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Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson
The first biography of countercultural novelist and underground philosopher Robert Anton Wilson.
“In Gabriel Kennedy, AKA Prop Anon, Wilson has the kind of biographer he deserves.”
-Grant Morrison, comic books legend, author of Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, and Happy!
Chapel The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is the first biography of the late countercultural novelist and underground philosopher, Robert Anton Wilson.
Author with Robert Shea of ILLUMINATUS!—one of American literature’s most notorious novels—Wilson’s life and work were infused with magical insight and strange occurrence, fated traumas and puckish tricksterism. His experiences of paranoia, celestial influence, and conspiracy have come to furnish both speculative thought and fiction with a unique repertoire of thought experiments, while his legacy might be recognized in the work of writers as diverse as Alan Moore, Douglas Rushkoff, and Tom Robbins.
In this far-reaching biography, Gabriel Kennedy charts the undergrowth of Wilson’s influence, suggesting that the pulp venues, quack pamphlets, and oddball websites through which his work was usually distributed allowed him to quietly become one of the most prescient American writers of the 20th century, and one of the 21st’s most salient.
“..this book is a masterpiece of insight and scholarship. Gabriel Kennedy has successfully navigated the heights and depths of the late Robert Anton Wilson...[it]...captures both the man and the era he embodied.”
-Jeffrey Mishlove, Host and Producer of New Thinking Allowed
“Gabriel Kennedy's Chapel Perilous is, and will always be, the definitive biography of Robert Anton Wilson, one of the most subversive thinkers of the 20th century. Kennedy deftly unravels the threads of Wilson's complex inner life, shedding light on the inspirations for his revolutionary ideas and assessing RAW's impact on today's popular culture. He also beautifully captures Bob Wilson the man. Standing ovation!”
-Richard Metzger, Television Host, Writer, Producer. Creator of Disinformation and Magick Show
“Meticulously well-researched, profoundly comprehensive, and compellingly absorbing, Gabriel Kennedy’s long-awaited biography of Robert Anton Wilson will not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down! Most highly recommended!”
—David Jay Brown, author of Dreaming Wide Awake and The Illustrated Field Guide to DMT Entities
“Writing a comprehensive, human, inclusive, biography for someone as complex as Robert Anton Wilson is a big bite for a writer to attempt. Thankfully, Gabriel Kennedy did not bite off more than he could chew. This book is an invaluable source of information about one of the greatest artists and thinkers of our time. It keeps the lasagna flying!”
-Joseph Matheny, Multidisciplinary artist. Author of Ong's Hat: The Beginning, The Liminal Cycle
“In Gabriel Kennedy, AKA Prop Anon, Wilson has the kind of biographer he deserves.”
-Grant Morrison, comic books legend, author of Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, and Happy!
Chapel The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is the first biography of the late countercultural novelist and underground philosopher, Robert Anton Wilson.
Author with Robert Shea of ILLUMINATUS!—one of American literature’s most notorious novels—Wilson’s life and work were infused with magical insight and strange occurrence, fated traumas and puckish tricksterism. His experiences of paranoia, celestial influence, and conspiracy have come to furnish both speculative thought and fiction with a unique repertoire of thought experiments, while his legacy might be recognized in the work of writers as diverse as Alan Moore, Douglas Rushkoff, and Tom Robbins.
In this far-reaching biography, Gabriel Kennedy charts the undergrowth of Wilson’s influence, suggesting that the pulp venues, quack pamphlets, and oddball websites through which his work was usually distributed allowed him to quietly become one of the most prescient American writers of the 20th century, and one of the 21st’s most salient.
“..this book is a masterpiece of insight and scholarship. Gabriel Kennedy has successfully navigated the heights and depths of the late Robert Anton Wilson...[it]...captures both the man and the era he embodied.”
