There are a few things which you should know about Aleister Crowley. Very briefly, he was a bisexual English occultist who hated church and tried to challenge Christianity in every way he could (like being the bottom). He talked about himself as The Gret Beast 666 and was a fond user of opioids. And he had very confusing relationships with all women. And all of this is very clear in the Moonchild. Crowley wrote many books, but most were occult texts regarding Thelema, his occult philosophy. Moonchild is the odd one out, and it is the only story novel he wrote. It monitors spiritual battles of Order and Lodge with the goal of birthing - Moonchild, supreme being with the spiritual power of the moon.
It is not a book for everyone, and several Crowley comments about the main character - Lisa, are very misogynistic. Crowley just keeps on throwing dirt on her. Also, if you disregard all occult, it can be read like a story about kidnapping, isolating and drugging poor mentally ill (probably schizophrenic) Lisa.
But Aleister Crowley could write genuinely well. It is a real page-turner, Crowley is snarky as hell and he can build layers of meaning in each sentence. He can be very serious, turning it into absurd in a moment and going bad into extreme all in one scene. The book is full of mesmerising ideas and very cinematic ritual practices. It is full of comedy too, sometimes a little bit brutal, but comedy nevertheless.
I'm pretty sure Crowley was a horrible person and an insufferable snob full of himself. But Moonchild is a really good book.

While Crowley is decidedly an interesting thinker, he is a far cry from a capable writer.

The book in its entirety has perhaps 80 pages of actual, relevant, intriguing PLOT. To be fair, the plot itself is rather thin. Beyond that, Crowley waxes verbose about a multitude of topics that somehow "relate" to the story and yet do not affect the reader's enjoyment or understanding of the novel whatsoever. The ending of the book, in my personal opinion, is an utter rebuke of the last 300+ pages that Crowley took the effort to write. Essentially while he struggles to make a semantic and aesthetic point to the ending of the story, it is, plainly stated, a lackluster cop-out.

Time has also not aged this book well. Crowley's implicit misogyny shines through in a multitude of passages and he treats his female characters as paper thin waifs subjected to the will of their own desires. Add to this a healthy dose of racist comments and you've got a wonderful recipe for a cauldron fire of a book.

I wanted to like this. The plot seemed interesting (Before it was abandoned about 50 pages near the end). The moments where Crowley actually attempts to create a story are truly enjoyable. Some of his turns of phrase, while convoluted, made me laugh out loud. Yet ultimately, Moonchild is not worth your time.

Hey, at least the cover art is cool.

In terms of style and use of language it deserves five stars. However, in terms on plot it deserves quite less. The plot actually felt too cumbersome in relation to the rest, the sort of occult knowledge that Crowley was trying to teach the reader. Moreover, the ending felt incredibly stiff, clichéd and too romantic, but also without much romance anyway. The plot really is the downside of this book.

Moonchild slaps!!
Its riveting, and leaves you wanting more. Exegetic fiction at its best, like a precursor to Illuminatus, or Valis. For anyone looking to get a dense primer on magick principles this holds up.

Crowley is a funny old bird thats for sure, and definitely thought highly of himself. The hightened reality autobiographical nature of this shows his opinion on many peers, with his enemies, allies, and influences all having allegory or reference.

Like any Crowley dont expect to get everything out of it on a first pass, but if you are looking for a bitching tale of magick and subterfuge that also has lectures on how to influence the 4th dimension in your day to day, this book is for you!!

I wish I could give half stars on this book because I definitely read it 3.5 instead of a three. The prose was obtuse and I found myself lost more often than not and I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that I am quite unfamiliar with Crowley's magical practices. I did enjoy it for the most part but it was definitely a slog to get through it.