Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred (Necronomicon Series, 1)

I purchased the Tarot Deck first, because I collect Tarot decks. After I reviewed the cards in the Deck, I quickly decided to purchase Necronomicon and its sequel, Ahazred. I was not disappointed with my purchases. I would suggest having the Tarot Deck with you, when you read this book. Although Tyson's descriptions of the creatures, characters, images and events in the book, are very well done, I found it more helpful to be able to see with my eyes, what was being described, rather than having to rely only on my imagination. You can definitely enjoy the book without the Tarot Deck, but I found that the Deck increased my enjoyment of the book. I won't give details of the book, because I believe that each reader should use his/her own imagination, with or without the Tarot cards, to picture what is being described. The descriptions of the events, characters, creatures, deities and myths are very detailed, so they should be read carefully, to fully grasp what is being described. This will aid in the enjoyment of the book. I enjoyed reading the book and was mystified by what was read. After I finished the book, I said to myself: "Whow, this would make some movie".

I've had this book for well over a year now and have enjoyed it greatly. While note the sanity blasting tome of the original stories, it is a well though out and assembled narrative which touches on and reveals connections to other works upon reflection. Tyson's mythos scholarship and detail works in very smoothly, even neatly working around some of the original authors' inconsistencies. (If bored, plenty of margin room would allow annotation to reference other mythos works.) I would recomend this without hesitation to any mythos fan, or mythos tabletop roleplayer. It works as source / setting material, a written, studyable prop, and a good read by itself.

After reading for awhile and reflecting on the other reviews, a greater perspective is revealed. Yes of course it is certainly a work of fiction very well based on Cthulu Mythos. However, it is very well written and portrayed as to where one can actually imagine these things existing. Since other reviews have covered the contents of the book sufficiently I will focus on other aspects. Symbols, sigils, artifacts in all cultures are believed to contain real power when wielded correctly. For example in Hindu culture the various forms of the Yantra can help one unravel secrets of the universe. So what I'm getting that is it's a marvelous collection of fiction that reflects our real world. I agree it is not anywhere close to a book of magic or the dark arcane, rather an account of a Mad Arab's life and spiritual journey as a necromancer. I have always been fascinated with dark magic and necromancy though never cared to practice it. For wisdom will tell you great sacrifice will be required for such pursuits. Perhaps more than most are willing to pay. Jab and poke at that all you want, there are people out there who believe the arts are real and I will not judge or doubt them. You should only doubt an individual who does not possess sufficient intellect or personal power. Some believe Wizards and Mages did exist at one time and I will not doubt that either. The closest thing to that it seems in our day and age is spiritual teachers of great accomplishment who lead very disciplined lives.Tyson did a wonderful job overall, evoking a wide variety of emotions. And more importantly than following H.P. Lovecraft, it allows the mind a chance to step outside of the "box." Expansion of the mind is a good thing. The macabre aspect is titillating and a fresh break from light & good. It reminded me as I read that there is a dark side to the world that is just as potent and real as the good side. I am not a fan of religion yet I consider myself very spiritual simply because of my practices and beliefs. From that side, the Necronomicon is a fascinating aspect of what it would be like to watch worshipers of strange and putrid gods.Not all the locations on the map are real (at least to my limited knowledge) yet some of them are. Just from reading this book, I am interested in visiting Damascus, Thebes, Memphis, etc. These were certainly scenes of real power and ancient human culture that gave Donald Tyson a great platform to work from. Who doesn't want to delve into our ancient heritage in some form or fashion?I will leave with one last perspective to consider. From what I've researched, it is said that H.P. Lovecraft received much inspiration for his works from his dreams. Some believe dreams open you to a real world that has less barriers to other worlds yet is often difficult to accurately interpret. Who is to really say with authority that some of Lovecraft's dreams weren't real? Even me, who doesn't tend towards believing horror fiction characters and gods, has a weird feeling the pit of my stomach that Lovecraft's works were not 100% fiction. It's just a feeling, not a basis for reality. Just consider it. And if not, then at least it is a tribute to the genius of Lovecraft to evoke such feelings in many people, myself included.