-Jeffrey Mishlove, Host and Producer of New Thinking Allowed
“Gabriel Kennedy's Chapel Perilous is, and will always be, the definitive biography of Robert Anton Wilson, one of the most subversive thinkers of the 20th century. Kennedy deftly unravels the threads of Wilson's complex inner life, shedding light on the inspirations for his revolutionary ideas and assessing RAW's impact on today's popular culture. He also beautifully captures Bob Wilson the man. Standing ovation!”
-Richard Metzger, Television Host, Writer, Producer. Creator of Disinformation and Magick Show
“Meticulously well-researched, profoundly comprehensive, and compellingly absorbing, Gabriel Kennedy’s long-awaited biography of Robert Anton Wilson will not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down! Most highly recommended!”
—David Jay Brown, author of Dreaming Wide Awake and The Illustrated Field Guide to DMT Entities
“Writing a comprehensive, human, inclusive, biography for someone as complex as Robert Anton Wilson is a big bite for a writer to attempt. Thankfully, Gabriel Kennedy did not bite off more than he could chew. This book is an invaluable source of information about one of the greatest artists and thinkers of our time. It keeps the lasagna flying!”
-Joseph Matheny, Multidisciplinary artist. Author of Ong's Hat: The Beginning, The Liminal Cycle
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
1008 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2024
53 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 19, 2025
Robert Anton Wilson was a man frighteningly ahead of his time.
The co-author of the seminal Illuminatus! Trilogy is sadly missed in these days of too many conspiracy theories. The radical agnostic understood how to satirize the phenomenon and never take it too seriously. That’s something that has been sorely lacking in the current era, in which misinformation and post-ironic memes are taken with the utmost certainty by at least half the population, and nobody quite knows how to handle it while society seemingly falls apart.
If only more of us read Robert Anton Wilson. The premier psychedelic philosopher of the 1970s and 80s, who wrote many illuminating guides on self-programming such as Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising, he got it. One wonders how he would have interpreted the modern world where conspiracy theories have become mainstream. Unfortunately, Wilson was always something of an underground figure. Perhaps he will soon be remembered and further studied, and the world will be better off for it.
If so, the biography Chapel Perilous has done a tremendous service for future readers by cataloging his life and works. Gabriel Kennedy, also known as rapper Prop Anon, has written the authoritative book on the subject. Through laborious original research, Kennedy has assembled the stories of RAW’s birth in New York, throughout his years as a struggling writer and Playboy magazine editor, on to the backstories of the writing of Illuminatus! and of when he left America to move to Ireland, and ends at his death in California in the 21st century.
There is much about his family life, from his loving marriage to Arlen to the tragedies of his murdered daughter and son who struggled with mental health. For such an important writer of the occult, it’s disheartening to learn of his personal and financial struggles. Bob never quite got it together in his life, at least by the metric of money, but he left an important legacy.
Chapel Perilous is a serious scholarly work, full of citations and features a list of RAW’s published articles never before compiled, and it is also very readable and entertaining. There are many fascinating vignettes: Like that time he met Philip K. Dick, his relationship with Timothy Leary, along with introductions to figures like Aleister Crowley who inspired him and then introductions to later punk movements like Chaos Magic which RAW directly inspired. It’s a broad education within this book, and hopefully will inspire readers to learn more.
There are also some criticisms of the writer, which are fair and noteworthy. Was his hostility towards second-wave feminism valid, or is that something that has aged badly? Was it hypocritical for a self-described “libertarian” to take government welfare? These are questions worth asking, as nobody should ever be above criticism, and Bob would surely agree.
Robert Anton Wilson has long been one of my own favorite authors, and I have found there was still much I didn’t know about him. For example, his more well-known (though still underground) novels like Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy are among my favorites, yet I wasn’t aware of the historical books about the Illuminati until reading Chapel Perilous. And moreover, I wasn’t aware of the degree of his personal suffering, which indeed is the inspiration for the title of this biography. Perhaps we are all going through a Chapel Perilous in this harsh world, on the long road to enlightenment…
The forewards to the book are written by Grant Morrison, the legendary trippy comic writer of conspiracy saga Invisibles which was inspired by Illuminatus! and more, and Douglas Rushkoff the tech writer who has been warning about the dangers of consolidated information technology for years—and host of the essential RAW-esque Team Human podcast.
