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The Necronomicon

Simon,

Peter Levenda (Goodreads Author)

Abdul Alhazred

3.18 · Rating details · 2,480 ratings · 192 reviews

The Simon Necronomicon is a purported grimoire written by an unknown author, with an introduction by a man identified only as "Simon" a possible alias of Peter Levenda. Materials presented in the book are a blend of ancient Middle Eastern mythological elements, with allusions to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and Aleister Crowley, woven together with a story about a man k ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Published March 1st 1980 by Avon (first published 1977)

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Average rating 3.18 ·

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· 2,480 ratings · 192 reviews

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May 06, 2015 Forrest rated it it was ok

Well, this was written.

When I was a teenage wannabe Satanist, I shoplifted this and was very disappointed that this was all I got for my petty theft.

Hey, don't judge - it seemed really appropriate at the time!

". . . I was bored before I even began."

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Mar 26, 2007 Gabriel rated it did not like it

Shelves: craphat

Damn love spell didn't work, fucking piece of shit book.

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Jan 03, 2008 Chris rated it did not like it

When you enroll in Pagan Worship 101 at the local community college (perhaps the only class I actually attended) this promising-looking volume is thrust upon you and heralded as the True Testament of the gods. It doesn’t even take until the conclusion of the Preface or Introduction to immediately recognize that this is not the truth, and you’re immediately crushed that “Evil Dead” is no longer the cinematic embodiment of the ruling truths as to the profundities of existence. It might be just as When you enroll in Pagan Worship 101 at the local community college (perhaps the only class I actually attended) this promising-looking volume is thrust upon you and heralded as the True Testament of the gods. It doesn’t even take until the conclusion of the Preface or Introduction to immediately recognize that this is not the truth, and you’re immediately crushed that “Evil Dead” is no longer the cinematic embodiment of the ruling truths as to the profundities of existence. It might be just as well that this is the case; the invocation of a reality-warping and vengeance-seeking ‘ancient one’ is probably not the type of s--t that I need going on during my weekend, especially when the alleged banishments of these unfathomable horrors are deemed wholly ineffective.

Well, while facing and sorting the shelves one night while working at Waldenbooks in my teens, lo and behold I stumbled across this tome, the name of which is oft-whispered throughout the realms of geekdom. So taken aback by this stunning discovery, I actually pulled my gaze from the exquisite derriere of an intriguing and relatively hot kinda-goth coworker named Amelia. The fucking Necronomicon! What else could your typical, barely-sociable, angst-fueled teenager come across that could possibly be more alluring than a scrumptious posterior: nothing. This chick’s rear was the desirable summit of a conquest I’d never have a chance of completing...at least that was before my grubby little mitts snatched the volume up and went home to learn some Sumerian so I could invoke the unspeakable incantations which would certainly bring this dream to a dizzying reality!! Awesome.

Fast forward about 6 years; the Necronomicon had sat on my bookshelf for about 5 years and 10 months of that time. Sure, the ‘seals’ of these fake deities were cool to draw on the inner covers of my high school textbooks for a week, dropping mad shit-talk at people involving Nergal siphoning their miserable soul was all the rage, and if left in plain sight was always a conversation starter with the varied miscreants that graced me with their presence. But that was the pitiful extent of its awesomeness. And at that point, one of my pals who was currently sporting a ridiculously huge mullet borrowed the thing, and it was gone for several years, during which time he managed to drop it while taking a bath. What he was doing taking a bath as a grown man is beyond my speculation, what he might have been doing with the book (amongst other things) in the bath isn’t even worth considering, why he gave it back is one of the deepest mysterious I've ever been entrenched in. But about 10 years after the initial purchase, the tome had returned. Wonderful.

About the only thing you can garner from this preposterous crap is the ability to immediately recognize the poseur Pagans from the real deal. The poseurs espouse the relevance of the Necronomicon and proudly brandish it everywhere, spouting their meaningless jargon about the exalted Xagarash The Thrice-Damned, dressed completely in black in the midst of summer, reveling in their misunderstood nature, carving their little ‘seals’ onto their polished cobalt sigils in anticipation of some pointless midnight rite, all before meeting some bisexual Wiccan chick, finally getting some action, and then growing the hell up. The real freaks aren’t out there broadcasting their obsessions. They sit silently behind you on the train, harboring a festering hatred of all mankind from growing up shunned due to their lisp and laze eye, they linger around an eerily long time in parking lots, and rent out Public Storage lockers where they ritualistically slay the unsuspecting and weak.

For these reasons, I officially converted to sun worship about a week after I first read the book; getting out of the realm of the whack and back to some sensible religious roots.

...more

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Dec 20, 2018 Jon Nakapalau rated it liked it

Read this book as part of a class in criminal justice that dealt with Satanism and cult behavior. Seemed pretty confused to me - kind of borrowed from lots of sources and then threw everything in one bowl of 'occult salad' with lots of H.P. Lovecraft 'dressing'.

