Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons      1st Edition,

Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons 1st Edition,

by George Pendle

4.5 (564)

4.5 stars from 564 reviews. Top 94% of Biography Memoir books we track.


$2.99KU81% off peak

Last checked: May 15, 2026

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Fans of these authors will like this...

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Perfect for you if...

  • You're fascinated by brilliant people who don't fit neatly into boxes, especially those straddling science and the occult.
  • You love deeply researched biographies that read like thrillers, with real historical figures and genuine stakes.
  • You're curious about how eccentric visionaries shaped modern America, from space exploration to cult movements.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You want a straightforward technical history of rocketry or the space programme without the weird detours.
  • You're looking for a morality tale where genius is rewarded and excess is punished (Parsons's story is messier than that).
  • You prefer dry academic writing over narrative-driven prose that luxuriates in period detail and eccentricity.

About this book

In 1952, a Los Angeles Times headline announced the death of rocket scientist Jack Parsons in a Pasadena explosion. Initially mourned as a scientific prodigy, the story took a darker turn when reporters revealed that Parsons had been deeply involved in the city's occult scene. Parsons was a founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a key institution in the American space program, driven by childhood dreams of space flight. Yet his imagination extended beyond rocketry into incantations and rituals—if he could make rockets real, he reasoned, why not black magic? George Pendle's biography reconstructs Parsons's world, examining prewar superstition, Cold War paranoia, and futuristic ambition. The narrative includes figures such as Howard Hughes, Aleister Crowley, L. Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, exploring how genius produced contradictory and consequential results. The book served as the basis for a miniseries created by Mark Heyman and produced by Ridley Scott.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$7.68$15.37Mar '21Dec '22Apr '24Feb '26
$2.99$15.37

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 81% off peak. Price has dropped 48 times over the last 5 years. Goes on sale roughly every 40 days. Typically stays discounted for 7 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#13,434#314,348#615,261Jun '18Aug '22Jan '24May '26

Currently around #398K in the Kindle store — a niche title. Sales have softened 66% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★May '23Nov '23Mar '24Mar '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.5★ from 564 reviews

Gaining approximately 3 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.5 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$7.68$15.37Mar '21Dec '22Apr '24Feb '26PredictedMay '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $15.37.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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George Pendle

1 book on Vagrant Press

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