Frankly this book should really be more well-known. I do not know if it will be a runaway hit, perhaps not, but it’s all on record now should readers care to know. Gabriel Kennedy did the world a profound kindness by writing this definitive biography, so that the next generation of truth-seekers can keep learn from this great mind who never stopped questioning.
Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is available on Amazon and is currently free for Kindle Unlimited.
The co-author of the seminal Illuminatus! Trilogy is sadly missed in these days of too many conspiracy theories. The radical agnostic understood how to satirize the phenomenon and never take it too seriously. That’s something that has been sorely lacking in the current era, in which misinformation and post-ironic memes are taken with the utmost certainty by at least half the population, and nobody quite knows how to handle it while society seemingly falls apart.
If only more of us read Robert Anton Wilson. The premier psychedelic philosopher of the 1970s and 80s, who wrote many illuminating guides on self-programming such as Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising, he got it. One wonders how he would have interpreted the modern world where conspiracy theories have become mainstream. Unfortunately, Wilson was always something of an underground figure. Perhaps he will soon be remembered and further studied, and the world will be better off for it.
If so, the biography Chapel Perilous has done a tremendous service for future readers by cataloging his life and works. Gabriel Kennedy, also known as rapper Prop Anon, has written the authoritative book on the subject. Through laborious original research, Kennedy has assembled the stories of RAW’s birth in New York, throughout his years as a struggling writer and Playboy magazine editor, on to the backstories of the writing of Illuminatus! and of when he left America to move to Ireland, and ends at his death in California in the 21st century.
There is much about his family life, from his loving marriage to Arlen to the tragedies of his murdered daughter and son who struggled with mental health. For such an important writer of the occult, it’s disheartening to learn of his personal and financial struggles. Bob never quite got it together in his life, at least by the metric of money, but he left an important legacy.
Chapel Perilous is a serious scholarly work, full of citations and features a list of RAW’s published articles never before compiled, and it is also very readable and entertaining. There are many fascinating vignettes: Like that time he met Philip K. Dick, his relationship with Timothy Leary, along with introductions to figures like Aleister Crowley who inspired him and then introductions to later punk movements like Chaos Magic which RAW directly inspired. It’s a broad education within this book, and hopefully will inspire readers to learn more.
There are also some criticisms of the writer, which are fair and noteworthy. Was his hostility towards second-wave feminism valid, or is that something that has aged badly? Was it hypocritical for a self-described “libertarian” to take government welfare? These are questions worth asking, as nobody should ever be above criticism, and Bob would surely agree.
Robert Anton Wilson has long been one of my own favorite authors, and I have found there was still much I didn’t know about him. For example, his more well-known (though still underground) novels like Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy are among my favorites, yet I wasn’t aware of the historical books about the Illuminati until reading Chapel Perilous. And moreover, I wasn’t aware of the degree of his personal suffering, which indeed is the inspiration for the title of this biography. Perhaps we are all going through a Chapel Perilous in this harsh world, on the long road to enlightenment…
The forewards to the book are written by Grant Morrison, the legendary trippy comic writer of conspiracy saga Invisibles which was inspired by Illuminatus! and more, and Douglas Rushkoff the tech writer who has been warning about the dangers of consolidated information technology for years—and host of the essential RAW-esque Team Human podcast.
Frankly this book should really be more well-known. I do not know if it will be a runaway hit, perhaps not, but it’s all on record now should readers care to know. Gabriel Kennedy did the world a profound kindness by writing this definitive biography, so that the next generation of truth-seekers can keep learn from this great mind who never stopped questioning.
Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is available on Amazon and is currently free for Kindle Unlimited.
