Tactical Magick

"Seth" is down-to-Earth, and provides novel techniques and ideas in this short book that are very useful to the seasoned practicioner to apply to his/her own workings. If these techniques be not applied, then it is of use for the practicioner to be made aware of these methods should they ever need to call upon them or counter them in the future. There is no lengthy and useless intro, for Seth dives right in to the subject. This book emphasizes resourcefulness and the power within the Self for survival and further magickal development, and I feel anyone who is serious about advancing their skills should own a copy.

Aside from a few typos (which I will blame on the editor), this book is nothing short of awesome. It's a fast read but takes a while to actually digest if one is a serious practitioner of magick. Seth has original ideas that cause one to stop and ponder what they've actually learned within the confines of their chosen traditions/schools of magickal instruction. My favorite part of the book is the chapter on 'Occult Machines'...Totally original! This one book promted me to get his entire collection, which is well worth purchasing. Thank you, Seth, for something fresh, original and totally usable.

I've been reading material of this type since the age of 15. That was a long time and many belt sizes ago...last century really. Now, at the tender age of 52, and having looked at Tactical Magick by Seth, a couple of more times to make sure, I would highly suggest this book for anyone who is going on the path. You won't learn how to defend yourself from anything, but you will learn something. It's very cute and fun to read. Seth does not set out to impress anyone with his knowledge. Which is a good thing. He does a wonderful job of sharing a gag...it's so wonderful, one feels as though you are conversing over coffee and doughnuts, or perhaps pizza and beer, but with a master prankster. The approach is refreshing compared to what others have done in the past. There is nothing stuffy or overblown. And, dare I say this, it has a youthful tone and feel to it. It suggets how to protect yourself with junk and stuff. It also tells you how to hit back with junk and stuff if you have to. It's just junk and stuff in the final analysis, but fun junk and stuff. My only complaint is that the size of the print is taxing to the eyes of the fifty something set...even with new reading glasses I had to use my magnifiers. Oh yes, now that I've had time to peruse and experiment....I can truthfully say, that while the book is cute and entertaining, that's all it is in the long run. Those of you on the path will be entertained....and that's all. Nothing in it really works. Gilbert Sarabia

I knew right away when I started reading this book that it was going to be good. But by the time I finished the book I realized it was really an excellent book. The occasional flash of humor by the author (especially the Mathers-Crowley bit) helped to illustrate the points he wanted to make, namely that sometimes to do magic, you have to think outside the box. I also particularly liked the focus on magical technology. I definitely intend to experiment with the ideas this book offers. If you want to read something creative, which has a few unconventional ideas, check out this book.

Tactical Magick is a book about magick in the real world. There is little talk of complex ceremonies to acheive gnosis or pseudo-intellectual theories about magick & quantum mechanics. This book is about efficiency and results, and is very much a book about magick in the physical world. It really is a book about street magick. This is the first Seth book that is truly for both beginners and adepts. It begins with a bang and keeps that intensity going through the entire volume. It is possible that some readers may find the spells and ideas in Tactical Magick, and other Seth books for that matter, to be daunting. The author presents magick in a way that is much more physically tangible than most other traditions, and as a result this can insult or incur the wrath of those practitioners incapable or unwilling. There is another review on this page that accuses the author of stealing the ideas of others and being delusional and naieve. Let me assure other readers that this is simply not true. I have been studying the craft for a long time, and there is an unfortunate tendency amongst practitioners to assume that an idea, especially a magical one, is the sole invention of the first person to publish a book on the subject. No one has a copyright on reality, and if magick works a certain way, others will discover this truth in addition to the "greats" who published first. That is how science works, that is also how magick works. The ideas presented in Tactical Magick are similar to those of others like Crowley and Phil Hine, but that does not mean that the author is ripping anyone off. A caveman cannot patent Fire, and Crowley can't patent Magick. Now I understand that there are many readers out there, I was one of them at first, who weren't quite comfortable with Seth's writing style. It is full of style, flair, and a creative edge that seems to really bugger more orthodox practitioners. So what if the author makes up cool names for his spells? That doesn't make his books fiction, it just makes them more interesting and fun to read. The world of magick is much larger than the works of Peter Carrol, Phil Hine, and Aleister Crowley. This author, and several others, like Julian Vayne, David Cunningham, and Taylor Ellwood, are the NEW generation. Wake up and evolve.