Guillaume's egoic dabbling in what he, the main character in this story, describes as "black magic" is of course nothing but self-inflicted, alcoholic induced delusion. His desperate attempt to reconstruct Crowleyan artifice is driven by a desperate need to be what he is not - wicked.

The really wicked men in this novel are the antagonists, a retired Occult-related Crime Unit policeman and a Christian minister, who together seek to intimidate and murder occultists; Wiccans and Magicians. The antagonists themselves are tik-users, which partly explains their own delusional vendetta against the other characters in this novel.

Those who are familiar with the work of the defunct SAPS Occult-related Crime Unit and its stance against practitioners of the Occult in South Africa will recognise the potential believability of this fiction. I had to remind myself that it was just fiction.

Back Cover - The wickedest man in Africa has problems, and they can't all be solved by magic. Occult bookshop owner and black arts magician James Edward Guillaume reckons he has it all, and enjoys living up his reputation as South Africa's “wickedest man,” a nice house, a business that's breaking even and the pick of all the pretty Goth girls and boys in Cape Town.

Little does he know, a group of violent Christo-militants are panting at his heels, ready to destroy his carefully constructed fantasy world. To add mischief to his misery, he's unwittingly unleashed a terrifying demonic entity, and he alone holds the key to The Burning One's secret.

To bring order out of the chaos, all James has to do is conquer his personal demons, teach a rather nasty, self-righteous sod a lesson in humility and find out whether he can win back the trust of an old flame.

Only, as James discovers, getting back on top is hell on earth.