October 18, 2024
Tools for Thinking
It seems extraordinary that more people have not heard of Robert Anton Wilson, a man who co-wrote a satirical book about conspiracy theory 50 years ago. Of course, to enjoy conspiracies you have to lack a basic sense of humour, so that great joke probably challenges people too much. He also wrote, lucidly, on a wide variety of other subjects, but many revolve around the psychology of belief systems (BS). Libraries and book stores never seem to agree on where to shelve him (more than 30 fiction and non-fiction books). You may find his fiction under sci-fi, and his non-fiction under psychology, futurism, self-help, the occult, etc. Although we get glimpses of his life in the non-fiction, this definitive biography finally puts all his writing in context. It offers well-researched evocations of the social history of the decades in which the books were written, and to which they responded. We hear about the highs and lows of the life of a writer, as he wrote hundreds of articles for the underground press, as well as the eclectic books on conspiracies (real and imagined), brain change, quantum physics, James Joyce, etc.
Fans of his books and lectures may need no encouragement to invest in this treasure trove of backstage glimpses. People who have, perhaps, read one or two, will find themselves steered towards his other works (with excellent summaries of the kind of content they can look forward to in each book). If you have not come across any of his books or stories yet, this biography of living through the second half of the 20th century reads like a wonderful quest and an adventure in thoughts and ideas, which could maybe change your life.
It seems extraordinary that more people have not heard of Robert Anton Wilson, a man who co-wrote a satirical book about conspiracy theory 50 years ago. Of course, to enjoy conspiracies you have to lack a basic sense of humour, so that great joke probably challenges people too much. He also wrote, lucidly, on a wide variety of other subjects, but many revolve around the psychology of belief systems (BS). Libraries and book stores never seem to agree on where to shelve him (more than 30 fiction and non-fiction books). You may find his fiction under sci-fi, and his non-fiction under psychology, futurism, self-help, the occult, etc. Although we get glimpses of his life in the non-fiction, this definitive biography finally puts all his writing in context. It offers well-researched evocations of the social history of the decades in which the books were written, and to which they responded. We hear about the highs and lows of the life of a writer, as he wrote hundreds of articles for the underground press, as well as the eclectic books on conspiracies (real and imagined), brain change, quantum physics, James Joyce, etc.
Fans of his books and lectures may need no encouragement to invest in this treasure trove of backstage glimpses. People who have, perhaps, read one or two, will find themselves steered towards his other works (with excellent summaries of the kind of content they can look forward to in each book). If you have not come across any of his books or stories yet, this biography of living through the second half of the 20th century reads like a wonderful quest and an adventure in thoughts and ideas, which could maybe change your life.
October 17, 2024
An absolutely spellbinding trip through the lives and ideas of Robert Anton Wilson, a book about RAW that is just as fun as reading a book by RAW, and an instant classic of Discordian lore. Gabriel Kennedy's exhaustive research has allowed him to paint a vividly intimate portrait of the artist as a complex, heroic, and indefatigable craftsman of a better tomorrow. And what's more, Kennedy not only gives us a great look at the man, but also the chaotic times in which he lived, and the zeitgeist in which he worked.
RAW's famous incorrigible optimism is given full heartbreaking context, with an unflinching look at the reality of the situation on planet earth, but also a full serving of that stern stuff RAW was made of what allowed him to push the great work forward despite it all.
Gabriel Kennedy has done the impossible work of pulling yet another cosmic trigger, and adding an indispensable, multidimensional, cornerstone to the hyperspatial structure of Robert Anton Wilson's magnificent oeuvre. Chapel Perilous is open all night! And ready whenever you are :)))
RAW's famous incorrigible optimism is given full heartbreaking context, with an unflinching look at the reality of the situation on planet earth, but also a full serving of that stern stuff RAW was made of what allowed him to push the great work forward despite it all.
