Call of the Void

by Christopher Allen

Call of the Void is a crime novel, a perfect murder thriller which charts the journey of a young man, Gideon Peters, in search of an answer to one of life’s most intriguing what is the point and purpose of my existence? The story is set in Britain and spans the 22 years of his life from 1961 to 1983 as his quest takes him to London. At the request of his father, Gideon enlists in a campaign to expose the political agenda of a secret cult within the capital. Gideon soon meets the beautiful Antonio Hargreaves and is captivated by her Tarot reading in which he is depicted as the Fool - a truth seeker - in mortal danger. Gideon is taken to the limit of his physical endurance and moral courage in a traumatic encounter with the cult the mysterious Magus; a man who will stop at nothing to protect his technology of hypnotic persuasion and the power it bequeaths to commit the perfect murder. No one is as they appear to be as Gideon is forced to confront his inner demons and his deepest a compelling impulse to self destruction. Call of the Void has a strong philosophical and spiritual theme with an emphasis on hypnosis and paranormal activity. It is an exploration of the unconscious powers of the human mind written by a professional hypnotherapist. Through Gideon’s eyes, the narrative challenges conventional ideas on the nature of reality, good versus evil, free will against determinism as he struggles to unravel the enigma of the baffling but commonplace urge to leap from high the Call of the Void. Set in an alternate world, great care has been taken to mirror historical accuracy as the story reaches its dramatic conclusion against the backdrop of the General Election in the United Kingdom in June 1983. Gideon is betrayed and thrown to the wolves as he faces a pulverizing street fight against the Magus’s most dangerous Boris Pasternak.Further NotesThe world of Gideon is set in an alternate Earth which is portrayed as very similar to the historical one of our everyday experience. In order to provide a credible alternative narrative to actual events, careful research has been undertaken in regard to the political history of the United Kingdom between the years 1961 and 1983, particularly in regard to the impact on voting of the Profumo and Thorpe scandals. I am a professional hypnotherapist and have also taken care to ensure that the hypnotic content of the story is accurate, as is the fictional use of an advanced form of the truth Scopolamine.As the story unfolds, a chilling and authentic atmosphere is maintained by close attention to the details of nefarious hypnotic and dental procedures. I have attempted to capture the mood in the United Kingdom in the early 1980’s including the influence of its involvement in the Falklands War. In order to impart a greater sense of urgency and drama to the conclusion of the story, I have made every effort to ensure historical accuracy down to exact day and date and, in some instances, to the hour and minute.The secret cult of the Magus is based on the Occult the Typhonic Order of the notorious English Aleister Crowley. I have also drawn on the esoteric mysticism of G.I. Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky for inspiration and depiction of the paranormal phenomena of Remote Viewing and Tarot Card reading. Other CharactersApart from the main protagonists mentioned above, other characters include the beautiful but highly strung newspaper reporter and Tarot card Antonio Hargreaves and her formidable brother Eric - a martial artist - whom Gideon comes to regard as more of a deadly process than a person.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 17, 2013