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Aug 30, 2019 Rebecca McNutt rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, satan, non-fiction, history, fantasy, witch

Good for a laugh, but not particularly intriguing even from a historical or educational standpoint. Gotta love the Satanic Panic 80's neon on the Eighties Avon edition cover, though! A good portion of this book is taken up by its intro, and I didn't really find its "Mad Arab" story to be very interesting. Whether or not any of the magic in this book actually works or not is up for debate, and I guess depends on the individual reader and their own beliefs/perception... that's the trouble with rat ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Timothy Urges rated it liked it · review of another edition

That the Gods may not err, this Power was given to oversee their activities, should they be lawful and within the nature of the Covenant, for the Gods are forgetful, and very far away.

Fun stuff. Who wants to help me summon an Elder God?

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Jul 26, 2015 Nicholas Kaufmann rated it did not like it

This book is baloney. I can't believe I wasted my money on it. I cast every spell in its pages and nothing-- Wait. What's that noise? No! A clawlike hand at the window! AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!

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Aug 22, 2013 Saskia rated it it was ok

Shelves: owned

Did not go insane. Severely disappointed.

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Nov 27, 2015 Bailey Fernandez rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic

I think a lot of people are approaching this book wrong. OF COURSE it's a work of fiction, I don't think any of us would be here if it weren't. It's such an obvious homage to Lovecraft that I'm surprised that it's even a question for anyone, let alone that people would get offended over it not being real.

Now whether you like this is a completely different person. I'm somebody who has a really strong interest in mythologies (fictional or otherwise), alternate realities, and esoteric writing/poet ...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Adam added it

what no six star rating?
This book gets funnier every time I read it, and my horns are coming in nicely.

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Sep 07, 2007 Michael rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: nobody

It was December 1999 and all that doomsday shit was in the air so some nutsac at the bar tells me "dude you gotta read this man.. it'll change you bro" so I borrow shithead's copy and get about 3/4 through and the long and short of it is that this is a bunch of horse shit. What kind of sniveling dick drip can sit around and read this all bug eyed and fired up? This is for when you're 13 years old and camping with some other dorks and your all sittin around sniffing glue.

Adults! Do not read this ...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Steve Cran added it

This is one of those books that is the subject of much discussion. Go to the book reviews of Amazon.com and you will find people that have performed the rituals described in this book and they will claim that they worked. Other people will tell you the book is hoax, a complete work of fiction.

Necronomicon is actually mentioned in several of HP Lovecraft's books with regards to the mythology of Ctulhu. The book is only mentioned and contents are not really spilled out. According to the mythology This is one of those books that is the subject of much discussion. Go to the book reviews of Amazon.com and you will find people that have performed the rituals described in this book and they will claim that they worked. Other people will tell you the book is hoax, a complete work of fiction.

Necronomicon is actually mentioned in several of HP Lovecraft's books with regards to the mythology of Ctulhu. The book is only mentioned and contents are not really spilled out. According to the mythology before man first walked the earth everything was Chaos and the Ancient ones ruled. The Ancient ones were headed by Tiamat, dragon Goddess of Sumeria. Her assistant was Kingu. An epic battle took place in which Enki blessed his son Marduk to go into battle against Tiamat and Kingu. Marduk was successful and he took the blood of Tiamat along with some clay and created the race of man. Who blew into man his breath which gave man life. Tiamat was driven into slumber and the Ancient ones were driven behind the gate ever waiting their return. The Ancient ones hate the race of man. Yet walking on this planet are cults that worship the Ancient ones.

According to the introduction, Abdul Harazed, nicknamed the mad Arab is the person who collected the information and compiled the book. He advises against even reading it, let alone using it. One must be careful when calling on the Elder gods who are now sleeping and in the event of emergency will have to be reminded of their commitment.

The book was published by two other people besides Ed Simon. Supposedly they suffered strange mishaps and one of them was dead yet somehow able to carry on his business. The book is based on Sumerian mythology and from what I have read it is pretty accurate. The introduction is fact filled with information about the American author Lovecraft who went back to living with two aunts. The intro also talks about occultist Aleister Crowley who was not directly exposed to Lovecrafft's work but was interested in Sumerian mythology. Some believe that the two minds connected on some Astral level and their connecting point was Sumeria.

Contained in this book are invocations of the Elder gods. There are also the fifty names of MArduk and formulas for passing through the gates of each of the gods. The demons also have formulas to help summon them. If one wants to do the ritual I advise at least reading it twice because the rituals seem rather complicated. Severaal rituals call for obtaining metals and engraving sigils on them and wrapping them in expensive silk. Like other forms of magick you do have to cast your cirle. You watcher protects you but if the ritual is not done correctly then your watcher can turn on you. This is a great book if you are into Sumerian mythology,ritual magick and/or Lovecraft. ...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Mr. Derp rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone!