Gabriel Kennedy has done the impossible work of pulling yet another cosmic trigger, and adding an indispensable, multidimensional, cornerstone to the hyperspatial structure of Robert Anton Wilson's magnificent oeuvre. Chapel Perilous is open all night! And ready whenever you are :)))
November 15, 2024
Peer into the mind of a genius
This meticulously researched biography of Robert Anton (Bob) Wilson does an outstanding job of capturing the complexity and brilliance of a man who’s work defies easy categorisation. Chapel Perilous is an invitation to think critically, laugh freely, and embrace the cosmic mystery of existence. Highly recommended to anyone fascinated by the intersection of ideas, humour, and boundless curiousity.
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion” - Oscar Wilde
This meticulously researched biography of Robert Anton (Bob) Wilson does an outstanding job of capturing the complexity and brilliance of a man who’s work defies easy categorisation. Chapel Perilous is an invitation to think critically, laugh freely, and embrace the cosmic mystery of existence. Highly recommended to anyone fascinated by the intersection of ideas, humour, and boundless curiousity.
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion” - Oscar Wilde
October 18, 2024
Chapel Perilous will prove itself as one of the most important books in the secondary literature of modern philosophy because it's an inside, in-depth look at one of the most important philosophers of the late XXth and early XXIst Centuries, Robert Anton Wilson. Often overlooked and underappreciated, Wilson set out to change the world and have a good time doing it. The thought crimes are methods, techniques and cutting edge, scientifically and magically based philosophies aimed at Intelligence Increase. We can change the world by getting smarter. Chapel Perilous and RAW's writings in general will show you how.
Wilson's personal life appears a bit of a mystery, particularly his development and struggles . . . until now! Gabriel Kennedy accepted the mission, given by who knows what cosmic force, to produce the first biography on this extraordinary individual. It's one the best biographies of anyone I've ever read due to the conscientious and scrupulous hours and hours of research that went into the endeavor. It puts the life of Robert Anton Wilson under a microscope while contextualizing the times he lived in and his immediate environment. The wealth of background information that contributed to the thought crimes provides a history lesson in itself apart from the details of Wilson's life. You will become smarter reading this book.
The writing in Chapel Perilous always engages and moves along at a riveting pace. You don't want to put the book down. Kennedy shows a unique talent for distilling the essence of any subject and explaining it in a clear, concise way. One example is the subject of Thelema, Aleister Crowley's mystical philosophy for which RAW served as an unveiling beacon of light. Kennedy personally interviewed one of the leading living legends of Magick, Lon Milo Duquette ,to get it right. Duquette himself consider RAW his hero. This kind of integrity, going to the most knowledgable source, is a hallmark of Kennedy's work putting together Chapel Perilous.
I also resonate with the strong sense of authenticity found within these pages. Kennedy not only wrote, but in some ways lived this book. He likely went through his own Chapel Perilous in the years long journey to manifest this tome. He interviewed Wilson and was a founding member and active participant of the Maybe Logic Academy, an online school set up to disseminate RAW's thought crimes. Wilson taught several of the courses there. Kennedy is an insider, but no fawning sycophant. He doesn't shy away from the struggles, difficulties and challenges Wilson confronted, ,the doubts, fears and depressions. But we also get the breakthroughs, the mini-satoris and the way RAW dealt with pain.
Chapel Perilous also serves as a succinct primer of Wilson's books. It's informative to discover the context that engendered each one. It will likely turn some people on to reading them and some of those may be fortunate enough to set out on their own initiatory path as did Wilson so many years ago.
Wilson's personal life appears a bit of a mystery, particularly his development and struggles . . . until now! Gabriel Kennedy accepted the mission, given by who knows what cosmic force, to produce the first biography on this extraordinary individual. It's one the best biographies of anyone I've ever read due to the conscientious and scrupulous hours and hours of research that went into the endeavor. It puts the life of Robert Anton Wilson under a microscope while contextualizing the times he lived in and his immediate environment. The wealth of background information that contributed to the thought crimes provides a history lesson in itself apart from the details of Wilson's life. You will become smarter reading this book.
