Friday 3 April 2009

Fortean Times reviews "The Daemon"


Today was for me a re-living of the day I walked to my school to pick up my "A" level results at Wirral Grammar School for Boys. In those days they were posted on the door of the headmaster's office. As you walked towards the notice that held your future life in its bland page you could see the reaction of others; delight or despair.

This was nearly 36 years ago but I had exactly the same sense of trepidation mixed with excitement as I entered W.H. Smiths at Lime Street Station in Liverpool. I knew that today was the day that the latest edition of Fortean Times would be found on the shelves. From a distance I spotted the new copies, picked one up, and held my breath.

I knew that on the review pages would be a review of my second book, "The Daemon, A Guide to Your Extraordinary Secret Self". This would be my first ever review in a major international magazine and I was scared. Would they hate it, or even worse, give it a really small review?

I turned to page 57 and my heart almost leapt out of my chest when I saw that not only was it the first (and therefore major) book for review but the review filled the whole page and part of the next. I ran my eyes down to the crucial score - FT always mark books out of 10. They really do not pull any punches, last edition there were two books given 1. There is was - a 9 out of 10. I have never seen a 10 out of 10 review (but they must exist) so this was much higher than I expected. As I approached the shop I had decided that I would be really pleased with a 7!

The coda underneath the 9 score read "(A) fascinating exploration of the Near-Death experience."

I then paid for the copy and jumped on the train. My joy turned to elation as I read what Founding Editor, and one of my all time heroes, the great Bob Rickard had to say about my work. The review, which runs to a page and a quarter, is a wonderful synopsis of the whole ITLAD/CTF theory. Indeed it is probably the best precis that has been written. But what was even better that Bob genuinely seemed to like what I had written. Like you guys here on the Blog (and on the FORUM) Bob was using the itladian terminology that we know and love. "Bohmian IMAX" got a mention. He had even managed to mention the itladian movies "Groundhog Day", "It's A Wonderful Life", "Vanilla Sky" and "Jacob's Ladder".

I sat back into my train seat with a smug smile on my face that must have looked very peculiar to my fellow commuters!

I would like to both thank and congratulate Bob Rickard for an excellent description of my work, a description that is bound to attract many more readers.

In the final section of the review Bob writes the following:

Despite the subtitle 'A guide to your extraordinary secret self', The Daemon is not a self-help book, at least not in the usual meaning of that term. It is something far more exciting; an intelligent and and imaginative thesis, a tentative step towards understanding what happens to us at the moment of death. In doing so, Peake seems to be shining a light on our equally mysterious inner life.

Copies of this magazine (number 248) appeared in the newsagents and bookshops this morning (3rd April). In the UK this is stocked by all the major multiples such as W H Smith, Borders, Martins etc as well as most medium and large newsagents. It is also available internationally via the large multiples. The UK cost is £4.25 and the review appears on page 57.

I would like to thank Bob for a great review and allowing me to re-experience the day of my "A" level results ..... even to the better than my wildest dreams outcome of both!!!

6 comments:

Karl Le Marcs said...

Absolutely fabulous! I can almost hear your sigh of relief from here!
*smile*

Hopefully this superb high-prominent review, combined with your status as Author of the Month over on Graham Hancock's Website will take the theories to an even wider audience and bring in to our discussions here and on FORUM some new challenges, thoughts, questions and dialectic.

Congratulations Tony, I'm professionally very happy for you and personally delighted, my friend. Perhaps FT are now regretting their previous decisions around reviewing ITLAD; they should be, but at least they have now given your work the respect it so fully deserves.

Dan said...

From this very review, I was introduced to your work. I've since got a copy of your new book and previous on order :)

CD...M said...

Tony: Congratulations on a great report card by founding editor Bob Rickard of the Fortean Times !

I've learned a bit about the Fortean Times today and its distribution here on news stands in North America.

It seems issues here keep their FT UK numbering, but are delayed by one month.

The current one at our local store, McNews, is FT246 for April 2009. That seems to equate to your UK issue FT246 for March 2009.

Looks like we will have to wait another month or so for the FT248 issue (May for you, but, June for us) to hit the local shelves.

ALL that said, I was delighted to discover, with Karl's help, a way to get a digital version NOW.

Anyone looking to order a digital version of the relevant UK issue of the magazine (FT428 for May in the UK) can also do so by going to Magazines On Demand - UK at:

http://www.magazinesondemand.co.uk/fortean-times/sky-serpents-issue-248-news-business-13646-11000.html

I didn't see such an option on the Fortean Times website at:

http://www.forteantimes.com/front_website/themag/

although they might have a digital option, as well.

Magazines On Demand UK provides an option to "Buy a Single Issue", i.e., a digital copy of FT248 May 2009 (the UK issue), and many other magazines, it seems.

Anyone can also order a digital subscription there for the Fortean Times. Back issues are also available.

Interestingly enough, the FT246 issue has an article called "Darwin's Daimons", by Patrick Harpur, on page 30 and on page 60 there's an interview of Patrick Harpur, under the page sub-heading, "Daimon writer interviewed".

Different spelling, similar topic none the less.

If that wasn't enough prep information on the Daimon / Daemon topic, in the Fortean Times, check the July 2006 issue of the magazine for Patrick Harpur's article there, "Angels and Daimons".

That last article is also available to read online at:

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/90/angels_and_daimons.html

Great preparation, I'd say, Tony, for the readership of the Fortean Times to have your work introduced by way of Bob Rickard's very favourable review of your book, "The Daemon".

Perhaps ITLAD will be next !

Cheers
Cam

Anthony Peake said...

Dan - great to see you on here ... have you checked out the Forum? Hope you enjoy the books. Look forward to your comments.

Anthony Peake said...

Cam & Karl - many thanks for your kind words. As you can imagine I am really pleased and looking forward to hopefully many new faces both on here and on the Forum.

Karl Le Marcs said...

Tony: You are very welcome mate, I'm delighted for you.

We've already had some new FORUM members from Graham Hancock's PHORUM and more to come given my involvement over there now. I'm encouraging more and more to come and see what we are doing, and I fully expect the FT review to bring some more new people also.

Dan: Hello, welcome. I echo Tony's suggestion that you check out the FORUM (I will place you a link below).

This BLOG was where we all began to come together. FORUM is where all the current work is being done.

ANTHONY PEAKE FORUM