Bursting on to the literary scene centuries ago, the 'Mad Arab' Abdul Alhazred was hailed as one of the most talented young authors in the ancient Middle East.

Alhazred's flowing and elegant prose could be described as the Faulkner or Melville of the Arabic Occult genre. The descriptions of the sparse desert landscapes and hellish other realms is truly a joy to read. The character development is excellent as well. This epic work deserves a place on every bookshelf next to other great works of it ...more

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Mar 28, 2008 Delbert rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: young adults, DIYers, the recently divorced.

Recommended to Delbert by: oprah's book club

Shelves: communication-and-information-scien, political-theory, instructional

I wish that I could give this SEVEN STARS. Judging from the reviews, Goodreads is a refuge for mediocre sorcerers who prefer non-creative fiction to creative non-fiction. A lot of times, I've found neophytes have difficulty procuring properly pure metals for the production of astral seals. I've had pretty good results from a couple of online vendors. PM me if you want their URLs.

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Aug 08, 2007 Monkey C rated it did not like it

Shelves: occult

my book was apparently broken.

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Feb 15, 2008 David rated it did not like it

Shelves: back-shelf

In my opinion, this is a sad little book. It isn't an attempt at a real occult book and its attempt at realism destroys any sense of parody. Any semi-serious occult scholar won't waste time on it, but probably has a copy anyway. Barely fun for Lovecraft fans and "magically" walking out of library collections everywhere, this Necronomicon is just plain boring.

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Nov 05, 2009 Scott rated it did not like it

Shelves: occult-and-paranormal

It makes me shudder to think that there are people out there who are convinced that this is real. H.P. Lovecraft admitted he made it up. There is no real Necronomicon, least of all a copy you can buy at your local bookstore. It's (extremely) mildly entertaining fantasy, not a spellbook to reawaken the Ancient Ones.

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May 21, 2015 Peter rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: A box of matches

Shelves: h-p-lovecraft

Really... This is not real OK. NONONONO. This is just silly cashing in on Lovecraft's fiction, please grow a brain. On page 53 you can ask your Nanna (babytalk for Grandmother) to open the gate, me, personally I would always open the gate for my Nanna. One more thing shouldn't it be Lady Nanna, NOT Lord Nanna. Do not waste money on this trash.

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Mar 03, 2014 sologdin rated it did not like it

Shelves: burns-like-cold-iron

following the etymology of economics (oikos + nemein, or household & to manage), this text purports to instruct the reader in the management of death. ambitious in conception, the execution leaves something to be desired. maybe next time don't rely on a lunatic as the primary authority, and instead retain an occultist of merit? ...more

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Aug 18, 2007 Tone rated it it was ok

Shelves: beliefs, scripture

Sumerian mythology with some H.P. Lovecraft shoved in.
No historical credit.

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Oct 29, 2009 Alabaster rated it it was amazing

Shelves: occult

While a tremendous amount of 'astral interference' surrounded the publication of this ground-breaking modern grimoire, it has had a lasting and powerful impact upon modern occultism ever since it first appeared. True, it's mostly a recapitualtion of some sort of pseudo-Sumerian magick and not the literal Necronomicon of H. P. Lovecraft, but it delivers more real magick than 90% of what most newage publishers have churned out this year, or any previous year.

Many occult traditions arise form ambig While a tremendous amount of 'astral interference' surrounded the publication of this ground-breaking modern grimoire, it has had a lasting and powerful impact upon modern occultism ever since it first appeared. True, it's mostly a recapitualtion of some sort of pseudo-Sumerian magick and not the literal Necronomicon of H. P. Lovecraft, but it delivers more real magick than 90% of what most newage publishers have churned out this year, or any previous year.

Many occult traditions arise form ambiguous, off-beat and often-times fraudulent claims; there's the Fraulein Sprengel story for the Golden Dawn, the French antiquarian society that got hijacked for the Aurum Solis, the infamous 'Grandmother Story' of Alex Summers, certain mysterious golden plates discovered by a particular modern prophet who could never produce those specific items when challenged, and on, and on it goes. It's as much a part of the overall tradition now as bad spelling (ChAoS Majiq), rampant capitalization (ala Ophiel), retarded hippies and burned-our baby-boomers whose ego-trips are showing signs of ending badly. So what if the basis of the system is fictive or inspired by works of fiction? Doe the system presented in this book actually work?

That's the question that needs to be answered.

Yes.

It does.

Will it get you revenge upon the mean people at work, bring you riches beyond your most avaricious dreams, or get you laid this next Friday? Probably not. But then, who knows; odder thigs have--and still do--happen often and regularly. And this book is a right classic weirdness magnet of the first water. Just do a Google search and see what all kinds of stuff come up in connection to this book. (Pause) See what I mean? Heaps of weirdness.