The writing in Chapel Perilous always engages and moves along at a riveting pace. You don't want to put the book down. Kennedy shows a unique talent for distilling the essence of any subject and explaining it in a clear, concise way. One example is the subject of Thelema, Aleister Crowley's mystical philosophy for which RAW served as an unveiling beacon of light. Kennedy personally interviewed one of the leading living legends of Magick, Lon Milo Duquette ,to get it right. Duquette himself consider RAW his hero. This kind of integrity, going to the most knowledgable source, is a hallmark of Kennedy's work putting together Chapel Perilous.
I also resonate with the strong sense of authenticity found within these pages. Kennedy not only wrote, but in some ways lived this book. He likely went through his own Chapel Perilous in the years long journey to manifest this tome. He interviewed Wilson and was a founding member and active participant of the Maybe Logic Academy, an online school set up to disseminate RAW's thought crimes. Wilson taught several of the courses there. Kennedy is an insider, but no fawning sycophant. He doesn't shy away from the struggles, difficulties and challenges Wilson confronted, ,the doubts, fears and depressions. But we also get the breakthroughs, the mini-satoris and the way RAW dealt with pain.
Chapel Perilous also serves as a succinct primer of Wilson's books. It's informative to discover the context that engendered each one. It will likely turn some people on to reading them and some of those may be fortunate enough to set out on their own initiatory path as did Wilson so many years ago.
October 17, 2024
Meticulous research, in depth interviews and his own blood sweat and tears make this book burst with primary sourced materials. Prop met and interviewed Wilson, and studied under his wings at the Maybe Logic Academy 2004-2007. Prop has read and processed everything Wilson published, and done a great service to humanity in discovering and compiling many unpublished materials and eclipsed details.
This human story of integrity and the honest pursuit of the facts, no matter where they lead him is brave and honorable. Remaining forgiving and compassionate, RAW fans already feel this intuitively, now we have words and evidence to bolster those big feels. This book helps encapsulate and buffer that sense that now’s the time, the time to activate and put into practice what RAW communicated. Find and develope your own style. Nurture your own voice. Find the others. All that jazz.
Both a clear introduction to his work, and a wellspring of fat facts for the RAW heads, this book can change your life, if you want it?
The work has helped cement my suspicion that RAW and his works present a road map, or a pathway or network of pathways, for all around the world humanity to thrive, relatively peacefully. A universal, fair and equal and sane vision for planetwide cooperation, physical and mental health and sufficient tolerance, that which is expressed by Charlie Chaplin (Perilous) in his famous speech from The Great Dictator (1940)
This human story of integrity and the honest pursuit of the facts, no matter where they lead him is brave and honorable. Remaining forgiving and compassionate, RAW fans already feel this intuitively, now we have words and evidence to bolster those big feels. This book helps encapsulate and buffer that sense that now’s the time, the time to activate and put into practice what RAW communicated. Find and develope your own style. Nurture your own voice. Find the others. All that jazz.
Both a clear introduction to his work, and a wellspring of fat facts for the RAW heads, this book can change your life, if you want it?
The work has helped cement my suspicion that RAW and his works present a road map, or a pathway or network of pathways, for all around the world humanity to thrive, relatively peacefully. A universal, fair and equal and sane vision for planetwide cooperation, physical and mental health and sufficient tolerance, that which is expressed by Charlie Chaplin (Perilous) in his famous speech from The Great Dictator (1940)
October 28, 2024
There aren't enough RAW books out there. If you're reading this, you likely agree with me on that.
And I'll fully understand anyone who doesn't have the nerve to present his life, rich and wonderous as it was, in any media. I know I don't.
This biography was brought to my attention about two years back. Early days in the publication history, although the research behind it may have taken slightly longer 😅
Expecting it to at least be okayish, if it ever made it to print, I made a note of it. Just in case.
Gabriel Kennedy managed not only to get the book out, but to impress, delivering way beyond my hopes.
Despite the very thorough research, and attention to detail, it's a very easy read.
