A vigorous strand of interest in the occult, the spooky and the mysterious has been part of New Zealand's history since 1840. Shadow Worlds takes a lively look at communicating with spirits, secret ritualistic societies, the supernatural, the New Age — everything from The Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism to Spiritualism, witchcraft and Radiant Living — and introduces the reader to a cast of fascinating characters who were generally true believers and sometimes con artists. It’s a fresh and novel take on the history of a small colonial society that was not quite as ploddingly conformist as we may have imagined.