Product Description The first Necronomicon created in the true spirit of H. P. Lovecraft. Anyone familiar with H. P. Lovecraft's work knows of the Necronomicon, the black magic grimoire he invented as a literary prop in his classic horror stories. There have been several attempts at creating this text, yet none stand up to Lovecraft's own descriptions of the Necronomicon . . . until now. Fans of Lovecraftian magic and occult fiction will delight in Donald Tyson's Necronomicon, based purely within Lovecrafts own fictional universe, the Cthulhu Mythos.
Not A NecronomiconSeptember 17, 2008 While I enjoyed reading this book as a Lovecraft fan, it was nowhere near what a fan would have expected a "Necronomicon" to be. The subtitle "The Wanderings Of Alhazred" should have been used as the main title and "Necronomicon" left off completely. It's basically a Lovecraftian travel diary of the Mad Arab, though a good one.
Fans of Lovecraft know that the Necronomicon is supposed to be a massive grimoire of rituals and spells detailing how the Old Ones are to be brought through and worshiped. In "The Dunwich Horror" Wilbur Whateley's copy of the tome was incomplete. He needed a spell from missing page 751(!) to bring Yog-Sothoth through. This book has 288 pages and 30 are completely blank with another 20 having little more than a paragraph. I wasn't expecting 751 pages, but I do feel a little disappointed.
Now anyone familiar with the word "grimoire" has a definite mental image of what that term represents and Mr.Tyson's contribution (while a good piece of fiction)is nothing close. There are no ritual diagrams, drawings with "occult" symbols, or much of any artwork to give the impression of some ancient work. Instead, the title of each chapter is surrounded with a very Victorian looking frame and aside from a "seal" for each of the Old Ones, that's it for visual effect.
If you're looking for a piece of Lovecraftian fiction that fleshes out the Mad Arab character nicely or that gives you an "idea" of what the Necronomicon should contain without actually letting you have it, you'll love this book. If, on the other hand, you're expecting what most Lovecraft fans would expect from a book titled "Necronomicon", you'll be disappointed.
Worth the read if you're a Lovecraft fanJuly 31, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I took a chance on this when it came up as a recommendation - I had been reading a lot of Lovecraft and this premise was very appealing. I didn't have the highest expectations though, since past experiences with other authors 'taking over' someone else's work haven't been all that great (I also have mixed feelings about Donald Tyson). So I was pleasantly surprised by how well this was done. It is distinctly different than Lovecraft's writings (in the manner of 'how' it's written) but it does expound upon every mention made of the Necronomicon and seems true to the dark spirit of the Cthulhu mythos.
the birth of the Chuthulu MythosJuly 10, 2008 Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred is a trip through the Chuthulu Mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and which has left a deep mark on pop culture and certain forms of science fiction. Tyson sticks to the source material and documents Abdul Alhazred's learning process as he travels through the hidden and secretive places in the Middle East of the late 600s AD. Part travelogue of the oddest kind, part history class, the book tries to capture and codify the Lovecraftian lore scattered through the vast multitude of stories written by the Gentleman from Providence and the horror authors he helped develop and inspire. It's not brooding and makes no attempt to be scary. But the primeval alien history it imparts in a cold and academic way is ultimately highly satisfying for a Lovecraft fan.
Dark and Vivid yet SimpleApril 3, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really appreciated this book. The art, the theme, and in a way the writing style, but not all ways. It is suggested you abandon all hope for fluffy love bunny styled writing and accustom yourself for a stroll through a world of despair. As dark as the writing is, it is colorful. Yet at the same time it is simple. Some paragraphs go into extended offshoots detailing things. There are some places where you just 'fill in the blanks' trying to imagine the story happening in a linear sense. Overall I found it gripping from the beginning and pulled me through the whole thing quickly. I wish it had been longer because I liked how it progressed, despite the occasional anti-climatic chapter. A bit of gore and excrement included, enjoy.
well researchedFebruary 18, 2008 If you're a fan of occult fiction, this book is amazing. It's companion book, Alhazred, is an amazing book as well, and the two actually read together as an awesome set. There's also a beautifully illustrated Tarot card set by the same author on the same subject. I recommend these three companions 100%.