Kennedy is very respectful in handling all the persons, he has to include. Even Hoover, Nixon and Crowley. One could argue they don't all deserve being handled without judgment. However, i really like the style. "Make up your own mind" is very much in the spirit of RAW.
Grant Morrison writes in his foreword, that Robert Anton Wilson has been given the biographer he deserves. I agree.
All the new information, as well as the presentation and explanation of all the thought-provoking ideas, is really quite impressive.
I, for one, will not object, if Kennedy writes another book.
And I'll fully understand anyone who doesn't have the nerve to present his life, rich and wonderous as it was, in any media. I know I don't.
This biography was brought to my attention about two years back. Early days in the publication history, although the research behind it may have taken slightly longer 😅
Expecting it to at least be okayish, if it ever made it to print, I made a note of it. Just in case.
Gabriel Kennedy managed not only to get the book out, but to impress, delivering way beyond my hopes.
Despite the very thorough research, and attention to detail, it's a very easy read.
Kennedy is very respectful in handling all the persons, he has to include. Even Hoover, Nixon and Crowley. One could argue they don't all deserve being handled without judgment. However, i really like the style. "Make up your own mind" is very much in the spirit of RAW.
Grant Morrison writes in his foreword, that Robert Anton Wilson has been given the biographer he deserves. I agree.
All the new information, as well as the presentation and explanation of all the thought-provoking ideas, is really quite impressive.
I, for one, will not object, if Kennedy writes another book.
December 4, 2024
This biography of cult Sci-fi and counter-culture author Robert Anton Wilson turned out to be really good read. RAW's writings are so biographical that I was worried Kennedy to just be combing through those works and extracting all that information together to repackage as a biography. Fortunately, that is not the case. Kennedy brings a lot of new insights into RAW's life and works with this biography and it reminded me why I had spent so much time reading and rereading RAW's works when I was young. Chapel Perilous: The Life & Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is a great book for both longtime fans as well as for those who are just curious about him and the counter-culture circles he used to run in. The biography left me wanting to go back and reread a lot of RAW's work.
November 1, 2024
This book is for all readers, not just fans of RAW. Kennedy's portrayal of the life of an artist reflects the era and work of one of most influential underground thinkers of our time. This wonderful biography of an artist's own heroic journey is deeply personal yet relatable as it confronts readers to contemplate humanity's own collective and individual search for meaning. I highly recommend reading this book! Kennedy drops jewels in every chapter, inspiring readers to keep increasing their own intelligence just as RAW himself did. Do yourself a solid and ENTER THE CHAPEL!
June 11, 2025
A lean review of Robert Anton Wilson's life. Gabriel Kennedy includes cultural context, as most of the events of this book took place over 30 years ago, and a brief explanation of the philosophy or person who influenced RAW. While short, it's well paced and never dull, and there are plenty of rabbit holes to follow up on.
October 21, 2024
Fantastic!
March 18, 2025
Worth the wait
This book is long rumored. It is better than I expected. It moves fast. Robert A W was a working machine. I am inspired by his bravery. His voluntary poverty and still keeping a family together seemed like they were helped by many friends.
I got a sense of the community Bob (he preferred irreverence) always built around him. I love that this book puts him in a bad light in some ways. I dig that. I bet Bob would, he was generally self-deprecating although defiant.
R A Wilson meant a lot to me growing up so I wanted this analysis of his life. I don't know that anyone else would've gotten to it soon. I feel more connected and inspired.
This book is long rumored. It is better than I expected. It moves fast. Robert A W was a working machine. I am inspired by his bravery. His voluntary poverty and still keeping a family together seemed like they were helped by many friends.
I got a sense of the community Bob (he preferred irreverence) always built around him. I love that this book puts him in a bad light in some ways. I dig that. I bet Bob would, he was generally self-deprecating although defiant.
R A Wilson meant a lot to me growing up so I wanted this analysis of his life. I don't know that anyone else would've gotten to it soon. I feel more connected and inspired.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews