Who Killed James Dean?

by Warren Newton Beath

Book Overview

James Dean died on September 30, 1955, and remains a cult icon to this day. Published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of James Dean's death, this is a shocking new novel about Dean's life, death and resurrection. From the author of The Death of James Dean. The best narrative yet of Dean's final ten hours.--San Francisco Examiner.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812538730
• ISBN13: 9780812538731
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

shook me up but good!

Written around the time of the 40th anniversary of James Dean's death in a car crash, this ground breaking, part factual, part fictional retelling of Dean's last days and death absolutely shook me up. I had a hard time getting anything else done for DAYS while I was glued to this thing. Maybe it's because I'm such a hardcore, devoted Dean fan that the particulars of this story had such an empact on me, I don't know. However, it's hard to imagine even a non-Dean person, or "normies" like in the book, actually getting nothing out of it. Forget about literary categories and genres, this book kicks into high gear early on and does not let up! The thing that kept reverberating in my mind while venturing through this myriad tale of Hollywood, Dean, and the occult is that which the author eventually explained, in brief but tasteful prose, at the end of the book in his author's note.This, of course, being that James Dean's life and death were much more complex and multi-faceted than any other writer, save John Gilmore, has been able to capture. Many of the characters were real people, such as the talented and debonair producer, Rogers Brackett, and the true eccentric minister, Rev. James DeWeerd. Warren Beath, the acclaimed author of The Death of James Dean, brilliantly weaves a strange and chilling tale of hero worship, Satanism, and the nature of a celebrity-driven cult using a bizarre cast of Dean-obsessed outcasts and misfits who live only for the continuing cannonization of the late actor. One of the oldest witch covens in California, the Maleficarum Coven, plays a central role in this scintillating story of unrepentant idolatry and the quest for a synthetic god born of the cinema. The Coven was an actual organization whose meetings Dean attended. It may not ever be completely clear as to what happened leading to Dean's accident and death, but this white hot book opens all kinds of questions as to what exactly took place between Dean and the Coven, as well as the extent of involvement of other key figures in Jimmy's career and life, such as director Nick Ray and Warner Bros. top brass.Admittedly, it was a little difficult at times to negotiate the twists and turns brought about by chapters alternating the story from 1955 to 1995 and back again. In fact, at times I've read just the '55 scenario chapters, in sequence, to get more of a focus on what are probably the most important aspects: those directly involving Dean and other historical characters. Psuedonyms and composites abound throughout the book, and granted, if one is totally new to the Dean story, you may draw blanks at first, but again, I can't imagine this tale not packing a punch for even the most cynical, jaded "normie".One warning, however, unless your of a liberal, open and progressive mind, parts of Beath's journey here will offend you. If you couldn't make it through Dean bio's by Gilmore and Hyams, then you'd better not go here! One of the best things in the book is, at the end, whe