Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★☆☆ (3.6/5)
Genre: Religion, Sociology, Psychology, True Crime, Non-Fiction

Book Review:
Colin Wilson was a prolific and unconventional writer, best known for his philosophical work The Outsider and his many books on the occult, the paranormal, and the fringes of human experience. In World Famous Cults and Fanatics, written with his son Damon, he turns his attention to one of the most disturbing aspects of human behavior: the power of charismatic leaders to bend others to their will, often with terrifying consequences.

The book is a whirlwind tour through a rogue's gallery of religious sects, secret societies, and fanatical movements. The Wilsons cover a vast amount of ground, from ancient and medieval groups like the Assassins (the Nizari Ismailis, who used political murder as a weapon) and the Thugs (a secret society of stranglers in India) to more modern phenomena like the violent racism of the Ku Klux Klan and the apocalyptic cult of Charles Manson.

They explore the psychology of these groups, asking what drives people to surrender their individuality to a charismatic leader, to commit horrific acts of violence, or to willingly take their own lives. They examine the role of belief, the power of indoctrination, and the dark allure of forbidden knowledge. The book also covers groups like the Khlysty, a Russian sect known for its ecstatic rituals and sexual freedom, and the Skloptzi, who practiced self-mutilation as a form of religious devotion.

World Famous Cults and Fanatics is written in a lively, accessible style, making it a good introduction for readers new to the subject. The Wilsons have a knack for finding the most dramatic and bizarre stories, and the book is filled with shocking and memorable details.

However, the book's breadth is also its weakness. It covers so many different groups in such a short space that the treatment is often superficial. The analysis is not particularly deep, and the book sometimes reads more like a collection of sensational anecdotes than a serious work of scholarship. It is a book for the curious general reader rather than the academic.

For anyone interested in the strange and often terrifying world of cults and fanaticism, World Famous Cults and Fanatics is an entertaining and eye-opening read. It is a book that will make you marvel at the extremes of human behavior and question the power of belief. But it should be read as a popular introduction, not a definitive study.