The Devil's Paintbrush - Softcover

Arnott, Jake

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0753186195 ISBN 13: 9780753186190

Publisher: ISIS Large Print Books, 2011

Synopsis

Witness the scene. In a Parisian restaurant Aleister Crowley, the notorious occultist, chances on Major-General Sir Hector McDonald: once one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire, now facing ruin in a shocking scandal - and vulnerable to Crowley's curious offer of help.

Follow this unlikely pair on an extraordinary night of revelation and transgression. Be transported to the battlefields of Sudan, the backstreets of Edinburgh and the sultry tropics of Ceylon. And discover Sir Hector's tragic secret...

In this enthralling tale of imperialism, sexuality and the nature of belief, Jake Arnott probes beneath the surface of Victorian conformity and captures a world trembling on the brink of a brutal new era.

About this title

Review

Brilliantly expansive and original (Daily Mirror)

A consummate performance...a virtuoso work of near history, with the occasional in-joke thrown in for good measure...immensely enjoyable (Guardian)

A big departure for Arnott but a surprisingly successful one. It's a great read full of compassion, humour and riveting detail. (Sunday Express)

Arnott is clearly having fun here...So to combine that with how the necessity to be good - to be a hero - can be as suffocating a pressure as battling with occultist demons makes The Devil's Paintbrush a fine book (Metro)

Arnott's great leap forward...This is a book about magick, personal tragedy, imperial war, the sexual drive, the nature of faith and where it can lead...Arnott tackles all this with a coolness of head and a strength of purpose. (Herald)

One of the many pleasures of this skilful book is the maintenance of suspense as to whether in this iteration, with magic and drugs in the mix, of what we know to have happened, will happen...Arnott does not ask us to choose between [Crowley and Macdonald] - but much of the moral force of this excellent book lies in his demonstration that there is, nonetheless, a choice to be made. (Independent)

Book Description

A stunning historical novel by the bestselling author of THE LONG FIRM.

Edition details

• Publisher: ISIS Large Print Books
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0753186195
• ISBN 13: 9780753186190
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384