To the seekers of hidden knowledge everywhere, the way is long and hard. Dont cut corners!

For Gabriela, Deni, Paul, Liam and Jon.

Foreword by Anthony Peake For centuries, there has been a secret, occult tradition that has developed in parallel with science. In their earliest forms both traditions were identical, a singular approach to reality that included both the outer, physical world and the inner world of thoughts and ideas. Indeed, for these early natural philosophers mind and matter were simply aspects of a deeper reality, and both were investigated using experimentation and observation. However, whereas the physical objects that existed in three-dimensional space could be manipulated, broken apart and analyzed using systematic techniques, the inner world of thoughts and dreams could not be understood using this method. Natural philosophy began to follow two separate paths. For a time a person could be part of both traditions, Isaac Newton for example. But as science began to define itself it found that only the physical world was willing to open up its secrets to those willing to interrogate it. Natural philosophy split into two seemingly conflicting world-views; the Physical and the Magical. The former developed into a process of understanding in which objects in the physical world were systematically broken down into their constituent parts (or elements). This technique, known as materialist-reductionism, has become the cornerstone of all the physical sciences. The only thing that exists are variations on matter and energy, and everything that is perceived is simply interactions between these two states. By understanding the relationships of the constituent elements, any physical system could be understood. In this materialist-reductionist world-view there was no place for anything that could not be measured or quantified. The Magical world-view took a different approach. Its adherents believed that the world worked through the relationship of both objects and thought. Unlike Physical science, Magic proposed a model in which the physical universe was simply a manifestation of a deeper, non-physical reality and by controlling these deeper forces the material world could be controlled and manipulated. In other words, for the magicians thought was prime and physical reality was secondary. From the time of Isaac Newton materialist-reductionism was in the ascendancy. Its process of understanding-by- breaking-down was startlingly successful. Not only did this technique explain much of the physical world but it also allowed scientists to create technologies by which that physical world could be harnessed for the greater good of all. From steam engines to medicine and from electricity to chemistry the power of materialist reductionism was self-evident. However, there were a handful of small issues that could not be explained by reductionism, issues that worried the scientists of the late 19th century. It was these small mysteries that were to

bring about the greatest revolution in scientific knowledge. These mysteries were known as; Black-Body Radiation, the Photo-Electric Effect and the Emission Spectrum of Hydrogen. By 1905, Max Planck and Albert Einstein had explained these mysteries and, in doing so, had created a new model of science that reflected more closely the Magical than the Physical. This model became known as quantum mechanics. Over one hundred years later the discoveries opened up by the pioneering work of Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Born and Heisenberg have created a universe in which consciousness and the act of observation seem central. We now know that mind is an integral, not periphery, part of how reality functions. Recent discoveries have suggested the existence of a quantum vacuum, a place in which everything that is observed is encoded as information. There is also startling evidence that the universe is one huge hologram in which each part contains the whole. But the most staggering disclosure of modern science is that the universe needs an observer to continue to exist and that each observer may be responsible for their own sub-universe. This is magic masquerading as science. What is now needed is a novel that brings together our new understanding of science with the old beliefs of magic; a Dennis Wheatley novel for the 21st century. This is exactly what Dr. Gary Vasey achieves in this incredible book. Gary tells a classic tale of mystery and suspense but weaves within it a series of themes that would be at home in any modern physics text book. He masterfully uses his own extensive knowledge of modern magical rituals to create a tale that is both mysterious and intriguing. However, the mystery soon gives way to something far more sinister and terrifying, a terror that explodes into a finale of epic proportions in which the fate of the universe itself is at stake. Once started this book cannot be put down and once finished you may just find yourself checking the shadows to catch a glimpse of the Lord of the Elements. Anthony Peake February 2013

Chapter 1 A Dead Psychic There was something remarkable about Michael Kent. His crystal-clear and deep-set blue eyes, sunken into a pale and haggard face, seemed to penetrate into the depths of your very soul. He appeared to be capable of reaching inside of you so that he could search through your entire contents without first having had the courtesy to ask. Michael was a well-known psychic in these parts. Locally famed, and at the same time loathed, for his apparent ability to help the local constabulary solve unsolvable crimes. Yet now he was an unsolvable crime himself. Kent had been found dead just outside of his favorite pub, the Rose and Crown. The back of his head caved in like a boiled egg, and the contents of his larger-than-normal skull splattered about the pavement. No one had seen how he had met this fate and the local police remained stumped. Even in death, those eyes glittered like opals as if taking in the entire world and reflecting it back out again. His untimely death made the front page of the local papers and had people whispering and gossiping for a few days. Who had killed Michael Kent and why? Edward sat reading the account of Michaels death in an old copy of that paper in a dimly lit and rather damp room of the local library. Kents face stared out from the page and Edward felt a strange sensation as if those eyes examined, and yes, even judged him. For Edward, this strange and unsolved crime was not an isolated incident but one of tens, or perhaps even hundreds of similar murders that he had stumbled on almost by accident. Psychics, it seemed, were dying in their droves and they were dying strangely. Edward leaned back in his creaky wooden chair and, suddenly feeling as if his balance had been lost, he pushed himself forward abruptly, attracting the disapproving looks of his fellow library occupants. He went back over recent events trying to convince himself that there surely couldnt be anything to this wave of psychic killings. However, something deep inside told him there was.

Selected Reviews ..script-writers alert; this would make a cracking film! I enjoyed it immensely. ..if you just want a great ride, this book will thrill you.. Really enjoyed the book.. The Last Observer is a classy, well-crafted novella which leaves the reader satisfied and hooked. Great read. ..a small part of me would love to see the dialogue in Chapter Twenty Zeltan Speaks performed by Al Pacino just as he did his famous defense of the human condition as Satan in the movie version of The Devil's Advocate. If you liked that scene, you'll enjoy this strikingly honest appraisal of modern magic. ..I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it!! .. I am still pondering the surprising ending,.. I had trouble putting it down to go to work or sleep. .. keeps you turning the pages.. The Last Observer is a fun adventure.. It was a captivating mystery from the start with an unexpected twist at the end. It is a very fast paced read with more emphasis on action than on detail... or so it seems until you realize that along with the dose of entertainment you've been drawn in to an intense lesson on the nature of reality. Definitely a recommended read! Come on Gary can't leave it there!

The Last Observer published by Roundfire Books available now from Amazon and other reputable bookstores in paperback and all eBook formats..
Paperback: 125 pages Publisher: Roundfire Books (August 16, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1782791825 ISBN-13: 978-1782791829