God's Pretenders: Incredible True Stories of Magic and Alchemy
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Narrated by:
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Lorraine Ansell
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By:
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G. Michael Vasey
About this listen
Harry Potter has nothing on these real wizards and alchemists who wielded God-like magical powers and performed the most amazing magical spells.
These amazing magicians, wizards, and warlocks could:
- Change the weather
- Heal the sick
- Raise the dead
- Turn lead into gold
- Be in two places at once
- Make fire with their will power
- Levitate
- Live forever and never age
The book contains chapters on the following magicians:
- Apollonius of Tyana - Wizard, Wanderer & Sage
- Simon Magus - The Pretender Messiah
- Michael Scot - The Great Scottish Wizard
- Nicholas Flamel and the Book of Abraham the Jew
- Paracelsus and the Beginnings of Science
- Henry Cornelius Agrippa - The Occult Philosopher
- John Dee & Edward Kelly - Elizabethan Magical Adventurers
- Sir Francis Bacon / St. Germain - Royal Adept?
- Sir Isaac Newton - Scientist and Secret Alchemist
- Eliphas Levi - Founder of Modern Magic
- Austin Osman Spare - Artist and Dark Magician
- Frantisek Bardon - The Czech Master Magician
- The Ordinary Magician - A Modern Tale of Magick
Listen now to learn about the amazing lives of real magicians and discover that fact is indeed often stranger than fiction....
©2015 G. Michael Vasey (P)2016 G. Michael VaseyListeners also enjoyed...
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For those of us who have always been fascinated by the unexplained, or inadequately explained, secrets and mysteries of this world, psychic Sylvia Browne now comes to our rescue. From the Great Pyramid to Stonehenge, Sylvia reveals amazing facts behind some of the world's most mysterious sites.
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Utter, utter crap
- By Sebastiaan on 02-28-05
By: Sylvia Browne
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The Written World
- The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization
- By: Martin Puchner
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to numerous visionaries as he explores 16 foundational texts selected from more than 4,000 years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched generations and changed the course of history.
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Powerful and illuminating!
- By Gloria J. Petit-Clair on 12-04-17
By: Martin Puchner
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One Nation, Under Gods
- A New American History
- By: Peter Manseau
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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At the heart of the nation's spiritual history are audacious and often violent scenes. But the Puritans and the shining city on the hill give us just one way to understand the United States. Rather than recite American history from a Christian vantage point, Peter Manseau proves that what really happened is worth a close, fresh look.
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Tapestry of different pieces makes for a whole
- By Gary on 03-23-15
By: Peter Manseau
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The Jesus Papers
- Exposing the Greatest Cover-up in History
- By: Michael Baigent
- Narrated by: Michael Baigent
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
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What if everything you think you know about Jesus is wrong? In The Jesus Papers, Michael Baigent reveals the truth about Jesus's life and crucifixion. Despite, or rather because of, all the celebration and veneration that have surrounded the figure of Jesus for centuries, Baigent asserts that Jesus and the circumstances leading to his death have been heavily mythologized.
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More for History, Less for facts
- By Brett Weathersby on 05-21-06
By: Michael Baigent
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The Genesis of Science
- How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution
- By: James Hannam
- Narrated by: Rich Germaine
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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If you were taught that the Middle Ages were a time of intellectual stagnation, superstition, and ignorance, you were taught a myth that has been utterly refuted by modern scholarship. As a physicist and historian of science James Hannam shows in his brilliant new book, The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution, without the scholarship of the "barbaric" Middle Ages, modern science simply would not exist. The Middle Ages were a time of one intellectual triumph after another.
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Insightful!
- By John on 07-07-15
By: James Hannam
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The Man Who Invented Fiction
- How Cervantes Ushered in the Modern World
- By: William Egginton
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early 17th century, a crippled, graying, almost toothless veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a novel. It was the story of a poor nobleman, his brain addled from studying too many novels of chivalry, who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. That story, Don Quixote, went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author, Miguel de Cervantes, the single most-read author in human history.
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Very Interesting and Informative, but Poorly Read
- By LCorSMT on 06-21-23
By: William Egginton
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Martin Luther
- Renegade and Prophet
- By: Lyndal Roper
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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On October 31, 1517, an unknown monk nailed a theological pamphlet to a church door in a small university town and set in motion a process that helped usher in the modern world. Within a few years, Luther's ideas had spread like wildfire. His attempts to reform Christianity by returning it to its biblical roots split the Western Church, divided Europe, and polarized people's beliefs.
