Necronomicon

Gothic Dreams

by Sammy Maine

The Necronomicon the Book of the Dead what horrors lurk inside, whispering malevolently as the secrets try to creep out Master of weird horror H.P. Lovecraft famously mentioned the mysterious fictional Necronomicon in some of his stories, with no more than a few cryptic references to it, and he inspired other authors, such as August Derleth, to incorporate the grimoire into their own works. Thus this notorious book, featuring arcane text and histories of the terrible gods that stalk these writers' works, has taken on a life of its own. In this exciting new book, punchy text describes how fantasy art, literature and movies have been influenced by this dangerous tome, accompanied by powerfully atmospheric artworks."

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2015

Reviews

[Wyntrnoire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poor. Art and writing indifferent. Doubtful if the author has ever read Lovecraft--same for about 95% of the artists.

[E. D. Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and interesting volume. I picked this book up at Books-a-million in their bargain books and just had to pick it up. I fell in love with the art on the cover and inside, plus it explores the impact that Lovecraft's creation, the Necronomicon, has had on other authors, fiction, film, television, art, and video games. It leaves out a few items, such as The Haunted Palace starring Vincent Price and I think most if not all of Stuart Gordon's Lovecraft films, though I don't think his films feature the dreaded volume. The author, also, forgets to mention The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, an independent group producing Lovecraftian films, radio dramas, and props, which I found a tad sad.
All in all, the book was worth the buy and I found it fascinating. Definitely recommend it.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this would probably be a good book for someone who didn't really know anything about the Necronomicon or HP Lovecraft, but seeing as I've been reading Lovecraft for about 35 years now, it wasn't for me.

It basically runs down every instance of pop culture where you can find the influence of the Necronomicon or HP Lovecraft in general. It talks about how it started and how some fans refuse to believe it doesn't exist.

I liked some of the art a lot, but the writing style was kind of a casual style that didn't do anything for me.

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a visual / pop culture history of the Cthulhu Mythos and its various expansions and derivatives, accompanied by a ton of (terribly) gorgeous illustrations, from some of the best known contemporary artists in the genre.

The information herein is nothing new to the avid Lovecraftian fan, but it is succinct, on point and gives ample reference to look up things if they spark one's interest.

[Neptuno Alegórico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buen libro. Muy general con respecto al Necronomicón. Su historia, contexto e influencia en otros relatos de Lovecraft y sobre todo como otros autores y directores lo adoptan para darle mas mística al libro dentro de la cultura pop y las imágenes/ilustraciones dentro del libro son increíbles 😌

[Blogul · Rating 3 out of 5]

very good for an introduction into the lovecraftian universe for those not so versed in it (like myself). I did not really enjoy the illustrations, though, which felt too artsy for a horror purpose

[Jim Vaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A general overview of the history of H.P. Lovecraft's infamous mythical text the Necronomicon, or "Book of the Dead." This is an introduction of sorts for me into Lovecraft's world of horror. I've never really delved into his writings, but I recently bought a book of his collected works and this book seemed interesting. The illustrations were superb and the references to Lovecraft's mythical volume shows just how influential he remains on gothic/horror writers. A very interesting, if arcane, read.