But weirdness isn't everything and it certainly isn't magick. Too true. This book is a map and guide to exploring a particularly weird zone of consciousness that uses Lovecraft's work as a talismanic jumping-off point, taking you into a realm of directed imagination that harnesses the core concepts of grimoiric magick to tap into a particular current of force that is simultaneously ancient and modern, archaeologically relavent and spuriously made-up all at once. If you can work through the minefiel of belief, manage to pronounce the gibberish with convincing enough gusto, and take the time to work through the process, you'll find yourself learning a great deal about the mechanics of grimoiric magick that isn't talked about to any real length by modern authors, most of whom are ashamed to admit that they ever worked with such a stinky poo-poo work of icky black magick based upon an obvious fraud. Yeah. Like Solomon actually wrote all those books attributed to him. In English no less. Yep. Wouldn't want to dirty one's hands reading something 'obviously' derived from fiction. Now where are my red slippers... ...more

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Sep 23, 2007 R. rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: chumps

Shelves: 1974-2002

Shit. When did I write the review below?! Fawkin' crazy. Anyway, I wanted to point out that William S. Burroughs blurbs this edition thusly: "Let the secrets of the ages be revealed. The publication of the Necronomicon may well be a landmark in the liberation of the human spirit."

Shuffling around Hastings, I flipped through the latest volume of Weird Tales wherein they count down the top weird writers of the past 85 years. Yep, Burroughs is there. Lovecraft? Of course! Kafka? Sure. But also Tom ...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Jaybird Rex rated it liked it

Though I've seen them shelved together, this book is nothing like Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible. Rather, it can safely to be added to the New Age shelf.

The text is a jumble of some actual ancient mythology lovingly tossed together with various creations of fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. Worth a glance and a grin if Lovecraft's to your taste but absolutely not scholarly in any way, shape, or unnameable form.

I read this in a Midwestern high school in the '90s and was asked if I worshipped the Devil ...more

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Feb 23, 2009 Tony rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: all lovers of horror and occult

The book that is shrouded in so much mystery and terror. Written by H.P. Lovecraft under the alias as "Simon", this book simply puts together all the occult lore Lovecraft writes about in his fiction into a masterpiece that has children all over the globe fearing its words. As a fan of Lovecraft, I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone, although most will not find it as interesting as I do. Necronomicon, the book of dead history.

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May 13, 2012 Ron rated it liked it

Often in Lovecraft's work, he makes mention of certain mythic books. The Necronomicon, is just one such book. Yet there are those who believe it to be an actual occultic tome of great and dark power. It is a work on fiction inspired by Lovecraft. It is interesting so long as one accepts it as such and might have wondered what it might actually look like.

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Jan 02, 2013 Feliks rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned

Its a horrible book; offering nothing truly of value for the fan of magic and the supernatural. I've read extensively in this genre and this is one of the few books I've ever tossed aside in disgust. It goes to great lengths to suggest a very limited, constricted, alternate history for the universe--describing a hierarchy of gods which most people would never have heard of--okay, that's not so alarming. But then it goes on to suggest how many of the world's civilizations were really based on the ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Sean Seger rated it it was ok

I don't know if this book was supposed to be funny, but it's just so wierd and lame I couldn't help but laugh.

This book DOES NOT add anything to Lovecraft's mythos. So read it for what it is - an unitentional farce. If you feel the need to read it at all.

As a matter of fact, the unintentional humor is the only thing keeping this book from getting 1 star.

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Sep 13, 2009 ʍous ƃuıʞ rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anybody with a interest in the necronomicon or occult history.

My advice... dont open it unless you are willing to finish it.

It changed my life forever. And the lives of any of my friends who ever picked it up and read it when we was in high school all those years ago...

I think we all still own copies of it and carry them with us through life...

Its no hoax.

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Jul 03, 2011 Ed Nemo rated it did not like it

Shelves: utter-crap

This book is beyond ridiculous. While there have been many "Books of the Dead", this one was made up to capitalize on FICTIONAL work.

The books uses prints from the Key of Solomon and other books to make a rather pathetic book that appeals to the little hipsters that think using Thoth Tarot cards they bought from Walden books actually mean something.

Really? Are people this idiotic?

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Dec 12, 2010 Peregrine 12 rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Beginners of Yog-Sothoth (but not Cthulhu)

Recommended to Peregrine 12 by: Zar Yamon, the Mad Arab; Ash

Dude, it would be alot easier to use this thing if winged, hooved monsters would quit STEALING it from my library every new moon. And those little black candles that it comes with - they don't even work. I couldn't resurrect anything larger than a cat. Seriously, what a rip-off.

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