This book really captivated me... I've read a lot of 'mythos' stories not written by HP Lovecraft and I was really let down, I really like the work of HP Lovecraft. The author of this book is very descriptive and I found myself sucked in right from the start. It's a damn good read, and a lot better than the sub-par knock-off stories that leached off of Lovecraft. HIGHLY Recommend for those wanting to dive into a morbid realm that revolves around more than just Cthulhu (as awesome as his stories are).

This is one of the best books you'll ever read, whether you're a Lovecraft fan, Necronomicon fan, or even if you have no idea what either of those things are. It's an overall great read. One of the coolest horror/fantasy stories I've read. What I love so much about it is that it's written so that you can question if it's a true story. I presents itself as though it is, and it makes it fun to imagine.

I was stunned by the number of discs stacked in the box. Kind of wish they had been packed differently. The listening was just as amazing and worth the money. Having read the book It was a whole new experience to sit and listen to the words roll off the tongue of the reader.For a Tyson fan, a real must have.

I love Lovecraft and Tyson. Tyson's knowledge and writing style never leaves you bored.

Wohl kaum jemand wird sich auf die Suche nach Paris, Boston, Buenos Aires oder sonstwohin begeben, um eine historisch belegte Version des Necronomicon zu finden (sei es die griechische Version von Theodoros Philetas oder die lateinische des Olaus Wormius-von John Dee u.a. ganz zu schweigen.Als Lovecraft das Necronomicon erschuf, war es ein schwer fassbares Etwas ohne Inhalt, bis auf die wenigen Passagen, die uns der Meister hie und da offenbarte (siehe z.B. "The Dunwich Horror"). August Derleth versuchte sich ebenfalls daran, in "The Trail of Cthulhu", auch wenn es schwer vorstellbar ist, dass eine akademische Koryphäe wie Prof. Laban Shrewsbury sich mit einem okkulten Traktat zufrieden gibt, das vom Inhalt her eher einem Handbuch für Schädlingsbekämpfung gleicht...Wie dem auch sei: je mehr Autoren sich mit dem Necronomicon befassten, desto mehr Substanz gewann es über die Jahre, und seine Seiten füllten sich, genauso wie auch Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth usw. sich immer mehr im kollektiven Unterbewußtsein verankerten. Selbst die vielen dilettantischen Fakes, mit denen Leichtgäubige abgespeist wurden, taten ihre Wirkung.Donald Tyson schließlich versucht im vorliegenden Band eine Quintessenz des Lovecraftschen Schaffen in Verbindung mit antikem Okkultismus, Sternenglauben und orientalischen Legenden zu schaffen. Das Resultat ist gelungener als so manches teurere "Insider"-Buch, in dem der Suchende nur belanglosen Hokuspokus findet. Die Welt der "Grossen Alten" wird in ein System gebracht, und die Zuordnung der obersten Gottheiten zu den verschiedenen Sternenhäusern bindet diese sonderbaren Wesenheiten in die Tradition des sumerisch-baylonischen Sternenglaubens ein. Interessant zu lesen sind auch die Wanderungen des Schwarzmagiers Alhazred, die eigentlich wesentliche Stationen auf dem Weg seiner okkulten Einweihung darstellen. Aber Vorsicht: hier wird der Werdegang eines Magiers beschrieben, der seine Seele schon längst den Mächten der Finsternis verschrieben hat. Zarte Gemüter sollten lieber die Finger davon lassen...Letztendlich entscheidet der Leser, was er aus dem Buch mitnimmt. Nur noch soviel: zu Lovecrafts Lebenszeit war Einsteins Relativitätstheorie der letzte Schrei der Wissenschaft. Heutzutage wird sie von der Quantenphysik und ihren Herausforderungen, der schillernden subatomaren Welt (Azathoth läßt grüßen), sowie den Theorien rund um die "dunkle Materie" und das "dunkle Universum" weitestgehend in den Schatten gestellt.Diese Erkenntnisse sprechen nicht gegen die Existenz von transkosmischen Mächten (auch "Grosse Alte" oder "Ältere Götter" genannt, sondern sind genausoviele Argumente für sie!

If you like h.p lovecraft then you’ll love this book

Obsidian comedyThoroughly entertaining but at the same time deeply explanative (it’s a word - alright ?!!) if you’ve read a bit of Lovecraft.I’m not an author but can imagine the hours of labour and love that went into this were legion, yet still manages not to take itself too seriouslyI suspect he’d have loved it.Thank you