelligent, funny and biting essays from a long-time trusted Lieutenant of Dr. LaVey who avoids some of his more glaring negative qualities. The Bad: Most of this is available online. "Law and order" is fucking whack no matter who is preaching it. The Final Word: This book makes a great addition to any bookshelf. Keep your eyes on it, though. My friends keep trying to steal it and the book definitely is not a burden for which I cry out to be relieved. Kudos to Gilmore for being more than just Anton 2.0.

Scapegoat Publishing $15.95 304pp.

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