Amazing book to read. Couldn't put it down. 5 star book. Highly recommend it.
Might actually reread this book next year. Not sure who I'll recommend this book to yet. But I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Morbid Magic is the first book I've read by this author. It was interesting and easy to follow.

It's a multi-cultural guide to death spirituality and traditions from all over the world and from different historical eras. The author discusses several topics including each culture's views on the hereafter, mourning periods, the deceased's legacy, and handling of remains.

From Judaism in the Middle East to shamanism in East Asia, Morbid Magic presents an amazing, in-depth look at how the world deals with death.

A historical analysis of the different ways that cultures view and approach death and the afterlife. A great read for those who have an interest in other cultures in general but especially for the burgeoning group of death midwives and ancestral workers that are popping up in many communities. It was an interesting read.

This book was far more thorough than I expected. That being said, it was an interesting read, but felt a bit like it was trying to cream too much into one book.... which inevitably left some areas more neglected than others.

Maybe I was expecting something else than what I read, but I did not get this book. I thought it was going to be more about different perspectives on death. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

This book was not what I originally expected and I am completely ok with that. What Prower presents is an historical analysis of the different ways that cultures view and approach death and the afterlife. That may sound boring to some, I am not among that list, but Prower's writing style approaches the subject in such a way that it is hard to put down.

Prower is able to bring humor and wit to a subject that many view as being anything but that. While doing so, Prower is also able to give advice and suggestions for ways to blend these historical views into your existing practice, with great caution.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the way different cultures have viewed the one absolute in life, death....

This is one of those books I really wanted to like. The topic sounds interesting, and I did enjoy the author's previous book on Santa Muerte. However, this book was just not as good. The book attempts to be comprehensive and cover as much of the world as possible. However, such coverage is not consistent. Some areas do get better coverage, and others are pretty superficial. We get answers to the question of "what to do with a dead body?" but also get an overview of deities and legends relevant to a particular religious practice or tradition. In addition to lack of consistency, the book overall is just not that interesting. It reads more like a list than a narrative, so it is not very engaging for readers. Overall, an OK book.

I've been a fan of the author since his debut book about Santa Meurte. This book deals with a lot of tough subjects that definitely will appeal to a more nuanced crowd.

Death Magic in general isn't for the faint of heart, bit this book in my humble opinion is a great entry into a fascinating subject.

Morbid Magic is not for the faint hearted, and those getting offended easily.
It has a very specific tone, which I have enjoyed greatly. Despite it's kind of taboo subject, death, I have laughed out loud many times whilst reading it.
It is clear that the writer had researched extensively the topic, and then was able to transform all that information into a very good read.
Thank you for the opportunity!

Although heavy at times, this was incredibly entertaining and kept my interest during al of the book. The author did an amazing research that will impress everyone that opens the book, and his style makes it all the more appealing! I didn't expect a book about such a darksome subject to make me smile ovr and over again, but this one did!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

My apologies on the delay in the review.

This topic is always interesting to me. This book definitely didn’t let my curiosity down.

This was a very interesting book and learnt a lot from it, something to pick up when needing to read something fast and also interesting on the topic that it is about, couldn't get enough.

Death is something that most of us don’t like to talk about, or is something – if we mention it all – approached with humour. Yet it’s really the only thing, other than birth, that all humans have in common. In this book, Tomás Prower provides a tour of the world’s interpretation of the end of life.

The setup is pretty simple: for various cultures – national and magical – Prower offers an explanation of how death is viewed in that location. A lot of the content revolves around funerary rites – whether burial or cremation is common, say – and gives some idea of the standards that apply. He also offers takeaways from each version of death: things that the reader can apply to their own lives or to their engagement with death, either their own or someone else’s. There’s shades of self-help in several of the suggestions, but they are all reasonable, and of value.

The book is populist rather than particularly deep. With the range of destinations covered through text, this is understandable: fitting the whole in 360 pages was always going to be about offering a taste of locales rather than an in-depth examination. The writing is for the tourist, rather than the sociologist, which is by no means a criticism – it’s a difficult subject to raise anything other than a reluctant or morbid interest in, for most readers – but that also means that it can sometimes feel as if there’s a lack of research rigour, or that certain areas have been squashed together for the sake of convenience.

Prower’s writing style is pally and convivial, but this sometimes engenders the feeling that he’s providing some very much reduced coverage of a culture rather than something particularly in-depth. But even so, I learned some things I hadn’t known, in a pleasingly light manner, which I enjoyed.

I suspect some readers of this work have come away from it with a bit of confusion. The title would indicate that magic is important to the book, and though magical rites do appear in some places, this is much more a book of funerary or morbid ritual, of community approach to the departure of life rather than a collection of incantations designed to harness the power of life’s cessation. It is true that anyone picking up a book from Llewellyn could reasonably expect a grimoire, but it’s not really the case here. There’s a couple of rites – some prefaced with warnings of how they could <I>severely</I> ruin one’s day – but mostly the spiritual practitioners’ takes on death reflect how their cultural and spiritual backgrounds influence their experience of death and grieving.

It’s fitting that Prower mentions Jessica Mitford’s <I>The American Way of Death</I> towards the end of the book. While his text is produced by an esoterically-minded publisher, it’s very much more in Mitford’s wheelhouse than a magus’s. True, there’s ritual instructions to be found in this text, but it’s very much something to be shelved alongside <I>The American Way of Death</I> – a thoughtful explanation of the behaviours around death, worldwide, with some food for later thought. It’s certainly worth a look, as it’s likely there’s something in here that will spark interest for further research.

