"Jack" Parsons was a born Rocket Boy. A pioneer in his field, inspired by the Science Fiction writers of his youth, he would grow to adulthood an inveterate exploder; constantly combining the most combustible of chemicals and ingredients, never always safe to be around but always interesting. He applied this doctrine to his personal life as much as his working and scientific one. As a young rebellious man he dabbled in Marxism and the shadow of this period was to be thrown over his search for work in the Mc Carthy Witch Hunt era. Yet it was his political leanings which were to lead him to a period of estrangement from The Powers That Be. Odd, considering how he was drawn to occultism and strange faiths. Even converting to Thelema, a new religous movement created by Aleister Crowley himself.the Big Bad; The wickedest Man In The World, ahem. Jack Parsons prospered in this new faith as he moved to live in their temple /lodge to assume leadership of its californian branch. There were even those who suggested something of a conspiracy theory linking his death to his Black magic exploits. Ah well, how could such a life be led without the odd, er,odd rumour.
That period of american history is a particularly interesting one, swept along with an ever expanding wave of optimism. It was a great opening up period, with many maverick scientists, pioneering engineers and writers broadening genres across the board. Jack Parsons got to meet, mix and work with many luminous minds of the location and era; Le Sprague deCamp, Robert Heinlein, L Ron Hubbard and Forest J Ackerman. Doc Savage and his chums spring to mind. . If you, as a reader, are interested in Outre Americanna or are perhaps lured into picking this book up thanks to an eye catching Howard Stark like scientist on the cover, then you will most likely enjoy this book. If you long for the days with "proper" scientists wearing bow ties and starched white lab coats who smoked pipes, then this is also for yourself.
Jack Parsons, the Strange Angel, fell brutally to earth in the end, but for a while he flew..
If only in short rocket propelled bursts.
