Psychedelic Press UK
Literary Reviews: 2001- Present
Literary Review: ‘Pharmako/Dynamis’ by Dale Pendell
Originally published in 2002 ‘Pharmako/Dynamis – Stimulating Plants, Potions & Herbcrafts’ is Dale Pendell’s follow up to his excellent ‘Pharmako/Poeia’, and deals with the Excitantia and Empathogenica classes of psychoactive plants. This review is written from the 2010 updated edition, which continues the author’s stroll through the ‘poison path’, in poetic, scientific and historical fashion. … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘The Power of the Poppy’ by Kenaz Filan
Originally published in 2011 ‘The Power of the Poppy – Harnessing Nature’s Most Dangerous Plant Ally’ by Kenaz Filan is a review of the human-poppy relationship from pre-historic to modern times. Filan has previously published works including ‘The Haitian Vodou Handbook,’ ‘Vodou Love Magic’ and ‘Vodou Money Magic’. The book is divided into four parts. … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘The Shaman and Snow White’ by Simon Ralli Robinson
Originally published in 2011 ‘The Shaman and Snow White – Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Shamanic States of Consciousness and Certificate 18 Healing’ by Simon Ralli Robinson is a very personal account of the psychedelic-shaman territory. Robinson, from Dumfries in Scotland, undertook shamanic initiation and apprenticeship in Iquitos, Peru and took part in numerous San Pedro ceremonies … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Singing to the Plants’ by Stephan V. Beyer
Originally published in 2009 ‘Singing to the Plants – A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon’ by Stephan V. Beyer is an exemplary, scholarly work on the topic. Beyer has doctorates in religion and psychology, has previously published works on Buddhism, the Tibetan language and religion, and has studied sacred plant medicine in … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Beyond the Basin’ by Alexander Beiner
Originally published in 2009 ‘Beyond the Basin’ is a novel by Alexander Beiner. It tells the story of a journalist called Alex, asked to cover a story in South America shortly after being hired for a new job, and Anjuiga, a young girl living with an indigenous tribe that subtly titters on the edge of … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘The Ayahuasca Sessions’ by Rak Razam
Originally published in 2010 ‘The Ayahuasca Sessions – Conversations with Amazonian curanderos and Western shamans’ is by Rak Razam. Razam is a journalist, author of ‘Aya: A shamanic odyssey’ and editor of ‘The Journeybook: Travels on the Frontiers of Consciousness’. This book is a transcription of interviews he conducted with shamans, many of whom he … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Trippers’ by William J. Booker
Originally published in 2011 ‘Trippers’ by William T. Booker is based on the author’s adventures around Britain in 1971. Set against the backdrop of travels, acid trips and a haze of cigarette and cannabis smoke, the book explores the role of ‘freaks’ in early Seventies British society as well as some of the colourful, and … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Aya – A Shamanic Odyssey’ by Rak Razam
Originally published in 2009 ‘Aya: A Shamanic Odyssey’ by Rak Razam is a fine addition to the burgeoning genre of ayahuasca literature. Rak Razam is a journalist and editor of ‘The Journeybook: Travels on the Frontiers of Consciousness’. This book charts the author’s own journey in South America and the Amazon, as he has a … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Freud on Coke’ by David Cohen
The hardback edition of ‘Freud on Coke’ by David Cohen is due to be published on the 31 March 2011. Writer and filmmaker David Cohen has previously published works such as Home Alone (2010) and The Escape of Sigmund Freud (2009), and while the latter dealt with one of Freud’s so-called ‘secret histories’, this offering deals … Continue reading
Literary Review: ‘Psychedelic Psychiatry – LSD from Clinic to Campus’ by Erika Dyck
Originally published in 2008 ‘Psychedelic Psychiatry – LSD from Clinic to Campus’ by the historian Erika Dyck is an excellent, scholarly study into an important slice of LSD history. Mainly concerned with psychiatric LSD research in Canada, the text unpicks with some excellent research, some of the most interesting and important episodes in LSD’s short … Continue reading
