I know Cleary from the Tyr journal (of which I am actually reading the fourth volume now) and indeed, that is where many texts from this collection of essays are first printed. Other texts are from the Rûna journal, the Counter Currents website or unpublished.
The collection of texts are varried. Cleary gives his very original and thought-provoking views on modern heathenry in the first three texts. Gods for contemporary man and a view on the ideas of Alain de Benoist. Cleary suggests creating an ‘opening’ within ourselves to allow the Gods to reach us, but his Gods are not those of many contemporary pagans. I do not follow Cleary all the way, but he sure makes some points to ponder about, also at reading again after several years.
The next texts are also about “Nordic paganism”, but more… ‘experimental’ so to say.
In the last two texts, Cleary portrays his views on our end-time in reviewing the Prisoner series and the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Cleary’s ideas show elements of Traditionalism, more precisely the “radical” variant that the Tyr journal. Further Cleary is heavily influened by, but at times also critical about, Edred Flowers/Thorsson. Cleary is a member of the Rune-Gild, so this is not really strange. I am not a big Thorsson fan myself, but I have not read all that much of him, but the texts with the thickest Thorsson sauce in Cleary’s book (such as the “Philosophical Notes on the Runes” are the least interesting to me. Also Cleary uses a lot of philosophy and makes many references to philosophers.
The book has a little under 200 pages. Within these you will find an original thinker who is not afraid to step on some toes and to touch unpopular subjects. A good read for contemporary pagans and non-pagans alike.
2011 Counter Currents Publishing, isbn 1935965220