I guess I never really thought about death except in general terms. What my wishes are and how I want everything handled. A celebration of my life, not a sad occasion. Reading about so many ways that people all over the world handle death was an eye opening experience. Many, maybe most are opposite the traditions and rituals that I know about. A very interesting read. As a nurse of many years, I have seen death close up and personal. I know that funerals differ from one religion to another. They, also differ from one culture to another.. I have a friend that is Navajo and she explained how the families of her tribe were not the same as other Native Americans. Very interesting book on death and life. I think this book is a great addition to anyone's library. I received this book from Net Galley and Llewellyn Publishing for a honest review..

This book tours the world discussing various death rituals, rites, and customs. I found this book fascinating, easy to read, and very informative. I especially liked the voices from community members part. It was a nice way to get a different and personal perspective. Each section is concluded with a takeaway to implement in your own life, which was a very nice and helpful addition I believe.

Overall, this was a good book if you are interested in death practices. I want to read his other books now.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.*

This is a great overview to various death magics and customs from all over the world. Morbid Magic would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s magical book collection or if you are interested in learning more about different cultures approaches to death and dying.

Death has been a fascinating topic to many people over the years and I am no exception. While I have read about and knew most of the customs for Europe and South America, I learned a lot of interesting new tidbits in regards to Asian countries, North America, and Australia. The one that will stick with me forever and will be great in conversations is the Funeral Strippers. Yes, strippers. For that alone, you need to purchase Morbid Magic to read about it!

What’s great about having overviews for all the countries is if certain things really interest you, Tomas Prower includes lots of links and bibliographic notes where you can look up more details.

And what I thought was a great bonus was in each chapter you get a take away of a thing you can do to help your transition into death easier for those around you or for yourself. Some of the suggestions were; questioning why things are done the way they are and see if you want to do something different, make sure to let everyone know what you want done with your body and things, letting people know what you think of them before they die, and many more ideas.
While some of the suggestions may seem like no brainers, it is still nice having a guide to help you along.

Prower also included other people’s stories on how death has touched them in their lives. It’s always interesting to me to see how other people deal in a certain situation. And just as a reminder that death shouldn’t be feared since it’s a natural part of life and happens to everyone.

Best Enjoyed Anytime Your Morbid Curiosity Taps on the Glass

Tómas Prower takes us on an amazing journey into the one of the most important, yet seemingly taboo, parts of life: Death. I have been enjoying this one for a month now. This is the reference book I didn’t know I needed in my life and I have learned so much so far and will probably need to buy copies for my close friends and relatives. It has seriously opened my eyes to various religious practices, deities associated with it across cultures, and how people around the world grieve. It has also broadened how I, myself, see the subject matter. As a professional in the funerary arts (after reading this I feel like that’s kind of what it is: an art), Prower has first-hand experience handling the complicated relationship most westerners have with dying, death, and the grief that we experience when our loved ones pass on to the next plane of existence.

Each chapter and section covers a different culture, starting with the ancient and moving into the modern, extrapolating out the belief systems surrounding death, the gods and goddesses involved, practices related to both the preparation of the body of the diseased, and the rituals that are undertaken by the living to ensure a good afterlife for the person whom as passed, providing some first and second-hand stories on how others have used the rituals and knowledge related to their own cultures to help them with their own experiences. He also gives tips regarding things we can do now to strengthen our own relationship to the inevitable and also to help plan now so that our families and friends can focus on grieving so they can live their own lives again. Not only does this book feed your morbid curiosity, but it also silently builds coping mechanisms.

For those of us who live in this giant melting pot of western culture, this guide to the world of death and culture is super important. Most of us do not talk about death enough and do not have a healthy relationship with it, but it is something we will periodically experience as both those who experience the loss of another and our own inevitably. Death doesn’t always have to be seen as morbid and taboo, it can also be seen as the end of a marvelous journey that we have all had the privilege of undertaking. By building a healthier relationship with the end, we can learn to celebrate and relish the adventure leading up to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

While no survey work on a subject can be perfect, it's clear Prower has done his research and put in the time to catalog as many traditions as he could into one book. This is a bit of a niche area, but I think one deserving of more attention and discussion.

Prower does an excellent job of balancing humor with gravitas, and I appreciate his example in the introduction (though perhaps Dominik might not have, were he around to object). Death magic and lore is not stuff to be trifled with, and should be explored with as much caution as one gives things like chaos and mischief/trickster deities.

I am not terribly well-informed on the death rites of just about any culture, especially ancient, but I did check some of his citations and they seem legitimate. This is unfortunately often a concern with pagan/magic-related publications, and I'm glad to see this isn't one of those cases. At the very least, this is a fascinating read for someone interested in death rites and their lore, regardless of any interest in working with death deities or leading death rites.

Morbid Magic is written by a mortician who takes you on a tour of death rituals and rites around the world. It was a very interesting read. I appreciated his honest, straightforward non sugar coated writing.

Morbid Magic is a thorough book about death spirituality and culture around the world and it covers a lot of ground. In addition I really loved the deadpan wit of the author as he is a mortician.