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The purpose of this book is not to be a biography
- By LionsCalling09 on 01-25-18
By: Lyndal Roper
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The Fellowship
- The Literary LIves of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams
- By: Philip Zaleski, Carol Zaleski
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 26 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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C. S. Lewis is the 20th century's most widely read Christian writer and J. R. R. Tolkien its most beloved mythmaker. For three decades they and their closest associates formed a literary club known as the Inklings, which met weekly in Lewis' Oxford rooms and a nearby pub. They read aloud from works in progress, argued about anything that caught their fancy, and gave one another invaluable companionship, inspiration, and criticism.
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If You Love Literature...
- By Ray M on 07-14-16
By: Philip Zaleski, and others
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Descartes' Bones
- A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, Frenchman Rene Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely deathfar from home. Sixteen years later, the pious French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who washounded from country after country on charges of atheism?
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Philosophy of Modernity
- By Roger on 06-17-09
By: Russell Shorto
What listeners say about God's Pretenders: Incredible True Stories of Magic and Alchemy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sasquatch Survivor
- 03-22-16
All of the stories sound the same
What did you like best about God's Pretenders: Incredible True Stories of Magic and Alchemy? What did you like least?
I enjoyed the narrators cadence and pleasant voice in general. I did not enjoy the "true stories" that the author put forth. Before every account of magic, the author applies the disclaimer "the legend suggests" or "some people believe". I don't think true stories need to be partially discounted before the tale is even told.
Any additional comments?
With every Magician, they are bright and write of alchemy. In most cases they go on to find the philosophers stone and move to Asia. I felt like I was reading the same story with a different name and time during the dark ages. The Narrator was great and I would enjoy hearing her read again. I received this book for the purpose of review from the narrator or author at no cost through audiobook blast.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Teresa
- 03-12-16
A Neat Look at Early Alchemists and Magicians
GOD'S PRETENDERS was a pretty interesting listen for me. This audiobook is listed for 8-10 year old's (perhaps a little too much info for that age group) but I enjoyed hearing about the different alchemists and magicians. A few in particular stood out to me; John Dee, astronomer, occultist, and adviser to Queen Elizabeth l. There are claims that he may have been the original 007, Another was Austin Osman Spare, an artist and occultist who influenced Aleister Crowley, and Eliphas Levi who was involved with The Order of the Golden Dawn. I really enjoy G. MICHAEL VASEY'S books. They're informative and I even looked at the fabulous artwork by Spare.
LORRAINE ANSELL has such a lovely voice. I could listen to her all day. She has a beautiful cadence and it's as if she's speaking to you, the listener, (well she is actually) but she speaks clearly and has an upbeat style that I like.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nana
- 07-24-20
Short, yet informative ^^
It was a familiar listen, on some notes and others I was not aware of. For this I'm grateful. Since it was a clear informative listen I'll definitely keep it as a reference book to listen to again in the near future.
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- Reg
- 03-21-16
Much History in this Short Listen!
Any additional comments?
I found this listen intriguing...and I also found myself rewinding or starting over again so I could get all the names (they are in the book details so you don't have to do that) to go back and research them later.
While it is only an hour and 19 minutes long, there is a lot of history packed into this little audiobook with more detail than I would have thought possible. For almost all of the backgrounds, documented eye witness account lend validity to the idea that these people did indeed perform miracles or magical feats. From greek/roman times into the present, there are people in almost every generation that display the abilities and mystical learning that the author is retelling. The only one I would like more information on was the last one, I didn't catch a website to go view The Ordinary Magician and would like to be able to view some of the material for myself.
Lorraine Ansell narrated the material beautifully and gave life to the material that few could have. She made it enjoyable to listen to this audiobook.
I received this audiobook from Audiobook Blast in exchange for an honest review.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mary Karowski
- 03-11-16
Fictional (?) biographies of historical ppl involved in magic and mysticism
A unique story. I applaud anyone
Who can write and get published however not every story is for everyone. I personally found the idea of the various historical people living forever due to te philosophers stone etc to be a stretch. Taken as a a fantastical historical fiction it was good, taken as presented it was too far fetched. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mary Marcella Atoigue
- 10-10-17
nice
best and most fascinating wizard fan fic I've read in quite some time, truly a masterpiece of historical mythologies and a good look into the believer theory and the desire of human kind to feel special and as if they have unique meaning.
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