At times it reads like a history book, albeit one in the school of 'let's meet Wulf, he lives in a Viking village. The tale, however, involves the telling of great dollops of military history which is not handled particularly well. At times this gives great insight into the characters of the two men and some peripheral characters. It very nearly hangs together as a whole.Īrnott takes the true story of a night when Aleister Crowley (the famous satanist once described as the most evil man in Britain) met the disgraced hero of the army of the British Empire known as Fighting Mac. This is a very interesting idea for a novel. Unlike the notorious traitor Colonel Redl, blackmailed and thus compromised, our hero fell victim to a villain more malignant and pervasive: the snobbish bigotry of the British upper crust.įor all its faults, The Devil’s Paintbrush is a compelling and richly detailed novel, atmospheric and deftly observed.

I found the Major General’s story fascinating Īnother bit of hidden LGBT history. This in itself wouldn’t bother me save that it is in direct opposition to the rather grave and sobering tales of Sir Hector, both his reminiscences and present circumstances. I couldn’t help but think of him as a great buffoon, the Roger Elizabeth Debris of the occult world, or refugee from a Lucifer Box book. Crowley often seems unintentionally broad and humorous, the characterization a burlesque and not at all menacing, which I feel was the author’s aim. Though I enjoyed reading this, I must admit that I felt the whole somehow unbalanced. Scenes of great daring-do are coupled with others truly poignant.

It is a documented fact that these two men met briefly in Paris in 1903 Arnott imagines what may have transpired between the flamboyant magus and the disgraced officer, conjuring a story of adventure, intrigue and sexual repression. Sir Hector rose from the ranks of enlisted men, a hero of many Middle East campaigns, earning the moniker “Fighting Mac.” After decades of service and achieving an international reputation, he shot himself in lieu of facing a court martial for acts of gross indecency. Arnott, best known for his gay inclusive crime novels The Long Firm and He Kills Coppers, has opted for a change of pace with this historical novel featuring the real life characters Major General Sir Hector Macdonald and occultist Aliester Crowley, “The Beast 666.”

Private paintbrush for mac