Secret Societies: A History

The author seems to be speaking from personal experience and claims that he had personal conduct with his subject. Although I tried, I did not manage to find more information about the author but generally he is not involving any personal opinions or judgments about his references but simply presents the information he collected and leaves the reader to decide; that is why I have to admit that the book is one of the best around in the specific topic. The only thing that the book lacks is bibliography which does not allow the reader for further research on his own. The only reason I gave four stars is because the author does not account the work done by some important orders and specifically does not mention any data about the enochian system of magic.

Secret Societies, throughout the ages, have existed wherever civilizations and people have existed. Living behind veils of shrouded secrecy, and remaining uknown to the very populaces which have furnished their existance, Arkon Daraul provides the reader with research, as well as travels throughout Europe and the Middle East, from suburbia to the Himalayas, in search of answers. "A History of Secret Societies" furnishes a worthy glance into a few rituals and beliefs of numerous societies. A correct reading of the entire book allows the individual to make connections throughout, whether it be a correlation between one ritual or another or one society or the other. Because the book seems to angle toward examining rituals and beliefs, as opposed to lenghty research capable of manifesting a new outlook, one gets the impression that the true objective of these societies remains untold. A good `spark-igniter' for this subject area.