Strange Angel - by George Pendle (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>After his untimely death in 1952, maverick rocketeer John Parsons was revealed to have been a follower of occultist Aleister Crowley and was promptly written off as an embarrassment to science. Here, Pendle recovers a fascinating life and explores the unruly consequences of genius.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>Now a CBS All Access series created by Mark Heyman with executive producer Ridley Scott.</b> <p/> ROCKET SCIENTIST KILLED IN PASADENA EXPLOSION<b></b>screamed the headline of the<i> Los Angeles Times</i>. John Parsons, a maverick rocketeer who helped transform the rocket from a derided sci-fi plot line into a reality, was at first mourned as a scientific prodigy. But reporters soon uncovered a more shocking story: Parsons had been a devotee of black magic. <p/> George Pendle re-creates the world of John Parsons in this dazzling portrait of prewar superstition, cold war paranoia, and futuristic possibility. Fueled by childhood dreams of space flight, Parsons was a leader of the motley band of enthusiastic young men who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a cornerstone of the American space program. But Parsons's wild imagination also led him into the occult- for if he could make rocketry a reality, why not magic? <p/> With a cast of characters including Howard Hughes, L. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, <i>Strange Angel </i>explores the unruly consequences of genius. <p/><p/><br></br><p><b> From the Back Cover </b></p></br></br>"Forget geek stereotypes. Parsons's life seems straight out of a Hollywood thriller. . . . Pendle's book leaves us with a taste of genius's energy and fragility." -- Los Angeles Magazine <br>ROCKET SCIENTIST KILLED IN PASADENA EXPLOSION screamed the headline of the Los Angeles Times. John Parsons, a maverick rocketeer who helped transform the rocket from a derided sci-fi plotline into a reality, was at first mourned as a scientific prodigy. But reporters soon uncovered a more shocking story: Parsons had been a devotee of black magic. <br>In this dazzling portrait of prewar superstition, cold war paranoia, and futuristic possibility, George Pendle re-creates the world of John Parsons, leader of the motley band of enthusiastic young men who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a cornerstone of the American space program. With a cast of characters including Howard Hughes, L. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, Strange Angel explores the unruly consequences of genius. <br>"[Pendle] depicts Parsons' short, spectacular life as akin to one of his early rocket tests a brilliant flash, a quick soar, and an inevitable, erratic fizzle back to Earth. Pendle weaves a fascinating yarn, reaching from the earliest sci-fi dreams of manned spaceflight to the real-life trial-and-error process that would eventually make it possible." --Seattle Times <br>GEORGE PENDLE writes about science, art, and culture for the Times (London), the Sunday Times, and the Financial Times, among other publications. He lives in New York City. <br>"<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>A fascinating glimpse, a story that would make a compelling work of fiction if it weren't so astonishingly true.<br>-- "Publishers Weekly"<br><br>An engaging treatment of a time when the modern world moved at the same speed as crazed mania.<br>-- "The Onion"<br><br>Elegantly written. Pendle, with his graceful, measured prose, skilfully steers us through the quagmire of Parson's personal life.<br>-- "Observer - UK"<br><br>Pendle weaves a fascinating yarn. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to enjoy it.<br>-- "Seattle Times"<br><br>Strange Angel could be a hybrid sired by Gravity's Rainbow out of Foucault's Pendulum. Explosively fascinating.<br>-- "Globe and Mail"<br><br>This amazing book is set in a more brightly coloured universe than most scientific lives are.<br>-- "Daily Telegraph"<br><br>This is your book if you want to start reading up on the space age. Highly recommended.<br>-- "Ray Bradbury"<br><br>[A] rambunctiously funny, deliriously weird, and incredibly true story of a space-science pioneer turned lustful witch. <br>--author of CITY OF QUARTZ "Mike Davis"<br><br>A riveting tale of rocketry, the occult, and boom-and-bust 1920s and 1930s Los Angeles. <br>--starred review "Booklist"<br><br>A spellbinding story of a man with eccentricities that went well beyond a fascination with rocketry.<br>-- "American Scientist"<br><br>PRAISE FOR<i> STRANGE ANGEL</i> <p/> "Pendle weaves a fascinating yarn . . . he deftly and seemingly effortlessly leads his readers through the technical aspects of Parsons' work. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to enjoy it." --The Seattle Times <p/> "Pasadena's famous Craftsman mansions disgorge their ghosts in this rambunctiously funny, deliriously weird, and incredibly true story of a space-science pioneer turned lustful witch." <br> --Mike Davis, author of <i>City of Quatrz</i> <p/> "As a history of space travel, <i>Strange Angel</i> is a cornerstone. This is your book if you want to start reading up on the space age. Highly recommended." --Ray Bradbury<br>
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