Eric Ericson - Master of the Temple

[andydecker]

Eric Ericson – Master of the Temple (NEL, 1983, 422 p)

The secret Orders have their lines of descent, their connections. And behind every Order is another, some half-seen shadows in the mists of history, some well-attested, the works of their initiates known.

Their names have resonance:
The Ancient and Mystical Oder of the Rosy Cross
The hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Order of the Temple of the Orient
The Order of the Strict Observance

Each has its Degrees and Ceremonies of Initiation, its secret rituals, mysteries and paths to hidden knowledge. And in each there are the dangers. For knowledge is a two-edged sword that can bring life or death.

And among the orders, there is one whose Name is known to but a few and whose True name is utterly hidden, unspoken, known only to the Masters …

Here is set down the story of a man of our time who knew earthly success and the pleasure of many women, but who tried to pervert the secret Knowledge of that Order to his own ends. Who invoked Powers no man may control.


After the well-received - by the denizens of the Vault at least - The Woman Who Slept With Demons and The Sorcerer is this the third novel by Mr. Ericson. The back text is a bit of a mouthful, saying nothing about the story but giving the impression that it is more nonfiction then an occult novel. And it is quite a brick, 422 pages of small print, complete with notes on the chapters. I don't have a clue about the plot, as it is on the still to read someday before doomsday pile. At least the cover is done in the same style of the former books. Always a plus.