Just in: the first review of Chasing the Green Dragon! In the current issue of the esteemed German journal of symbolic studies, Gnostika, Dr Wolfram Frietsch calls the book “either an ingenious hoax” in the vein of Carlos Castaneda or Lobsang Rampa, or “a major breakthrough.” Perhaps wisely, faced with the stranger-than-fiction story of Gaston de Mengel, Dr Frietsch chooses to hedge his bets for the time being, writing that “caution is required in dealing with the material and it should urgently – so our recommendation – be examined. If it turns out to be a major find, it would be one of the most astonishing books about a magical-occult organisation in the 20th century.”

This sounds like the best kind of recommendation we could hope for!

While the idea of a literary hoax would probably NOT be beneath our esteemed author, Magister Artium Ike Vil, we warmly support Dr Frietsch’s recommendation – take note, students of Western Esotericism, this might be an interesting subject for a seminar paper: see if you can catch Ike Vil taking you for a ride, or vindicate his academic credibility (with the meticulous referencing in “Chasing the Green Dragon“, this should not be too hard!)

A note to our European readers: the ingenious artificial, erm,” intelligence” utilized by Amazon.com is still stuck with offering the paperback only in the Amazon UK site. We’ll keep updating the buying options on the book’s product page as the situation develops. As for the numbered HC edition, Abraxas Publishing (https://abraxaspublishing.com/) should have their pre-order page up and running shortly, and the book should materialize in early 2026.  

Gnostika, of course, should be essential reading for any Germanophone interested in Western Esotericism. The latest issue has articles on e.g. Hilma af Klint, German mysticism in Russia, Nicholas Roerich, and Rosicrucian astral powders (!)

GNOSTIKA 71: Jahrgangsband 2025 (29. Jahrgang). 240 Seiten. ISBN 9-783-937592-59-6 . € 40,00 from https://www.aagw-gnostika.de/